Monster SCENARIO Project - Page 5

Aezeal · #41 June 17th, 2008, 02:28 PM

So what is the plan then Gandalf in which direction will this mod go?

Gandalf Parker · #42 June 17th, 2008, 04:40 PM

I dont have one yet.

That was part of why I laid out a post for each step of it. I created the "Scenarios, Maps and Mods" forum and have always regretted the small number of scenarios compared to Dom2.
Ive done fancy shortcuts, preexec, postexec, and maps. I dabbled abit in mods and was fascinated at the information that they could be changed in mid-game. Ive written many scripts which modify any and all of the above.

I had various notes about how they could all be tied in together but nothing that jumped up and screamed to be done. At least, not that I felt in my power. Of them all, MOD is my weakest so anything extensively built around the mod part I will be happy just to have spurred someone else to create it for us. Even if they use the whole scenario package idea, I would have no problem with that.

I was hoping for some other ideas in each of the various pieces about what would be impressive "if it could be done". Thats one of my favorite subjects "if it could be done".

Aezeal · #43 June 17th, 2008, 04:48 PM

Hey my scenario type of map (gangwars) got so few feedback I can't really work on it anymore.. I think it's just not really a scenario kind of game.

The best idea's I had (idea's I liked most I mean) above where then ones where you could change the map.. but I heard that is out.. so that kinda sucks.

Still I think it might be worth modding rhyleys and ermor so they change from MA to LA, if you do it for only 2 nations it will be less trouble and it will have a huge impact on the game. Personally I think that should definately be in this scenario. It is nice if they are played by AI and the AI might even be pretty decent with hordes of chaff. (not to mention giving them to a player is always somewhat unbalancing certainly if there are pantheons so the nearest neighbours can protect him a bit to get started)

So if you have no plans my main suggestions would be

1. Pantheons
2. MA Ermor and Rhyley changing to LA

another thing.. I read a bit about scripting events.. I have not heard about it before and never read about it in the mod files (I think) can that really be done? and to what extend... it would be very kewl

LDiCesare · #44 June 18th, 2008, 08:10 AM

There was a Civ2 scenario that I loved, Prince of Darkness.
It was more of an RPG than anything, but it was quite fun and I think something along the lines could be done:
Roughly, you had to move your character here and there in order to be given a Fireball which you could use to destroy the gates of Dis and vanquish the Devil nation before they started summoning devils so strong that the combined armies of all other civs couldn't beat one.
Additionally, it required some cooperation between civs as some techs could only be researched by certain civs.

So this could be adapted somehow:
Have Big Bad Player on one side (LA Ermor anyone?). If it reaches a certain research level or turn, boost the strength of its national only units. Undead legionaires, lictors and such would be nice for instance, because the ai would have many of them. Basically, something another player cannot wish for becomes extra strong. The problem is you should prevent players from charming/enslaving/... these before they become strong.
So the rest of the players should team to get rid of Ermor (or R'lyeh or whoever).
To that end, the event that causes the undead to become hyper powerful can be delayed if certain spells are cast, preferably national only spells, each spell having an effect only once. So Ermor becomes unbeatable by turn 40 unless someone casts spell X which gives 10 more turns, spell Y which gives 12 more, etc.

In addition, that civ2 scenario provided you with angels and such nice fighters if you managed to do some quest, so it would be possible to have some unit become reruitable and worthwhile if a given province was attacked/controlled, helping fend off the hordes.
Spells could also become stronger under certain conditions (gain x2 against undead if...)

Gandalf Parker · #45 June 18th, 2008, 02:26 PM

Hmmmm not bad.
I really like the thing about visiting certain sites. That would be really easy to do. And not allowing sneaks to do it would be easy. Have the pre-exec check the log each turn "watching" for combat results for certain provinces. It could even keep track of who visited so that you still got credit even if another player "visited" (took over) the province later. Visiting 5 ancient sites would "unlock" an item or a spell by having the 3rd-party-program rewrite the games mod file to give powers to them (they would have been in the game all along but with little or not powers). Hmmmm you could even have many sites, but have the powers granted depend on WHICH sites you visited. Or even have it be incremental as each site is visited. "You have visited City of Death and your pretender crown now allows the summoning of xxxxxxx".

And the thing about casting a spell to add time to a timer would be quite possible also. Another thought is that it could add a nice scenario feature to a multiplayer game. Ermor is going postal unless the xxxxxx global is cast and gems are used to maintain it. So now, do you let another player do it and trust them to maintain it, or do it yourself? I can even see a forum conversation charging the other players gems to help you maintain the shield.

Gandalf Parker · #46 June 23rd, 2008, 06:23 PM

Another remembering of old ideas I could incorporate in this.

Adding mid-game messages. Give each nation a "town crier" unit, or maybe an Oracle, or a Standing Stones with Runes. As the game progresses, the unit can provide information from the scenario, or the person running the game.

OK as cool as this sounds, I cant seem to come up with a reason for it. I dont know what info from outside of the game should be transported to inside the game. Some info on the game which cant be gotten from the score graphs inside the game? What info would that be?

Maybe "gossip" on who is in the lead if you wanted to run a game without scoreboards or any nation info. Instead of getting comparison info on everyone all game, or no info on anyone, maybe just a gossip list of who is at the top in each category?

I guess it could be done up to do game hints. Like the ones you see at each hosting, but this one could read randomly from a file that the players can create. That might be a cool thing to package and make available for a download seperately but not as part of this project.

Gandalf Parker · #47 June 26th, 2008, 04:27 PM

OK. How about this idea. What nations can be given a decent "change of tactics" in midgame?

The first that comes to mind would be Ermor. But I dont think I can get Ermor to switch tactics by changing the mod of the units in mid-game. It would be sweet though. When the game log file shows Ermor losing many battles then that means a nation has their number. Attacking with many priests against undead. So shift Ermor to a units base instead of undead? Im not sure that would work for Ermor. But maybe some other nations?

Make it more cost-reasonable for Arcos to make armies until they hit other nations, then shift to a more mage-oriented research mode?

Make it cost reasonable for Oceania to make fully-aquatic more-efficient water fighting units until it starts hitting land, then shift it to making amphibious units?

Make castles cheaper for all of the AI until they start meeting with each other then make castles for AI expensive to keep them from using funds filling their area with overlapping castles?

LDiCesare · #48 June 27th, 2008, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Gandalf Parker said:So shift Ermor to a units base instead of undead?

Why not do it the other way around?
Start MA Ermor without reanimation ability on their priests and give it to them later. Give them a summons spell that mid game becomes able to either generate undeads automatically or 'summon allies'.

You'd start with a Roman nation using little or no death magic and then increase the death skill of its mages mid-game (not sure if it works on existing commanders), give the priests reanimate, provide summons that spam undead chaff automatically.

You might even mod a spell for 2 or 3 turns only so Ermor would have the ability to suddenly summon hordes of undead for cheap, but this ability wouldn't last long and afterwards you'd just reanimate.

Gandalf Parker · #49 June 27th, 2008, 12:15 PM

Im not sure if an added spell is used by the AI. One of the more experienced modders might let us know.

But changes would definetly be a good answer. I hadnt thought of the reverse. That would make a good game and be logical. As the armored nation of Ermor starts getting its *** kicked, the mages come up with a solution and start cranking out undead.

Im not sure how much of Ermors undead comes from its units though. I got the impression it was kindof a built-in thing just from being the nation Ermor. I dont know if thats touchable by mod.

LDiCesare · #50 June 27th, 2008, 07:53 PM

I don't think you can mod the dominion free spawning units, but you could add freespawn to some units like a cheap 0 move priest who previously was useless and expensive. By becoming cheap, the priest would be hired, not move, just reanimate and freespawn some unit.
IT's definitely not the dom-killing Ermor dominion, but you could use MA Ermor and make it look like LA that way, except it wouldn't destroy its population.