Timeline Operators
Welcome to the World of Altalia
Three isolated civilizations are about to be meet for the first time.
Will they converge as allies or enemies? Your choices will set the stage for first contact.
Your Choices Echo Through Time
Each story you influence adds a new thread to the ever-evolving tapestry of the world.
Latest Vignettes
Recent World Changes
An Experiment in Collaborative Worldbuilding
Timeline Operators is an interactive narrative experience where every
choice matters and every player contributes to shaping massive,
persistent worlds. You take the role of an Operator, inhabiting
characters from the world and playing through vignettes from their daily
lives.
Every choice you make will have consequences that
ripple through the timeline.
How It Works
1. Learn about the World
Dive into the background lore of the world and its cultures. The
historical and ethnographic details aren't hallucinated; they are
based on constraints extracted from rich simulation data—every
individual life, every cultural contribution, every historical
event.
We can probe any aspect of our worlds; we're just
scratching the surface. Let us know what you'd like to see and we'll
prioritize it.
2. Inhabit Characters
When you are ready, you can start playing through vignettes from the
daily lives of characters. Individuals in the world have unique
lived experiences and complex perspectives; seeing the world through
their eyes will be a rewarding journey of discovery.
While
the vignettes are designed to be playable in just a few minutes, the
choices you make will have lasting impacts on the timeline.
3. Watch the Timeline Diverge
The world will be simulated at a faster rate than real time, so you
will be able to see how Operator choices are impacting the timeline
over the course of just a few real-world days.
There will
also be opportunities to vote on or otherwise influence major events
in the world, so check back regularly!
We will release a steady stream of timelines set in original worlds for you to explore and shape. Sign up to be notified when a new timeline is released.
Upcoming Worlds
Vote for the worlds you'd like to explore next. Your preferences help us prioritize our work.
After the Fall
In a gritty post-apocalyptic world rife with mutated flora and fauna, scattered communities struggle to adapt to their new environment and build a wiser civilization.
Miracle Molecule
A once-harmonious world stands at the brink of collapse due to ideological polarization and dramatic inequality. Operators are tasked to design and implant a psychoactive compound that can restore balance.
A Magical Mutation
In an alternate prehistoric Earth, a group of early human ancestors develops a mutation that allows them to manipulate elemental forces. Will magic take root in the world or will the protosorcerers leave behind only myths?
The Contamination Protocol
A starship from a space-faring civilization is on a mission to recover advanced technology from a trading vessel that crashed on an uncontacted planet. Operators must decide whether to aide or hinder the recovery effort.
Have an idea for a world? Let us know, we can make it happen.
If
you are a writer, artist, developer, or any other kind of creator and
would like to collaborate on a release, be sure to let us know and
include a link to your work.
Get Updates and Provide Feedback
Your feedback will shape the future of Culture Engine and countless timelines.