Designing a Reactive World in GoPA

Hello everyone,

First of all, a big thank you to all the new followers and collection adders there have been surprisingly many since the last update. I really appreciate your interest; it’s not something I take for granted.

In this post, I want to give you a short update on what has happened with GoPA over the last two months.

Note: Since I've been focusing on internal system development, there are unfortunately no images or visual content to share at this point. As soon as visible elements begin to take shape, I’ll definitely post them here.

The current state of GoPA

You could currently describe Gladiators of Porta Aurora as something like Harvest Moon with gladiators the basic framework is in place, and the first mechanics are working together. But what's still missing is the feeling of truly interacting with the world.

That’s why I’m currently working on making the game world feel more alive so that it reacts to the player and isn’t just a passive backdrop.

A living world full of intrigue

The origin of GoPA lies in my fascination with the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. What captivated me wasn’t just the brutality and drama of the arena, but especially the political maneuvering, the intrigues, and the power struggles outside the Ludus. That’s the atmosphere I want to recreate in the game.

I could just randomly generate quests to keep the player busy. But that would feel hollow it wouldn’t be fun for me, and probably not for you either. Instead, I want to build a world where your actions truly matter. A world full of power plays, intrigue, and political decisions just like in Spartacus.

I draw inspiration from Crusader Kings 3 in some aspects particularly how complex relationships, intrigue, and political dynamics emerge organically from the interplay of game systems. I find it especially compelling that players there don’t just react to events, but can also set long-term developments in motion through their decisions without everything being pre-scripted.

Some of these ideas I want to adapt and tailor to the ancient world of GoPA. The goal isn’t to copy CK3, but to create a similar sense of agency and consequence within a narrative-focused game designed around the life in and around a Ludus within a politically charged city.

Of course, I’m aware that as a solo developer, I don’t have the capacity to build a system as deep and complex as CK3. That’s why I’m intentionally aiming for a reduced but thoughtful implementation a "light version" that focuses on the essentials while still allowing meaningful consequences for player choices in a living world.

The value system NPCs with a moral compass

The first step in this direction is a moral value system that determines how NPCs behave and how they respond to you. Each NPC has their own "moral compass" across five axes:

• Traditional vs. Revolutionary Traditional characters value established customs, rituals, and social order. Revolutionary ones seek change, upheaval, or entirely new ways even if they're risky.
• Selfish vs. Altruistic Selfish NPCs act primarily in their own interest they want to benefit, no matter the cost. Altruistic ones, on the other hand, think about the good of the community and are willing to sacrifice personal gain.
• Lawful vs. Opportunistic Lawful NPCs strictly follow rules and regulations. They value order and stability. Opportunistic ones seize any opportunity even if it means breaking the law or acting unethically.
• Hierarchical vs. Egalitarian Hierarchical NPCs believe in power structures, ranks, and obedience. They respect authority and tradition. Egalitarian NPCs, in contrast, value equality, reject rigid hierarchies, and prefer collective decision-making.
• Isolationist vs. Expansive Isolationist characters avoid outside influence, prefer to stay among themselves, and want little interference. Expansive ones seek alliances, influence, and want to grow their reach.

A very selfish and opportunistic NPC, for example, is more likely to accept a bribe while a lawful one likely won’t.

The player will have to figure out how each NPC thinks either through direct interaction or by sending a servant to spy and gather intel.

The system is dynamic: NPCs can shift over time depending on what’s happening in the world. Someone who starts out with an expansive mindset may become more isolationist due to intimidation or external events.

The current prototype

I’ve already developed a small internal prototype of the system and run some tests. It’s mainly focused on the basics of the moral compass and the initial reactions of NPCs to various situations. This prototype isn’t part of the current public build it’s an internal tool for testing and refining concepts.

So far, it does what I hoped: NPCs respond logically to different player actions based on their values. Their alignment can also change through external influences in a basic way.

This value system is the last major pillar of the game. Once it's in place, the foundational systems of GoPA will be complete. But it’s also the most complex one because it ties into the world, the characters, and the quests on many levels. Its full implementation will take more time than other features, but I’m confident it’ll bring the depth I want the game to have.

The goal is to keep refining the system and integrate it fully into the gameplay.

What’s next?

Remaining steps

• Further develop and stabilize the value system and integrate it deeply into the game’s mechanics.
• Implement the first world events that respond to NPC values.
• Begin testing the first dynamically generated quests based on in-world conditions.
• Develop the faction system, including the first drafts of groups with unique ideological profiles and political goals.

Upcoming devlogs

• A closer look at the planned factions their ideologies and their roles within the world.
• An introduction to the planned event system and how choices will have lasting effects.
• Thoughts on balancing and scaling the value system and how players can interact with it.

If you have ideas about how NPCs should behave, or just want to share feedback, feel free to reach out.

I’ll keep you posted as soon as there’s more progress.

Cheers, Veyhar