The aim of a non-linear narrative in an open-world, massively-multiplayer game is quite ambitious, with storytelling challenges such as:

• Timeframe: stories typically progress—with beginning, middle, and end—yet each character starts at a unique time. “Day 1” for one player might be “Day 100” for another.

• Timeline of events: Usually, “A” happens before “B” so that “C” makes sense. And “C” is a prerequisite of “D” before “E”. With an open world and many players, how are such sequences possible?

• Pacing: the pacing of a story greatly affects its emotional resonance. Characters each have their own skillsets and aptitude for games, which can lead to vastly different pacing of progress in games.

• Balance: if there is to be competition between players, how do you keep weaker players from suffering quick annihilation?

• ChatGPT’s answer