Thanks for joining us for Part 12 in our design series. This week we are going to discuss how the plot of Lord of Rigel plays into the sandbox nature of the game and how its sets up some of the core game mechanics in Lord of Rigel.
As many of you have seen Lord of Rigel's catch line is "Shape the Galaxy." When thinking about this catch phrase we wanted to encompass what Lord of Rigel is about. Sure most games say "conquer", "destroy", etc. However what we wanted to convey to our player is the galaxy was an open place. We have setup the galaxy and it is yours to mold into whatever you want. Of course we have to provide players with some reason as to why all each species exists and why the political stage has been set between the Elder Races and how is it that all of these species are expanding into the galaxy at nearly the same time.
Those who have been following Lord of Rigel know that there has been a Galactic Cold War that has consumed the galaxy for many millennia, however the player enters at the next round of the Cold War where ten younger races have been given technology for them to enter the galactic stage and help one of the Elder races defeat the other. However our plot takes the player only to this point and certainly doesn't lock them into having to side with either side. In fact the player can choose to go it alone or build their own "side" and have other species join them.
The open plot of Lord of Rigel also allows us creative freedom in the future for ourselves, but also for the player. With the Lord of Rigel plot we tried to give players a strong story to build up the stage for the player to act out their own story and determine the fate of the galaxy. That fate may even include the player leaving the galaxy and leave the fighting to the species. We hope that the player chooses to play Lord of Rigel in the variety of ways that they can win the game.
Join us next week!
