Hello!
Based on feedback of the players, it seems that ‘end game’ has been a conversation. I wanted to bring up an option for incorporating the “Builders” (players that focus on building) into the end game.
Historically the game has noted:
Q. How do you imagine the end game content ?
A: The end game content for Boundless is:
Titans
Temples
Economic / Guild based competition
Exploring the most dangerous worlds
^ that is a Dev note, and is great! It addresses end game for exploration, gathering and fighting! But what about building?
Inspiration:
In history, builders are a part of the community. Their creations allow for communities to gather and grow. Builders create beautiful places for us to gather, be social and sometimes to just look at in amazement. I think that Boundless is already allowing this to happen! With every city that pops up (or new build project) the community is brought together. I think Boundless lives this fantasy!
But what about after? You build your city…just keep building? Constant expansion? Hmm maybe there can be a reason given by the game, that helps guide a player and gives Builders a unique interaction with the game world.
I drew on inspiration from this picture:
In many stories builders are seen as the people who work magic. Temples are built so that Gods can see them, or tombs are raised with spiritual meaning. In the above picture from LoTR the Hobbit, Gandolf is noticing that the Ring Wraiths have escaped from their built prison.
There are many myths about evil being sealed away in a building/tomb. The notion is that the builder uses special materials or designs in order to trap that evil to protect the greater community.
Perhaps Builders in Boundless could do just that…and it wouldn’t be easy.
The Idea:
Titans are big, bad and they mean business. While hunters/gathers may be able to kill them/break them down…they aren’t really gone. A core always remains.
This core is the heart of the Titan, and if left unattended will fade on its own, returning to wherever Titans come from to be reborn.
Builders have the unique ability to cage these cores in their builds. A trapped core is useful for the builder, as it increases their prestige multiplier for their build, and it also can have other positive effects (if maintained).
Titans vary in strength, so do their cores.
Titan Core (three strengths Weak, Normal, Strong)
-
A Titan Core has a Prestige value associated with it. A build needs to be within % of that value in order to contain the Titan Core.
-
If the build prestige is too high, the Titan Core weakens (cannot give buff to prestige and if weakened for too long will disappear).
-
If a build prestige is too low, the Titan Core will corrupt the build drawing in monsters and then breaking free (disappearing)
-
A Titan Core prestige requirements change over time. The fluctuation is smaller for weak cores and becomes greater fluctuation for strong cores.
-
Once a Core has been ‘contained’ the Builder may access it to gain something (i.e. special blocks, unique looks of blocks, wearable gear) and the Core produces this on a regular basis (daily/weekly) allowing for the builder to gather them within their build.
Maintaining a Strong Titan Core would require prestige management and (at times) building/destroying parts of a build to allow for the prestige value to stay and would be the most valuable.
Mechanics:
Titan Core would be a block and by hovering over it you can see the cores strength and required prestige to contain it. It would require a special case to be built around it, that would be outlined as a ‘blueprint’ per the addition of that feature, once the block was placed. The stronger the core, the better materials are needed for this ‘case’.
Once the case is built, the Titan Core goes on cooldown for a period of time to allow the builder to build. If a Titan Core is harvested and replaced, it always goes on cooldown for max duration, to discourage moving them.
Once the cooldown on the Titan Core has been reached, it activiates. The Titan Core checks the prestige of the settlement it is in and begins to do the following checks:
If the prestige value is low (>10%) the Titan Core immediately moves to ‘Corrupted’ (more on this below). If the prestige value is >50% too low, the Titan Core immediately disappears and is lost.
If the prestige value is within 10% of the required prestige to contain it, the Titan Core immediately moves to ‘Stable’ (more on this below).
If the prestige value is high by >10% the Titan Core immediately moves to ‘Diminished’ (more on this below). If the prestige value is >50% to high, the Titan Core immediately disappears and is lost.
A Corrupted Titan Core will:
Corrupt blocks used to make its prison (the blue print) in regular intervals. If more then 20% of the prison is corrupted the prison breaks, the Titan Core disappears. During this time the settlement area has an ‘eerie’ weather effect, and mobs appropriate for the planet can be spawned into the settlement near the Core (if there is room, this is rare)
Prestige value for a settlement that is holding a corrupted core is lowered, and remains lowered for 1 week after it is fixed/lost/destroyed.
A Stable Titan Core will:
Produce items for the builder in stable intervals. Still attempts to corrupt its prison (very slow/rarely). These blocks need to be destroyed/replaced to hold the core and maintain it.
A Diminished Titan Core will:
Does nothing. If it stays in a Diminished state for more then 1 day, it disappears.
Monthly the Titan Cores reset their prestige requirements and go on Cool Down.
All of this can be made more difficult by storing multiple cores within the same settlement (likely a requirement to hit the prestige requirements of a large city). If prestige requirements drop for a core, another core can be housed to make up the difference (as they compound, and aren’t treated individually).
Summary:
I wanted to provide a way for Builders to move into the late game beyond endless building, and engage them with a game mechanic (should they choose, no requirement). I imagine Capitals and large cities existing just to house Strong Titan Cores.
Outposts built on remote hills to house Weak and Normal Titan Cores.
The Cores endlessly whispering…hoping to corrupt the walls around them and break free.
Just a thought, wanted to share if it could be useful!
Cheers all!
so fun to brain storm!! I hope that we can come up with some ideas that will enhance the builders late game.
Even if not the Titans Heart (devs may have plans already for that) in the end, but something similar would be cool to see in game.
It doesn’t mean that they can’t also incorporate one specific type of Core or Essence that would allow for this.
