So i had an idea about a campaign involving time travel. The gameplay would be that you changing events in the past would alter the future.Story wise its in the future there is some sort of war brewing that devastated a lot of planets. But a race developed a time machine to go back to the past and change the future. I guess a logical race would be protoss.. or maybe terran although zerg dosnt make sense.
Gameplay wise im not sure if this is even possible but i envisioned where the player travels to the past lets say to a planet like auir that was taken over by the zerg and as u destroy buildings or units the planet in the future wont have them. So the campaign would basically be about you switching constantly between past and future planets(or just a planet) and whatever u do in the past version would alter the future in minimum or even drastic ways. This would have a lot of replay value since it would be altered differently.
U could also have mission objectives like: destroy 3 psi emitter or 3 destroy plasma cannon (in the past) and if destroy just 1 the future planet would have 2 left that would impact the gemeplay. Now i dont know anything about the editor and how triggers work so no idea if this is even doable.
Yeah i would but 1. Im known to learn with the pace of a snail. 2. Whenever i touched a editor in a game i lost interest in that game. Somehow it all loses its magic once u know how things work. And i dont want to stop playing this wonderful game! But if anyone else is interested making it well feel free! Im just posting some Interesting(maybe) ideas for mapmakers. And i feel honored that hocleberry himself posted on my article! :D
I'm currently in no real position to promise to develop yet more campaigns from request, but I might take a crack at it in a future project I have coming up that you'll probably see very soon. I really really don't want to say anything about what it is until I'm ready to get it started, but let's just say, it'll make building campaigns like this a lot faster.
Practically speaking, this would be a nightmare to design.
So, changes in the past affect the present (future). Question number 1: do these "changes" apply only to in-mission changes, or to the campaign as a whole? Say I destroy an enemy faction completely in the past. Does that mean that the rest of the campaign in the future would be easier? or changed? Or will that only affect that mission specifically?
Question 2: will the two time periods be running concurrently? For instance, does the battle in the future continue while the player is in the past? If the player uses the time-travel mechanic to work on a micro-intensive stealth mission in the past, but must also be keeping tabs on an all-in push from a large army in the future, that'd be a source of frustration for some (and no problem for others). One way to handle this is to PAUSE or HALT the action in the other battlefield if the player uses the time travel mechanic.
In terms of real-world mechanics, consider that changing the past would change so many conditions in the future. For example, you have a mission in the future to destroy the enemy faction. One objective is to go to the past and do... something. You return to the future, and suddenly you are expected to remember that your objective is to SAVE the faction you thought was once the enemy, but is now your ally.
To the player, this just plain seems like a whiplash-inducing whirlwind of action, to say nothing about the design process required to get this to work.
I guess it comes down to, how much freedom do you want to give the player in changing the past?
Keep in mind the BRANCHING design prevalent in time-travel games: just as there are optional objectives in campaigns, there can also be optional objectives x 2 (for a total of 4 times the design work) for two time periods. If the past optional objective is met, then you have a new set of triggers for affecting the future. x 2 for the main objectives.
1 - Main objective met, optional met => Makes one version of the future...
2 - Main objective not met, optional met => Makes another version...
3 - Main objective met, optional not met => And another...
4 - Main objective not met, optional not met => And yet another.
Multiply the top list by two for every additional objective, Main or not, added to a mission in the past.
If you want to get some insight on how this works in another setting, I'd invite you to go watch the final two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "All Good Things...". Basically Picard does JUST what you want to do, with 3 time periods.
In an overall plot design, you should check out the BW campaigns Vision of the Future and EDAST at Campaign Creations. Though one of them is incomplete, checking the story synopsis should give you a rough idea of mayhaps what you want...
When I said there was a chance I might do something like this, I was thinking something much more simple. This discussion you're having about switching modes at will seems far more complex than I had imagined.
The way I was thinking of handling it was that you play through a short series of missions in the past and then time travel to the future and complete each of these missions again, but with an altered setting. Some of the events that occur may also have affected other missions as well, but that all depends on how ambitious the author would want to take it. This would continue for probably one more series of missions. Something like 2-4 missions each series (multiplied by 2 since you play each level again). That was where I thought of taking it. It's a simplified version of what you guys are talking about here, but I think it'd still be fun and would still feel like you're impacting the past/future.
So, changes in the past affect the present (future). Question number 1: do these "changes" apply only to in-mission changes, or to the campaign as a whole? Say I destroy an enemy faction completely in the past. Does that mean that the rest of the campaign in the future would be easier? or changed? Or will that only affect that mission specifically?
Yeah my idea was that if u would destory something in the past it wouldnt be there anymore in the future. But it would be stupid if u destroy everything on the map in the past and u get to the future map only to see a wasteland. So for instance it would be cool that at the end of the mission a dozen torassque and a dozen carriers come at u.... and u can only destroy one group. So whichever group you destroyed won't be in the future map. But the future map still has other enemies and structures just not these special ones. So yes it would be changed but not easier just giving u other type of enemies to deal with.
Question 2: will the two time periods be running concurrently? For instance, does the battle in the future continue while the player is in the past? If the player uses the time-travel mechanic to work on a micro-intensive stealth mission in the past, but must also be keeping tabs on an all-in push from a large army in the future, that'd be a source of frustration for some (and no problem for others). One way to handle this is to PAUSE or HALT the action in the other battlefield if the player uses the time travel mechanic.
The pause/halt idea is actually quite interesting! But i thought the campaign to be very linear. You go from mission to mission... i guess any other mechanic would blow the mapmakers mind and would need resources of blizzard.
I tried to watch startrek once got to 6-7 episodes but stopped watching. I dont know if the first season is just tame and if it gets better than that?
Yeah i agree the mapmaker has free reign as to how simple or how complicated the campaign will be. The only bad thing would be that destroying everything in the past would leave you with an empty map in the future. Or destroying a past objective would make the future map a breeze to walk through. And your version yuka sounds simple but very fun. I hope u make it sometimes in the future! if not i will time travel to the past and give u a good spanking! jk
Meh, I was actually thinking clearing out enemy factions in the past would mean a new enemy faction could fill the gap to replace them since they're gone in the future version.
So i had an idea about a campaign involving time travel. The gameplay would be that you changing events in the past would alter the future.Story wise its in the future there is some sort of war brewing that devastated a lot of planets. But a race developed a time machine to go back to the past and change the future. I guess a logical race would be protoss.. or maybe terran although zerg dosnt make sense.
Gameplay wise im not sure if this is even possible but i envisioned where the player travels to the past lets say to a planet like auir that was taken over by the zerg and as u destroy buildings or units the planet in the future wont have them. So the campaign would basically be about you switching constantly between past and future planets(or just a planet) and whatever u do in the past version would alter the future in minimum or even drastic ways. This would have a lot of replay value since it would be altered differently.
U could also have mission objectives like: destroy 3 psi emitter or 3 destroy plasma cannon (in the past) and if destroy just 1 the future planet would have 2 left that would impact the gemeplay. Now i dont know anything about the editor and how triggers work so no idea if this is even doable.
Sounds cool!! You gotta make a map. Just jump into the fray. Nothing left to lose...drink a beer and code...
Also, Read Hyperion by Dan Simmons for more inspiration.
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Curse PremiumI will call it Mario & Luigi Partners in time!
@Hockleberry: Go
Yeah i would but 1. Im known to learn with the pace of a snail. 2. Whenever i touched a editor in a game i lost interest in that game. Somehow it all loses its magic once u know how things work. And i dont want to stop playing this wonderful game! But if anyone else is interested making it well feel free! Im just posting some Interesting(maybe) ideas for mapmakers. And i feel honored that hocleberry himself posted on my article! :D
@MaskedImposter: Go
Masked u are ruining my cool idea dragging it into a plumbers game! ................. :P
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Curse PremiumI'm currently in no real position to promise to develop yet more campaigns from request, but I might take a crack at it in a future project I have coming up that you'll probably see very soon. I really really don't want to say anything about what it is until I'm ready to get it started, but let's just say, it'll make building campaigns like this a lot faster.
@yukaboy: Go
Awesome man! Tell me if u need assistance like testing or story-wise or any dirty work im your man. ..except the editor :D
Practically speaking, this would be a nightmare to design.
So, changes in the past affect the present (future). Question number 1: do these "changes" apply only to in-mission changes, or to the campaign as a whole? Say I destroy an enemy faction completely in the past. Does that mean that the rest of the campaign in the future would be easier? or changed? Or will that only affect that mission specifically?
Question 2: will the two time periods be running concurrently? For instance, does the battle in the future continue while the player is in the past? If the player uses the time-travel mechanic to work on a micro-intensive stealth mission in the past, but must also be keeping tabs on an all-in push from a large army in the future, that'd be a source of frustration for some (and no problem for others). One way to handle this is to PAUSE or HALT the action in the other battlefield if the player uses the time travel mechanic.
In terms of real-world mechanics, consider that changing the past would change so many conditions in the future. For example, you have a mission in the future to destroy the enemy faction. One objective is to go to the past and do... something. You return to the future, and suddenly you are expected to remember that your objective is to SAVE the faction you thought was once the enemy, but is now your ally.
To the player, this just plain seems like a whiplash-inducing whirlwind of action, to say nothing about the design process required to get this to work.
I guess it comes down to, how much freedom do you want to give the player in changing the past?
Keep in mind the BRANCHING design prevalent in time-travel games: just as there are optional objectives in campaigns, there can also be optional objectives x 2 (for a total of 4 times the design work) for two time periods. If the past optional objective is met, then you have a new set of triggers for affecting the future. x 2 for the main objectives.
1 - Main objective met, optional met => Makes one version of the future...
2 - Main objective not met, optional met => Makes another version...
3 - Main objective met, optional not met => And another...
4 - Main objective not met, optional not met => And yet another.
Multiply the top list by two for every additional objective, Main or not, added to a mission in the past.
If you want to get some insight on how this works in another setting, I'd invite you to go watch the final two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "All Good Things...". Basically Picard does JUST what you want to do, with 3 time periods.
Hmm rough concept I think maybe something like this (attachment).
Yeah, it would be nightmare indeed.
Like teams doing it for months for 1 map.
My projects : The Hammer of Dawn, Noir : Automata, Noir : Evolution, Noir : Ascension, Hammer of Dawn Revamp
Many awesome projects : Custom Campaign Initiative
Something for the community : A Small Letter of Thanks, SC2mapster Classic Skin - Alevice
In an overall plot design, you should check out the BW campaigns Vision of the Future and EDAST at Campaign Creations. Though one of them is incomplete, checking the story synopsis should give you a rough idea of mayhaps what you want...
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Curse PremiumWhen I said there was a chance I might do something like this, I was thinking something much more simple. This discussion you're having about switching modes at will seems far more complex than I had imagined.
The way I was thinking of handling it was that you play through a short series of missions in the past and then time travel to the future and complete each of these missions again, but with an altered setting. Some of the events that occur may also have affected other missions as well, but that all depends on how ambitious the author would want to take it. This would continue for probably one more series of missions. Something like 2-4 missions each series (multiplied by 2 since you play each level again). That was where I thought of taking it. It's a simplified version of what you guys are talking about here, but I think it'd still be fun and would still feel like you're impacting the past/future.
@Miles07: Go
So, changes in the past affect the present (future). Question number 1: do these "changes" apply only to in-mission changes, or to the campaign as a whole? Say I destroy an enemy faction completely in the past. Does that mean that the rest of the campaign in the future would be easier? or changed? Or will that only affect that mission specifically?
Yeah my idea was that if u would destory something in the past it wouldnt be there anymore in the future. But it would be stupid if u destroy everything on the map in the past and u get to the future map only to see a wasteland. So for instance it would be cool that at the end of the mission a dozen torassque and a dozen carriers come at u.... and u can only destroy one group. So whichever group you destroyed won't be in the future map. But the future map still has other enemies and structures just not these special ones. So yes it would be changed but not easier just giving u other type of enemies to deal with.
Question 2: will the two time periods be running concurrently? For instance, does the battle in the future continue while the player is in the past? If the player uses the time-travel mechanic to work on a micro-intensive stealth mission in the past, but must also be keeping tabs on an all-in push from a large army in the future, that'd be a source of frustration for some (and no problem for others). One way to handle this is to PAUSE or HALT the action in the other battlefield if the player uses the time travel mechanic.
The pause/halt idea is actually quite interesting! But i thought the campaign to be very linear. You go from mission to mission... i guess any other mechanic would blow the mapmakers mind and would need resources of blizzard.
I tried to watch startrek once got to 6-7 episodes but stopped watching. I dont know if the first season is just tame and if it gets better than that?
@yukaboy: Go
Yeah i agree the mapmaker has free reign as to how simple or how complicated the campaign will be. The only bad thing would be that destroying everything in the past would leave you with an empty map in the future. Or destroying a past objective would make the future map a breeze to walk through. And your version yuka sounds simple but very fun. I hope u make it sometimes in the future! if not i will time travel to the past and give u a good spanking! jk
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Curse Premium@SamsaraNoMas: Go
Meh, I was actually thinking clearing out enemy factions in the past would mean a new enemy faction could fill the gap to replace them since they're gone in the future version.