[Taristin]

That's of missions...

[Eishtmo]

Depends on the storyline.  If it can support multiple endings, then I say go for it.  If it can't, don't bother.

[Kamikaze]

I think the ending should be singular, unless you do minute variations. For example FS2 had the Alpha 1 dead or alive difference, but Alpha 1 hardly matters in the long term story line (therefore not screwing anything up).

However I think two branches that merge may be good (In essence what Descenterace said).

[WMCoolmon]

If you want a sequel, linear. Otherwise you have to choose which story to make what "officially" happened or make a sequel for each one (which might not be too bad, if you only had a couple missions for each ending that eventually merged at one mission)

I'd say linear with a sequel too, but I wouldn't mind a nonlinear one either - if the campaign's good enough to replay it.

[Lynx]

Alternate endings all the way.

I'd like to haveat least three endings, one where you win(how obvious), one where you screw up and loose(with a cool cutscene where an enemy fleet approaches earth, with burning wreckage of earth ships floating around ) and something inbetween.

[KARMA]

well I prefer multiple storylines, but the problem is that they require much more mission editing, and often are just incoherent patchworks. On the other hand they increase the longevity and the of the game and the "immersion" in the storyline.
It mostly depend by how campaigns are designed. If you are pointing to character point of view (like, as said, tachyon) the more player freedom the better, if you are pointing to an overall epic story, where your character is not so important(like freespace) probably linear is better.
The problem is to design campaigns in order to have players perceiving freedom, i mean the possibility to really interact and influence the story with their decisions, and not simply have to brutally choose between two or more different ways.
Persistent variables should help a lot in this task
oh, and pizza and peperoni......

[TrashMan]

Just to make everyone clar on this:
DOTA has basicly 2 endings - one victorious and one that ends in disaster.

The two endings you see on the graph are the same, but from a different angle (that endings are last missions if you fly normal military OR SOC).
In other words, the story is the same, the ending is the same, but you can come to it trough either the SOC tree, or the normal military tree - note that the last missions are different, but both are of utmost importance for the final sucess.

And they are conectedd...for instance in normal tree the player must hold off a large Shivan force, while in the SOC campaign one must attack a large Shivan base. So, in the normal campaign 2 Shivan warships jump in and manage to ecape trough a jump node. A minute later you hear a transmission from the SOC forces that those ships are attacking them.
If you play SOC, you'll hear a transmission that 2 shivan warships have escaped, and a minute later they'll jump in and attack!


If the pilot fails in any of these missions, then you have a disaster ending, otherwise a victory ending.

[Knight Templar]

How do you know if they escaped or not if you are playing as the SOC? You can't play 2 campaigns at once...

[Flipside]

I also like the split-line stories, but they take a lot of storyboarding, and some writing of 'almost' identical missionsm which can be a pain. It would be great to be able to set up a campaign.tbl, with listings of 'Background' ships and Wings involved, that might turn up in a mission if you didn't let them get killed in a previous one The arrival sexp could be 'campaign_if_arrive'.... Hmmmmm, might post that in the SCP Forum

Flipside

[KARMA]

I think it has just been implemented by goober with persistent variables;)

[TrashMan]

Originally posted by Knight Templar
How do you know if they escaped or not if you are playing as the SOC? You can't play 2 campaigns at once...

Coause they are destroyers, the jump node is far away from you, and you pilot a fighter and CAN'T stop them!

[J.F.K.]

I voted linear, not because I actually prefer either, but because linear endings tend to be executed much better than alternate ones. Purely pragmatic.