[Akalabeth Angel]

i hope you don mean the type like 'smart-casual, minimyum wage'... (the first mission in 'homesick')

    Uh, I don't quite recall the original homesick mission. But it's not quite the same, the player actually has some stuff to do. Bit of scanning, and 60+ messages to fill the 10-12 minutes. It's got a red-alert after it with some combat .

That's no so bad, Akalabeth. I've taken forever to finish non-combat missions before.

Although, on the other hand, my campaign was built over the course of about six days...

     Well I'm doing one of those overly-ambitious campaigns with a slew of missions which will never be finished. So it'll take longer than 6 days.

[Grimloq]

Originally posted by Axem
And there are easy ways to make the player stay in one position. Really simple if you look at the Coordinate Manipulation sexps. With those you can even make the player face one way, and move in another direction.

 -or... you can disable his ship?

sheesh... good luck AA youll need it!

BTW, the first mission was basicly fly to a jump node and leave. maybe 10 messages alltogether.

[Blaise Russel]

Well, it was an introduction, wasn't it?

I don't really see the problem.

[Akalabeth Angel]

Well, it was an introduction, wasn't it?

I don't really see the problem.

     The only thing I find problematic with these missions is actually making them, as they're darned boring to both create and playtest. But as the player, most of the time you'll only have to play it through once so it's not that big of deal. But if the mission doesn't advance the story in some way, the question is why is it even in there? That's a new clause in my mission creating, it must advance the story either through the action or dialogue.

[Blaise Russel]

There's also the possibility of simply establishing or exploring the game milieu. Say: a raid on a pirate facility may not advance a storyline to do with corrupt GTVA officers betraying military secrets to the NTF during the Second Great War, but it can add flavour and depth by showing how Alpha Centauri is a system under pressure from both the NTF and pirate factions, which might explain why nobody's actually sorted out these traitors until now - because they were too busy - but doesn't actually advance the plot at all.

But yeah... gratuitous missions tend to feel odd, and that's because they're superfluous and distract from the main thrust of the campaign.

[aldo_14]

Sometimes you can have too much story, though.  One of the problems I've, er, 'considered' is when you have a fairly complicated storyline and need to convey it to the player in a reduced number of missions.

[Akalabeth Angel]

Sometimes you can have too much story, though. One of the problems I've, er, 'considered' is when you have a fairly complicated storyline and need to convey it to the player in a reduced number of missions.

    Well personally I'm long winded, so If I tell any story it's gotta be a long one.   But it's for a good cause, enhancing the player's gaming experience (hopefully). One thing I've tried to do is to have recurring ships, so that the player has more connection with them. Especially if he ends up having to put those ships out of their misery as some point in the future.

[Grimloq]

Originally posted by Blaise Russel
Well, it was an introduction, wasn't it?

I don't really see the problem.

i didnt say it was a problem i liked it, it was a nice opening mission.

[Blaise Russel]

Okay, I see. No worries either way, 'course.

[Grimloq]

i cant beleive it... i told you guys i was going to make a campaign, and didnt tell anything about it here:

you are Ensign James Hallock, the leader of alpha wing in the 266th HellDrummers inteceptor squadron.
two years after the loss of capella, the GTVA did remarkably well in settling people, especially since the announcment of the construction of node-stabilizing device to reopen the Sol jump node boosted morale considerably all through GTVA space. Besides the few shivan destroyers that got through the jump node before the supernova, no shivans have shown up. although the long-dead Hammer of Light has shown up again, apparently some of its highest-ranking 'officials' were lying low on various planets around the GTVA.
All that was 16 months ago, the Subspace Portal is completed, and is simply awaiting activation. Youre elite squadron has been chosen to oversee the activation, and also to jump in alongside the GTD Aquitane herself to Sol, to make contact with our homeworld. the Vasudans arent playing a large role in this operation, as they arent particularly interested in our homeworld.
you will be launched to oversee the deployment of the stabilizer, and then you will jump through.

And find what everyone thought they would never see...

[pecenipicek]

a fleet of angry sathy's who misteriously jumped from capella to sol?

[Grimloq]

think realistic here....

[pecenipicek]

well... i am. thats my thought on it. a fleet of saty's blowed up capella because there wasnt any other way to reach sol...
or the lucy didnt blow up and it wiped the earth out.
or the gtva gets a warm hug from the EA...
silver beamz style

[Grimloq]

we SAW the lucy die, its dead.

the EA is an inferno thing. this is... different.

the sathanass dont play a part in this mission. only a handful of shivan capships (destroyer size and cruiser size) got through from capela, and theyre mostly cleaned up.

mostly...

[cue 'DUM-DUM-DUUUUUUMM!!!']

[pecenipicek]

i thought soo
they find a nebula instead of sol?

[Grimloq]

although that WOULD be REALLLLLLLY cool, no. this campaign doesnt take place in any nebulas. although it might in a 'dust cloud' if the SCP implements either volumetrics or distance-based fading. (never trust a coder who uses that kind of terminology i = dumb)

[pecenipicek]

please PM me with what they find

[Zarax]

They find the GTOHMYGODITSHUGEANDOBSCENELYARMED Gaia "testing" it's weaponry the very moment the Acquitane jumps in front of it...

[pecenipicek]

welll... that would be an interesting sight

[Grimloq]

uhm... no. no UbErShIpS in this campaign.

peicenpeiskdfjaoeifh(cant spell it...): ok, check PMs