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SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
I wanted to make a daily transport mission that players could undertake. Deliver cargo from point A to point B. However, I wanted to mix it up a bit. The player would get to select what they transported. Medical supplies, colonists, even high-ranking officials.

Let's say the player opted to transport medical supplies. All well and good. The player takes the medical supplies to the desired system AND....

This is where I want to program the mission to select a random number between 1 and 4.

If the number is...

1 - Upon arriving in the system, the player's ship is met by the U.S.S. Barnard (medical ship). Player is invited to beam over and socialize with the captain, where they can purchase Large Hypos and or regenerators.

2 - Upon arriving in the system, the player establishes orbit and simply beams the supplies down to the colony and is thanked for the trouble.

3 - Upon arriving in the system, the player is informed that a sample of biomimetic gel has been stolen from sickbay. An investigation ensues, leading to one of the player's crewmen who was simply trying to get rich quickly.

4 - Upon arriving in the system, the player is met by a freighter claiming to be the medical ship. Player obviously does not beam the cargo over and a space battle ensues, with three cloaked Klingon birds-of-prey. If the player does, then the frieghter scrambles the player's sensors and warps out of the system and masks their trail. (Mission failure.)

You get the idea. I want to have the abilitiy to create multiple mission paths. Yes yes yes, this will be a pain for mission evaluators as they will have to play through every possible mission scenario, but as a player wouldn't it rock to play the same basic mission but have the circumstances be completely different most of the time?

My question: Will it be possible to create these multiple possibilities with a randomizer? I.E. Get random number between 1-4.
Post edited by Unknown User on

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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    My question: Will it be possible to create these multiple possibilities with a randomizer? I.E. Get random number between 1-4.
    My educated guess, definitely not in either betas, open or closed, and highly unlikely later on.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    hmmm well it will be tied to scripting.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    hmmm well it will be tied to scripting.
    Which is probably going to be more limited than we'd hope. My guess, at least for a couple of years post-release..
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    You may always go for some mostly random things. Like the time it takes for the player to get to the sector in secs is usually random. Muliply that with the beam DPS/(kinetic DPS+1) number or some other player based variable, take the last 2 digits and you got yourself a random percentage value.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    i had a dev just post that this is not possible and that there are no ways to have multiple mission paths but they may be coming later on.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    Well...technically multiple mission paths are possible already. Having a player select a certain line of dialogue or activate a certain console can trigger a completely different result in the mission, we've seen this happen time and again.

    I just wanted to have the option of having the mission script send the player down a randomly selected path without having the player actually activate a console or select a line of dialogue to do it.

    Although, I suppose, I could just have the mission paths tied to NPC dialogues... Depending on which NPC you talk to, the mission itself plays out differently...although people will inevitabley catch on which totally defeats the randomness factor.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    Some natural randomness can be designed into any adventure

    as in

    to go to the next map, you need to kill 4 mobs spawns
    then scatter 8 different mob spawn points over the map..with different mobs

    depending on where to player goes will dictate what spawns

    the same could be for scan X number of things....you can give them multiple choices

    .......not exactly the randow function you want but does add a bit of randomness to it
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    Picard5017 wrote:
    i had a dev just post that this is not possible and that there are no ways to have multiple mission paths but they may be coming later on.

    How about a good old GOTO? Set 1 long line of dialog/event chain instead of branches. Then jump around as needed to create a semi-dynamic mission. That gets your an "F" in a Programming class, but may work here.
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    Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    Pendra37 wrote: »
    How about a good old GOTO? Set 1 long line of dialog/event chain instead of branches. Then jump around as needed to create a semi-dynamic mission. That gets your an "F" in a Programming class, but may work here.
    That would still bind the player to a linear progression of the story.
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