Castle Paradox

[Ianator]

Okay, I'm probably getting a little ahead of myself asking this so soon in development, but I've got some major topics to tackle in the plan for my game.

Number 1: Some of the game involves fighting on foot, but most of it is done through tanks and other armed vehicles. I'm still sifting through ideas as to how to use the tank itself as a hero, and how the hero's stats can affect his tank's.

One plan involves simply using a hero character for a little while before permanently "upgrading" him to his tank. However, this seems to force the character to stick with the tank through the whole game, unable to switch tanks or even leave. A second plan involves using each of the characters as an equippable item, but items obviously don't level up and the only equipment slot with a "default equip" is normal weapons.

The third and final plan probably involves a bunch of plotscripting, where talking to a Tank NPC trades the character with a tank hero (who is made to be the same level as the driving character) inside a vehicle, and turning the tank hero back into the driver upon exiting. This sounds closer to what I need, but it also seems like too much work while still leaving some problems (like tank equipment). Not to mention the relative inability to use multiple characters in multiple tanks.

If anyone has any ideas on this, it would be much appreciated.

Number 2: This one's much simpler. Tanks are able to equip weapons in three different categories: cannons that are fairly powerful and can load special shells, but are limited in ammunition (like a 165mm cannon), autoguns that are weaker but have unlimited uses (a 9mm vulcan fits here), and special-effect weapons that are very limited in ammo.

The problem here is that almost any tank can have several weapons of differing categories equipped at once - for instance, a fully upgraded "White Tiger" can fit a single cannon and 48 (I think) special rounds, two autoguns, and two special weapons at any given time.

While writing this, I just came upon an idea: use the Autogun as the main weapon, while the Cannon goes into Armor 1 and raises the "Magic Attack" and MP (ammo) stats, which in turn powers a generic Cannon attack that uses 1 MP per shot. I've decided that special weapons and special shell magazines will be used as Items That Teach Spells, but if anyone has any better ideas, that's what I'm here for.

Number 3: Another one of the neat things I'm planning for is the ability to rent tanks. The renting itself is cost-free, but you only receive 50% of the money you normally would as long as you have the tank, plus another 20% each for two more. In addition, if a rental tank takes critical damage, it'll eject the driver and leave.

The whole ejection thing doesn't sound too tough to make an out-of-battle script for, though it'll be even deeper when Battlescripting makes its debut. The money thing seems a ways off, though. It'd be nice to make a nice rent-to-own service for this too.

Keep in mind that I'm probably underestimating myself and the OHRRPGCE, but I've also done like next-to-zero plotscripting ever. Of course, I'd love to hear all of your opinions on how some of this stuff should work under the hood.

Aaand... that's it for now.

[Moogle1]

There are a number of general-use scripts floating around. You should check back issues of Hamsterspeak for anything that might interest you. Here's one that I think you'll like: giving attacks based on equipment. It sounds like it would work well with your "special rounds."

As for Problem 1, why not make the tank level up separate from the hero? It doesn't make sense that punching people makes you a better tank pilot.
_________________

Slime Salad :: Independent Game Design

[Ianator]

Ooh, that plotscripting article looks nice. Not quite the same as my original plan, but maybe it'll have it's own place in the long run. The other design articles are worthy of a good reading-over or two.

Come to think of it, separating the tank and driver levels may work, as long as I can transfer them with the driver. And I'm starting to wonder if that wouldn't be too hard. Or I could just say it's the tanks' main AI that's leveling up or something.

Maybe I should give a nice big writeup of all the stuff I'm trying to do, just as much for my benefit as my spectators'.

[Ianator]

WARNING: LOTS OF READING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

THE GAME PLAN

The Story (give or take):
Humanity has expanded to their limits. Cities are overcrowded and polluted, and nature itself is beginning to falter. Seeing the imminent destruction of their planet's ecosystem, the world's greatest computer scientists gathered together to plan a solution: create a supercomputer to save the Earth's environment and and life. They named this computer "Noah".

Unfortunately, something went wrong - Noah came to the conclusion that the only way to save the planet was to eliminate the source of its maladies: humans and their overzealous industry. Humanity was nearly wiped out overnight. Security systems rebelled against those they were built to protect, and bright beams of destruction poured down from the artificial stars in the sky. In two days, over ninety percent of Earth's "dominant species" was dead.

Nobody knows why, but Noah never finished off the last ten percent that started to rebuild. Still, many took this chance to take charge of what was left of the world. Some of the gang leaders and crime lords raided towns so that they could live in relative decadence. Several mad scientists created horrible amalgams of flesh and steel in a misguided attempt to seed the world - many of which turned on their masters before escaping. Still others maintain that this was part of Noah's master plan, thus proving that humanity was its own downfall.

Thankfully, there is still one last refuge for the people: self-proclaimed bounty hunters, who - for a small fee - would seek out the bad guys and bring them to justice. Among their scavenged weapons are tanks - war machines of the highest caliber. Though some hunters were almost worse than those they were hired to find, it was a start to bringing some order to this godforsaken world.

And it is into this world that you come into play. Becoming a hunter against your parent's (or parents', if you're lucky) wishes of an honest lifestyle, you strike out to find weapons, meet new allies, and maybe - just maybe - make the world a little better in the process...

As a Hunter, it is your job to help rid the world of "bad guys". In your travels, you will encounter such eccentric baddies as huge gelatinous amoeba, gas cans with robotic spider legs, and giant potatoes with vulcan guns. These are the monsters that plague everyday life, and the Hunters' Guild is willing to pay for their removal. In addition, there are more troublesome individuals that pose a more direct threat to society. It is these bounty heads that Hunters pride themselves on, well, hunting!

There are many tools that can be used for this purpose. Shotguns and machine guns. Slingshots and light sabers. Laser bazookas and chainsaw boomerang launchers. And of course, the wheeled/treaded monstrosities known as Tanks, which have their own plethora of tools at their disposal. Of course, you don't have to make the journey alone. There's mechanics that will join you with the promise of working on your war machines. Old soldiers who come along in search for a worthy opponent. Even man's best friend will stay by your side (and carry a big gun of their own) as long as you have food.

That said, you can do whatever you want. You could become the world's greatest Hunter, taking down bounty heads until there are none left. Or get wasted at the local bar and lose all your money on arcade games. Or paint your Abrams pink. Or barge into the Global Relief Center and show Noah what's for. The game never truly ends until you tell your father that you're ready to come home.

* * *

The Gameplay:

Characters: Characters can equip a single weapon and armor in five categories: Head (helmet, bandanna, tiger-striped hat), Body (overalls, , Hands, Feet, and Protector. Protectors can take a strong attack and nullify it, though this will break the item as well. Even though tank weapons are almost always stronger than their hand-held counterparts, people can fit in places where tanks often can't. The main archetypes are as follows:

The Hunter: The main character. Leaves home to make the world a better place (or at least get rich in the process). Has best tank-driving skill and can equip most weapons.

The Mechanic: Loves tanks, and comes along hoping to work on yours. Capable of effecting greater repairs. Cannot equip most stronger weapons, but may equip wrenches that can break enemy parts.

The Soldier: A grizzled vet and/or sassy foul-mouthed female looking for a worthy opponent. Not the best with tanks, but unparalleled in on-foot combat. Can use any non-wrench weapon, including the crazier ones (chainsaw boomerang!).

The Dog: That's right. While dogs obviously can't drive tanks, they make up for it by being tougher than most humans and carrying their own powerful weapons. They also can't be directly controlled.

Tanks: Ah, yes. These wonders of industry are among the most sought-after items in this post-apocalyptic world. The term "tank" is actually used to refer to most any armed vehicle, as much an Abrams as an ambulance with a flamethrower. Any character (except dogs) may drive a tank, and each character has their own skill level relating to them. Of course, tanks can't go everywhere - some terrain may be simply too rough for the tracks/wheels to take, especially dedicated tank barriers used to "keep random jackasses" from causing trouble.

Tanks may be acquired in one of two ways: finding them (whether in a cave or garage, or buying it off of someone) and renting them. Finding tanks is simple: simply enter the tank for a chance to name it, then stick your favorite gun on it and drive off.

Rental tanks are slightly different, in that any equipment that starts on the tank *must* stay on the tank, though you may add your own parts if space allows. Paying for rentals is also somewhat unorthodox - the rental itself is free, but the service takes 50% of all money from your battles, plus another 20% for each extra tank. What's more, if the tank's parts take major damage, it will eject the driver and make a beeline for the nearest garage - and taking any of your parts with it.

The structure of tanks is as follows:

Chassis: The main frame of the tank, the chassis determines what variety of weapons can be mounted. Also determines base defense. Commonly includes Abrams, Panzer, Tiger, dune buggy, and some civilian joke vehicle (ambulance, fire truck). Characters may *not* use their own weapons while inside a tank, though there is the occasional exception. Heavy tanks all use cannons, while lighter vehicles concentrate more on special weapons (though you might be able to finagle a nice 195mm Burst Cannon onto that school bus...).

Engine: One of the most important parts, the engine determines - simply put - how much crap you can put on your tank. Stronger engines can carry more powerful weapons (or just more weapons period). More importantly, any excess capacity can be used to equip the tank with ablative armor - more on that later.

C-Unit: Though not immediately important stat-wise, the tank computer unit serves an important purpose: these miracle machines allow the tank to use all its functions with only a single driver. In addition, C-Units increase accuracy and evasion, and some models include special programs that, for example, allow the tank to shoot down incoming attacks, or be remotely called to your location.

Cannons: The real reason for tanks, these big guns will usually be your primary weapon against reinforced opponents. Though limited in ammo, most cannons can also use special shells stored in the chassis; these rounds range from napalm (sets target on fire), sleeping gas (puts targets to sleep, natch), piercing (breaks the target's parts), and even just spare shells. Though always used on larger tanks, it takes some modification to make room for them on lighter vehicles.

Autoguns: When you just don't want to waste 225mm of metal on a little ant. Though obviously less powerful than cannons, Autoguns have unlimited ammunition. Some also have the ability to hit a whole group of enemies at once. Ranges from a simple 7mm machine gun to the Buster Flute, a wide-area beam emitter.

Special: Even lighter vehicles don't always need big guns. Special weapons, though usually fairly heavy and *very* limited in ammunition, are definitely worth having here and there. Examples include simple antitank missiles, multi-rocket launchers, napalm mortars, flamethrowers, and an all-encompassing light ray.

Armor Plates: These ablative chunks of stuff are what keep your tank from breaking down at the drop of a pin. A tank's armor plating acts as its HP, though running out doesn't immediately spell the end; rather, it acts as a barrier from your parts directly taking damage. Any engine capacity not taken up by the above parts can be filled with armor.

Battle: What's the point of guns if there's nothing to use them on? The battle system uses a simple orders system where everyone enters their actions at once before acting in order of initiative. Characters on foot generally move faster than tanks, and heavier tanks move slower than lighter ones (hence why twenty tons of armor plating isn't always the best idea). Characters on foot may attack, board a tank (if they got off it earlier), use an item, defend themselves, protect an ally, or flee. Tanks can do more of the same, but include several different weapons, different items, and the ability to allow the driver to exit.

After battle is won, the party receives experience and money, with the occasional item won from certain enemies. A character that has died may be taken to a certain mad scientist, where they will be resurrected free of charge. If the party dies, the hunter's parent(s) will drag them to said mad scientist, which means that there is no true "Game Over", though the party may be greatly inconvenienced if their tanks are a long distance away - especially if said tanks are greatly damaged to the point of immobility.


MEDIA


Metal Max Returns: A picture of the characters and tanks available to the player, listed from top to bottom. Far left column: Mosquito, Buggy, Van, Tiger. Far right column: LAV, Abrams, Red Wolf, White Tiger. Middle left column: Tractor, Half-Track, Gepard. Middle right column: Sherman, Hetzer, Panzer. Center column, bottom to top: Hunter, Mechanic, Soldier.

* * *

More will be added to this post as I can think it up.

OKAY, I'M DONE NOW.

[King Sasuke]

Wow!Nice game!Hope it goes well!
_________________
Sasuke the Ninja.How cool am I!

[Rya.Reisender]

C'mon don't be such a "I have great ideas but it's probably too hard".

Instead of giving 'emergency solutions' and let us select one from it I think it'd be quite easier to tell what you would LIKE to have and then we could tell you how easy it is to implement.

Let one heroes level depend on other heroes isn't too hard. A little afterbattle plotscript that changes some exp and stats is really easy to write...

You could even give heroes a stat like "tank skill" and then let the tank level depend on the "tank skill" value the person has who mounts it.

Multiple weapon ammo sounds a bit more complicated. I wonder if you could abuse the FF1 MP system for it (can you change the max MP of the ff1 MP system with plotscripting?).
_________________
Snippy:
"curt or sharp, esp. in a condescending way" (Oxford American Dictionary)
"fault-finding, snappish, sharp" (Concise Oxford Dictionary, UK)
1. short-tempered, snappish, 2. unduly brief or curt (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

[Ianator]

Actually, a lot of stuff is starting to seem really easy to me once I put some thought into it. Let's see what I've got here...

Special Ammunition: I've already decided to lump it and S-E weapons into a single Special category that uses Level MP. "Spells" will be taught by expending items - shells will take the form of Magazines.

Tanks matching their drivers' levels: Come to think of it, I'm sure my doubt on this was caused by reading somewhere a while ago that either levels, experience, or individual stats could not be changed with scripts. It was probably stats, seeing as there's the whole Lv1-to-Lv99 system in place. A little more thought will make sure that each character keeps experience from battles within tanks.

The only problem I can see is non-tank terrain, and I could have a script that's like...

[Rya.Reisender]

Changing stats by plotscript is really easy. Use the same stats at level 1 and level 99 for starting values and then you can just let them increase by scripting if you want to do it like that.


As for tank only area, not sure if it's really possible, but can't you make the tank just take a larger area (like 2x2 or 3x3 tiles)? Hm well even if it only displays on one tile, maybe you can check for the tiles next to the current tile and don't allow movement if there's a wall tile. But you better ask plotscripters about that. ^^'
_________________
Snippy:
"curt or sharp, esp. in a condescending way" (Oxford American Dictionary)
"fault-finding, snappish, sharp" (Concise Oxford Dictionary, UK)
1. short-tempered, snappish, 2. unduly brief or curt (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

[King Sasuke]

Let us know when a demo will be out!I can't wait to play it!
_________________
Sasuke the Ninja.How cool am I!

[Ianator]

Thanks, Rya! That might actually be useful for modifying tanks!

Alright, soon (maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow) I'm going to start working on the game itself. Tilesets will probably be first, followed by plugging in numbers and seeing how well they work. I'll probably use the hero sprites from the game on which this is based as placeholders to start with. Tanks don't look easy to fit into an area that's high rather than wide, but I've got an idea for that... (Hurry up with those free-sized graphics, James!)

Also, who wants pictures?

[Ianator]

Alright. I haven't been able to do much lately, but I think I've got a good start on hero graphics, plus a rather modest beginning to the world. I've also inserted an image at the end of my big post; it's a picture of most everything you can use in my main inspiration, Metal Max Returns for the SNES.

I'm also thinking about holding a little contest once I give some meat to my world. It'll be an enemy design contest, where each user can offer up one or two enemies of smaller size for random encounters (enormous ants and such), plus another large enemy that may just wind up on a Wanted poster! (Try the Mammoth Tank - it's actually a woolly mammoth with treads for legs and a 120mm cannon in its trunk!)

Anyways, just thought I'd get this out there to make myself do something.