Storyline?

[epsy]

IMO Armagetron's beauty is its simplicity and pure, multiplayer gameplay. Storyline is for movies and for crap games that are based upon movies.

Descent wasn't based upon a movie, had a great storyline, and wasn't crap at all, stop making generalized assumptions.
Also, as Shock said, arma is itself based on a movie.

[Shock]

IMO Armagetron's beauty is its simplicity

/me agrees

[Monkey]

Storyline is for movies and for crap games that are based upon movies.

umm.. am I wrong or is armagetron based on the movie, Tron?

IMO Armagetron's beauty is its simplicity and pure, multiplayer gameplay. Storyline is for movies and for crap games that are based upon movies.

Descent wasn't based upon a movie, had a great storyline, and wasn't crap at all, stop making generalized assumptions.

Are you two actually thick? Can you not read? Notice the phrases crap games and based upon movies. Almost all games that are based on movies are crap when they try to give them a storyline.

Epsy: Descent was not based on a movie....EXACTLY

I am actually not French, I am Belgian.

I knew it....I KNEW it.

[sinewav]

You're right Lucifer, Asteroids and Space Invader did have storylines, my bad. I guess I tend to think of those as having a "back story," or premiss. To me, storyline based gaming puts you in the present tense, where the story unfolds as you play.

I'm glad Descent was brought up. The first two installments of the series had a back story; but Descent 3 had a storyline that evolved as you played each level and had many cut scenes. You didn't know how the story would end until you completed the last level (but you could be sure there would be a boss there!)

So back to Arma - I guess it really hijacks the back story from Tron. But we could also write another back story that fits the game play, or maybe a storyline that involves some level design if anyone is up for it (I would totally help). But I tend to agree with Monkey about the pure, beautiful simplicity of the game.

[Tank Program]

I only really played the first Descent. Was a lot of fun.

A back-story premise leading up to why you have to fight on the grid constantly might be cool.

[freako]

Armagetron's beauty is its simplicity and pure, multiplayer gameplay. Storyline is for movies and for crap games that are based upon movies

I agree with monkey on this, a storyline doesn't really fit with the main use of armagetron (multiplayer), but I also agree that armagetron atleast should have some decent bots or something else to make the single-player more attractive.

moving death zones might be of use..

I had another idea, nothing to do with a storyline.
How would somekind of challenge mode be a nice add-on for armagetron?


Example challenge: Solo Sumo Challenge

http://crazy-tronners.com/viewtopic.php?t=1945&start=0

A sumo challenge created by ed, you need to keep your shrinking zone alive. While u need to evade spawning/moving deathzones.
And the scores can be held, to make someking of record list


^------ This is just 1 idea of a challenge, i've got more.
I'll post them if someone is interested, I hope
(sorry for my bad english)

[epsy]

'challenges' ideas, like you say, seem to be no problem to concieve, but what we're discussing is mainly if we want them or not, there's no doubt we can do awesome maps for that, but do we want to have a full-fledged storyline, a 'dummy' suit of puzzules to solve(descent2 here we come ), a big virtual tourney.against bots(think about nexuiz), or no real single-player mode at all, i.e. what we have right now

[Luke-Jr]

Before a storyline, I think a tutorial would be good. Both need a format for campaigns, though.

[Shock]

like armagetron training? that would be fantastic

[sinewav]

A sumo challenge created by ed, you need to keep your shrinking zone alive. While u need to evade spawning/moving deathzones.

Holy crap, I had the same idea the other day.

but what we're discussing is mainly if we want them or not

Should we start a poll? Everyone loves polls (when they aren't retarded ones). Personally, I'm up for some level design. If we can make a challenge stage or tutorial that includes several interesting elements and takes a few minutes to complete, that should set the stage for more "levels" - if it turns out to be fun to make and play.

[Lucifer]

I'm interested in seeing some levels follow a storyline just so I can test the additions to the resource system I've been working on.

I have this problem where the sound engine work I want to do depends on work in the resource system, but to test the work in the resource system, I have to write a bunch of sound engine code.

I'm willing to deviate and work on this campaign thing of folks are willing to a) design levels and b) write the story, so that I only have to worry about code, and because this should get me a much simpler way to test the resource system work I've been up to.

[ed]

Here's my collection of single player zones v2 challenge maps.
They are not polished and were just me trying to get my head around and test zones v2. In fact, most of them no longer work as zones v2 has since been changed - if anyone wants to fix them, please be my guest. If you co an arma revision from around 20th June 07, they should work a treat
You will need to change game setting to 0 ais.
(paste each line into your client to test it. If you can't paste into arma with ctl-v, it's probably too old anyway)

Code: Select all

MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/doors-0.0.1.aamap.xml(http://plantpeanuts.co.uk/resource/ed/zones_v2/doors-0.0.1.aamap.xml)
MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/flower-0.0.1.aamap.xml(http://plantpeanuts.co.uk/resource/ed/zones_v2/flower-0.0.1.aamap.xml)
MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/cogs-0.0.1.aamap.xml(http://plantpeanuts.co.uk/resource/ed/zones_v2/cogs-0.0.1.aamap.xml)
MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/fourballs-0.0.1.aamap.xml(http://plantpeanuts.co.uk/resource/ed/zones_v2/fourballs-0.0.1.aamap.xml)
MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/balls-0.0.1.aamap.xml(http://plantpeanuts.co.uk/resource/ed/zones_v2/balls-0.0.1.aamap.xml)
MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/hammertime-0.0.2.aamap.xml(http://plantpeanuts.co.uk/resource/ed/zones_v2/hammertime-0.0.2.aamap.xml)
MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/spaceman-0.0.1.aamap.xml(http://plantpeanuts.co.uk/resource/ed/zones_v2/spaceman-0.0.1.aamap.xml)
MAP_FILE ed/zones_v2/valley_of_death-0.0.1.aamap.xml(http://plantpeanuts.co.uk/resource/ed/zones_v2/valley_of_death-0.0.1.aamap.xml)

I tried yesterday setting up a zones v2 server, just to see if it was working now. It seems not. even with a map that throws up no out of date errors and works fine locally, the network code is still buggy as hell.

I would love to be involved with an arma story, building maps/resources/etc. I hope the arma devs feel it's a direction they'd like to take it

[Phytotron]

Well, I suggested a couple years ago that there be a single-player tutorial/challenge mode (before all these gimmick game modes involving zones and crap came along). Hey, I even found it:

http://forums.armagetronad.net/viewtopi ... 3649#43649

But I guess it was basically dismissed in favor of introducing "hey, let's try this!" stuff that's unrelated and with no conceptual tie to the basic game, but rather at the whim of developer programming masturbation. And since the developers had already at that point arbitrarily taken the game in that direction, in my mind ruining it with all the aforementioned gimmicks, with fortress as the unfortuante foundation, I don't see any of this happening anyway.

So, on with the lasers, ramps, and flying cycles! YAY!

[Monkey]

The key thing here is that because the developers are the ones doing the work it is hard to criticise them for what they have or have not done.

I should also point out the the devs have mostly done very good work on the game.

However (and I am sure that this will not happen very often) I actually agree with Phytotron on something. Crazy maps, chico, shooting, styball ... OMG I hate those.

[Phytotron]

Strange postmodernistic logic. I believe I as a (in this case, former) user/consumer have every right to criticise.

Should no game developers be criticised for producing shoddy product? How about music makers? Movie makers? Writers? Legislators? Even if it's garbage? Hell, they made it, they did the work. So they're immune, I guess? If a mechanic bodges up your car, will you reserve criticism because he did the labour? If a chef botches a traditional dish, will you reserve criticism because he prepares the meal? Are you the type who believes things like, "well, he's our [president, prime minister, monarch], so we should believe what he says and follow him?"

(No, a game is not nearly as serious as legislative policy, but it's an analogy that goes to the silliness of your position.)

Again, not that it matters much anymore, what with the way things have, ahem, "developed." Just thought I would make the comment.

Off to something better go I.