posted 08-31-09 11:04 PM EDT (US)
By - Damari
First I’ll start with the basics. I’m sure most of you all ready know these facts but this can be an important part of game development. I also suggest, if you don’t already know, is to familiarize yourself with triggers. You can find help here
I personally don’t mod, so this guide is about you and the editor, nothing more. I guess I’m ‘old school’ and believe the tools given should be used accordingly. That being said; if I was given a shovel to dig a hole, I’m not about to complain I don’t have a backhoe. It may be harder to do the job, but the hole can still be dug. So when all is said and done, I’ll stand back, and admire my accomplishment! Just remember – If there’s a will, there’s a way. I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t give up if you run into trouble with the editor. Just think of it as a challenge. Are you up for a good challenge? If you are, then lets make an amazing RPG!
What you will need:
1.An 80-page notebook and a pencil.
2.Basic editor knowledge.
3.A good short story, preferably written out in your notebook.
1.An 80-page notebook and a pencil.
2.Basic editor knowledge.
3.A good short story, preferably written out in your notebook.
A game, which character development, is the main driving force of game play. The player controls one character, usually the hero of a story. The player will have a goal to reach and this goal can be introduced at anytime within the game play. An example would be to save the heroine from the villain. This can be achieved through actions set out by the game designer. It should involve interacting with NPC’s (Non-player characters). As the story takes shape, so should the said character – Increasing inventory, combat etc. through puzzles, and problem solving.
RPG’s were developed in the mid‘70’s, derived from D&D. The traditional RPG was turn-based in a fantasy setting. However, this has since changed when video consoles were introduced. J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings influenced D&D extending to some games such as – Warcraft, Elder Scrolls etc. Today, you can find many variations of the genre. From strategy to real-time strategy (RTS) to turn-based strategy (TBS). An example would be – Some Final Fantasy games use both RTS and TBS.
RPG’s are much like a story – Beginning, middle and ending. It is up to you, the designer to introduce the story, giving the tools needed for the player to grow. So while your sitting there staring at that blank map, think about a story. Either one you have read, or were told, even one of your own. Write down some descriptions and the main elements to your story.
- Where is this place – Open world, a city, the desert, in the mountains?
- When does the story take place? Remember, just because AOE3 is based on colonial history, doesn’t mean you need your story to follow.
- Scenery – Landscape, eye-candy, buildings, weather.
- When does the story take place? Remember, just because AOE3 is based on colonial history, doesn’t mean you need your story to follow.
Now that you have the basics, go back to your blank map and start by adding the setting. First, size your map. No larger than 600x600. Turn off all your graphics settings because this will help you with eye-candy later on. Your story is coming alive! At this point don’t worry about adding too much terrain, just the basic. If you have a hard time with terrain, take a walk outside. Walk around the block and perhaps to the park. What do you see? Look at the grass near buildings, at the foot of the trees. Is it any different than the grass in the park? Are there rocks and or shrubs? Keep in mind, adding too much will cause lag and slow upload times. You can find out more here -
Next is the plot. The plot is a series of events and character action that relate to the conflict. It should include challenges for the hero to over come. Examples would be - enemy’s to fight, relationships, chases, obstacles, puzzles and more. Remember there should be an element of challenge and an element of realism.
It is the your job to design the backdrop and more importantly you need to establish a goal for the player and give the needed tools to discover your goal. The player will explore your world and will react to it. Never reveal the full details of the world, as the game progresses, the details will come clearer to the player. I personally like the freedom of movement in the world. It allows the player to travel and explore freely. Mind you I still add locked doors/gates and few impassable paths. These I will open as a reward for completing certain tasks.
The hero should travel far, navigating through obstacles to get him to his destination, be it the next village, or quest area. You must think about a couple things first. How long does it take him to travel? Perhaps there is a better way of transportation, like teleport? Make sure the player isn’t bored while travelling. Always and I mean always have movement on the map. Have unexpected events accrue – IE: Enemies jumping out at the hero on paths. Perhaps have a NPC stop him and ask for help, but make sure the player is not bored while travelling. This is a great time to use the QV random effect.
The main goal could be a quest like the example above – saving the heroine.
- How does the hero know he must save her?
- Is it her father who asks for your help?
- Perhaps the hero needs to save a village from the enemy. Is the village an ally or enemy?
- Maybe the hero must negotiate with the village to learn about their enemy. How will the hero fight the enemy?
- What will the hero earn by doing so?
- Is it her father who asks for your help?
But for the duration of this guide, I will use something very simple – Buying milk at the store. Sound odd? Read on!
The main quest (goal) can lead to smaller quests. These quests can help with character development, which I’ll explain below. Quests are much like puzzles. You will need to give the player hints – Where to begin, what to look for, who to talk to. The player must piece together these hints and discover the outcome him/herself, earning a reward.
Think of quests as everyday events. Here is an example:
1)Primary – You need to run to the store and buy milk.
2)Secondary – But you can’t find your wallet, and search the house for money.
3)Secondary – You now have some money but notice you have a flat tire.
4)Secondary – You have a choice, should you walk or take the bus to the store?
5)Secondary – You chose to walk. But on your way, you run into some thugs.
You know the primary goal is to buy milk. You’re probably asking how do I give hints for that? Ok, ask yourself these questions:
- Who wants you to get milk? Hint: Talk with the Leader.
- Why do you need milk? Hint: The people are hungry and need food.
- Which store sells milk? Hint: There is a small town North. The people there can help you.
- Why do you need milk? Hint: The people are hungry and need food.
Of course for your scenario you will need to elaborate on your hints. Lets jump past the secondary objectives for a second. And go straight to the ending of the primary goal. Say you have arrived at the small town; most of the people there won’t talk to you. You find one person who will talk, and this person tells you strangers have been coming to town as of late, robbing the stores. These thugs only show up at night. The people in town don’t trust anyone. This has lead us to the Hidden objective. You talk with another person and she tells you her son has disappeared. You search the lands and after a lot of turmoil you find the lost son, return him and the people of the town are so grateful.
You see what I just did? I branched out the primary goal even more. But this one was hidden. This is the same as the secondary goals. You can branch them out as well and each secondary goal will take you closer to your main objective, earning rewards on the way.
Lets look at 4) Secondary – You have a choice, should you walk or take the bus to the store? It is a good idea to give players choices where there will be both awards and consequences for their actions. In this case, the consequence was the thugs.
Imagine how far you can take this quest. Did you ever think going to buy milk could be so much fun? =P
Some secondary objectives don’t need to lead to the primary goal. You can add extra just to give a reward or perhaps throw the player off track. Perhaps a small quest to earn extra gold. With quests the possibilities are endless.
This is where some of you may have trouble adding objectives to your scenarios. You can find help here
The objectives are great to give the basic information. But I suggest you have NPC’s who give out hints also. IE: Your hero stops to talk with a villager.
Villager1
“What do you want?”
“Oh, your that hero. The one that is supposed to help us?”
“Well I can’t help you. Just go away! I’m too hungry to talk.”
Villager2
“Did you ever wonder what’s in the Milky Way?”
“I heard if you travel North, you can see it better.”
“What do you want?”
“Oh, your that hero. The one that is supposed to help us?”
“Well I can’t help you. Just go away! I’m too hungry to talk.”
Villager2
“Did you ever wonder what’s in the Milky Way?”
“I heard if you travel North, you can see it better.”
With this editor it can be difficult to get your message across to the player. RPG’s are that much more difficult because the designer must stay In Character. What I mean by this is you must not use direct statements in your objectives and/or hints. An example of Direct statement would be:
Villager1
“What do you want?”
“Well, I’m too hungry to talk with you.”
“A tall glass of milk will help.”
Villager2
“There is a village north of us that sells milk.”
“There is a Lady there that is missing her son, talk to her.”
“What do you want?”
“Well, I’m too hungry to talk with you.”
“A tall glass of milk will help.”
Villager2
“There is a village north of us that sells milk.”
“There is a Lady there that is missing her son, talk to her.”
In the above statements you will notice I have told the hero where to go, who to talk with and what they need to find. This is a not a good idea since it won’t force the player to talk with the Leader (quest giver), and find out more on their own.
The player must stay IN Character even when reading hints/objectives. Out Of Character (OOC) is usually frowned upon in RPG’s. You can find examples of how other designers do this by games such as Splinter Cell, Gears of War etc. In these games you will notice they designed it so there is a training area, which keeps them In Character. They could have easily told you what to do.
By now you should have a pretty good idea what your map will look like, and should add your quest areas while they are still fresh in you mind. You don’t need to elaborate on them right now, just rough them in.
Characters in RPG’s generally correspond with statistics (stats).
- Experience points (xp): XP can be given via unit kills and or quests etc. Once a certain amount is obtained, the hero will progress in level increasing skills.
- Skill points: And again, these can be earned as above. Unlike XP, the hero can use skill points to buy upgrades rather than wait to advance in level.
- Skill points: And again, these can be earned as above. Unlike XP, the hero can use skill points to buy upgrades rather than wait to advance in level.
You could also use gold to gain skills. The hero can buy items such as a new rifle, which will give more attack (because buying milk can be so dangerous). Perhaps a new helm to give more health points (hp).
You can also give the player a choice at the beginning on which unit they want to use. Or perhaps they can trade in their unit for a stronger one. Keep in mind you will need to add the other unit to your trigger sequences.
As your game progresses so should the hero. This is where balance comes into play. The enemy should seemingly grow more intelligent. As you are giving upgrades to your hero, add to your trigger sequence and give the enemy the same upgrades, not in every upgrade, but enough to make it look as if the enemy is getting stronger.
RPG’s are not necessarily about killing the enemy. Do not confuse Super Hero with Hero. Your hero should not be a ‘god’ sort of speak. RPG’s are about problem solving, conflict, courage and fighting for a cause.
Definitions of
- a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength; "RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of Britain"
- the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
- champion: someone who fights for a cause
- the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
A Fireman, a police officer, soldiers are all heroes. They are much like you and I but what makes them different is courage. Keep this in mind while building your hero.
I suggest Gaia for main support, such as the main city/town. I realize there can be a difference of opinion when using Gaia, so I suggest testing it and finding your niche. The reason is; the AI won’t attack unless provoked to do so. This will give your hero more movement within the city and surrounding areas. I found working with Gaia has more advantages.
- Set your map up for 3 players:
- Player1 being your hero.
- Player2 set AI – aiLoaderStandard.
- Player3 set AI - Age3AI
- Player1 being your hero.
To utilize AI, you must first set it up in the Player Data Panel in the editor. After you set player1 &2 for the enemy, select the same civilization (civ), same colour, same team and same name for each. At this point you may wish to hide either or both AI. Once this is done, close the Player Data Panel, and your ready to begin by setting triggers to do your bidding with the Age3AI. Also don’t forget to set Gaia as ally and enemy to your AI.
Make sure they have Home City shipments. Build up their town, giving them enough resources, but watch them. Time how long it takes them to build, how long to make an army. I suggest you test this by ‘save as’, exit editor and test from main menu. Make notes and learn about the AI you have created. Keep in mind, every time you edit terrain, add/remove resources, the AI will act accordingly, so test after each change. Basically you want player2 to act on their own accord. Their only purpose is to add movement on your map.
This AI can be a most useful and powerful tool when used in conjunction with the aiLoaderStandard. When using this AI the player will actually be playing two different civilizations (civs) but will get the impression of playing one. This gives the designer an added ability to be in control of his/her scenario, if triggers are set properly. You can read more here -
The designer can deploy armies, then move the armies to any point and instruct it on what to do at any given time in the scenario. This is also possible with individual units.
- You can direct them to build.
- Cut wood.
- Mine gold.
- Or claim a nugget that could launch a special event or condition in your scenario.
- Cut wood.
As you can imagine, it opens up many new possibilities. Yet this is dependent on your abilities with trigger members. The more familiar you are with them, and how they work, the more possibilities will open up. Experiment and have fun!
Use your notebook for ideas and map sketches. Write down character names, places, and civs. Describe your hero and detailed event descriptions. What rewards are you planning on giving your hero? Write them down as well. When you begin your map work, it might be best to work in sections because designing an RPG can be overwhelming.
Building a scenario of this magnitude can take weeks, if not months to complete, be patient, and try not to rush it.
Plan out every detail for you scenario. Always de-bug your scenario before release. Inspect each and every trigger, no matter how good you think you are; it’s very easy to make simple mistakes when you’re working with literally hundreds of triggers. If you run into trouble with triggers, read this article
There is a save bug which will remove any upgrades you give the hero via HC cards. Mister SCP worked very hard and made a few custom effects and conditions to help nullify this issue. You can read more here
At this point you should be near completion of your scenario, and your notebook should be full of notes. If your still having some trouble, I found these sites helpful as well:
I would like to thank Kjn for all his help and support. Also for his help writting the AI portion of this guide. If it wasn’t for his patience over at ES, I would have surely given up.
Lastly, I hope designers find this guide useful, perhaps we will see more RPG’s.
And most of all –
Damari
[This message has been edited by Damari (edited 09-02-2009 @ 04:16 AM).]
. As I see you mainly fixed on objectives and story. In my opinion it is extremly good to present the rpg scenario with good music and audio chats (since you have this option in sp more as in mp). RPG is at the one hand the genre which costs the most time but on the other hand maybe the best thing you can create in AOEIII
. But I might finish it sometime as a sp scenario hehe.)
