Campaign Add-on Proposal - Need Ideas & Production Help

[Rman Virgil]

Just posting for anybody else to refer to, in case anyone wants to re-do the campaign missions, it'd be nice to know which ones are which.

Me too. So those who may came after will have an idea of not only what is what but ALSO HOW & WHY it works that way. (Actually, come to think of it, ALL my posting is multi-pronged that way. Predominantly I offer to share. It's rare indeed that I ask for anything.)

- RV

[Olrox]

(Olrox, are you still going to make the map? Just curious.)

Yeah, I think so. But I'm on a terrible inspiration crysis here, it's really sad - I want it to be a good map so I think it'll take some time for me to make it, I definetely need inspiration to make the best things I can. And, in this case, we'd be better off trying to make the best we can

Anyway, before I even start making the map, I'll write some things about it, general guidelines to be sure that the whole thing already starts making sense from the beginning. Then, as I go through the map, I'll not be satisfied with an ordinary "see the editor options, use the editor options, make a map" procedure, I'll certainly write many things, make legends with observations for many parts of the map, and essentially make a real planning so that we can talk about how the map would look like and play like before testing it, and also giving depth to the map. After all, a campaign is based on a story, and if we simply make the story go on in an unrelated map, it'll look lame: I need to focus on "binding" the story to as many parts of the map as possible. This is the kind of thing that most people don't notice right away (it's not that obvious, actually it's very subtle), but definetely makes them like/dislike something even if they don't know why. Kinda hard to explain

~Olrox

[Rman Virgil]

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Here's a template I wrote a few years back that may be of help for what to consider in the mission creation process that flows in a tightly integrated sequence from mission story construct to mapping to scripting.

~ CAM Mission Pre-Scripting Analysis Template ~

For Each Mission:

* Story Treatment Outline: It helps to think of a Campaign Mission Level as an "Interactive Story" where the Player is the "Protagonist / Hero / Commander" & is challenged to act decisively (a read story is a passive experience) by the conflict conjured in a virtual world (with artistry in mapping and scripting) to achieve a sequence of escalating tactical goals on the way to a culminating strategic objective / story denouement / satisfying climax that by way of fun, inspires a sense of achievement.

* Opening Cinematic Details: This is actually written in the form of a movie shooting script for the FMV artist to work from.

* Mission Briefing / Objectives: Basic "Victory Conditions", not overly detailed. There must be an unfolding element of surprise / discovery that is spell-binding, immersive & challenging without creating conditions that lead to more frustration than fun in the game play. (There is a thin line between a deeply satisfying challenge and a frustrating obstacle.)

* Map Constructed: If "Bounded", must specify apt quadrants for Mission.

* Starting Tech Level

* Any Music to be Played & When

* Specify Player's LZ or Start of Mission Map Coordinates

* Specify Player's Starting Contingent of Units (inc. Rank & Health) & any Pre-placed Structures

* Specify Artifacts / New Tech Available for Discovery & too be researched (Include Map Coordinates.)

* Specify ALL "Victory Conditions" for the Mission that the player MUST fulfill in order to claim a mission victory.

Such that for each Mission you have to define the following things through CAM A.I. scripting:

* Challenges to the Player's decision-making competency in the form of "Event-Triggers"

* Event-triggers are, in part, HOW Victory Conditions are implemented......

* A necessary component of their specificity are the Map-coordinates where the Events are Triggered

* As well as any Timers that are linked to that Game Play.....

* Events Triggered such as, but not limited to...

* Number & Type of Enemy Units for EACH Spawned Wave event..,

* Number of Spawns per event... & time intervals

* Any necessary achievement of Commander Ranking

* The necessary survival of certain units

* The need to reach a certain resource / economic level

* The need to recover a specific Artifact

* The need to establish a Forward Base or LZ or a certain structure in a Specified Location (Map Coordinates)

* The need to rescue or join-up another contingent that could be anywhere on the map, either pre-placed or spawned... (all details specified as above)..

* Any combination of the foregoing.

* Plus anything else you might dream-up as a Victory Condition

It is this prepared Pre-Scripting Analysis & associated "Level Map" that a Scriptor would then translate into a Playable Mission Level.

- RV
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[XboxJosh]

Well, while I'm waiting for Olrox to make the map (take your time, buddy ), I'll make a note of this.

[...] give feedback to us developers on what we need to improve to make it easier to write campaign expansions.

I think there should be more feedback when a script fails to compile. All I get now is that it didn't work. It'd help if I knew where to even start debugging.


Also, would anyone be open to discussing campaign "sequels" as Zarel mentioned? I think England would be a perfect fit, Per.

[yahodahan]

yo! I love the idea of a "prequel"- the Project's ancestors emerge from the nuclear ruins, rally a few good men and women for the common good, and set in motion the guiding events that shall ultimately lead to them discovering an abandoned military compound, isolated and untouched by the Collapse...and so begins Warzone 2100.

Even if just a mini game, this would be great- (me envisions mix of FPS/RTS like Battlezone, lots of dramatic cutscenes and emotional depth, as they struggle to survive and keep faith in human kind...)

To be fair, I'm WAY to tired (and lazy) to read all the pages of this post...so my reply may be utterly silly, or not. either way, hurray for WZ2100 (and possibly a prequel)!

[theArmourer]

For a sequel campaign, going to the mid-west and east coast of the(former) U.S. would be a logical next step.

[XboxJosh]

I believe the U.S. East Coast, Great Britain, and possibly the Caribbean ( ) would be good places for the next 3 campaigns. However, I am "creatively challenged", so to speak, so I think I'll stick to writing script files.

[Rman Virgil]

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I was wondering if you could explain what exactly you are trying to do with Campaign Scripting that cannot otherwise be achieved through a combination of map crafting artistry with FlaME, Player 7 Scav A.I. & Troman's T1 Mod ?

- regards, RV

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[Olrox]

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I was wondering if you could explain what exactly you are trying to do with Campaign Scripting that cannot otherwise be achieved through a combination of map crafting artistry with FlaME, Player 7 Scav A.I. & Troman's T1 Mod ?

- regards, RV

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Probably making units spawn at set times and go to a specific places, in the last "base defend" missions? Most likely, though, is that XboxJosh wants to practice scripting so that when we get to a real campaign he is already used to it - that's my guess

~Olrox

[XboxJosh]

That's pretty much spot on, Olrox. This "CAM_0" is just a test to see how difficult it might be to try and make a Campaign 4. Of course, nobody said we couldn't have a little fun with Cam0 anyways

[Rman Virgil]

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I see.

From my practical PoV, the paramount difference is that scripting can define precise conditions to advance specific goals, which can encompass, among quite a few other type constructs, finely tuned combat achievements in which spawning serves but an auxiliary role (that is, the spawnings are NOT the defined conditions themselves. THIS is a crucial distinction, it must be emphasized, you're unlikely to come to via some happenstance osmosis with the original CAM or its scripts or the A.I. tuts).

All these scripted conditions integrated tightly (& with clear linkages) to a compelling story; narrative flow translated into game play and, of course, the player's interaction with that narrative based on their buying into and enjoying those scripted conditions, the constructed challenges they present and the goals they lead to coinciding believably with the story's interactive denouement..

- RV

[Emdek]

I've some idea for possible mission for campaign 0.
In campaign alpha we are starting as commander, so maybe in first or one of first mission we could need to do something to become team leader? Do some task to achieve that. For example we could have around five candidates for commander role, each one could have small team and their task would be to do something, like recovering artifact or killing most enemies (generally achieve biggest score). One team would be controlled by player, rest by AI. All teams would fight against scavengers (not against other teams).
What do you think about this?

[XboxJosh]

Hmm, an interesting proposal. I dunno how I'd get that to work though. Maybe if the player were to conduct some huge raid (Transport technology?), maybe that'd be enough to warrant the player's promotion to Alpha commander.

[Emdek]

Hmm, an interesting proposal. I dunno how I'd get that to work though. Maybe if the player were to conduct some huge raid (Transport technology?), maybe that'd be enough to warrant the player's promotion to Alpha commander.

Yeah, in case when another team wins then game is ended with objective failed or something.
Having more players in kind of alliance (in this case our teams) should be possible in campaign, we already have alliance (ate least for some seconds) in one of gamma missions (before that second team is absorbed by NEXUS) but I don't know how it's technically done.

[XboxJosh]

Yes, I believe it's entirely possible to ally teams. However, I don't think the prospect of 5 teams will work well. Perhaps one or two? Although I don't like the idea of working against other Project members... I think a mission to find Transport, HQ, or Power Generator technology would be better. I dunno. Let's leave that open to discussion.