Hello,
Okay, this sounds like a fun, collaborative project! I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with.
My Game Choice: A cozy, pixel-art farming/life simulator in the style of "Stardew Valley" or "Animal Crossing," but with a focus on community-driven storytelling and folklore. Let's call it "Whispering Hollow." Smart Square HMH
My Feature Recommendation:
"The Story Weaver's Loom":
Concept: A special crafting station or building that allows players to contribute to the game's ongoing narrative.
Mechanics:
Players can gather "threads" (items found while foraging, farming, or completing tasks) that represent different story elements (e.g., a "thread of mystery," a "thread of joy," a "thread of loss").
At the Loom, players can combine these threads to create "story fragments."
These fragments are then submitted to the "community story pool."
Periodically (maybe weekly or monthly), the game will randomly select and weave together several submitted fragments to create a new chapter in the town's folklore.
This chapter could manifest as:
New dialogue for NPCs.
Temporary environmental changes.
New quests or tasks.
Even new items or recipes.
Purpose:
To give players a sense of agency in shaping the game's world.
To create a dynamic and evolving narrative that feels unique to each playthrough.
To foster a sense of community by encouraging players to collaborate on storytelling.