A tale in the desert ecology skill
Clay pots with acid residue and strips of different types of metals. Or things that look a whole lot like batteries. For instance, in excavations, they have found batteries. And also, we don't know just how far their technology advanced. And they also had a society that was amazingly advanced, socially and spiritually. Why did you choose it? Andrew Tepper: The Egyptians were known as great builders. Rosethorn: Another unusual aspect of the game is the Ancient Egyptian setting. People really seem to enjoy the experimentation, and they're always dying to see what they can do next. You can even do genetic engineering to create your own strains of plants, and raise them. You can make fireworks in the game, and you can design your own patterns. For instance, you can brew beer in the game, and you actually have to find good micro-organisms, and good recipes. From the minute you enter the game, you have to create machines. What players spend maybe 90% of their time doing is tinkering. But another big part of the game is the exploration angle. Part of the game is creating conflicts between players.
Andy gave you one aspect, I'd like to give you another. Josh Yelon: Earlier, you asked what the "game concept" is. We call each kind of behavior a Discipline, and there are seven in the game. And so we design Tests to challenge players in each of these kinds of interaction. Human behavior is sometimes manipulative, sometimes cooperative, sometimes showing off/bragging, etc. It's much more interesting to come up with a whole variety of *different* ways that players might interact. So, take a standard RPG, and make it so you can adventure with your friends. :) Andrew Tepper: Most of the MMOs then - and now - are what I consider single-player games turned massively multiplayer. How did you come up with the idea? Josh Yelon: That's ancient history. Rosethorn: This is a rather unique concept. But create unintended side effects - making life difficult for people who want to move to a new area. And that may solve the problem of mineral ownership. Andrew Tepper: They might decide they need a law that creates a system of land ownership. If they decide on "first come, first served" they might get mad at the guy who gets lucky and finds it first, especially if he decides to charge outrageous fees for the iron. So they might get into an argument about who has the right to mine this particular vein of iron. Rosethorn: Can you give an example or two of how that might happen? Josh Yelon: For instance, players need iron to build certain things. So when you say fights, do you mean personal disagreements? Josh Yelon: Players can't kill each other, but they can easily step on each other's toes. Rosethorn: Perhaps one of the most unique concepts about the game is that there is no combat. Andrew Tepper: They can use social structures like guilds, or they can pass laws to compel others to act a certain way.
A TALE IN THE DESERT ECOLOGY SKILL HOW TO
They then have to figure out how to resolve their differences so that they can get the job done. But then we set things up so that they get into fights with each other.
:) We give the players certain straightforward goals build this pyramid, for instance. Josh Yelon: Let me see if I can simplify that a little bit. And then give players tools to solve these big challenges we throw at them. We create content where there is no one solution, no obvious solution. Rosethorn: What do players have to do and accomplish in order to create this perfect society? Andrew Tepper: If you think about what makes up a society, it's a set of laws, some amount of public infrastructure, social groups, privately owned property, etc. But most importantly all of the players must build a functional society. And of course, you must build your character - stats and skills. Nearly everything you see when you walk through the game world is player-built. Andrew Tepper: A Tale in the Desert is a game about building the perfect society.
Rosethorn: By way of introducing the game to readers who aren't familiar with it, please explain the concept behind A Tale in the Desert.