Christian Game being created

[FutureAndAHope]

Hi,

I am in the process of creating a Christian computer game based on the life of the early church. Where the task is to spread Christianity into the know world. A bit like civilization, but with a focus on Christianity. But more of a role playing game, rather than like civ. I am currently working on the design of the game. I have a whole heap of thoughts that I am writing down. They will appear a bit scattered, as I just think and write. I am going to use this thread to gather ideas for the game. To try to put in it things you think will add value.

Below follow some random thoughts, unfortunately in no logical order. Feel free to comment on them, and let me know if you have any ideas that you would like to see included. If you help us here with good ideas, I will offer you a special discount code when the game is released (so you can get it cheaper) p.s Forgive the bad spelling.

Character Type
Apostles - can only be 12 maximum - can create scripture (letters). Need food to live, and travel. Must buy food with money. Can spend money on candles, allows more scripture to be created in a day. Can spend money on staff, allows extra movement per turn. can spend money on paper to create letters. With out paper letters can not be created. Not all towns will have all goods. When a letter is created you must choose the topic. It can only have one topic. i.e. counter the law herasy, i.e. counter the lust hersasy. When a letter is generated a verse from the bible is printed on the letter, which can be read by the user of the game. Letters are then used to counter growing herasys. Apsotles can work to generate income, or can live off church gifts. The type of work they can do, may only be found in certain cities. i.e. they may have the skill net maker, so can only earn good money in coastal towns. If they don’t have a particular skill they may be able to work as a labourer, for less income. When an appostle enters a town they may choose to 1) Just preach - increase the spreading of faith quicker, 2) work and preach spread the faith slower, but earns an income as well, 3) Just pass through ( can purchase, but has no effect on city), 4) Encourage church, reduces herasy, stengthens church. 4) can leave a letter in the church, reduces herasy while in the churches posession. Apostle all have the healing gift, healing gift increase faith quickly for a short period of time. But can only be used once evey 10 turns or so.

Church
A church can reproduce letters and deliver them to other churches, can only reproduce letters found in their church. Church must choose how to spend money, can focus on work, increases income, slowly increases faith. Can focus on giving to the poor, income is reduced, but more quickly increases faith. Can focus on preparing a gift, stores money for use by appostles, faith is increased at a lower rate, while the gift is prepared.

Evangelists
There can be lower level evangelists. They are randomly assigned gifts. It could be a healing gift, or a gift of administration, or a gift of teaching. Evangeists may carry letters, to reduce herasy. The gifts of an evangelist benifit the church of the city they visist. An evangelist with the administration gift greatly incresaes income in a city. One with the healing gift can use it as the apostles can, with the ten turn cool down. One with teaching ability can reduce herasy more quickly.

Some more random thoughts
Things to consider

• moral fortitude,and individual will have a moral fortitude, molded by the average fortitude of the city they came from. But it could be better or worse. Generally better.
• chance that an evangelist is created proportianal to the scripture contained there, and contact with apostles, helpful people etc.
• tasks that can be done in a town, earn, spread the word, help the poor, prepare a gift.
• each task has benefits
• reputation increases with giving to the poor
• a gift can be used various ways, as a gift to the poor, a gift to an apostle
• reputation increases conversion rates. Conversion rate, can never go past a cities morality.
• An immoral city or one with poor reputation is likey to percicute the apostles and church.
• Percicution effects moral, poor moral can effect ability to convert. Poor moral can also casue an appostle to leave the ministry.
• Miracles bring a faster number of people to conversion.
• Pharasies, breed herasy, pull down reputation. Herasy pulls down reputation. Pharasies herasy is the law, can only be stopped by scripture.
• Romans herasy is liciviousness, can only be stopped by scriptures about purity. Laciviousness is a herasy fuled by poor morality. Each city has morality level.
• Herasy pervents growth.

 

[Rescued One]

FutureAndAHope, I'm impressed. I do suggest using spell check though --- and this isn't meant as a criticism.

God bless.

 

[whereloveandmercymeet]

I like the sound of this!

 

[FutureAndAHope]

This will be a long term project ... so I don't have a lot to show at the moment .... but there is an awesome 3D artist working on assets ... he did the pharasee ... you will also see an image I created to send to be turned into 3D. Might give some idea of the direction.

 

[Petros2015]

Looks fun. I would suggest looking into the different historical controversies of the Church, like Gnostics, Arianism, Marcionism and others. You can have occasional 'heretics' popping up every now and then and trying to sway the direction of Christianity.
Maybe the 'goal' of the game can be to arrive at the Creed. You could also have different emphasis on certain sacraments, like Communion, Baptism, Confession. Dig a little into your early Church history - CIV games like to have historical figures with their quotes, and there are a lot of interesting personalities in the early years.

 

[Halbhh]

Apostles - can only be 12 maximum - can create scripture (letters). Need food to live, and travel. Must buy food with money.

This particular rule defintely has to be different in order to be like the early church. Specifically the apostles were sent out with the sharply clear instruction not to take money with them, but intead to rely on the people:

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

8These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9Wear sandals but not an extra shirt.10Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
Mark 6 NIV
(also Luke 12, Matthew 10)

---------
So, to be in accord with the accurate version, it will be crucial they not have any means of support of their own, but are provided for by the Lord, through the Spirit working in those they bring the Good News to.

(excerpts from epistles available also).

 

[Halbhh]

reputation increases with giving to the poor

This one is tricky to do the right way in your game, because you need to keep in mind Christ's direct instructions about this as you set the flavor/tone:

Giving to the Needy

1“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Matthew 6 NIV

So, if you do have various ways to embody Matthew 7:24-27 in your game, you need to keep in mind the tone/appearance of how charity is incorporated, so that it is in keeping with the clear instruction to us from Christ it not be for our own reputation.

 

[Halbhh]

Looks fun. I would suggest looking into the different historical controversies of the Church, like Gnostics, Arianism, Marcionism and others. You can have occasional 'heretics' popping up every now and then and trying to sway the direction of Christianity.
Maybe the 'goal' of the game can be to arrive at the Creed. You could also have different emphasis on certain sacraments, like Communion, Baptism, Confession. Dig a little into your early Church history - CIV games like to have historical figures with their quotes, and there are a lot of interesting personalities in the early years.

Having added some key aspects to hew to above, I think the whole project is fun, and like this game board you have so far. Reading through the Book of Acts would be good I bet for a lot of things you could use in the game! (recommend the clear NIV version)

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Looks fun. I would suggest looking into the different historical controversies of the Church, like Gnostics, Arianism, Marcionism and others. You can have occasional 'heretics' popping up every now and then and trying to sway the direction of Christianity.
Maybe the 'goal' of the game can be to arrive at the Creed. You could also have different emphasis on certain sacraments, like Communion, Baptism, Confession. Dig a little into your early Church history - CIV games like to have historical figures with their quotes, and there are a lot of interesting personalities in the early years.

Heretics ... could be good ... will give it some thought. Could look into the heresy's you mentioned, but I might need to keep it to a few easy to understand heresy's otherwise it might confuse the casual player.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

This particular rule defintely has to be different in order to be like the early church. Specifically the apostles were sent out with the sharply clear instruction not to take money with them, but intead to rely on the people:

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

8These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9Wear sandals but not an extra shirt.10Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
Mark 6 NIV
(also Luke 12, Matthew 10)

---------
So, to be in accord with the accurate version, it will be crucial they not have any means of support of their own, but are provided for by the Lord, through the Spirit working in those they bring the Good News to.

(excerpts from epistles available also).

Yes I am aware of this. But I am fairly sure the apostles still used money. Paul often worked, where he preached the gospel, made a living as well as preached.

Act 18:3 and found out that they were tent makers. Paul was a tent maker too. So he stayed with them, and they worked together.

Paul also used and accepted gifts from the church. Which were used to help the poor.

2Co 8:19 The churches chose this follower to travel with us while we carry this gift that will bring praise to the Lord and show how much we hope to help.

As well as accepting gifts from the church for his own needs:

2Co 11:9 Even when I was in need, I still didn't bother you. In fact, some of the Lord's followers from Macedonia brought me what I needed. I have not been a burden to you in the past, and I will never be a burden.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

This one is tricky to do the right way in your game, because you need to keep in mind Christ's direct instructions about this as you set the flavor/tone:

Giving to the Needy

1“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Matthew 6 NIV

So, if you do have various ways to embody Matthew 7:24-27 in your game, you need to keep in mind the tone/appearance of how charity is incorporated, so that it is in keeping with the clear instruction to us from Christ it not be for our own reputation.

I am more concerned that money increasing reputation in the game may look like buying faith. I will have to be sensitive around this topic.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Looks fun. I would suggest looking into the different historical controversies of the Church, like Gnostics, Arianism, Marcionism and others. You can have occasional 'heretics' popping up every now and then and trying to sway the direction of Christianity.
Maybe the 'goal' of the game can be to arrive at the Creed. You could also have different emphasis on certain sacraments, like Communion, Baptism, Confession. Dig a little into your early Church history - CIV games like to have historical figures with their quotes, and there are a lot of interesting personalities in the early years.

I was thinking of including communion in the game, but not sure how at this point.

Using quotes is a good idea too ... will have to do some research.

 

[Halbhh]

Yes I am aware of this. But I am fairly sure the apostles still used money. Paul often worked, where he preached the gospel, made a living as well as preached.

Act 18:3 and found out that they were tent makers. Paul was a tent maker too. So he stayed with them, and they worked together.

Paul also used and accepted gifts from the church. Which were used to help the poor.

2Co 8:19 The churches chose this follower to travel with us while we carry this gift that will bring praise to the Lord and show how much we hope to help.

As well as accepting gifts from the church for his own needs:

2Co 11:9 Even when I was in need, I still didn't bother you. In fact, some of the Lord's followers from Macedonia brought me what I needed. I have not been a burden to you in the past, and I will never be a burden.

Yes, Paul famously worked to support himself in that city. It stands out even, and he's taking pains to tell the Corinithians this, and talk about it. Of course, as you quoted others also gave support to Paul there in that last verse you've quoted.

But, was it the general model of how an evangelist was to be -- earn money separately in a side job? Good question!

We also know that famously in the early church in Jerusalem, in Acts, many contributed from their means, and the money was shared by all according to their needs.

In Phillipians we learn more on people supporting Paul --

15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God."

Of course it makes sense to us reading in the New Testament that many supported the apostles as they brought the Good News to the people.

 

[Halbhh]

I am more concerned that money increasing reputation in the game may look like buying faith. I will have to be sensitive around this topic.

That's right, definitely the real reputation would not be involving the amount of money.

Consider how Paul answered on that --

10 "I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
Philippians 4 NIV

We know the 'reputation' that matters is never wealth or worldly status for Christians, as Christ said we must be humble to even be able to enter the kingdom of heaven (beginning of Matthew chapter 18.) We learn we cannot serve two masters, both money and God, but must chose one or the other as master (Matthew chapter 6, Luke chapter 16).

 

[Halbhh]

reputation increases with giving to the poor

Thinking more on this, perhaps it's not "reputation" in the everyday American way of using the word you want to use as the label for this, since for Christians, we know we are commanded not to seek reputation for giving in charity -- Matthew chapter 6.

But you are referring to a thing that matters in the eyes of God -- charity.

As Christ says to you and me:

Matthew 6:4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

And

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

Maybe that last verse is the one you need to build into the game!

It's not reputation in the world that we gain by our secret giving, but instead something far more precious. When we give, secretly, God rewards us.

 

[Valtan1]

It sounds awesome! I look forward to it. Does the game have a name?