What features would you like to see in a huge Wesnoth RPG?

[artisticdude]

I know I'm completely insane, but I've been wanting to do this forever. Over the next year (or couple years), I plan on coding a giant RPG for Wesnoth, with at least 60 different levels, user-guided character development, cross-scenario questing, and a (hopefully) intriguing storyline that changes based on the decisions made by the player over the course of the game . I believe I have successfully invented (okay, figured out) an inventory system for wesnoth, which, while not advanced, will allow you to carry and use items such as potions, magic rings, etc. I have yet to figure out a way to equip armor, though I have a good idea how I could implement this feature.

I'd like to know everyone's thoughts about this project (and yes, you can call me crazy if you want), such as what features they would like to see, possible ideas for quests, characters, enemies, level, etc.

I will update this first post with the features that will be included in the game.

[Euthanatos93]

Thing I would recommend would be staying away from a huge mass of randomly generated weapons/armor and [censored]. Rpgs are fun and all but in a turned based game like wesnoth, stuff like digging through massive menus for such things like items, character development and spells tend to slow gameplay WAY down and bore the hell out of people. IMHO this, and the massive amount of bugs (from the huge amount of code for it) are why people don't play Wesband.

Just my two cents. GL.

Also, It might be more interestign to have people be able to play a troupe of characters. One thing that tends to kill RPGs is that when the character dies the game is over.

Some ways around this is to abstract death as a KO instead and have the player choose a second unit to 'sacrifice' in terms of gameplay and abstract that that unit follows behind the troupe at a safe distance carrying the injured comrade.

Another way is to allow characters to recruit new units at varying intervals to make up for expected unit loss.

[Hulavuta]

Or, if a guy dies, they come back to life with reduced stats.

[artisticdude]

I was thinking of something like Avernum, where if one of your party dies he becomes 'unconscious' until you enter a town or village. However, if all your party members die, you lose the game. I think this will be in part both a single and party-based game, in the respect that you have one main character who can have other characters join his group (you would have a maximum of 4 or 5 characters including your leader). Each character has his/her/it's pros and cons, but you can dismiss an old party member and choose a new one any time you come across a better person. Does this sound reasonable?

My idea for the inventory is a right click option that opens the inventory screen, which displays all the item currently in your possession. To use an item you'd just click it, an option will appear asking you whether or not you're sure you want to use the item (to avoid people using items by mistake), and if you hit yes the item is removed from your inventory and the effect of the item is applied. Do you think only your main character should have an inventory or each of your party members? If each of your party members has one, dismissing one of them causes all the stuff in their inventory to disappear along with the character.

[Hulavuta]

I also think their should be a sort of a summoning system. Maybe just recruiting, but, you can do it anywhere your leader is. You should be able to summon monsters like Bats, Wolves, Saurians, Dragons, etc. Defense of the Goblin had that, so it might work.

[artisticdude]

Hmm, that would make a good spell you could learn (from scrolls, magic instructors, books, inscriptions on tombs, etc.). For instance, for each level of skill you have in summoning, you can summon a more powerful creature. Though I don't think you should be able to summon any intelligent beings like goblins or orcs. I think I could also institute a system where the summoned creature disappears after a certain number of turns (to make it more realistic and to stop people from summoning things nonstop), and where you can only control x number of creatures. The level of creatures you can summon, the number, and the amount of time they remain with you will all depend on your skill with the summon spell. I might even break this spell into separate spells, like 'summon fighter' would summon a melee creature, 'summon archer' would summon a ranged creature, etc.

I'm currently working on a single scenario to test the basic system of the RPG, such as character stats, inventory, and shopping. I'm hoping to get it finished and uploaded to the server sometime over the course of the next two weeks, but I'm pretty bogged down right now, so we'll see...

EDIT: I have thought of several names for this RPG campaign, but for right now I'm sticking with 'The Dark Dagger Wars,' more because it sounds cool than any real storyline reasons. I'm working on the storyline, and I think it's coming along pretty well. I'll post it when I get something reasonable outlined.

[Captain_Wrathbow]

What happened to Vix?!

Actually, nearly everything you've mentioned (inventory, summoning system, armor/weapon equipping, etc.) has been done in one form or another, to some extent, before. But I actually don't know of any single epic project that combines all of them...
In fact, I'm currently working on an undead campaign where instead of recruiting, you use a summoning system. And there's also RPG-like leader advancement so you can get new summoning abilities and upgrades... PM me if you're interesting in hearing more- there's no thread for it yet.

Well good luck on this, please don't let it turn out as another dead epic-project in the compost pile... remembers poor QFM... although that really isn't totally dead yet.
If you ever get anywhere with this, it'll be awesome. So good luck again, and remember KISS!

[artisticdude]

Don't worry, Vix is still going, but I'm not gonna release it again until I have all the scenarios completed (currently I've got 6 finished, 2 under construction). And believe you me, I'm NOT going to give up on this. If I'm suddenly not around any more, you know it's because either I can no longer connect to the internet (which could potentially happen ) or I'm dead, dying, or very sick.

BTW, I'm hoping to finish Vix sometime this month.

[Captain_Wrathbow]

BTW, I'm hoping to finish Vix sometime this month.

Btw I just noticed you have 555 posts. Lol.

But enough off-topic.

[artisticdude]

Btw I just noticed you have 555 posts. Lol.

Hmm? Oh, yeah. I never pay attention to that anymore, it doesn't serve any purpose. There are many artists/campaign designers/WML freaks/occasional pathetic composers/off-topic guys (all of which titles I lay claim to) who have been on the forums longer than I have who have only a fraction of my post count, 'cause they only need to post occasionally to have their work critiqued (I need mine critiqued all the time).

Just to give you an idea of my method for dialogue (based on a code I came up with for melinath to use in Brent, but he hasn't been around for over a month now ), I'm posting the dialogue you have with the commanding officer in the first level (spoilerz ). I haven't yet tested it, and I need to add the [while] tag set in there, but this gives you the general idea.

Spoiler:

Code: Select all

#############C A P T A I N   L A T H E N S   D I A L O G U E###############

[event]
name=select
[filter]
id=Captain Lathens
[/filter]
[filter_adjacent]
id=player
[/filter_adjacent]

#Character Introduction

[message]
            message= _ "[b]Captain Lathens[/b]
You see before you the officer in command of the Northern Docks. While physically small for a soldier, his scratched and dented armor and the scars across his face warn those who would challenge him that he is not a man to be trifled with."

#dialogue options

[if]
[variable]
name=mission1
equals=uncompleted
[/variable]
[then]
[option]
            message = _ "What is my first mission?"
[command]
                        [message]
                            speaker=Captain Lathens
                            message= _ "The road south leads through group of stone pillars, in which a group of goblins has taken up residence. I don't have sufficient forces to clear the vermin out of there, but now that you're here I think I have a large enough patrol to finish them all off."
                        [/message]

[option]
            message = _ "I am ready to begin clearing the pillars."
[command]
                        [message]
                            speaker=Captain Lathens
                            message= _ "Excellent! I'll get those lazy morons out of the barracks and we'll march southward."
                        [/message]
                        [message]
                            speaker=narrator
                            message= _ "Captain Lathens is as good as his word. He leaves you to prepare yourself for combat, returning shortly with three filthy, sullen soldiers, their armor and weapons rusted and dented. Though Captain Lathens may blame his problems on the soldiers, it is evident that he is a very poor officer to allow his men to come to such a state."
                        [/message]
                        [message]
                            speaker=Captain Lathens
                            message= _ "We are all ready, then? Good! Let us march south and destroy those vermin!"
                        [/message]
                        [message]
                            speaker=narrator
                            message= _ "The soldiers, evidently roused by their commander's enthusiasm, straighten up a bit and hold their weapons more firmly. One even decides to start destroying the vermin immediately, plucking a louse from his tangled hair and crushing it between his fingers."
                        [/message]
        [set_variable]
            name=mission01_received
            equals=yes
        [/set_variable]
[/command]

[/command]
[/option]
[/then]
[/if]


        [option]
            message = _ "You are the commanding officer here?"
            [command]
                        [message]
                            speaker=Captain Lathens
                            message= _ "Unfortunately, that is my lot in life. In charge of a bunch of witless fools who call themselves soldiers, stuck in the middle of nowhere, living on boiled scorpions and sand."
                        [/message]

        [option]
            message = _ "You don't like it here?"
            [command]
                        [message]
                            speaker=Captain Lathens
                            message= _ "Isn't that what I just implied? I thought you might be different, being Palathas's offspring, but obviously you're just as dull-witted as those idiots in the barracks. I hate this blasted pest hole and everything and everyone in it."
                        [/message]
            [/command]
        [/option]
            [/command]
        [/option]


        [option]
            message = _ "Can you give me any supplies?"
            [command]
                        [message]
                            speaker=Captain Lathens
                            message= _ "You can have whatever you find in the storage room near the docks. Other than that, you'll have to make do with what you can loot from the enemy."
                        [/message]

            [/command]
        [/option]
[/message]
[/event]


################S P E A R M A N   D I A L O G U E##########################


[event]
name=select
[filter]
type=spearman
[/filter]
[filter_adjacent]
id=player
[/filter_adjacent]
                        [message]
                            speaker=narrator
                            message= _ "This is one of the soldier stationed at the Northern Docks. Right now he is busy preparing for combat, and doesn't reply to your attempts to start a conversation."
                        [/message]
[/event]

[lord_joakim]

If it works out, good for you. Good luck! It sounds amazing; all projects begin with the will to do them.

Personally, I'd like to see some sort of a party system, like others suggest. Also, being a participating soldier in a traditional Wesnoth battle would be fun as well, after you have worked with the small team for a long time; for example, you could do a Minas Tirith-esque battle with the enemy horde while your heroes defend each flank amongst other soldiers and heroes.

[Telaron]

I noticed (with my limited WML eye) that there are two before and after Lathen's name in the first message. What are those for?

[artisticdude]

They make the text between them bold (I hope), but it's been so long since I've worked with that sort of thing I can't remember if it will work... guess I'll find out soon enough, eh?

[em3]

Check out Wesband for character development and inventory. Not perfect, but working.

[artisticdude]

Check out Wesband for character development and inventory. Not perfect, but working.

Where can I get that?