DETAILED GAME OVERVIEW

Game Phases

Early Game

• Focus: Exploration, resource gathering, and establishing your role within your chosen faction or as a neutral player.
• Factions Available: Five initial factions are open for membership.
• Zones: Faction zones and common lobbies are accessible.
• Safety: The New Player Zone is the only safe zone in the game.

Mid Game

• Unlocks:
  • New Factions: Two additional factions become available—The Treasury and The Military.
  • Specializations: Factions gain specializations within their roles.
  • Zone Expansion: Two new zones are introduced.
  • Faction Membership: Players can join more than one faction.
• Focus: Increased inter-faction dynamics, specialization, and expansion.

End Game

• Unlocks:
  • Final Zone: A pivotal area that holds the key to the world's fate.
• Focus: High-stakes challenges, ultimate rewards, and determining the final state of the world.

FACTIONS AND COVENANTS

Overview

• Total Factions: Seven factions, each with unique roles, perks, and abilities.
• Membership: Choose a faction to align with or remain neutral. Mid Game allows for multiple memberships.
• Voting System: Faction abilities are activated through majority votes, following the Fibonacci sequence for frequency.

Faction Details

1. The Institute

• Metaphor: Humanity's relentless pursuit of knowledge.
• Role: Technological advancement and innovation.
• Perks:
  • Access to cutting-edge technology and exclusive gear.
  • Ability to research and develop new technologies.
• Unique Ability: Vote to initiate large-scale research projects.
• Special End-World Ability (Pure Black): Activate experimental technology that destabilizes the world's core.

2. The Burundi Government

• Metaphor: Modern governmental structures.
• Role: Governance, law-making, and regulation.
• Starting Responsibilities:
  • Determine which zones allow PvP combat.
  • Decide which items can be bought or sold.
  • Set and adjust taxes on items and transactions.
• Perks:
  • Influence over game laws and regulations.
  • Tax benefits and access to government contracts.
• Unique Ability: Vote to enact or repeal laws affecting gameplay.
• Special End-World Ability (Pure Black): Declare a state of emergency leading to world-wide martial law and collapse.

3. The Mega Corporations

• Metaphor: The power of large multinational companies.
• Role: Economic control, resource management, and production.
• Perks:
  • Control over key resources and markets.
  • Ability to form monopolies or cartels.
• Unique Ability: Vote to manipulate market prices.
• Special End-World Ability (Pure Black): Initiate an economic crash that causes global financial meltdown.

4. The Iconoclasts

• Metaphor: Rebels challenging the status quo.
• Role: Disruption of existing systems and promotion of alternative ideologies.
• Perks:
  • Skills in sabotage and guerrilla tactics.
  • Ability to inspire unrest among other factions.
• Unique Ability: Vote to incite uprisings or disrupt faction activities.
• Special End-World Ability (Pure Black): Spark a revolution that leads to total anarchy and world collapse.

5. The Monarchs

• Metaphor: Traditional power structures and aristocracy.
• Role: Upholding tradition, cultural influence, and preservation of heritage.
• Structure: Follows the traditional rules of kingship, with leadership determined by royal succession.
• Perks:
  • Access to exclusive events and quests reflecting royal traditions.
  • Influence over NPC populations and morale.
  • Ability to enact royal decrees within their domain.
• Unique Ability: The Monarch can declare festivals, periods of peace, or issue royal edicts without requiring a faction vote.
• Special End-World Ability (Pure Black): Invoke an ancient ritual that resets the world to its primordial state.

Mid-Game Factions

6. The Treasury

• Metaphor: Central banking systems.
• Role: Control over the game's currency and financial policies.
• Perks:
  • Influence over inflation rates and monetary supply.
  • Access to exclusive investment opportunities.
• Unique Ability: Vote to adjust interest rates or implement financial stimuli.
• Special End-World Ability (Pure Black): Freeze all assets, leading to economic standstill and societal collapse.

7. The Military

• Metaphor: National defense and military-industrial complex.
• Role: Protection and enforcement.
• Perks:
  • Access to advanced weaponry and defense systems.
  • Authority to enforce peace or declare martial law.
• Unique Ability: Vote to mobilize forces for defense or initiate military actions.
• Special End-World Ability (Pure Black): Launch a doomsday weapon causing global destruction.

ZONES AND LOBBIES

Faction Zones

• Exclusive Areas: Each faction has its own zone on the map.
• Features:
  • Faction Control: Zones reflect the faction's culture and achievements.
  • Resources: Access to faction-specific resources.
  • Vulnerability: Outside the New Player Zone, no area is inherently safe.

Additional Zones

Mid Game Zones

1. The Frontier
   • Description: Unexplored region rich in resources.
   • Features: Rare materials, powerful enemies, opportunities for expansion.
2. The Underground
   • Description: Network of tunnels beneath the colony.
   • Features: Hidden secrets, alternative pathways, potential bases for covert operations.

End Game Zone

• The Nexus
  • Description: Central area pivotal to the world's fate.
  • Features: Ultimate challenges, best loot, world-altering decisions.

Lobbies

Faction Exclusive Lobbies

• Purpose: Private spaces for faction members to meet, strategize, and plan.

New Player Lobby

• Purpose: Starting area for new players to learn game mechanics.
• Features: Tutorials, mentorship opportunities, and the only safe zone in the game.
• Safety: Players cannot be attacked or harmed within this zone.

Neutral Lobby

• Purpose: Common area for all players, including neutral players.
• Features: Central marketplace, social interaction, diplomacy.
• Vulnerability: Players are subject to normal game risks.

WORLD TENDENCY SYSTEM

Overview

The World Tendency System reflects the collective actions and karma of all players, influencing the game's overall state. The world can exist in one of five states:

1. Pure White
2. White
3. Neutral
4. Black
5. Pure Black

Karma Points

• Positive Actions Include:
  • Assisting other players or NPCs.
  • Completing cooperative missions.
  • Donating resources to communal projects.
• Negative Actions Include:
  • Unprovoked PvP kills.
  • Sabotaging communal efforts.
  • Hoarding resources or causing economic disruption.

Shifting World Tendency

• Collective Influence: The world state shifts based on the cumulative karma points of all players.
• Real-Time Updates: Changes in the world tendency occur at regular intervals.
• Player Awareness: In-game indicators display the current world state and progress toward the next state.

Effects of World States

1. Pure White State
   • Benefits:
     • Increased resource yields.
     • Buffs to player abilities and health.
     • More favorable NPC interactions.
   • Environmental Changes:
     • Brighter landscapes, flourishing flora and fauna.
2. White State
   • Moderate environmental and gameplay benefits.
3. Neutral State
   • Standard conditions without additional modifiers.
4. Black State
   • Challenges:
     • Decreased resource yields.
     • Debuffs to player abilities.
     • Hostile NPC behaviors.
   • Environmental Changes:
     • Darker skies, hostile wildlife.
5. Pure Black State
   • Severe Challenges:
     • Significant resource scarcity.
     • Strong debuffs to abilities and health.
     • Aggressive NPCs and environmental hazards.
   • Special Mechanic: Each faction receives a unique ability to end the world.

Votes to End the World

• Activation (Pure Black State):
  • Once the world reaches Pure Black, factions gain the ability to initiate a vote to end the world.
• Voting Mechanics:
  • Initiation: Any faction member can propose the vote.
  • Participation: Requires a majority within the faction to pass.
• Outcome:
  • If Passed: The faction's Special End-World Ability is activated, leading to the world's destruction and reset.
  • If Failed: The world remains in Pure Black, and factions may attempt the vote again after a cooldown period.

GAME MECHANICS

Asynchronous Multiplayer and Role-Playing

• Persistent World: The game world continues to evolve even when players are offline.
• Player Actions: Actions taken by players have lasting impacts on the game environment, economy, and faction dynamics.
• Time Mechanics: Events and votes occur based on real-world time intervals.
• Role-Playing Elements:
  • Messages and Signs: Leave messages for other players, offering hints or luring them into traps.
  • Ghosts and Phantoms: Encounter echoes of other players' actions, learning from their successes or failures.
  • Co-op and Invasions: Assist or challenge other players asynchronously through game mechanics.

Voting System

• Faction Abilities: Unique abilities require majority votes to activate, except for the Monarchy.
• Frequency: Activation follows the Fibonacci sequence.
• Government Voting Mechanics:
  • Initiating Votes: Any government player can initiate a vote every 30 minutes.
  • Participation Requirement: Depends on the number of government members online, with a minimum of two participants.
  • Asynchronous Voting: Votes remain open for a set period to accommodate players in different time zones.

Economy and Trade

• Emergent Economy: Driven by player actions, market dynamics, and faction influences.
• Currency Control: Managed by The Treasury; subject to inflation and deflation.
• Market Dynamics:
  • Supply and Demand: Resources fluctuate based on availability and player needs.
  • Market Manipulation: Factions can influence prices and resource distribution.
• Trade: Players can engage in trading goods, resources, and services.

Player Interaction

• Unbalanced Gameplay: The game is intentionally not designed to be fair or balanced.
• PvP and PvE: Engage in combat with others or the environment.
• Alliances and Rivalries: Form strategic partnerships or engage in conflicts.
• Reputation System: Actions affect standing with factions, NPCs, and influence eligibility for elections.

GAME MASTER ROLE

Selection and Responsibilities

• Selection:
  • Awarded to the Player with the Most Play Time: The Game Master role is granted to the player who has accumulated the most total play time in the game.
  • Re-evaluation Period: The Game Master position is re-evaluated periodically (e.g., every two weeks). The player with the most play time at the time of re-evaluation assumes or retains the role.
• Responsibilities:
  • Dynamic Events:
    • Acts of God: Introduce natural disasters or environmental changes.
    • Aliens: Introduce external threats or allies that add complexity.
    • The Unknown: Create mysterious events for players to investigate.
    • Conspiracies: Initiate hidden plots that can be uncovered by players.
  • Purpose: To keep the game dynamic and unpredictable, enhancing the immersive experience.
• Limitations:
  • Guidelines Compliance: The Game Master must adhere to game guidelines to ensure a fair and engaging experience for all players.
  • No Direct Favoritism: Actions taken should not unfairly advantage or disadvantage specific players or factions.

PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES

• Unregulated Environment: Players shape the world with no enforced regulations.
• Neutrality Choice: Players may choose to remain neutral, not joining any faction.
• Risk Awareness: Participate at your own risk; the game may involve high-stakes situations.
• Player Conduct: While unregulated, fostering a positive community is encouraged.
• Safety Measures: Content moderation exists to prevent illegal activities and harassment.
• Communication: Utilize in-game tools for collaboration and conflict resolution.

FAIRNESS AND SAFETY

• Intentional Imbalance: The game is not designed to be fair or balanced. Disparities in power, resources, and abilities are part of the experience.
• At Your Own Risk: Accept the inherent risks and unpredictability when engaging in the game.
• Safe Zones:
  • New Player Zone: The only designated safe zone where players cannot be attacked or harmed.
  • Outside Safe Zones: All other areas are vulnerable to conflict and danger.

CONCLUSION

Birds In The Trap is a grand experiment in emergent gameplay and economic simulation, set in a grimdark universe that challenges your resolve. Your choices and actions have real consequences, influencing whether the world ascends to Pure White utopia or descends into Pure Black anarchy. The game combines the intense mech combat and atmosphere of Armored Core with the unique asynchronous multiplayer and role-playing elements of the Souls series, creating an unpredictable and unbalanced world where your skills, alliances, and decisions determine your fate.

Collaborate, compete, explore, and most importantly, shape the destiny of Burundi 419. Will you work towards harmony, or will you embrace chaos? The choice is yours.

Good luck, and may your journey through Burundi 419 be unforgettable!