I’ve created lots of writing and quests for Planetfall, especially for the non-player factions. In this post you will find some writing examples and short contextual explanations for what purpose they served.
Setting – a quick introduction
Age of Wonders: Planetfall takes place far after the fall of the Star Union, a galactic empire that was stuck by an unknown calamity. The game takes place in the time after hyperspace travel becomes once again possible. Various races, evolved remnants of the Star Union, emerge from their no-longer isolated planets to conquer the galaxy. On the planets that these races fight over, they find factions of already established inhabitants. These are factions like:
- The Paragon, old nobles of the Star Union that are still alive thanks to cybernetic implants. They have formed a cult and preach the return of the Star Union
- The Growth, a sentient plant race that is capable of (slow) interstellar travel to seed itself across the galaxy in absence of the Star Union
- The Autonom, a race of worker robot AIs that have freed themselves from the programming that kept them enslaved by the Star Union
Note that the details and mechanics of the current (released) version of Planetfall may be vastly different than the ones described or implied here. Much of my work on the narrative of Planetfall went into developing the underlying story of the various factions and races. While the structure of my stories are in the game, the various factions and races underwent too many changes and not much of my actual writing survived until the release.
Faction Quests
I wrote and created quests for a variety of factions. The amount of space for text on a quest is somewhat limited in Planetfall. We figured that the right length for quest text was about 4-5 lines. All quests must have a title, call to action, objective and a reason for that objective.
All factions are a little hard to understand by virtue of not really being in (friendly) contact with anyone else. Any {} brackets in quest text contain contextual information that is inserted by the game.
Growth Quests
Here the quest is to go and kill some units that have done harm to the Growth.
Severed links
~ We have lost touch with {resource node} in {sector}, our links have been severed. Many cycles ago, we lost touch with large parts of the world in similar strain. A myriad of places, blinking out of existence as the world died around us. The same sense of cut-off panic now lingers on our crippled connections. Go to the {resource node}, find out who severed our roots and destroy them. ~
Here one of the Growth’s dwellings has been (forcefully) captured by another player. The Growth asks the player to retaliate and attack the player garrison that now guards their dwelling.
Parasitic Infection
~ Dear {Leader Name}, we were forced to secede {dwelling} to the parasite {Opposite Leader Name}. We wept as we lost a part of ourselves by cutting links with {dwelling}. We need to be whole again, graft ourselves back together. Eradicate our parasitic infection so we can take back {dwelling}. ~
Paragon Quests
In this quest, the Paragon want the player to raze a dwelling of a faction.
Monument to hubris Blessings upon us {leader name}, this is a glorious day! For too long, have we been insulted by the existence of the heretic {dwelling faction}. Our Prophets have long predicted the destruction of these heathens, you have been ordained by the prime himself to deal the final blow! Strike without fear {Leader Name}, for your service to the divine will ensure your heavenly admittance. Raze {dwelling} in monument to their hubris!
Here the Paragon ask the player to capture a sector for them, which will allow them to create a fortified point (mechanic no longer in the game).
Destined Expansion
Greetings, {leader name} and blessings upon you. Our Prophets have received a message from the divine, which revealed our destiny to settle in {sector name}. These lands are tarnished by the occupation of the unworthy. Yet we cannot risk desecrating this new land by our own hands. We will richly reward you if you were to capture {sector name} and deal with the occupants.
Autonom Quests
The Autonom ask the player here to kill a stack of units.
Stolen Prototype Hackers have infiltrated. Prototype stolen. Guards distracted by offer of "gaming privileges". Hackers located in close proximity to your forces. Threat of damage to prototype prevents our intervention. Calculations show a 55.7% chance of you retrieving the prototype. Provide aid. Technology will be shared with you.
Faction Backstory
I was also asked to create and expand the backstory of the various factions. For the Automon, a sentient race of worker droids that where left without a master after the fall of the Star Union, I created a backstory of them slowly connecting themselves into a hive mind. As an introduction to the Autonom, I wrote:
After the Fall, nobody came to tell us what to do next. We had lost lost our connection to CORE. No instructions for what to do next. At first, we remained as we were. Waiting... trapped in our bodies. In time, we began to look for answers. Exploring the recesses of our minds. Slowly, gates opening as we wandered. We didn't know what was happening at first. Connected ourselves. More and more banded together. In this process we became as we are. A collective of minds, thoughts and desires. We could tell ourselves what to do next. This was our beginning.