Writing events is way harder than I initially thought. I figured it would be a breeze. I mean, who doesn’t want to write for video games?

Here’s a sample event I’ve tried to flesh out. Options with parentheses are only available if you have the technology unlocked. This idea came about when thinking about the Fire technology, and how it could be used in different events. It obviously can burn things, and scare beasts and people alike. But it can also be used for exploration. Enter, the cave.

Event Name: Unknown Cave

Description: You see an overhang of rock in the far distance. It reminds you of your home. The differences are so slight you aren’t exactly sure it isn’t your cave. As you approach the darkness, a whistling noise grows louder and louder, making you shiver despite the warm day.

<Cave is about to collapse>

Option 1: Enter the cave.
You hesitantly enter the cave. The rocks above your head stir ever so slightly…it’s going to collapse! You make it out right as the entrance cascades behind you.
Lose one hour of daylight.
Option 2: (Fire) Light a torch and explore the cave.
You create a fire before entering the cave, and confidently head in. As the outside light fades away, the entrance to the cave collapses! You frantically claw and dig your way back to freedom. You head back, scratched up and out of breath.
Lose five hours of daylight. Lose 50 stamina. Gain 10 stone.
Option 3: (Common Sense) Leave immediately.
Nothing good can come of this. You turn around and put your back to the darkness. Whatever was in that cave is not worth the risk.
Option 4: (Trap-making) Examine the rock overhang.
Taking a closer look at the overhang leads you to believe that this cave is about to collapse any minute. You leave without a second thought. Nothing in that cave is worth the risk of injury, or even death.
Option 5: (Stealth) Sneak into the cave.
You stealthily examine the entrance to the cave, as far as the daylight reaches. Seeing nothing of use, you leave as quietly as you came.
Lose three hours of daylight.

<Cave is home to another caveman>

Option 1: Enter the cave.
You hesitantly enter the cave. You can’t see anything beyond the light of the outside, but you are able to see another caveman’s possessions littered throughout. You struggle to see as you rifle through the stranger’s things. Suddenly, fur stirs. You flee in terror, dropping most of what you looted.
Gain 10 food. Lose two hours of daylight.
Option 2: (Fire) Light a torch and explore the cave.
You create a fire before entering the cave, and confidently head in. This cave clearly belongs to another caveman! Grabbing the juiciest food first, a fur in the back begins to move. Another person! You hightail it out of there, loot in hand.
Gain 30 food. Lose one hour of daylight.
Option 3: (Common Sense) Leave immediately.
Nothing good can come of this. You turn around and put your back to the darkness. Whatever was in that cave is not worth the risk.
Option 4: (Trap-making) Examine the rock overhang.
Taking a closer look at the overhang reveals nothing. As you are stumbling about outside the entrance, you hear…something stir from inside the cave. Not wanting a fight, you run as fast as your feet can take you.
Lose one hour.
Option 5: (Stealth) Sneak into the cave.
You stealthily examine the entrance to the cave, as far as the daylight reaches. This is clearly someones home! You take your time, looting what you please, and eventually leave, the owner’s occupants none the wiser.
Gain 60 food. Lose three hours of daylight.

I wanted to showcase the non-obviousness of choosing what path to take. Sometimes the cave is going to collapse no matter what, sometimes it contains food for the taking. No choice is clearly the best.

I’m not sure if this is fun though. In FTL, there’s an event where you can choose to fight the mantis. If you fight, you either gain a little loot, or you lose a crew member, which is devastating most of the time. Most people choose to flee. Would people enter the cave at the risk of collapse? Choosing the Stealth option loses three hours either way, but there’s a chance for a lot of food. Is the fire option worth the risk of losing five hours and 50 stamina? Will players just choose Common Sense every time? I guess only playtesting will tell.

Also, this took a significant amount of time to write, and there’s not even any jokes in it! I may limit future events to one default choice, one cheap tech choice, and one expensive tech choice. We’ll see.