Cutest Little Kardashev I · 2:03am Apr 11th, 2020
I've been playing best fantasy 4X Endless Legend again, and today I was thinking about what an MLP/Endless Legend crossover might entail. But the premise of the game -- that the planet of Augria is gradually entering a permanent ice age -- is sort of ruined if the unicorns/alicorns can control the sun and the moon.
I have reviewed my calculations again and again, your Highness: Equestria is dying.
Oh, my bad. Raven, be a dear take a note to have me move us closer to the sun next year.
I don't know if they fully utilize the possibilites of it, but the ponies have as much solar energy as they want. It makes resource-based crises a bit of a stretch for them. Even if the zeebs do have all the coal.
Bat furries defending resource-stealing sky manta from centaurs.
That being said, the aesthetics of Endless Legend and pony mesh pretty well, and Fluttershy and Glim Glam would make make perfect little Drakken. Overall, I have this idea of 'lit 4x' as a genre -- a novel about the growth and development of an entire civilization. Practical obstacles abound, though there are at least a few literary forebearers. Schizmatrix and the Dune series come to mind. Maybe A Song of Ice and Fire, IDK, I haven't read it. Maybe the Culture novels? They certainly cover a long enough time frame.
Anyway, my current crossover project is crawling towards 80K words. The first draft will be done in a couple of months if I don't die of the Corvid, and after that I'll start posting my second draft because fanfic.
I'm floating some other crossover ideas -- I started a nice MLP/Lovecraft/Sandman novella a while ago, and I keep thinking about my DHMIS story and my hypothetical Roadside Picnic/Southern Reach crossover. Twilight is Control, Fluttershy is Ghost Bird, and featuring Monkey as herself.
I don't know. One project at a time.
I like the Endless Pony idea tho. It has a Scrivener file, for what little that's worth.
The ice age is the incoming windigos, driven by conflict. Unless you all stop fighting the winter can’t be stopped and spells Doom For All!
And while you may realize that diplomacy is the way to do it, others may think there will only be peace when they rule all. They may force you down the same path...
There’s a mechanic whereby if another civilization’s core values align closely enough with yours, and they’re more powerful, you can ‘surrender’ and become part of their civilization for the sake of ending the conflict. If yours are the last two standing, you still win.
Correction, if you persuade them to let you join them the game lets you switch over to controlling your conqueror. But your conquered people will not be happy with oppression, wildly diverging values being imposed on them, or a sudden drop in standard of living. They may even rebel and bring more conflict, hastening the ice age!
That's more Crusader Kings than Civilization.
And yeah, windigoes definitely provide precedent for an impending Ice Age even with astrokinetics involved. Especially windigoes that have adapted to basic friendship radiation, forcing ponies to divide dwindling resources between magical research, defense against other civilizations, and meeting the people's basic needs.
Though I imagine earth ponies and pegasi may offer cheats there just as much as increased insolation.
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Windigos! Of course! Mad Scientist Cackle®
Okay, this definitely goes on the 'stories I might write one day' back burner.
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On of my favorite bits from Loyal2Luna’s Doctor Hooves stories was when he had to explain to Fluttershy what a drought was.
That said, they give a certain amount of cheat but there’s only so far you can push it. And if you’re busy training weather factory workers your Pegasi aren’t doing other things.