Author Topic: Advice on Campaign Direction  (Read 2709 times)

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Advice on Campaign Direction
So a bit over half a year ago, after playing some awesome campaigns I decided to have a serious go at making a campaign that would be releasable to the community. However due to various reasons I have changed the overall style of my campaign several times (starting off basically as a joke campaign until I realised I'm not very original or overly witty funny to now being more serious in style). Coming to the end of creating my campaign, these changes led me to doubt my entire campaign and it's worthiness on releasing to the community. I would like some opinions from you guys on some of my campaign elements.

 My campaign is set 22 years after the start of FS2. Bosch has returned having made peace with the Shivan's using the ETAK device and the GTVA has expanded into neighbouring systems using improved star charts given as a peace offering from the Shivans. This includes the systems Castor, Pollux and a return to Gamma Draconis. The expansion and growth however leads to breakaway factions such as the 'Systems of Draconis' who will be the primary enemy.
  This is the first question I ask, how do people feel about this brief and in particular the possibility of peace with the Shivans. at least some of them

 Secondly two of the main antagonists of the first part of my story appear in the shape of the Shivans on a Plane model Axem created (this stems from when it started as a joke campaign but I feel I could give it a possibly serious backstory) the other being a group of pirates who take the notoriety of 1700's piracy literally and use the Volition Bravos tall ship as the method of travel.  Would you guys feel these would take away from any real story or does it sound like an interesting idea?
Too many ideas.....not enough FREDing time!

 

Offline The E

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Re: Advice on Campaign Direction
I'm not goign to comment on your premise, since a premise doesn't mean all that much (it's the execution that's important for me), but I will say that those models? They would definitely take away from the feel of the game. It's like making a super serious crime drama, but with one of the crime bosses habitually wearing a horse mask; It's unfitting in terms of style, I believe.
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Offline Luis Dias

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Re: Advice on Campaign Direction
I agree with The_E even before I read him :) although I can't but say that with the right directors you could actually pull that off.

I'm already picturing a really serious drama, dialogue, an amazing tragic story depicted with volition bravos' ships and shivans on a plane.

 
Re: Advice on Campaign Direction
Thanks for the input guys. This problem pretty much killed a lot of motivation for me for a while. E you pretty much summed up why I've been questioning my campaign.
Well then its time to go looking for some potential replacement ships I think.

...with the right directors you could actually pull that off.

I'm already picturing a really serious drama, dialogue, an amazing tragic story depicted with volition bravos' ships and shivans on a plane.
I agree that its pull off-able but I don't think I'm good enough to do so just yet. One day maybe.
Too many ideas.....not enough FREDing time!

 

Offline Axem

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Re: Advice on Campaign Direction
As a hidden easter egg you should have the option to turn them back to pirate ships and airlines!

 
Re: Advice on Campaign Direction
As a hidden easter egg you should have the option to turn them back to pirate ships and airlines!
I love this idea, I was planning on keeping some of my better missions from before I changed them to add as single missions of how it use to be. I think I'll include some with the pirate ships and airlines as well.  :D
Too many ideas.....not enough FREDing time!

 

Offline bigchunk1

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Re: Advice on Campaign Direction
My strong advice is to release something small and get feedback from the community on it. Release a single mission. Release a 3-5 mission mini-campaign. Get your feet wet and learn the modding tools. The ideas will come as you learn what your options are. You will also be much more likely to release something.

As far as peace with the shivans, I can't imagine it. I see the shivans as more of a unexplained monster than a faction run by a diplomatic committee. That should not stop you though. It's your campaign and your rules. If you think it would be cool, do it.
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Offline Rodo

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Re: Advice on Campaign Direction
bigchunk gave the same advise I'd give. Other than that I'd suggest you try luck at joining another wip project on HLP.
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Offline General Battuta

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Re: Advice on Campaign Direction
No, don't do that! The risk of joining a dead or doomed project is too high. Do something great on your own before you get swallowed up.

  
Re: Advice on Campaign Direction
Thanks for the comments guys.
I'm thinking when I'm not too busy with university I'll make a short 2-3 mission mini-campaign to present my [hopefully] skills. I'm not new to FRED and understand it fairly well, ever since I got FS1+2 on GOG 2 years ago so learning the tools isn't a big problem. That said I am still learning so of the more non-basic SEXPs, mainly using other conditionals that aren't when and developing more complex event trees that are more robust than when X is destroyed Y arrives in Z seconds.

No, don't do that! The risk of joining a dead or doomed project is too high. Do something great on your own before you get swallowed up.
Don't worry, I don't intend on joining any projects, I wanna get my stuff out first before I look to joining a team if I ever decided to join one. 
Too many ideas.....not enough FREDing time!