Hejsan! (swedish for hello) I am currently working on a computer RPG based on the old Mutant rules ( i dont know if it is known outside of sweden). It is supposed to be the computer version of the game... But when i was working on it the other day i got an idea. The problem with CRPG''s as i see it, as an old pen-and-paper roleplayer, is that once you played a game to the end there is nothing more you can do with it. Of course, if it is a very big and expensive game this often takes some time but if it is done in a day or two then i get the feeling i wasted my money. So, i had the idea that what if my "game" was only a set of rules complete with a library of monsters, mutations, weapons and so on. Just as an old fashion RPG. And this game would contain something like an adventure-compiler (or whatever to call it) that would enable anyone to write adventures(scenarios to the game. As of yet i havent figured out any implementation details but the way i see it there are the following goods and bads with this idea: GOODS: -the adventure wont end once you played one scenario -there could be many, many adventures avaliable on the net for example -the oldfashioned RPG feeling wouldnt be lost BADS: -in some sense all the scenarios would have to follow one predetermined "pattern". Otherwise it would probably be a LOT of work with the adventure-kompiler -there could be a lot of work with it anyway (is it worth it?) i am sure there are many more goods and badss but i leave that to you as an exercise (as my teacher says )to figure them out so....a longer mail than i thought it would be what do u think? is it doable? thanx in advance --Spencer

about this adventure compiler do you mean a game editor to design your own worlds or just alter the existing one? to do that it might be a little confusing for an unexperienced person. but if something like that came out it would be awesome!!! i would get it right away Great Idea!~OasisSquall

why not using AI to create the scenarios instead of coding a complex editor ?

The best way to implement what your are talking about Spencer (as far as I see it) is to build an RPG Engine which handles the basic "move the player, let him pick up objects, interact with other objects, do the AI, etc.." and then have it programmable via some kind of scripting language. The downside of this is that you have to build RELIABLY (ie. they run without crashing) all the tools that go with this, like a map editor, script compiler, etc... Its perfectly implementable. (It''s what how I''ve designed the Software for the RPG my [as in one I''m a member of] team is working on).

This also means you can make you''re next RPG using the same engine (just improving and expanding the engine).

pizzafan, writing an AI to do that is probably the more complex way of going about it I think... (I mean it would need to know what is a good "playable" ''adventure'')

NightWraith

Hi...thanx for the feedback
what i had in mind a little more specific is that, once the engine is ready anyone could write a little "script" like:

adventure hitandrun is
world = coolfile.bmp
.
.
.
.
monsters and stuff
end adventure;

and about the setting of the adventures i am thinking about having the world already implemented in some way and just let the creator write in the script which part of the world will be used...
and just add all the monsters and special locations and stuff...
maybe i''ll write a program to automate this process but that is another question

anyway...did this make anything clearer or was it ust wast of time and energy

thanx again
Spencer

Its all dependent on the design of your scripting language, using the approach I suggested, I''d write two script compilers. One that is released with the game, which would only recignise the commands that you want the "player" to be able to use e.g. "Place Monster 1 at 25, 34", "Load World File Coolworld.wld" [DONT use bmp''s for storing the world, you''ll need a lot more info than a simple landscape map]

The other one you''ll keep for yourself which allows you to use the full power of you engine, e.g. "Create Monster Type called MadKeithV using AI Type 26 With Sprite set 24" [sorry MadKeith, but its the first thing that came into my head.. hehe]



NightWraith

aha so i see what you meen...but that sort of take away half of my original idea....
the thing is that the person who creates the adventure is supposed to have taken the roll of the ''game master''. So he creates all the mosnters and things and lets the player play it...

but all ideas are useful right ?

spencer

You might want to check out Neverwinter Nights (the new version, not the one from about ten-twenty years back -which I think used the famous SSI gold-box rules and engine). It sounds a lot like it. But your idea might differ on some things, big and/or small. At least it might give you more ideas about your own plan/design.

You may also want to check out a game for the Sony Playstation, called RPG Maker. It followed a similar idea. I have not played this game, unfortunately, so I cannot give you very specific details.

Essentially, this was more of a game design experience than a game. It was part of a series of Japanese games which were designed for students of game design. RPG Maker featured a host of editors which allowed the player to craft a 2D RPG. Some of these editors allowed for the creation of sprites, creation of monsters and determining monster AI, text editing, story progression, etc. From what I know, the text editor was cumbersome. But there was a tremendous ammount of freedom for a console game. You may want to look at how these features were implemented in that game.

I respect the fact that you have realized that replay value has been neglected in many RPGs. This shows the kind of insight which is critical to good game design.

~~Jonathon

I really like your idea. As the player would gain more exp he could advance to campaigns created by a more evil "GM"s.

If you could create a engine dynamic eneogh to create games that are very difrent like Ultima 7 part 1 and part 2 (I believe they used the same engine for both). It would just be so f****** cool.

I think that the editor should be made like the themepark games. (I know it is and strange example) When you click at the visitors(replace with NPCs) you can see (add edit) there stats. That means a combined map-editor and npc-editor (and while i am in the rush anyway, i might aswell add script editor to the list )

Zredna