Thurmstorm Ridge

[Good ol' Eagle]

I am making a really ambitious scenario for Blades of Exile, so far I have made quite some nice coherent adventures with many clues and hidden things (Which you will find by finding the right clue.). I have a small problem though, which needs to be solved before I continue with the current thing I am working on, what does Stuff Done Flag A and B means? I get it is a "boul" function that keeps a 4-bit value but what indicates the value and what indicates the variable?

[Donald Hebb]

FYI, "searching for clues" is perhaps the worst part of any RPG.

 

A SDF is basically an integer value. The parts A and B are "coordinates", but not really. Here:

 

Code:

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Now if you decide to use SDF 2,3 and change it to 4, the grid will look like this:

 

Code:

0000000000000000000000000000000040000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

And then when you ask something about that integer you just changed, you tell it to ask about SDF 2,3.

[Drakefyre]

Yes, the A and B refer to the coordinates of the SDF.

[Good ol' Eagle]

Thank you, it made things clearer. Oh, and TM, you find the clues by talking with people and exploring their problems which will give you missions that leads to clues that leads to finding out something that will help you with the main goal of the scenario. Nothing too complicated in other words.

[Ash Lael]

That is too complicated.

 

Or rather, it's not too complicated, but it is entirely too indirect. Solve the big problem by doing fiddly, incidental stuff. Nah.

 

'Course, it's your scenario and all we know of it is those few sentences you've given us, but it doesn't sound very inspiring to me either.

 

Not trying to be harsh, but probably it's better that you get this now rather than when you release the thing.

[Kelandon]

Then again, Ash says that "not very inspiring" bit about everything that I tell him about my scenarios, so I wouldn't take that too much to heart.

[Ash Lael]

It's quite true that it's hard to judge a scenario on what you've been told about it, and it's also quite true that you'll never please everybody. If it's the scenario that you really want to make, go for it and ignore what everyone else says.

 

PS: Kel, be fair.

[The Almighty Doer of Stuff]

Before making a scenario, I recommend reading these articles from The Lyceum 's Designer\'s Forum . They were written about BoE, but the ones I picked out are mostly relevant to BoA as well:

 

"Beating Designer\'s Block" by Alcritas

"Beginner Epics" by Alcritas "Beta-Testing From A Designer\'s Perspective" by Alcritas

"Advice On Creature Creation" by Simmic

"Betatesting Scenarios" by Arenax

"A Comment On Scenarios" by Ben Frank

"Details" by Davrim

"Details: How To Make Quality Towns" by Aceron

"Dungeon Design" by Alcritas

"Another Suggestion of Note" by Alcritas

"The Evolving Role of Dungeons" by Drizzt

"Logic and Geometry" by Ben Frank

"Motives" by Alcritas

"The Path Not Taken" by Brett Bixler

"Starting Steps" by Alcritas

"Vahnatai - Friend or Foe?" by Drakefyre

"The Value of a Good Name" by Alcritas

"NPCs" by Alcritas

"Improving the Lines of Communication" by The Creator

"Tell a Good Story" by Drizzt

"Finding Ideas" by me (Please ignore the bit about my scenario I promised would be finished by the 5th contest. It obviously didn't get finished. I've revived the idea yet again, however, and I think it will be much better than my previous idea, but nevermind that for now.)

"Humor in Exile" by YMA "The Tactics of Hack\'n\'Slash" by The Creator

"Endings" by Measle

"Researching New Topics" by YMA

"Castles in the Air: Getting Creative With Your Setting" by Rosycat

"Occam\'s Razor of Exile" by Stareye

 

Remember though, these are just general rules. They aren't set in stone. Once you know why these rules are there, feel free to break them.

[Jewels]

Wouldn't you know it... I think that the 'searching for clues' bit (or really the 'finding clues' bit) is the best part of a scenario.

 

Go, figure.

[Tonweya]

I strongly agree.

There are many Players and, thus, many opinions.

Some prefer to only advance by the sword.

Some prefer to only search for treasures.

Most prefer a mix of both styles.

Since you can not write for, nor satisfy, everyone, it's best that you write what you feel and what you do best.

If, in time, you choose to write differently, one direction, or the other, that too, is right and proper.

No matter which style you choose, you're going to find those who like your work and those who don't.

It's important to understand that peoples opinions, though variable, usually stay within the same style.

So, write your scenarios, as many and as often as you want and never forget that there will always be some of us who will play them and like them.

me

[Drakefyre]

I like searching for clues, but only if it's not too hard

[Tonweya]

I agree that it's enjoyable if, "it's not too hard". Although.......

I don't think they should be "too easy", either or it becomes pointless.

I like serious clues, or the type you have to "find".

I really don't like, and won't play, the sort of scenairo that's a "mind game" with the Author.

For instance, one of the series of Games I really hated were the "Zork" Games. The entire game was spent trying to think of what word the Author was thinking of. I found them to be pointless.

Some of the best Games are made so you need to have done a particular task to learn, or acquire something. That's not "hard". It's "good".

Each person's definition of quality may be different, but it still comes down to "paying your dues" and "earning your way".

Ultimately, it makes the accomplishment worth the effort.

me

(See him stick the name, "Ultima" in there?)

[ben4808]

That sounds like a not-too-bad scenario. It's good to know SDFs, though, as any scenario with an inherent lack of them is bound for not the kind of compliments you'd like to get over as CSR.

[Good ol' Eagle]

Quote:

Originally written by Drakefyre:
I like searching for clues, but only if it's not too hard

Do not worry, I think you misunderstood what I ment with "clues". If you need to find something important in my scenario, all you have to do is exploring the maps, talking with people and solve their problems. For instance:

In the starting town you ask the common "job" question to the bartender. He gives you the general price info and adds a complaint about lack of customers since the local church burnt down. You ask him about "church", he tells the story and then direct you to someone who worked there. She tells you that some goblins burnt down the church in some raid and killed her best friend. She tells you where the goblins are and you go off killing the goblins and then come back and get a special item called "red ruby". In a cavern nearby, there is a statue in front of a gate, it tells you it got a missing eye, if you got the red ruby you will get through.

Of course this is just an example and not the actual plot.

By the way, I need beta-testers for the scenario, so, who wants to beta-test it once I am finished? (I am half-way already so it will be soon.)

P.S. I forgot to mention I have created games since 1998 when Tarana Software started. I have also been doing experiments of many sorts on VoDT to learn how to use the scenario editor since 18 months ago. Quite a while back, eh? Of course this is my first real scenario.

[Ash Lael]

I already played Exile 1.

[Thralni]

In my own scenario I'm working on ("were the rivers meet"), I have a structure, simialair to the Av 3 structure, when dealing with the plagues. Its the common structure of doing something brings you further. I will try to make different pathes, because some would want to play it differently. What it generally comes to, is that you have to do something, in order to progress. You do this mainly bu quests. i think this also counts for Eagle's scenario. clues is maybe a strange way to say it, but you can callit that way.

[The Almighty Doer of Stuff]

If you didn't have to do things to progress, it wouldn't be a game, now would it?

[Donald Hebb]

I agree with Ator.

 

Kel, when Ator says "be fair", he's being far gentler than I would. I'm not entirely convinced that you give a damn about the plots of Bahss or LP- it's possible that my perspective is marred by the mishandled gameplay of each, but it seems like those stories are devoid of ambition to the extreme.

 

Eagle, your scenario idea sucks. It sounds terrible and stereotypical, and I feel bored hearing about it. When thinking about a scenario to write, think about what you want to happen first and foremost. Sacrifice your ideas into RPG stereotypes only when needed.

[Swimmin' Salmon]

As written by TM

Quote:

Eagle, your scenario idea sucks.

Now that is a compliment!

 

Keep working on it Eagle, ya gotta finish a scenario in order to be an author.

 

*this message is 100% sarcasm free*

[Silent Motion]

That's right. Keep on working. TM is our resident curmudgeon.

 

Like Mikey in the old Life cereal commercial - He hates everything!

 

[Tonweya]

Ab-so-loot-lee!

There's no such thing as a "bad" opinion.

It stirs feelings, creating thought.

Play on!

[Ash Lael]

There is too such a thing as a bad opinion!

 

If your opinion is that 1=2, it's a pretty lousy opinion.

 

To clarify, Kel, what I've heard about Bahss's story hasn't impressed me, and what I've heard about LP's gameplay hasn't impressed me. But that does not necessarily mean that they are bad scenarios or even that I wouldn't enjoy them.

 

I just felt compelled to seperate my opinion from TM's there.

[Sullust]

It's not TM's fault he tends to always be brutally honest. Think of it as constructive criticism...

[ben4808]

Even if you believe that 1=2, that still can't be called a lousy opinion. After all, they do have "proofs" for this.

 

Maybe a correctable opinion.

[Ash Lael]

1=2 is a lousy opinion.

 

If your opinion is that 1=2 is not a lousy opinion, then by inference, that is a lousy opinion.

[Jewels]

1=2 is simply a wrong opinion, but it deals with fact, not personal preference. An opinion about what I like may be lousy but that would be another opinion.

 

TM's scenarios are a nice break from the monotony, but after the break I'd rather go back to the monotony for a while.

[Good ol' Eagle]

I do not get what you mean with 1=2 but one thing I do understand, [sarcasm]TM is jealous[/sarcasm]!

[The Almighty Doer of Stuff]

*slaps forehead*

I just realized that this is the BoE forum, not the BoA forum. Therefore, not only are the articles I picked out relevant, so are the rest of the Designer's Forum articles. Gee, I'm dumb.

[Donald Hebb]

Quote:

Originally written by The Almighty Doer of Stuff:
Gee, I'm dumb.