Alright so here's the deal. I know I'm new and I know I probably ask silly questions that would seem obvious to most people. So, what I need is just a patient ear or two to field some questions about some ideas I have rolling around in my head.

The game itself is going to be mainly text-based and not quite mmo style but I'd like to focus on team-based action with maybe some mmo elements later. Anywho. If someone has some extra couple minutes to message me IM or PM here, that would be MUCH appreciated. =D


aim:penguintyler
email:[email protected]

^^I know you can get those from my profile, but I figured I would help ya' out. =D

Hey Phryi,

What's the secrecy all about? If you need help, most people here will do that. Just type a question and an answer usually is posted within a day or two.

...in Kenosha!

Haha. A combination of feeling embarassed to ask the questions and thinking it'd be easier one on one to answer responses to what I present.


Well let's try it.

My first big question is, can a text-based game be real time with combat elements and not turn-based?

Yes, you can have things run off timers. Have like a timer that goes off every second, and you can run the combat off it. For example, with speed for attacking, you could have each combatant have a variable/property that starts at 100 (or whatever) and each time the timer goes off, takes one off it, when their number is at their 'speed' stat, they can do an action, such as attacking. This would make things seem pretty real-time.

elexxorine wrote:Yes, you can have things run off timers. Have like a timer that goes off every second, and you can run the combat off it. For example, with speed for attacking, you could have each combatant have a variable/property that starts at 100 (or whatever) and each time the timer goes off, takes one off it, when their number is at their 'speed' stat, they can do an action, such as attacking. This would make things seem pretty real-time.

Hmm. Ok, I think I grasp that.

I had thought of making cast/attack timers in combat the way they are in most mmos now but using cast times for time to impact instead of time to cast.

Mage has a fireball with a 3 second cast timer

Mage casts Fireball.
*three seconds*
You are hit with Fireball.

Does that make sense?

Sort of. But my idea basically means everything runs off one timer, which will make things easier. It takes away, so that the higher the speed, the faster you do stuff...

So you're thinking in terms of how fast to hit rather than cast, you could do it either way, it's your game...

Heya. As just about the only person that's made something like you are asking, I found it wasn't too difficult once you are adept at coding ASL.

A range is nothing but a number 1, 8, 27 whatever, you could decide that's going to be the distance in meters between targets, and maybe you're fireball moves at 2 meters a second. If you set things up like that, not too hard but definitely not as easy as I make it sound, your timer counting down each second will just have to check that each fireball in the game is moved 2 meters closer to it's destination at each tick of the clock.

Now making it so that destination is a fixed place in a virtual room space is a little more difficult and requires some outside of the box thinking. I did it a simple way by coding each room to consist of a checkerboard/chessboard type layout.

Neat. I want to see this code too...

elexxorine wrote:Yes, you can have things run off timers. Have like a timer that goes off every second, and you can run the combat off it. For example, with speed for attacking, you could have each combatant have a variable/property that starts at 100 (or whatever) and each time the timer goes off, takes one off it, when their number is at their 'speed' stat, they can do an action, such as attacking. This would make things seem pretty real-time.

Do you have an example of a game that runs like this? I'm interested in seeing how it ends up looking.

I would also like to include companions in my game, player companions that is. Think of Hunter pets in most MMO games but I'd like to add a different story line to it but generally they would act the same way. Actually, the way World of Warcraft hunter pets works is exactly the way I'd like them to act work. Different options for passive, aggressive, defensive and their own spell list.

Also, the companions are going to have a unique feature of being able to change "forms" on the state/mood they are in. In-combat, they would be a lion, during travel they would be a bird, during proffession activities.....something else. haha.

The system would be that players select what their "Avatar" looks like in it's normal state at character creation but as the game goes on, the Avatar randomly selects from a pool of options what form it takes when it changes states, i.e. in-combat, profession activities, travel, etc. However, as time goes on and both you and your character progress and get established in your profession/specialization in the game your Avatar will change less and less and then establish one form which would hopefully characterize what you've established yourself as in-game. The final change will basically be another character creation to allow yourself to actually enjoy what you end up with, which I think is pretty much necessary. I wouldn't mind making it a random choice from a pool of forms that I/we establish as suitable choices for that stage in the game but I don't think most players of the game would enjoy being given an Avatar they might not like it.

In addition to acting like a companion and helping in combat using it's own A.I., the back story would include bonus attributes depending on which state it is in because you are spiritually connected with your avatar, so it's not like a hunter pet which is why I used the word companion instead of pet.

Annnnnnnnnnyways.

Questions, comments? Can it be done? Is it a nifty enough idea?

I'll work on an example soon, for timer-based attacking. Your other idea is really neat but I think it would be rather hard to do.

I imagined it would be quite a programatic unpleasantry. Do you have any references to take a look at for programming AI like that?

Hmm, I have an idea how to do normal companions (some people have already donw this, NPCs following you and fighting in battle too), the shapeshifting thing I'm iffy on. Selecting a 'normal' state from a list is ok and the random other forms, but the homing-down on a certain shape is the hard bit. Btw, this reminds me of 'His Dark Materials', recently out in film with the horriable name of 'The Golden Compass'. Am I right? If done well it might be really good.

That series is what gave me the idea for it. I'm hoping not to step on any toes by doing it nearly exactly like the book though.

The gradual decrease doesn't have to be done on it's own. My idea was to have the pool get smaller. Say we have 500 forms for the Avatar to choose randomly from in the beginning. This is a big number but neither you nor your avatar are established as anything special so it's ok. Well, as you move on, move up, and determine what type of character you are, who you align with, what your proffessions are, each status will have it's own pool and hopefully the cross-sections from each pool will be substantial enough. Does that make sense?

You get to level 20 and decide you want to specialize in X tree of talents, well 50 forms for your Avatar no longer apply for 'in combat' because those forms probably wouldn't make sense fighting alongside an X talent.

As far as the gradual decrease in shape shifting, for the sake of making it easier, I suppose we could make it an accomplishment of some kind; an epic quest in end-game content "shows who you truly are" and then afterwards you get a certain title and your Avatar and you decide on a shape. Sort of cheesy, but do-able.

I get you. Each avatar has a list of what professions, etc can have this avatar, then as you pick those it norrows down what avatars you can be, sounds simple enough. Be a bit of work coming up with all the shapes and what options they have, you'll want them balanced too with the options. Do both you and your 'daemon' changed shape?

The Daemon is the only thing that constantly changes shape depending on state. As far as balanced goes, I was thinking of having bonus stats be similar depending on which state but have the bonuses change depending on which form/state the Avatar is in.

There is a race though, that I am working on now, that has an alternate elemental form but that is a combat/gameplay option not something that happens depending on state.

Didn't understand a word of that, sorry. What I ment by balance was the the same number of avatars have proffession X, same number have Y, same number have Z, so that things are even. Thoy may have A, or B or C too. So if you're A and Y, only those are available. That's right?

Haha. Sorry for the confusion, only the Avatar changes shape and yes you are correct.

I think I understand your previous post a bit too. You mean that like the battle form is better at fighting and he moving form is good for speed?

Exactly, Normal state = +5 defense, Combat State = +5 Atk Pwr, Travel Form = +5 Speed, Profession State = +5 Harvesting, etc., etc. =)

Neat. And an attack form would be something like a bear, speed could a cheetah, profession a beaver (woodcutting!), normal say a mouse. Yes?

Indeed! =)

Neat. Now, have you done anything yourself on this? You can have all the forms as objects in a special room, and they have properties such as 'prof_A; not prof_B', etc. Listing what options they have and also 'type=battle' if they are battle form, or can any form be any type but you select which you want it to be? You can then have a 'for each object in <room>' to look at each object then have 'if's to check if they are available with your options. If so add them to an array of available forms. You can then print those when choosing what form to pick. That should work. If you need help on doing it, just ask...

I haven't started on the actual coding part of the game at all. I'm still playing around with Quest and writing down a lot of the details of the game with pen and paper, well Crayola marker and paper. I think I understand enough of the coding behind Quest that I can make most of everything that needs to be made but it's the interaction part of the coding that scares me; combat, etc. I've looked at some of the code posted on the forums and I have to read through it several times to even grasp it.

I do really want to get started on it though, I'm just not sure where to start. I've worked out the first part of the game and what I want it to consist of so I suppose that's a good point to go from. Didn't I see somewhere that you can play movies within Quest?

Oh and, not each form can be any type. I figured that the team, haha once I have one, would sit down with the artist and go through all the drawings of the form and decide which would fit best where and then assign them out that way.

You can't play movies (to my knowledge), but you can have pictures in the game. What stats are you going to have btw? Oh and I'm available over Christmas if you want my help on this. I break up tomorrow, but I'll be available from Sunday. If you wish to work together, me doing most of the coding or at least showing you how to do it and you mainly on story.

Btw I had a nice image of your avatar with a crayon writing your game out...

Also with this game you have to be careful where you tread what with copyrights and all...

Haha. Piplup draws!

As far as I know I can use the concept to its fullest extent as long as I don't infringe on the specifics. So if I use my Avatar system, make my forms "native" to my races planets (not dogs/cats/tigers), and go ahead and take away the "aging" by not gradually decreasing the number of form changes, I should be OK.

I totally appreciate the offer and I'd love to take you up on your offer. I do want to do some of the coding so if you could coach me along in addition taking on some of the heavier stuff, that'd be rawkin'.

The reason I ask about the abilitiy to play movies is that I also had the idea of an action panel. Most games have a graphical pane that displays stats, a compass, and other general information. What I would like mine to have is move all that stuff to the right side of the game and then across the top of the interface have your character and your avatar placed and then have a geographic background corresponding to where you are and then in-combat and conversation have that NPC on the other side.

And as far as stats, I'm not sure how detailed I would like to be yet. I wanted to keep it relatively simple, as much as possible, so maybe Attack Power/Strength, Defense, Charisma(I'd really like to incorporate Charisma a great deal into standings with NPCs and such), and Intelligence. One of the races that I mentioned above is going to have an alternate form so I think a Concentration stat or Cohesion stat would be necessary which could be implemented into the other races as well depending on how they develop(I'm only working on my race right now and have 1 couple working on another race that will likely start to come to shape in January). I want each of the 3 races to be developed by 3 different people/groups so that each feels like their own game. Anyways, I'm rambling. There you have it.

Sounds good... For stats you something to determine health/hit points, damage in battle, attack speed, chance to hit, dodging, persuading people, and something like intelligence... I usually use strength (damage and hp), stamina (energy and hp), agility (dodge), dexerity (hit chance), charisma (persuasion), intelligence (skills, etc). Yoeu can do something different, but the stats generally boil down to the list above for what they're used for.

So what you planning as a reason for why people can do this with shapeshifting and such?

Only one race is going to be able to shape-shift and their story-line is vaguely outlined as a race of people who were once incredibly violent and constantly at war with their own tribes, but 3 scientists made two discoveries around the same time that unified them as a people. 2 scientists, sisters, made the discovery as a byproduct of military research for their own tribe that each member of their race had an elemental form, either solid, liquid, or gas (This races class and powers will be based off the periodic table of elements), that you could switch in and out of at will and depending on your concentration/cohesion stay in that state for a period of time. This wouldn't have been a unifying discovery except that the 3rd scientist, a member of an allied tribe, made the discovery on his first space flight there were other beings in the universe(A bigger plot point is that there are only 2 major races in the Universe at this point. This discovery and the subsequent victory over the invading forces makes this race the 3rd.) So they shared this information then called to order a meeting of all tribes and unified the race which basically leaped them into the running for a major race in the universe.

I realize that it seems relatively lackluster and cliche to use a military experiment as a plot-point but I'm hoping the specifics to be worked out will help it stand out. Perhaps, I could get your help with some feedback on that.

In the story I'm working on right now, for HavenHold involves lots of military experiments. Also I'm gathering my ideas on a story (/novel) which has lots of demons and such and military experiments, I'm resisting the urge to do some of the mole clichés I tend to use in my stories; common themes or happens that I always seem to end up using... I'd actually appropriate any help on working out the plot of HavenHold as well....

/dance

Collaboration! I read your PM and I'm totally down with helping on your checklist. I suppose the best place for me though would be in the creative design department and work my way up the ladder.

If its a military game then go for it but I was referencing more the "experiment gone completely wrong!" cliche.

Neat, mine's experiments go as planned but have... unexcepted side-effects. Over Christmas then working together on our projects, forming a grand awesome game making super team? I'm free from this Sunday and I'll have 24-hour access to computer and internet, yay!

Sounds about right!

So do you have a forum post where I can read up on storyline you have so far? Or can you send me something to catch up?

I suppose I should get you an outline of what I'm planning so far and go from there. I am headed to work in the train now but can get some info to you later.

I'm generally available as well. I have a part time job but it is only retail so it doesn't require too much attention or time.

http://8bitendeavors.blogspot.com/

There is the blog that I've been posting in recently. I'm trying to get up everything that I've been working on. That should catch anyone up for the most part on the basics. =D

im getting realy bad reviews.
how could i use timers to improve my sword masters games.
visit my website.http://www.nailseaschool.co.nr

You could start by not posting 16 games in the space of 3 days. Just because Quest allows you to write a game in the space of 5 minutes is no reason to do that.

emojo wrote:im getting realy bad reviews.
how could i use timers to improve my sword masters games.
visit my website.http://www.nailseaschool.co.nr

Timers don't improve games unless there is a purpose for using them. Just as a rotten banana will not improve the reception on my television set.
- Sit down and come up with a story of some sort. Short or long, just make sure there is a purpose for playing.
- Watch your spelling, grammar and punctuation when creating your game.
- Come up with some interesting puzzles for players to figure out (player finds rotten banana and uses it on tv set...nevermind)
- Test your game. Fix any errors.
- Once you think you're done, have someone test your game. Fix the errors they find.
- Test your game again. Satisfied? Now upload your game and watch positive reviews come in...with any luck.