Simplistic multiplayer campaign idea...

[TexMurphy]

Hey milo

I know you have said you dont want to go down the route of dynamic multiplayer campaigns due to design and implementation aspects. (but it would be fantasticly cool and is something Ive dremt of since I first played Falcon 4.0). But I think a simplistic campaign based on "linked" missions should be quite easy to implement.

This is how I see it working.

You simply have a variable in each mission which represents the next mission to load. This variable should be setable through events. The value is the name of the next mission for the server to load. When the variable is set to a value the server will load and start that mission right as the current one ends.

The way I would use this would be to build a "web" of missions kind of like how the wing commander mission system worked. Fail this mission and you get this mission succeed in that one and you get this one. You know..

The cool thing with beeing able to link on events would be that you could have it very easily linked to victory conditions and even to sub events.

For example I have a mission where side 1 is assulting a fleet (win condition down the carrier in that fleet), side 2 has a win condition to stay alive for 1 hour.

I have 3 "next" missions.

1. If side 2 "wins" their reinforcements arive in the next mission and now its them who are hunting side 1s carrier.
2. If side 1 "wins" the reinforcements arive to late and side 1 will have a win condition to kill the carrier in that fleet as well.
3. If side 1 loose their carrier, note this is just an event not a win condition, but since I can set on events I can even link in missions for "special" situations. This mission would be start with alot of scatterd fighters and one or two cap ships who have to randevous with a new side 1 carrier while the reinforced side 2 fleet hunts them.

This will do alot for online play imho as campaigns are really cool, even if this is somewhat static its still if cleverly linked related to the actions of the players.

Another thing that could be added if you choose to implement this is a variable for the mission "campaign only". Checking this would result in the mission not beeing shown in the server mission list. If I would create a huge campaign say 100 missions that are linked with each other I would only want the "start point" mission(s) to be shown in the server list, not all of the 100 missions. Simply because it would be so hard for the players to find the right mission to start with in the list.

Please at least consider doing something like this as its not that much work. 2 new variables (one setable through event) and the server having the ability to start the next mission automaticly.

Thanks in advance.
Tex

[Pheagey]

herm... all the trigger are there in game now exepct add another param as next mission as the efect of the trigger....

would be nice...