I put it in the other thread, but then saw how it all grows rapidly into spaghetti. So I'll re-post it here.
The bulk of this proposal is based in the initial idea by zenbitz, with an additional "positive" ending that needs most play to work out.
In this case, I started from the climax, imagining how the story might end, and then went backwards, to find a fitting origin for it.
Here's something from Wikipedia (Snowed Earth, see zenbitz' proposal) that could be/have been an interesting part for the "Snowball Earth" version, about how the ice age ended:
Global warming associated with large accumulations of Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over millions of years, emitted primarily by volcanic activity, is the proposed trigger for melting a Snowball Earth. Due to positive feedback for melting, the eventual melting of the snow and ice covering most of the Earth's surface would require as few as 1,000 years.
So the possible game endings could be:
- walking south, alone or with some party; the ending is
cold and nihilistic;
- finding the "vault" party and joining them, without finding high tech; the ending slides are quite uncertain and, again, nihilistic;
- finding the "vault" and bringing an energy source,
guaranteeing survival of the small group; in-the-middle-ending;
- additionally devising a way to put lots of carbon dioxide in the air, before the ice age starts, so there is
hope the planet is livable within the next 1000 years; the ending is uncertain, but positive.
A twist would be finding the "vault" party, but eradicating them after joining some competitors.
With the endings outlined above, the PC would be going from North to South, the "vault" residing somewhere in current Denmark / southern Sweden. The encroaching ice would mark game chapters: with years passing, land becomes uninhabitable, forcing gameplay lower down the map.
This would mean the game starting up north. The PC could be a member of some party abandoning their habitat due to changing climate. To avoid the cliche of "Chosen One", he could be one of the many who set out to find a better place for his party and gather information.
With each season, the party moves south (along the Gulf of Bothnia, and then the Baltic Sea). The PC can come to a rendezvous point and report on progress (or decide to abandon his fellows altogether), eventually bringing his party into the "vault" (possibility for politics with both persuasion and combat).
If the player chooses not to stay in the "vault", at the final rendezvous point he may re-join his party to become an eternal nomad.
The plot of such a scenario would revolve around following the original party down south, constantly looking for a way to secure their future. Or, again, dissing them to become a loner.
This story presents a lot of decisions that would effect the outcome of the game, allowing multiple replays and different ways to develop the character based on personality.
tZee's reply:
If you make the incoming ice age the main antagonist in the story the game will be quite pointless - you don't stand a chance anyway and you have zero influence on the outcome.
The incoming ice age could be something that drives some progress in the game, but the main plot should be about something else - or there should be a means that gives the main character a chance to do something about the ice age - even if he eventually fails.
The player should feel that he is able to influence the outcome of the game.
To which I replied:
That's exactly why there's a possible positive ending in my proposal above - stopping the cooling before a full-scale ice age starts. In the end, the PC descends into the "vault" with the promise that humanity will survive.
The "wander off south" ending could be eliminated, only leaving the player a choice of conditions underground that he manages to secure.
