custom random events?

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Virm
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:54 pm

custom random events?

Post by Virm »

I don't know how feasable this would be, but I'd love to see options in the editors to create and select new random events. The example that jumped to my mind just now was "Hey, if there's lots of forest around and no cities, wouldn't it make sense for the wild game to have a chance of spreading to the surrounding forest area?"

For the sorts of events that I'd want there would need to be somewhat complex condition structures to be met, then there would be a percent chance of the event on any given turn. And I also know that the events I'd want would be complicated in nature and would likely be difficult at best to allow for.

Other thoughts I've had include:
Forests, plains, deserts spreading depending on surrounding terrain, habitation, etc.
Being befriended by summonable creatures. (eg. A passing Storm Giant decides that you irritate him less that the other wizards, so he's going to take orders from you for the forseeable future.)
Mine depletion or mining deposit discovery (possibly with a bonus chance to discovery for Dwarves, with their affinity for such things).
A rouge apprentice makes off with some of the mana stash.

I know that to have a truly open event system like this would be a massive undertaking and that I should've mentioned it earlier in the coding process so that the framework could be made for it, but I'd still like to ask for it if it's possible.
elliott20
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Joined: Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:56 pm

Re: custom random events?

Post by elliott20 »

I doubt any enhancement requests are going to make it into the build as of now. Implode's first priority is to create a reproduction of the game so that it's playable. all the other things like a dynamic event generator might come later on, but certainly not now.
Iluvalar
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:57 pm

Re: custom random events?

Post by Iluvalar »

I don't like that much does event, if you are lucky or unlucky enought it can change all the game.

Imagine this situation :

Somewhere, far from here... Well not that far but in another plane of existence. Two wizard fight the destiny of the good and evil on a super continent. They both tapped all their mana supply and they are now fighing each other with their last breath. All together they occupy less then 1/3 of the mega island. But we all know that the destiny of the world is played on their balance. Suddenly, BOOM, a good moon. With no more mana to defend, and the super power he now face, The death wizard can do nothing but to lose 2 out of his 3 best cities before the good moon pass by. Now he produce 1/3 of his armies and his opponent 5/3 of his own. It's just a matter of time now before he get crushed.

The only clue that the people of arcanus ear about is the planar seal casted by s'raa while he take the last undefended cities from the poor rjak.

3 years later...
Merlin : Please Oberic ! Ear my call for peace ! I saw with awarness how S'raa spread like rabbits. If you don't trust me enought to give me that disjunction spell, please ! At least ! disjunct yourself the planar seal before it'll be too late.
Oberic : How much fool you think I am mad man ? Of course, you built those cathedral only to cast that awarness spell ! hahaha. I see those paladin in you capital crazy man ! And you won't convince me a second that they are only there to launch a cruisade against a hypothetique super-wizard that I've never saw before. Now get lost before I get sick by your ugly double-sided face !

3 more years later, volcanoes start to spread across the lands. Everybody know it's too late ! They all look at the sky and wait, helpless, for the meteor storm to end their existence.

I played that scenario thousand of time. That's why I now always take S'raaa as my picture. I played that poor rjak, the wise Merlin, the obsessed Oberic and even the all mighty S'raaa. A game is sometime played out of an sudden and uncontrollable event that come at the wrong (or good) moment. And then, the fog of war of the destiny vanish and all look fixed on invisible rails. You do not "play" anymore, you are a simple observer as the story is already writen.

Well much of the time, event ocure at random moment, they are fun and add surprises in the game, but once in a while one of these events "choose" who will win. And I don't like that at all !
Virm
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:54 pm

Re: custom random events?

Post by Virm »

elliott20 wrote:I doubt any enhancement requests are going to make it into the build as of now. Implode's first priority is to create a reproduction of the game so that it's playable. all the other things like a dynamic event generator might come later on, but certainly not now.
Oh I don't imagine that this would really amount to anything before the game reaches version 1.0. But from my own (VERY limited) development experience, I know that the sooner an idea is raised during implementation, the more likely it is to be possible at all. For that reason I decided to make the request now in the hopes that it's not too late to make an allowance in the server engine for an event interface, even if that event interface won't even begin being designed for a year or more yet.


And Iluvalar, I really do understand your dislike of random events as game makers/enders, but that's also part of the whole idea of them.
Iluvalar
Posts: 46
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:57 pm

Re: custom random events?

Post by Iluvalar »

Virm wrote: And Iluvalar, I really do understand your dislike of random events as game makers/enders, but that's also part of the whole idea of them.
Well, I've been a bit harsh with events. The main part of them are just fun. But others just have too much effects in the game. Good/bad moon, meteor, earthquake,... those can really spoil a game when they come at the bad/good moment. Other events (like mana short) are just fine; It's striking everybody egally. if you can multiply mild effects events some good, some bad so the Sum of them tend to a mean wich is somewhat "fair" for everybody, I won't complain it would be great.

Terrain changing gradually (not so fast) might be fun but a mineral depletion around a city where you just spent 8 000 golds to make adamantium units not really, more if you had to fight for the spot and again to defend it, spent mana, units, etc. .
elliott20
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Re: custom random events?

Post by elliott20 »

really what you need are random events that are more window dressing than actual earth shakers. things like mineral short fall are interesting but you need to then allow people to balance it out with another event that allows you to discover minerals. and they do need to be random. If bad only happens when you're doing well, and good only happens you're doing poorly, it's not really a random event, isn't it?
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Implode
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Re: custom random events?

Post by Implode »

elliott20 wrote:event that allows you to discover minerals
There is in the original, I was once unbelieably lucky enough to have an Adamantium mine suddenly be discovered right next to my troop factory city on Arcanus :D
elliott20
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Re: custom random events?

Post by elliott20 »

wow really? man, I *NEVER* discovered new mines.
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