3 replies to this topic

[josheat]

Here is what I had in mind. Say you had a game that put the player in a world that needs to be dynamic and ever changing like so many games out there. However, alot of them have only hardcoded events in the game that get executed only when a player reaches point A or does mission B. I think that exploration in a game is key to bringing the player back time and time again. If you had a system that handed out random events to objects for no reason at all, things are happening even when the player isnt focusing on that part of the game so every time they go back and revisit it something different and interesting is happening. A big feature that appeals to me most is the events that happen around the player that arent related to them in any way at all. They are just happening because the world is going on around you.

Take Grand Theft Auto for example (There are many good examples, GTA is the first thing that popped into my head). The world is huge, cars are going everywhere, people are visiting places and things are generally real busy looking. It makes a game feel alive and constantly changing, which creates a good feeling or atmosphere to the game which draws players back to explore places and see whats happening this time around.
I havnt actually played the RPG Elder Scrolls Oblivion yet, but I read that they made a system like this with their NPC's. They were assigned tasks to do at all times, even when the player was no where near the town. You could follow the NPC and watch it do whatever it needed to do for as long as you wanted, one event after the other. Events would be randomly picked by code and handed to the NPC to do.

This is a big thing in my game as alot of the content will be randomly generated at the start and put into the players savegame so that every game is different. In my case it will be the Names and all other details of Corporations that occupy the game world (Among other things as well). All the corporations will be linked to a event system that hand's out things to do at all times of the game, one event after the other (including breaks inbetween events).
One thing I have thought up is when a Software Corp has finished building and releases a piece of software, things appear on the news that they have created a new product and that comapny is in the spotlight temporarily. This would affect the player because as the product stays out longer, the more sales and therefore money the comapny makes from it, so then player could then target their bank accounts and rob them for their newly earned money. Other things include if servers go offline you cant get communicate or get access to them or data may be lost so all their money goes towards replacing it, leaving them with less funding to give players missions or for them to rob from their bank. Just simple things like that can make a difference to how things feel in the game.

What I would really like to hear is your ideas on how to make this system seem more real and dynamic. Things that could keep it interesting and different. like how could the player get involved in these random events? (If you were bothered to read all that ).

Edited by josheat, 02 December 2006 - 10:19 AM.

[Calle]

Randomizing is definitely the key to a succesful RPG/RTS, since the environment in such games are very important. You need to have the randomizing under control though; like the software company can't create a software, and then two seconds later release another one just by accident. Even if the chances happens to be one on thousands.

Behind good randomized environments there are a lot of thinking and calculating to find good proportions (minimum-, maximum values and probability) that will work.

Basically all these things that will affect eachother are a bunch of variables, therefore I'd suggest a list of all those variables - which would reprsent institutions in your environment. This would make it more overview. I can't suggest anything case specific since I don't know what else exists in your city, but if you create a list and a good system where all variables affect eachother... then we could more easily help you with ideas and at the same time easily add stuff to your system.

[Yosh66]

as for things that dont neccesarily pertain to you, if youve ever played CnC renegade take a look in the sky and such, theres random air battles and transport choppers buzzing all around the place.. SOMETIMEs they may effect you but mose of the times there busy fighting eachother or just being decorative

[josheat]

Hehe, that sounds interesting. Although it didnt do anything, it made the world you are playing in a bit more real yes? In my event system, the player can always effect what the outcome will be if he meddles with the corporation at the time of the event.

Im here asking you guys your opinion on how I can make it better and more dynamic