Stronghold style civilization builder

#1 What you are asking for is already available for RTS SK members as a community resource. I modelled much of how it works against both WC3 and Stronghold, along with community donated icons, graphics, and other related scripts.

As an FYI, what you described as a game concept is one of the aspects of our project, Nemesis Vortex.

#2 Cool thanks, I did the whole neb thing of posting before searching, I'll read up on it. I'm looking at more of a Revolutionart War period, never been a big fan of all the magic and spells in the mid evil style games. Plus thats a pretty unused era for most game sthat I know of.

#3 Actually, the forum is private to RTS SK owners, so you probably wouldnt have found it, but it is always good to search, hehe.

I think that would be a pretty neat idea for a game myself--been done before, but not with recent technology.

#4 Yeah a couple of my friends and I were talking about it the other day. Then in my aimless internet wandering I found garage games and the thought of possibley building it started to fly. It seems like an interesting idea, that is not really explored, plus it combines elements of several differnet styles, so there should be something for everyone. Your game looks pretty cool I popped over to you site and briefly browsed around. I would like to start by just building an RTS like Stronghold just to get some experience, then try the whole online MMO, type stuff later.
In yours is there going to be a linear story that is going on even if no one participates. Like this group is going to attack this village, come out and help defend or attack, or even help produce some extra weapons needed. And even if no real people showed up the battle would still take place and have an outcome? That is were we would like to see some focus, a story thats happening even when no ones on. I used to plays SWG and it was boring because there was no story to get interested in, they tried but stopped producing stuff and focused on all the B!***ing people were doing.

#5 Sorry double post!!!!!!!!!!!

#6 No "linear" story by any means, no. However, one of the basic design precepts behind our project is the actions of players has influence on the world itself.

This includes the basic (and mostly poorly implemented) concepts in MMOG's like faction/reputation, but with a proactive world enviroment (npcs, kingdoms, empires) as opposed to the completely reactive environments most MMOG's implement. In other words, the world is by no means static waiting for you to show up so they can do a faction check and decide if they should attack you on the spot or not. Instead, if you are perceived as a threat/enemy, you'll probably see an army on the horizon in the near future (either npc, player, or combination of both).

#7 How hard do you think the linear story would be to do, in TGE? Lets say the game is never a true MMO just runs on a server somewhere that a coulpe of people log into, till they get the kinks worked out? Is that possilbe at any level of programming within TGE? The way you are implementing it sounds really cool, I just wander if its possible to have a story going at the same time.
We even discussed how cool it would be to do a alternate history type of thing. Where the key battles would take place and depending on player participation, how they could turn out. Or just use one key battle as a starting point and rewrite the story on the fly, by having planned NPC attacks on differnet areas or cities. People wouldnt have to join them at all, but they are still there keeping new content added to the game, even of its just monthly or quartlerly. I know it would be hard to keep up with, but you have to start somewhere right?!
Another thing I think is missing in inline games is an ingame newspaper or news system, where the ingame happenings are available for people to read about, or as a means to paln battles and such. Instead of using a web page outside of the game. Maybe have NPC paperboys shouting the latest headlines. I dont know, I just like thinking crap up, even if it does sound too complicated to do. Maybe someone out there can figure it out, and becaome famous or revolutioinz ehte industry or something.
I appreciate your quickk responses to my posts. You've been a big help so far keep the thoughts coming, I feed off of information.

#8 Heh...I'm the same way, which is why I tend to lurk a LOT on the forums when not actively implementing something.

The beauty of TGE is you simply aren't limited by anything other than your imagination, and your skills. If you want to do something in TGE (and you have the license), it's simply a matter of figuring out how to do it.

You can certainly have a scripted storyline, or multiple-parallel storylines, or handle it in a variety of ways!

#9 Is there anyway you could send me that resource article you talked about, or would that violate the rules since Im not a owner of TGE yet? I would like to study it and digest all that I can about it. Or even play with code samples if their provided in it.

I would like to see an actual working economy that would continue to go all the time. Were resources gathered woulkd actually be a part of the game bought and sold, stored. Things that I maded could be sold to NPC's and then turn up later in a shop somewhere. Hte wood or whatever you harvest could be sold to a city or you could buy it like in Age of Empires, but more in depth taken. Be able to get better deals at different stores and cities. Of you ever run out of soemthing in game you could just have a new shipment of it come in from England or something. If all the usable land gets taken, you would ahve scouts go out and "discover new areas" new maps, but have them somewhat seamlessly connected, by railway or something, with very short loading screens. I know this is boarding more on an MMO style, But Ive always hated the fact that once I build my "Empire" in those other games, I had to lose it all to continue with the story. Unless you played onetime skirmeshes. I think this would especially be well used in the tirsme period we're looking at (early america).

I mean you would have several civilizations to start as: Settlers, Indians, British (or other invading country). And each would have differnet classes of players: Worker, scout, shop keeper, soldier, hunter, merchant........, but put and end to the endless leveling of most MMO's. Have say three skill levels for you skill set: Novice, Intermidiate, Master, each level would increase the chance of doing somehting well, like killing that deer or getting more wood cut faster, you could even have different levels of tools/ Wepons that would improve or decrease these skills: Bows are faster than guns but less powerful and they have shorter range. I even thought the tools should work this way.

OK now that ive layed my whole game idea out there, I hope it helps someone with new ideas, but if it works I want royalties...ha, ha just kidding. Feel free to use them. I may not be a designer per se but I'm good at thinking crap up, or picking it apart and seeing all sides of it good and bad, I guess thats why I'm studying to be an engineer.

Sorry for the long posts I have a tendency to ramble.

#10 I've been reading your public forums Zepp, and I've gathered alot of good info. You guys are addressing the same issues my frineds and I are talking about being problems and how to solve them. I like what I see, the question is would you want me signing the NDA, knowing that I wouldn't have anything past ideas to contribute and that I'm persuing the idea of making this type of game myself (however remote that may be)? I would love to see how you guys are addressing these concerns in detail. Let me know I'll keep reading the public stuff till then.

#11 Well, the only main issue is that I can't talk about specific scripts and implementations that the RTS SK has unless you're in the private forums (which means you've bought the TGE and RTS SK licenses). There, you can basically talk about anything related to the RTS SK!

The entire resource management and building actions stuff is already a resource available to RTS SK owners, and it would put you a good way along in that topic at least!

If you have questions about general "how do you plan on doing this, or that", feel free to drop me an email (my email address is in my public profile) and we can chat.

#12 There is, apparently a Stronghold2 in the works by firefly. I personally feel there could be more castly/economy building games so I'm for it even if you copy a lot of what they do. I loved building up my castles and things. It shouldn't be too hard a game to develop the art for. If you need contract art for your project or would work in trade, keep me in mind:

httP://www.radioactivelabs.com

random pictures(but some torque things too):
http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/vought/3d/

#13 Have to agree with Johnathon, I love castle builders. Stronghold was a great game, although I thought maps were to small for large castles. Stronghold 2 looks god, but who knows what changes will be made, sometimes I think developers lose sight on gameplay, and ...... FUN, for graphics. IMO you can have the best graphics, but if gameplay sucks, I won't play, adn I have a game collection to prove it.

If you are serious about the project I would love to help, and contribute, no charge. I just want to get something started.

The RTS SDK is a good start, I bought when I got TGE, since I wanted to do a similar project myself. I'm no artist, unless you need some dice or baseball or something.