Simple, yet addictive...

Harry Tuttle · January 28, 2004, 23:51

Alright kids, since before I published the last scenario I was thinking of making a simple, yet fun scenario, set in a fantastical land not unlike that traveled by Waldo on his many journeys. No file switching, just good old fun.

Think Bitterfrost and Colonies IV and your close. Think Bitterfrost, Colonies IV, Atlantis, ROTK, Newworld, Jules Verne, and your closer.

Think of a gigmap designed with seperate lands and peoples.

Think of a game where you have to explore to survive.

Think of a scenario where you are rewarded for finding secrets with prime land to settle on, ingenious tech to build exotic vessels, and money generating nurseries and fisheries...

There will be no scientific research on your own. What you steal and copy can only be discovered through exploring.

Plentiful food, shields, and safety can only be found in far off lands.

If you do not venture out your meager culture will shrivel, be devoured, and die.

In short - It's rampant pillaging and plundering, fueled by blind need, just like in the good old days.

You may call it imperialism, pure capitilism, manifest destiny, OUTRIGHT thievery! --- I call it adventure...

Anyone want to sign up?

Harry Tuttle · January 28, 2004, 23:58

...and if anyone is really adventurous, I would kill for an actual narrator.

Sound files cut down on event space.

Oh yeah, this is could very easily be made into a multiplayer scenario...

POTUS · January 29, 2004, 01:28

I'd sy that a narrator would work, but I would put important information in text, i.e. Civ A attacks Civ B because of C.

Cyrion · January 29, 2004, 03:51

Quote:

Originally posted by Harry Tuttle
Alright kids, since before I published the last scenario I was thinking of making a simple, yet fun scenario, set in a fantastical land not unlike that traveled by Waldo on his many journeys. No file switching, just good old fun.

Think Bitterfrost and Colonies IV and your close. Think Bitterfrost, Colonies IV, Atlantis, ROTK, Newworld, Jules Verne, and your closer.

Think of a gigmap designed with seperate lands and peoples.

Think of a game where you have to explore to survive.

Think of a scenario where you are rewarded for finding secrets with prime land to settle on, ingenious tech to build exotic vessels, and money generating nurseries and fisheries...

Wow, sounds brilliant!

Quote:

There will be no scientific research on your own. What you steal and copy can only be discovered through exploring.

Plentiful food, shields, and safety can only be found in far off lands.

If you do not venture out your meager culture will shrivel, be devoured, and die.

In short - It's rampant pillaging and plundering, fueled by blind need, just like in the good old days.

Now that sounds even better!

If I can help you (not for graphics, though...), just ask!

curtsibling · January 29, 2004, 06:17

Quote from Army of Darkness: "You can count on my steel!"

I'm up for this, Harry - Since you said the magic word Bitterfrost!

Do you have a storyline or list of cultures for this cool idea?

Arthedain · January 29, 2004, 06:46

A great idea

I think it'll be better for multiplayer though

Harry Tuttle · January 29, 2004, 20:58

Well I have both Curt

There will be three cultures that are meant to be played in a normal game (although you could easily play the four others, but with some minor limits). The three main cultures will be centered around (but not constrained by) three themes: Nordic/European, Mediterranean/Oriental, MiddleEastern/Indian. There will also be a few nods toward Native American, Eurasian, African, and Pacifica cultures. Basically I want the three civs to be cosmopolitan in nature and center around "the drive to survive" more than any sort of national identity.

The storyline basically goes like this:

Nordic/European - Adventurers wanting to venture out into the world and explore as much as possible. They seek to create a kingdom out of newly discovered lands and feast upon its spoils. They came to the land of their own free will, but have begun to realize that it's not all fun and games. Fearsome winter creatures and the ever present raiders have made life in the new lands hard. Think monarchial, imperialistic Vikings with plenty of Germanic undertones.

Mediterranean/Oriental - A people escaping the hell that was brought upon them by war, purges, and slavery these people traveled through the wastes in search of a land to call their own. They are ever harrassed by the evil raider tribes inhabiting these new lands. Their ambition is fueled by the fear of being annihilated and know that only by finding refuge and growing strong can they secure their future. They were once a proud and strong people, but treachery has relegated them to the likes of ambitious peasants. Think Venetians and the Han dynasty.

MiddleEastern/Indian - Fervent followers of their god, Daiju, they seek to find a place to expand their empire and their religion. They are expert negotiators and value the massing of wealth. They want to grow rich and create a vast Caliphate where their people can roam free and live the good life, as Daiju urges. The only thing in their way is the dangerous raiders and the great unknown ocean of the Western Expanse. Think Persia and the great Indus valley.

All of cultures will be faced with the threat of the raiders. The raiders are a nomadic race that have no real culture of their own. They are joined together by a thin bloodline and the urge to annihilate any prey in their path. They think of themselves as angels of death and want to destroy all three interlopers so they can ransack their cities. These guys are quickly making the protagonists in the old land look like school yard bullies.

All three cultures have hidden themselves behind forts and walls to protect themselves. If the three peoples are to survive they must venture out into the sea into the Great Western Expanse. The unknown Expanse holds many wonders, threats, and opportunities. Only through exploring the Expanse can the three peoples expect to stave off the onslaught of the raider tribes.

Yep, that's it. Explore and evolve. The tech level for the game will be somewhere in in the middle of the Age of Discovery, after the Middle Ages, before the Reformation, and smack dab in the middle of something like that seen in that old cartoon "Pirates of Darkwater". Swords, some gunpowder, lot's of fantastical devices, etc...

Arthedain · January 30, 2004, 09:30

Oh, I loved that serie when I was a bit younger

A cool serie indeed. Could make a good scenario?

Cyrion · January 30, 2004, 11:40

It sounds even better and better, Harry!

Do you need some help??

Harry Tuttle · January 30, 2004, 20:32

Thanks guys. Yes I do need some help. A list of new improvement names, city names, game.txt, and describe.txt will be needed to provide some depth to the scenario. Start thinking of things fantastical. I'd like to limit the names of the improvements and wonders for the 3 civs to a more "realistic" sense - what I mean is limit the references to magic as the game will focus on exploiting the world around you. So yes on exotic fruit farms (minga melon) and mill stones and no on magic divine wind and fairy dust.

curtsibling · January 30, 2004, 20:48

Fairy dust?

How about a crystal forest resource?

If you doth wish it so...
I'll sit and ponder for a little while and post some ideas for the rules.txt...

Harry Tuttle · January 30, 2004, 22:00

I do need a special tile square to represent a very valuable resource. I was thinking of a kind of ore, or maybe some rill (spice). Something high on shields. Basically I want it to be a marketable commodity. Crystals are nice, but pepper helped make the New World worth sailing to.

Harry Tuttle · January 30, 2004, 23:16

Alright, I'm putting together a list of units, but I want their existence to remain somewhat clandestine so as to secure the thrill of finding new things in the scenario. Anyone want to take on a few? I'm thinking REEEAAAAALLLLYYYYY creative stuff here.

:) Smiley · January 31, 2004, 00:49

Mmmm... if you need city graphics for this let me know

curtsibling · January 31, 2004, 06:47

What kind of style are you wanting the units done in, Harry?

Nemo? Favouredflight? Hi-res?

Harry Tuttle · January 31, 2004, 17:41

@Smiley: I do. I need 5 city styles. 3 for the playable civs. Isometric, cultural specific. I'll PM you the other two styles as I want the other two city styles to be a surprise.

@Curt: Hi-Res! No, no, just kidding

I'm thinking Favouredflight, but less medieval-ish. Since all the techs for the units will depend on what events a player uncovers they need to be representative of that event. Think of the Megaman video game. When you beat the boss on the ice level you will get the ability to use the boss' ice attack. Beat the wind boss, you get the wind attack. The units need to follow that line of thinking. I will PM you some of my ideas on what we can do.

Harry Tuttle · February 2, 2004, 20:51

Hey, I need some brain power. I'm thinking of replacing the one sided mountain tiles in Terrain2 with hill tiles. Then I'd get rid of the hills compilation and replace them with a jungle compilation similar to the forest, thus creating two types of wooded tiles.

Also, I was thinking of replacing the railroad tiles with wall tiles, so I could simulate walls surrounding a settlement. Add a fortress on top, one that blends with the walls, and you have a Great Wall type structure.

Also, the river tiles could be used for some useful aquatic features... Hmmm, ideas abound...

Any thoughts? Can these ideas work?

curtsibling · February 3, 2004, 07:25

Well, Harry:
you understand the hills/mountain placement matrix, as shown in your tactical scenario in Atomic Eagle.

I think these are cool ideas, but keep in mind that the RR will mean
limitless movement around the city, and also the AI will build them anywhere.

Arthedain · February 3, 2004, 09:00

Just scrap the railroad tech from the game then, so the AI can't build them. I would really much like to see a wall graphics. I was intending to use one in a scenario I was planning, but I can't draw

Anyways I was intending to replace the hill-graphic with the wall-graphic, not the railroads. But I like your idea Harry!

Harry Tuttle · February 3, 2004, 21:39

Thanks guys.

Curt, I was actually thinking of not giving a settler unit to the AI. Also, seeing as this is a gigamap and the surrounding area of all three player driven civs are ok for city planting, I was going to make any settlers that appear in the game event driven. That way, no one player will sit and "camp" in their own little area, and will have to venture out to expand.

As for the limitless movement, I might put some gaps in the walls and plop down some castle units. That way movement will be somewhat limited.

As for the river tile set, I was thinking of using the river outlet as a nice intermediary between the water and river tile. That way, I can still use the border tiles for regular land, and use the river graphics for "the shallows"... which is another thing I'll have to design. The shallows idea is neat in that it will function the same as land, thereby not allowing boats to travel on it. Also, the movement bonus of the rivers can be used for barbarian units. To deny the use of the river bonus movement to the 3 civ players I can place some non-moving barbarian units in strategic places on the river land. The movable barb units can pass through these units, but the 3 civs cannot.

As I mentioned before I hope to replace the hills with a jungle mix. That'll prove useful on one of the continents.

Gimmee some more ideas guys, this is turning out very well.

Harry Tuttle · February 5, 2004, 23:56

The "shallows" idea works wonderfully. Next up: Jungle tiles...

curtsibling · February 6, 2004, 05:08

I will be interested to see if this settler system works.

Damned settlers gave me hell with Bitterfrost!

What is the status with the tech tree, Harry?

Harry Tuttle · February 6, 2004, 20:13

It's sitting idle. I have a basic idea but beyond that nothing. I think a little research could be in order, but I want there to be a few big stopgaps that only an event can open up.

You know: I researched saddle riding, but I have to go out and find the event that will give me beast taming so I can get the mounted lion shock trooper.

I'm thinking of stuff like that. If you have any ideas, please don't be afraid to write them into a rules.txt.

Since the scenario is about exploring and adventure the tech tree won't be to convoluted and closed. It's all open my friend.

Settlers are always a *****. The AI and most players build and build till they have a huge, compact powerhouse. That may be nice, but the thrill of the game is magnified when you have to put a unit in each city, your road system isn't entirely safe from attack, and each city has to fend for itself when groupings of enemy units attack. That's what I hope to put in this scenario. A little thrill knowing that your opposing player may sail right into a safe haven and wreak havoc.

Anyways, I'll have some time tomorrow night to work on some more terrain and a units list. Wish me luck.

Harry Tuttle · February 8, 2004, 14:43

Ok, Terrain2 is done. The jungle terrain looks nice, as well as the Mountain/Hill set. The river and river outlet modifications are looking good too.

I'll make up a unit list tonight and start work on Terrain1.

Harry Tuttle · February 8, 2004, 15:26

Ok, now that I have opened up another single tile terrain square, the jungle one, what should I use it for?

Harry Tuttle · February 8, 2004, 18:16

Turtle, turtle!

Varwnos · February 13, 2004, 20:11

maybe i could help with the units

atm i am working on byz scen but i finished making the units for it, and so most of the fun is over...

in this pic you can see my style of unit making and judge if it fits your own etc

if i had any idea what sort of units you will use i would have made one along those lines

Harry Tuttle · February 13, 2004, 21:31

Wow, Varwnos, your scenario looks fun

I might use a few things from your units just yet. I'm not aiming for a specific kind of units exclusively, but more of a montage, like the kind you would find in a period where science was outpacing tactics.

Varwnos · February 14, 2004, 03:29

Fell free to use anything from my units, you can find more of them in the pre-steam graphics thread

Eivind IV · February 14, 2004, 06:39

I'm really looking forward to this one, Harry! I've been lurking the threads for a while