An Old Idea Remixed: The BP Endgame

This is not a new idea, but it is one that I would like to float again. This is the idea of a BP Endgame. Now, (remembering how popular it seemed when discussed before) before you start throwing crumpled wads of paper at the screen, hear me out: when I say a BP Endgame, I don't mean a solid, set-piece, inflexible, inevitable end game...I mean something a bit more customizable, avoidable, and resolvable. Here's how it would work best (in my opinion):

A BP endgame could be triggered by the following:

A player finds 3 rare components scattered at random throughout the known BP universe, and appearing much like a mineral deposit would in terms of appearance and permanence (they wouldn't vanish like a component drop normally would). However, hovering over them with your pointer would reveal what they are in the description. The components in question would be: 1 engine relic, 1 radar relic, and 1 shield relic (flashy artifact names forthcoming). Collecting one would unlock a building design in your tech list called the Galactic Imperial Palace (or Space Station). The component would then spawn in another random location on the map. Upon finding all 3, you would then be able to build the said structure. Only one structure like this would be possible at a time.

What building the Imperial Palace (or Space Station) would do:

Putting this structure into play (building it) would in effect be one player's declaration that they feel they can stand up to the combined efforts or everyone else on the server in seeking to become the Emperor/Empress of the known BP universe. It would start a timer, visible in the upper right hand corner of the screen near the other stats usually found there. Hovering over the timer would provide a simple explanation like "The time remaining before a Supreme Ruler of the Galaxy is coronated." A corresponding e-mail alert would also be sent, reading something like "(player name) has declared themselves Supreme Emperor!! In 30 days, the Galactic Senate will be abolished!" The timer would begin at 30 days, would count down by the day and hour. Should time run out, the Galactic Senate would be disbanded, and the player holding the Imperial facility would be declared Supreme Galactic Emperor. The server would be reset, and their name would appear in a Hall of Fame section of a website. Reset of the server, as I envision it, would not include player stats, so players would keep what they researched, but any unfinished research and game credits would be lost. Loss of the facility would cause the timer to vanish, and the gambit would be lost (game play would continue as normal). Any future attempt would initiate a new 30 day count.

**Again, while I know many people are opposed to the idea of an endgame in BP, I think a very limited set of conditions where one could occur might be healthy for the game. Control of space by a limited set of hyperexpansionalists has been one concern mentioned in the past, and an endgame of some kind, either triggered by an transgalactic superpower or their detractors, would be a way of revitalizing the server by adding some drama, bringing players together (new and old), and, should the gambit fail, would address any server space (or clutter)issues that arose during a session (the empty planet syndrome, etc). Upon resetting, the universe would be smaller and more close knit again. It is hard to determine when a game server has become imbalanced, especially in a persistent game, and it is for that reason that I feel that any endgame should have a very narrow set of conditions, conditions that could only be fulfilled if the player base would start to lose focus or wane.

***An alternate set of conditions might include something similar to what I suggested in the past, an endgame being triggered when one player controls some large percentage of the planets (say 75%), or based on some other measure of comparative dominance.

What does everyone think?

I for one don't like endgames that much, however i do kinda like the idea of stopping people who have way more power then me from expanding too much before i can overtake them again. I would hate it if i am that player:(