[FRDF] Scenarios

[jfs]

Please stay on topic

The player will be able to play scenarios, which have objectives. When an objective is completed, the player gets the choice to quit or to continue playing.

Will a scenario always only have one objective, or can there be several objectives?
Can there be several distinct ways of winning a scenario? (Example: "Transport 1000 passengers, or earn $10,000 transporting passengers to win this scenario.")
I suggest making objectives work like a boolean expression of gameplay variables, stored in the scenario. Also, what conditions were fulfilled when winning a scenario should be stored after winning. (See next point.)

Can there be "campaigns"? (Chained scenarios where you must win one in order to proceed to the next.) If there are, could the way of winning one scenario influence the next scenarios? (Example: Scenario 1: "Construct a route from Paris to Berlin, or construct a route from Paris to Madrid." Depending on which route the player completes, the next scenario will take place in either Germany or in Spain.)
I'd like to see it that way.

Will it be possible to have "free play"? "Sandbox mode"? (Difference is that "free play" just has no objectives, while "sandbox" doesn't have a concept of money either.)
Lack of restrictions is a big part of what has made simulation games like Sim City and TTD popular, so I think both freeplay and sandbox play should be available.

[Hyronymus]

I agree on all said above. I'm convinced there will be players who like the thrill of campaigns, the fun of freeplay and the ease of the sandbox mode. I always pitied RT2/3 for not having freeplay but only sandbox mode.

[Hellfire]

Will a scenario always only have one objective, or can there be several objectives?

Several should make scenarios more interesting.

Can there be several distinct ways of winning a scenario? (Example: "Transport 1000 passengers, or earn $10,000 transporting passengers to win this scenario.")
I suggest making objectives work like a boolean expression of gameplay variables, stored in the scenario. Also, what conditions were fulfilled when winning a scenario should be stored after winning. (See next point.)

I agree.

Can there be "campaigns"? (Chained scenarios where you must win one in order to proceed to the next.) If there are, could the way of winning one scenario influence the next scenarios? (Example: Scenario 1: "Construct a route from Paris to Berlin, or construct a route from Paris to Madrid." Depending on which route the player completes, the next scenario will take place in either Germany or in Spain.)
I'd like to see it that way.

I'd like to see that too.

Will it be possible to have "free play"? "Sandbox mode"? (Difference is that "free play" just has no objectives, while "sandbox" doesn't have a concept of money either.)
Lack of restrictions is a big part of what has made simulation games like Sim City and TTD popular, so I think both freeplay and sandbox play should be available.

I'm not too sure about the sandbox, but I like the free play in TTD / miss it in Loco.

[Zuu]

Please stay on topic

The player will be able to play scenarios, which have objectives. When an objective is completed, the player gets the choice to quit or to continue playing.

Will a scenario always only have one objective, or can there be several objectives?
Can there be several distinct ways of winning a scenario? (Example: "Transport 1000 passengers, or earn $10,000 transporting passengers to win this scenario.")
I suggest making objectives work like a boolean expression of gameplay variables, stored in the scenario. Also, what conditions were fulfilled when winning a scenario should be stored after winning. (See next point.)

I agree.

Can there be "campaigns"? (Chained scenarios where you must win one in order to proceed to the next.) If there are, could the way of winning one scenario influence the next scenarios? (Example: Scenario 1: "Construct a route from Paris to Berlin, or construct a route from Paris to Madrid." Depending on which route the player completes, the next scenario will take place in either Germany or in Spain.)
I'd like to see it that way.

I like the idea with campaigns. How much room should there be for a story?

Will it be possible to have "free play"? "Sandbox mode"? (Difference is that "free play" just has no objectives, while "sandbox" doesn't have a concept of money either.)
Lack of restrictions is a big part of what has made simulation games like Sim City and TTD popular, so I think both freeplay and sandbox play should be available.

I think there should be a freeplay mode. A sanbox mode will basicly be a freeplay mode, where you cant get bankrupt. But if you add a money cheat in freeplay then there is no need for a special sandbox mode.

Perhaps we shall add the possibility to turn off certain features in scenarios. In some scenarios you might only should be able to construct ships and road vehicles. And in another only steam engines. And in a third, you won't be able to change the landscape.

Shall there be triggers and actions in the scenarios. A trigger is boolean expression, that triggers one or several actions when it becomes true. Or shall there be a full scripting engine?

[Steve]

I think it'd be nice to have more than one objective, but i can't see them having a great affect on gameplay unless your just playing to complete the objectives for a campaign.

Campaigns could be tricky, i think i'd prefer to see a set of missions which follow on.. but someway to choose between them normally. You could have a system like Theme Hospital, when you've conquered the objectives your guven a new place to conquer with harder objectives with new things being brought out for you to use. But i'm not sure what new things you could bring out except better opponents. And what kind of story could you put in it?

I'd make most use of a freeplay mode, where all the maps from capaign can be played with custom objectives, CPU etc. I also think an infinite money sandbox mode will be great for trying out new junctions and such.

[PJayTycy]

A trigger-action system as Zuu describes makes for really interesting scenario's.

It enables mapmakers to set goals like:
=> connect city X to city Y by this date and your company gets a 100 K$ bonus
=> deliver 50 tons of oil to city X every year or you loose the rights use the airport
=> ...

lots of interesting scenario's have been made this way for RT2 and RT3. Also a lot of maps with stupid objectives though.


So, I'm in favour of freeplay, scenario's and sandbox for sure. Campaign can be just a set of scenario's if the situation of the previous game is not carried over. If it is carried over, it will be more difficult.

[jfs]

The idea for letting the way of winning one scenario affect the following storyline is partly from the first Red Alert game. Basically the base and units you have at the end of the second Allied mission is carried over to the fourth mission in the campaign (set on an expanded version of the same map), and can then strongly influence the outcome of that mission.

[Steve]

Although the second time you play through, everyone cheats and leaves a number of pillboxes and hundreds of infrantry ready to attack

[Grunt]

I am reasonably certain that most people will not want to abandon their valued networks just because they've completed one objective. For this reason, I don't believe the campaign mode is likely to work - people will prefer to concentrate on one map and set of objectives then move between them every ten years or so. On the other hand, it would be feasible to, say, create one very large map and restrict the possible area the player can build in until a certain objective is met, and continue doing this until player has managed to expand their company through the entire continent/geographical area/whatever - this woud serve as an adequate campaign mode, IMO.

[jfs]

On the other hand, it would be feasible to, say, create one very large map and restrict the possible area the player can build in until a certain objective is met, and continue doing this until player has managed to expand their company through the entire continent/geographical area/whatever - this woud serve as an adequate campaign mode, IMO.

Hmm, that sounds interesting.
So basically, there are various restrctions on what you can do. Once some set conditions are met, you are awarded with more possibilities, and more conditions are given. Basically a "mission scenario". It would require some kind of trigger and scripting system, but it does sound good and feasible, and indeed better than a campaigh with several separate maps.

[Hyronymus]

Why am I thinking of the Conquer the World approach of Rise of Nations? This sounds very promising.

[Steve]

You could restrict people to one area of a map by lowering the player's rating in different areas. So the player would have to prove himself in order to get the industries to give out their stock to the player.

[Steve]

Meeting Decisions:

* Map = land + towns + industries
* Scenario = script + settings + reference to map
* Campaign = script + references to scenario's

Further details are not required in the DD.

Status: Closed.

Topic locked, decisions processed (09112006).