Curious about scenario length?

[Handyman]

Lots of these custom scenarios seem short! I guess I can't complain too much, since my first scenario is short too, and brevity isn't bad, but I'm surprised more of these plots haven't been extended, or explored more deeply. Does anyone else wonder about this?

[Dintiradan]

It's a trend that's been going on for several years. New designers have always been encouraged to start small. A lot of the contests imposed the 1/10 limitation (only one outdoor section, no more than 10 towns). About three years ago, Terror's Martyr made this thread discussing why small scenarios are good for new designers. The resulting 'tutorial' scenario also kicked off the 24-hour scenario trend.

[Enraged Slith]

Large scenarios are difficult and time consuming to write. Most of our experienced designers are out of ideas/don't have enough time to put into making larger scenarios. There's also not much of a community for it anymore.

[Handyman]

That's a shame. I thought these games were decent. But, I suppose everyone has their projects. Anyway, I guess it's amusing, so I'll play whatever's produced that's decent. :-)

 

Does anyone have any plans for a larger scenario on which they are making any progress?

[Ishad Nha]

Most of the really big scenarios are Blades of Exile. They can be ported to the BoA world, there will be problems though with differences in the two game engines.

The integrated development environment nature of BoE may have encouraged longer scenarios, I don't know.

[The Mystic]

Originally Posted By: Handyman

Does anyone have any plans for a larger scenario on which they are making any progress?

I know I will, when I have less proverbial irons in the equally proverbial fire. Here's what I've got going, in no particular order:

• my 1/10 scenario for the randomized contest, even though it's long past the due date
• on-the-job training where I'm currently employed (though I really don't need it, except for a long-overdue raise)
• working on a career change
• a Harry Potter fanfic (don't ask)
• saving up for a new computer
• running a SubTerra level design contest for July/August
• a second attempt at learning C++ on my own

[nikki.]

I will when somebody agrees to make my scenario for me, or until Niemand can make a program that automates the process. Until then, you'll get short scenarios and continual delays on discord.

[Niemand]

Quote:

until Niemand can make a program that automates the process

Geez, guys, I already did this, and you keep acting as though the problem weren't entirely solved.

As noted by others, the main problem is that doing the job well requires a lot of effort, on timescales that range to more than a year. Given that it's only a hobby, it's hard for a lot of us to keep working on things for that long. So, the decision was reached that it would be better to have a supply of short, high quality scenarios than none at all.

[Celtic Minstrel]

Originally Posted By: Handyman

Does anyone have any plans for a larger scenario on which they are making any progress?

Yes. Progress is, however, incremental at best. Don't expect it in less than 10 years.

Originally Posted By: Ishad Nha

Most of the really big scenarios are Blades of Exile. They can be ported to the BoA world, there will be problems though with differences in the two game engines.

Really, porting a scenario should be left to the original author in my opinion.

[BJ Back From the Beyond]

I have a few large scenarios planed. The one currently in the development stage is about 9 outdoor sections and 15 towns. It's gonna take a while...

 

On top of that I have two other large scenarios planned. I've started writing the plot for one that will be using the snow template, and I've got some good ideas for the one who's acronym, ironically, is RatS.

[Kelandon]

For reference, I started work on Exodus shortly after I released the port of Nine Variations on Point B in April '05, and I didn't finish until November '06. It took over a year and a half. Long scenarios take, well, a long time.

[Ishad Nha]

"Really, porting a scenario should be left to the original author in my opinion."

Original authors tend to disappear into a Bermuda Triangle thing, one moment they are there and the next moment they are gone. Most of the authors of the BoE scenarios have been swallowed by the little-noticed BoE Triangle.

[Celtic Minstrel]

Maybe so, but leaving the scenario unported is not a bad thing. There's no need to port BoE scenarios to BoA.

 

Still, you should at least get permission from the original author. A lot of past designers still pop in once in a while, so it's quite possible you could get permission for many scenarios.

[The Mystic]

And if you do get the original designer's permission, it would be a good idea to also ask for any notes they took when they made the scenarios that you want to port. Some of the shorter and simpler ones would most likely translate easily enough, but I wouldn't want to port the epic scenarios without both permission and help from the original designer.