> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ostomo.gitbook.io/ostomo-notes/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ostomo.gitbook.io/ostomo-notes/general-principles.md). # General principles The core idea is a **radically social and organic game world, within an engaging, disbelief-suspending setting**. This has several corollaries: * NO RPG GIMMICKS. No stupid missions you have to do repeatedly to gain points, etc. * We want players to do actually meaningful creative activities. * Not lure them into some dopamine-generating loop. * Intensive, simulation-based procedural generation to "fill out" the world * Highly polycentric game infrastructure run by players * Implies: everything open-source, no "anti-cheat" * Implies: game mechanics must be designed around things like "aimbotting" being pervasive * "Single shard" persistent world * Detailed, handcrafted setting that nevertheless does not have a fixed storyline for the future * See: *Kaiserreich* HOI4 mod, which does this beautifully * Vast human-directed automation * Basic model: a hierarchical "chain of command" ending in some sort of in-game sovereign polity. Every node in the CoC can either be AI-controlled or human-controlled. * Orders are "mid-level", between grand strategy and RTS. HOI4 is again a good guide. * AI units will blindly follow orders, modulo their own algorithms' calculations of how best to reach the goal. * Humans see orders but may or may not follow them. * First reason: nobody wants to do manual labor in a game * Second reason: this fixes the false dichotomy between a rich, ordered world and a Second Life-style "real-life social media disguised as a RPG". * See: *Distant Worlds* --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://ostomo.gitbook.io/ostomo-notes/general-principles.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.