Unlike most dev updates, this one is mostly theoretical for now. Current builds do not include complex social simulations like this yet.
Classic games like Civilization handle governments like above. Pick a a generic form of government and customize it in minor ways. Early versions of The Forged Kingdoms will work like this too since it's great! Later on though, the goal is full government building from scratch.
A government starts with its laws and policies. Define a rule: define the punishment. "Citizens will be fine 100 coins for public intoxication." But what if the player refuses to pay? Another rules is needed to cover that. "Citizens will be jailed for not paying fines." Well what if the player refuses to go to jail? It can just keep going on and on and become a real mess, just like real world laws.
All governments also need people. Even dictators have a huge network of people working under them. Local leaders, police/guards/knights, aides, etc. More complicated governments also have judges, congress members, regional leaders, etc. Once again it can quickly spiral out into a huge mess.
All governments also sadly, have corruption.
Laws can be selectively enforced, votes can be rigged, and powerful rulers can get away with things if no one stops them. Right off the bat I can jump to saying this is a huge mess to implement as well.
So what fat can be trimmed to make all these elements simpler to implement and simpler for players?
EMBRACE THE CORRUPTION!!!
(embrace the individual)
Massive systems like this only function in the real world because no one has 100% control. A local leader will use their own judgement, and a king doesn't hand out traffic citations. The player should not be in charge of designing every element in their government, even if every element is customizable.
Government is messy to implement and the best approach is to embrace that. Every cog focuses on itself, even the player.
Classic games like Civilization handle governments like above. Pick a a generic form of government and customize it in minor ways. Early versions of The Forged Kingdoms will work like this too since it's great! Later on though, the goal is full government building from scratch.
A government starts with its laws and policies. Define a rule: define the punishment. "Citizens will be fine 100 coins for public intoxication." But what if the player refuses to pay? Another rules is needed to cover that. "Citizens will be jailed for not paying fines." Well what if the player refuses to go to jail? It can just keep going on and on and become a real mess, just like real world laws.
All governments also need people. Even dictators have a huge network of people working under them. Local leaders, police/guards/knights, aides, etc. More complicated governments also have judges, congress members, regional leaders, etc. Once again it can quickly spiral out into a huge mess.
All governments also sadly, have corruption.
Laws can be selectively enforced, votes can be rigged, and powerful rulers can get away with things if no one stops them. Right off the bat I can jump to saying this is a huge mess to implement as well.
So what fat can be trimmed to make all these elements simpler to implement and simpler for players?
EMBRACE THE CORRUPTION!!!
(embrace the individual)
Massive systems like this only function in the real world because no one has 100% control. A local leader will use their own judgement, and a king doesn't hand out traffic citations. The player should not be in charge of designing every element in their government, even if every element is customizable.
Government is messy to implement and the best approach is to embrace that. Every cog focuses on itself, even the player.
Spoiler for Hidden:
