This feature is classic overengineering - too much in too little time. But that doesn't mean its a bad idea.

I wouldn't scrap the epic generator altogether - its really cool for those of us who like to write AARs and is a really neat feature.

I would change the scope so that it is managable for you to create and gives more control to the user.

why not change the epic generator somewhat so that there is player has full control over what is logged via a hot key press and the ability to enter their own comments?

Have a hot key whereby the game takes a snapshot of the screen and brings up a window where the player can enter in comments about what is going on.

have all the results placed into a series of HTML pages that the player can view once the game is complete.

We have new events that we want to create, new United Planets issues that would be specific to the new game mechanics, and a load of little polish features that would drastically increase the quality of the game-part of DA.

That sentence is reason enough to cut the EG.

Ah, too bad for the Epic Generator (and Boogiebac's hard work, of course), but something might still be salvageable. Based on my own experiences and what seems to be the consensus here, I would suggest you implement the following plan (the steps are listed in decreasing importance and estimated practicality) by:

1.) Shutting off work on the Epic Generator - as everyone has said, it will probably turn into a risky and/or costly logistical battle at the expense of other fun little features. It is a great idea in theory, and might be implementable in a future expansion or sequel, but we all (or at least most) would understand if it got set aside for now. You might also build the skeleton for it and leave players to fill in the rest, of course.

2.) Putting in a Data Log - something that could record the hard facts in the game, perhaps with a taunt or two thrown in by the AI This would allow players to write their own stories, and would allow a lot more creativity in them.

3.) Putting in an Easy Screenshot Capture - some function and hotkey that lets you easily and efficiently take high-quality screenshots. A function that lets you organize them and/or add comments to them would also be appreciated, which leads into the next step ...

4.) Putting in a Photo Album or Storybook Editor - ideally, something styled after what is available in The Sims 2 and similar games. What I am searching for is a component of the game that lets you access the Data Log and Screenshot Log, and use them to easily create a story or gameplay example. The gameplay examples the Brad and others periodically upload are great examples of how this system could work: stories composed primarily of text but with annotated screenshots giving life to it. Giving us a relatively simple tool to do that would be greatly appreciated, and would go great with the next step.

5.) A Web database (or subcategory of the existing one) built specifically for such gameplay examples, or a forum or other medium made with accessibility first in mind.

Of course, I realize that the later 2 features might possibly take more effort than the Epic Generator, but they would be a great substitute for all interested parties, until technology develops enough for you to [realisticly] program computers to write "Epics".

Whatever you do, good luck, and know that you have my support!

Already, more time has been spent on the Epic Generator than was spent on, for instance, the entire AI of GalCiv II or the entire combat system.

I'm sure for some gamers the EG will be the nicest bit of chrome on a game they've ever had, while others (like me, I expect) will probably use it once and never again. Maybe a poll is in order, as this seems like a trade-off: resources spent developing the EG could go elsewhere.

AI uber alles!

I just finished my first game, and got to say I love it.

What made it even better was the Epic story I could read on the summary afterwards. Although it seems unfinished, which is understandable as this is a beta, I hope, I really hope this feature don't get cut. It was really fun to read the computers version of what happend.

TIP

I'm sure there would be plenty of chances to throw in that wacky humor Gal Civ has been known for with content creation and that would be pretty dang enjoyable to read. Here's another thought-

What about post Expansion pack release patching? Gal Civ 2 implemented quite a few new features post-release, so perhaps the Epic Generator could be one of those. Again, it's a massive undertaking, but if it'd free resources now that could be diverted there later if time permits, great. I still think logging would be the best option, as long as it was somewhat configurable and put out data that others could harness for story-telling/game analysis.

Glad you found the link interesting and possibly helpful. I'm more of a graphs, stats, and bulleted points guy myself, but prose certainly has its place, too, but probably not at the expense of a fun game.

Oh, and there's only ~3 months left to the release of DA and that includes holidays in there somewhere. I hope you guys get to take some time off!

The Stardock people could include the Epic generator for the Febuary edition in a patch.

Event logging with custom appending.

Screen shot icon.

Mission accomplished. Enough said.

How do you keep the story random, that is how do you describe similar events in different ways? Or are there a few random sayings that repeat themselves over and over?

I would imagine the amount of writing for each event would take a few seconds but since it would be really dull to reread over an epic that is pretty much the same I'm curious as to how you can keep it fresh. Have you been able to get the variables down to the word level or sentence level?

Personally, I never really thought much about this feature...not sure if I would use it or not.

But then, I thought similiar things about the Shipbuilder...until I actually used it, and found out how fun it was.

Logging, Screenies, those would be very satisfying things for me.

I would hate for things like new events, UP resolutions, etc to be cut for the EG however...

If you can save the code and perhaps implement it in a future release, I don't really see a down side to cutting it; but do see a down side to having the work eat away at game features.

Just my .02

I also fall into the "Epic Generator - Cut it if ya gotta!" camp. I am more interested in the core game and that means the Computer AIs. I appreciate the developer's initiative and desire to create a new and evolutionary features, but in the end (to me) it is a "side" feature not a "core" feature.

Regarding the existing logging, I've worked on systems in the past that do Event Publishing, and you could then add a "Event Logging" window that would list all possible events and the ability to enable / disable the capture of them. You could even add a space for "User Text" around the event and certain event parameters. This would allow the people who enjoy writing reports to captute the events they want, with their own text. They could take it from there.

I much prefer a dedicated "Event Logging" window that cluttering up main game windows with a Log Event button.