An Epic Generator...

[BigJMoney]

Galactic Civilizations is a 4x space TBS game that came out this year. Its expansion is coming out soon and, to my surprise, it is going to include a feature I've wished strategy games would have for a long time. It's called the Epic Generator:

"The Epic Generator. One of the most popular community building features of Galactic Civilizations II was Stardock's release of epic stories of various games the developers played. [The expansion] will include its own epic generator that will actually build (in HTML) the story of each game the player plays to read later or share with others that gives the story of each game."

I think Dominions, being a slow and deliberately paced strategy game, and having such a unique fantasy setting, would make great advantage out of something like this. I don't know if its modable or not, but a feature like this would be so, so cool for the game. After a long PVP, the group could get together and read each others' stories. I'm sure I'm the only person who thinks this idea has merit, but I thought I'd bring it up anyway.

=$= Big J Money =$=

[Gandalf Parker]

Its not exactly moddable because the mods dont allow you to create output as far as I know.

It is however doable in a small way (Ive been considering something like it for awhile). One of the many game settings that a host can use includes one to create a debug file. Its basically a text log of everything the program thought about and decided on while it was processing the turns.

Personally I would consider it easiest to do on a linux server but I guess it could be done on Windows or Mac. A program in any programming language could read thru the turn log, gather the appropriate data, rewrite it into a storybook form and HTML it, then copy the html file to a web-directory for viewing by everyone. It would be a major project but worth doing.

You could use the --postexec switch to call your program right after each time that the host processes a turn.

[Agrajag]

I don't think The Epic Generator will be more than a gimmick.
After a while the stories will get boring and repetative, because they will all be built from a single template (or a limited number of templates).
It is a nice gimmick though

[Gandalf Parker]

It could always be an ongoing project of someones also. Continually searching for info in the files and deciding how it should be rewritten.

But probably a handwritten AAR will always be better. I think some of them should go to a PoD site like CafePress and offer it as a journal.
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/sell?pid=2837642
Especially if they do it in a two page format where the story is on one side and the game actionson the other side. It would make for a great read and a great tutorial

[Archonsod]

It might be a gimmick, but it would be kinda neat. Whether it's worth spending development time on or not is another issue of course.

After the initial novelty has worn off I doubt you'd see much use of it, unless an unusual or unintentionally comedic masterpiece is thrown out by the program.

[Gandalf Parker]

Well it would always be more interesting than just the scores.html that the game puts out. And it wouldnt be hard to have it generate automatically each turn then move it to the web directory.

Im convinced it would be woprthwhile but it would be low on my list. And like most of the projects I do it will probably end up getting done just far enough to prove the point then I will drop it for someone else to pick up and finish.

[Wick]

The excellent after-action reports of the Warlords series could be stepped turn-by-turn and included heroes' histories. "Heroica emerged at Citiaone, took Citiatwo, and was slain by a dragon!" It's the best I've ever seen and the GE one sounds beter. I just hope a Dominions implementation wouldn't require you to "win" to get to it since I've never made it past turn 70.

[BigJMoney]

Lol @ Wick re: turn #s

If nothing else, there is something very useful about this kind of thing, even if it eventually becomes predictable. It would allow people to read the events of other players in games they played in, the importance of which is the fact that you get to learn a little about why your enemies succeeded or failed. Being chronological in nature, it would also give you an idea of where the turning points in the game came about.

=$=

[Endoperez]

King of Dragon Pass was built around the idea of a saga that is being built. It's a little-known game, and quite interesting. I never played it much. Maybe I should give it another try now that my summer job is over.

[Gandalf Parker]

Yes I loved KoDP. In discussion of storyline games it always gets brought up.