Here's my version of the ending for a single-player campaign:
As the last of the opposing capital ships exploded in a brilliant display of space pyrotechnics, signaling the end of a long and grueling, hard-fought campaign, a fog clouds your senses. You emerge from the fog, awakening from a deep slumber and realize that it was all just a dream and that you were only fighting silly computer algorithms in training simulations. Just as you are coming to your senses and before you can collect yourself, your great uncle, the Emperor strolls in unannounced:
"You have done well in the training excercises and because you were born into an influential royal family, you are going to have the opportunity to command one of our fledgling micro-empires."
His adviser turns to you and says, "You can command your micro-empire from this very computer terminal, the same one that you trained on, but first we need to set up an account for you with our command headquarters for security reasons before you can get online. Now, don't let your victories over mindless AI in the simulator deceive you into feeling cocky and overconfident; you're really still a noob. Welcome to the Ironclad Online multiplayer system. The real challenge begins now."
......And thousands of newly commissioned commanders played the game in online multiplayer with great enthusiasm and realized that the real challenge comes from playing against human opponents and that the real Sins game is in online multiplayer for those who aren't scared of coming online.
.....And the players made a serious hobby out of the Sins game
...and they formed clans and over 100 clans competed on a competitive 3v3 ladder
...and they learned how to use Internet Relay Chat and voice comm programs like Teamspeak2 and Ventrilo
...and they used a computer program to help them spontaneously organize 5-on-5 pickup game matches (PUGs) where team captains drafted the players for their teams resulting in balanced teams and intense, competitive, Epic games
...and a strong and cohesive, tight-knit online community developed and many online friendships were formed
...and they learned to overcome the game's lack of auto-downloading for custom maps and hundreds of custom maps and game mods were made and they played the best ones online
...and the game and the community and the sense of camraderie held their attention for years
...and they were all very happy that they had discovered the real Sins game and that they hadn't been too chicken to come onine.
The End.
(Events like this actually happened to varying degrees with the original Unreal Tournament, Quake III, and Counterstrike and people still play UT99 capture-the-flag 5-on-5 PUG matches to this day.)
