Can you tell us more about the scale of the map, especially the amount of time covered by one game? For instance, could seasons play a role?
Other than that I know that a dynamic weather system would increase the immersivity (is that actually a word) for me hugely.
And I guess 10 species would be a bit sparse for creating a believable foodchain etc.
Just some random thoughts. :)
This is an amazing idea.
And is the sort of data editor trickery I'm good with, so... If you want this made for you by me, that will happen.
May the mudkips bless you, and may the light of a thousand kittens shine perpetually upon your liver.
I have alot of experience with these kinds of maps on wc3. I have worked on about 5 different projects using similar systems, even so i never finished one completely. Yours is more complex tho, i have not been working on most of the features you intent to implement, mine were simply wander around looking for food, and clone once you ate enough.
But one thing i can advice you, is that you need something to make it less boring.
what i attempted to do in my later versions, was to create evolution. Let the behavior of the creatures depend on variables, which together form a strand of DNA; which can randomly mutate, creating new lifeforms. Models become a problem with this solution, but its not impossible to let the models be determined by different ranges of variables or be random.
Alternatively you can make it multiplayer and let players create their own lifeforms with restrictions. Or have multiplayer evolution type game, with DNA points to be used for mutations or whatnot.
Anyhow your current idea is alot of work, for not alot of fun!
GL regardless of what you do!
ZooCraft? :P
Herds shouldn't be hard, just make groups and make them patrol around the grass, later go to the river to drink, and make offspring appear randomly inside the herd.
The lone animals, though, those will be harder...
Fast idea on how I would do it:
If I'm not wrong, you want this for a troll tribes. You could use part of the variables you use on trolls in animals, too (In W3 mana was heat or something like that in some of the maps).
I'm a product of your collective imagination and, therefore, I do not assume responsibility of anything I don't want to assume responsibility of.
I realize 10 species seems a bit bare, but I am using WoW models for all animals, as well as for the player characters, their buildings, as well as an enemy tribe, and several "bosses" located around the island. Weather is going to play a role. For now, their is a volcano, which will have a periodic eruptions with lava floods. I may also design certain areas of the map to be accessible only at low tide.
There might also be more things that are "weather' proper, like rainy days which drain more of the characters hunger and warmth meters more quickly.
@Biophysicist: Go Thanks for the offer, but I'm still trying to master the editor myself, so I'm trying to do as much of it myself as possible at this point. I'm more interested in the "how".
@jjonj: Go I guess I didn't specify what type of map I was making. ;) Sorry about that. It's going to be "Island Troll Tribes-esque". I thought a more dynamic and realistic world would make gameplay more intense and replayable, as players who over-hunted the ecosystem, or kill off a certain species's predator could find themselves faced with unique challenges.
Here is my map, if you're curious. Not much is there yet though.
http://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/project-workplace/23248-ark-working-title-island-troll-tribes-remake/
The trouble is you are trying to simulate what actual scientists do with models of population dynamics. At least when it comes to data you can always get the formulas for interactions directly out of scientific papers. The downside though is even just using dots to represent the various stuff would require alot more processing power than the average map uses. Ever played the old game Populous?
You also forgot natal dispersion, fitness, growth and population bottlenecks/inbreeding
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Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
http://static.sc2mapster.com/content/attachments/15/252/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg
For my public assets look here!
http://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/data-assets/46733-the-assets-of-evil/#1
I didn't really "forget" so much as "omit". It's meant to be rudimentary, quite simplistic. It's not the major focus of the game.
in any case (whatever level of sophistication/intricacy u do get ; whether you add it to a "simple" melee game or other "exiting" component..) it sounds awesome
good luck
(if its not a unit but "only" an actor = it lags not ;) )
hawk edit (to next post): de nada, i meant it.. this is another example of a great idea, real hard to do.. real worth it (noticeably to get noticed from your idea/work, but also as such (since it's for everyone to use :) ) ) ..
it brings me back to "age of empires1" and the awesome peasants/workers in it, .. so thank you for the nostalgia lane trip too ;)
ps: love your picture/avatar, a bird in flight could top it's grace, but one feels the mess too with that one (mess: where pilots get drunk ;^p )
Thanks :)
Hey so i dont know if you're still interested in this, but ive been working on a survival troll map inspired by the WC3 Ice Troll Tribes. it features a realistic mating system with predators and critters requiring them to hunt an eat critters before they can reproduce an males must encounter females and such. aswell as realistic hunger and 'sleep" system. look out for a post on here or on the starcraft 2 map in the near future for its release.
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hawkerhurricane Regular ShmoeFor my current project, I'd like to create a rudimentary ecosystem on the island on which the map takes place. I feel as if this would contribute to gameplay immersivity, as well as make for an overall more enjoyable and realistic map. I posted this in general, as I was not sure if it was a "data" or "trigger" matter or a mixture of both, and I didn't want to make redundant threads.
I assume this is in fact possible(it may not be). The features I would like are:
-Mating; with production of offspring
-Feeding[Herbivores feed on certain varieties of plants; Carnivores feed on specified animals lower on the food chain]
-Drinking water
-Sleeping
-Roaming/Herding behaviour[certain animals form herds, animals roam across the island]
-Fleeing/stalking behaviour
-Territorial behaviour[Certain animals attack others their territory is entered]
Number of distinct species is between 10-15[is this too much?]
Thanks for any and all help in this undertaking. I'm not starting this part of the map now, but I just wanted to be aware of what is required before I begin.
http://memegenerator.net/Starcraft-Ii-Editor < Make SCII Galaxy Editor Memes!
My map: http://forums.sc2mapster.com/resources/project-workplace/23248-ark-working-title-island-troll-tribes-remake/?unread