Post by Moo on Apr 4, 2005 17:31:56 GMT
The more I think about it, the more it seems like gamebooks would be the only way for me to realize my vision of what Star Control 3 should have been. There are no game engines simple enough for me to code an entirely new game module from scratch (except perhaps WoS, which wouldn't work too good for this). Group efforts at creating an SC3 pretty much always peter out due to communication problems, loss of enthusiasm, creative differences, etc.
The main problem is how to get this exactly how I want, since I have a relatively revolutionary idea for this; free-form play order.
A series of about 20 books would probably be necessary, with 2 to 5 main "quests" in each one. And I want them to be playable in any order the player desires. What you've done in past books influences the current one; how long it's taken you to get around to a particular book changes the events of that book, etc.
Except there will be one "last" book, the final showdown. Naturally, you can do the last book at any time (including first). But it would be easier to finish the rest first, and when you complete the "last" book, the game's over.
And along those lines, I want failure to be an option. As long as you're alive, you can keep going, even if you totally mess up a particular book, or a particular quest in the book. Naturally, that failure would influence future books, as well as the current one. But it should still be possible to win in the final book, no matter how much you screwed up before, as long as you do everything exactly right.
Naturally, a series of 20, multi-quest books that can be played in any order, with actions in each book affecting the others, and play order affecting them, requires an insane amount of planning, coordinating, and foresight. And it needs to be all done by one person, or lack of communication would eventually bring the project down (plus, I'm impossible to work with ).
I also want to remain totally true to Star Control canon, unlike the "official" SC3. But that brings another dilemma. Do I go with what was actually published, or what the authors wanted? In the published version, the player character was definitely a male. But Paul Ford's and Fred Reiche's original version was to have the player have a totally androgynous presence, and either never be shown in the game, or only be shown in scenes that make determination of gender uncertain.
That got messed up when they hired the guy that did the box art. They specifically told the guy not to draw the PC, or make the PC as androgynous as possible. Unfortunately, the box art guy drew an obviously male character (along with a weird creature that looks absolutely nothing like anything in the game), but at the same time, it was a pretty nice box cover that did look like it would sell games. Plus they'd already paid for it at that point, and money was tight.
If I were them, I woulda changed Commander Hayes's character design to look like the guy on the box. But they assumed okay, that's what the PC looks like. And thus, the end game scenes, the not-quite-optional romance with Talana, the text in the manual with gender-specific references to Captain Burton, etc., got added in later, and any plans of adding an optional male character to romance got thrown out (unless Admiral ZEX was it? "Captain! You are back so soon! We had better be discreet (hee! hee!), or my countrymen will begin whispering about us." [that is a direct, word-for-word quote from the game]).
So there's that problem, too. Probably could be handled with options like "if you are romantically involved with Talana, turn to page 32," making it optional again. But that's yet another layer of complexity, particularly if I add a few more romantic options, which I just might.
So, if you've made it this far without wandering off, does anyone have any advice for undertaking such a massive project (besides "don't")? I know I'm going to need lots and lots and lots of flowcharts. And probably a couple editors, since my writing style is not the most readable in the entire world. But other than that (plus headaches, insanity, and loss of will to live), what problems can I expect to run into?
Oh, and I'm going to come up with a combat system that's suitable for space combat. Something that takes into account both the skill and efficacy of the crew and captain, and the differences in various ship designs.
The main problem is how to get this exactly how I want, since I have a relatively revolutionary idea for this; free-form play order.
A series of about 20 books would probably be necessary, with 2 to 5 main "quests" in each one. And I want them to be playable in any order the player desires. What you've done in past books influences the current one; how long it's taken you to get around to a particular book changes the events of that book, etc.
Except there will be one "last" book, the final showdown. Naturally, you can do the last book at any time (including first). But it would be easier to finish the rest first, and when you complete the "last" book, the game's over.
And along those lines, I want failure to be an option. As long as you're alive, you can keep going, even if you totally mess up a particular book, or a particular quest in the book. Naturally, that failure would influence future books, as well as the current one. But it should still be possible to win in the final book, no matter how much you screwed up before, as long as you do everything exactly right.
Naturally, a series of 20, multi-quest books that can be played in any order, with actions in each book affecting the others, and play order affecting them, requires an insane amount of planning, coordinating, and foresight. And it needs to be all done by one person, or lack of communication would eventually bring the project down (plus, I'm impossible to work with ).
I also want to remain totally true to Star Control canon, unlike the "official" SC3. But that brings another dilemma. Do I go with what was actually published, or what the authors wanted? In the published version, the player character was definitely a male. But Paul Ford's and Fred Reiche's original version was to have the player have a totally androgynous presence, and either never be shown in the game, or only be shown in scenes that make determination of gender uncertain.
That got messed up when they hired the guy that did the box art. They specifically told the guy not to draw the PC, or make the PC as androgynous as possible. Unfortunately, the box art guy drew an obviously male character (along with a weird creature that looks absolutely nothing like anything in the game), but at the same time, it was a pretty nice box cover that did look like it would sell games. Plus they'd already paid for it at that point, and money was tight.
If I were them, I woulda changed Commander Hayes's character design to look like the guy on the box. But they assumed okay, that's what the PC looks like. And thus, the end game scenes, the not-quite-optional romance with Talana, the text in the manual with gender-specific references to Captain Burton, etc., got added in later, and any plans of adding an optional male character to romance got thrown out (unless Admiral ZEX was it? "Captain! You are back so soon! We had better be discreet (hee! hee!), or my countrymen will begin whispering about us." [that is a direct, word-for-word quote from the game]).
So there's that problem, too. Probably could be handled with options like "if you are romantically involved with Talana, turn to page 32," making it optional again. But that's yet another layer of complexity, particularly if I add a few more romantic options, which I just might.
So, if you've made it this far without wandering off, does anyone have any advice for undertaking such a massive project (besides "don't")? I know I'm going to need lots and lots and lots of flowcharts. And probably a couple editors, since my writing style is not the most readable in the entire world. But other than that (plus headaches, insanity, and loss of will to live), what problems can I expect to run into?
Oh, and I'm going to come up with a combat system that's suitable for space combat. Something that takes into account both the skill and efficacy of the crew and captain, and the differences in various ship designs.