[NGTM-1R]

The plot will come soon, but first:

I see how it is.

[Snail]

I see how it is.

[Mobius]

What's with this weird tendence to assume that Earth Defense doesn't have a good plot behind it? There aren't any n00bs working on the project and the plot is of relevant importance.

[Droid803]

What's with this weird tendence to assume that Earth Defense doesn't have a good plot behind it? There aren't any n00bs working on the project and the plot is of relevant importance.

Because when pressed about story, the response is MORE SCREENSHOTS!

[General Battuta]

What's with this weird tendence to assume that Earth Defense doesn't have a good plot behind it? There aren't any n00bs working on the project and the plot is of relevant importance.

The fact that you're not a 'n00b' doesn't make you good at writing. Writing is a skill that very many think they possess but very few have actually developed.

[NGTM-1R]

Even the screenshots don't help. The devil is in the details (like a unity of design among a faction's craft, which isn't one of the strong points this mod is showing!). The campaigns released to date which actually worked on these kind of detail didn't really have this problem because they used stock sets, at least until Blue Planet did both. It remains the only one. Everybody else with major mods in has blown it on the details so far.

So show me something special.

[Mobius]

Because when pressed about story, the response is MORE SCREENSHOTS!

There are many basic aspects of the plot which are to remain unknown to the public until the release. The team has come to the conclusion that revealing a part of the plot's basic would reveal too much about ED. As far as I know, several screenshots have been removed because they were revealing too much.

The fact that you're not a 'n00b' doesn't make you good at writing. Writing is a skill that very many think they possess but very few have actually developed.

I meant n00b at creating campaigns and coming out with storylines. There are experienced people in the team.

Even the screenshots don't help. The devil is in the details (like a unity of design among a faction's craft, which isn't one of the strong points this mod is showing!). The campaigns released to date which actually worked on these kind of detail didn't really have this problem because they used stock sets, at least until Blue Planet did both. It remains the only one. Everybody else with major mods in has blown it on the details so far.

So show me something special.

This is a demonstration thread, meaning that the vast majority of the content you're going to find here consists of screenshots. I've already explained why the team doesn't really want to reveal several basic aspects of the plot.

About the unity of design - how about variety and the presence of placeholders in the modpack? The modpack evolves and upgrades are progressive. Also, there's additional stuff we can't show here, like exclusive cutscenes and music tracks.

[NGTM-1R]

I meant n00b at creating campaigns and coming out with storylines. There are experienced people in the team.

Name them and their releases, then! It's not Snail (who is alleged to have done most of the plotwork). I'll grant he tends to be rational and coherent however. It's not Shiv, who posts very little and doesn't have much to say except "look, the screenies are shiney and distract you!" It's certainly not you. Did you chain Blaise Russel to a desk somewhere, or Ransom? No? Nuclear1? Singh? Woomeister? The team is short on experience, let's face it.

This is a demonstration thread, meaning that the vast majority of the content you're going to find here consists of screenshots. I've already explained why the team doesn't really want to reveal several basic aspects of the plot.

No, actually you haven't explained that. The team doesn't want to talk about anything, about the basic background, about what happens prior to the campaign, about stuff that Blue Planet has amply demonstrated would actually rather help set the stage (or more remotely in time, my own background work for Police Action before I lost the completed nine missions and gave up on that particular concept). A massive veil of secrecy surrounds even the most basic information about the setting.

Perhaps because it hasn't, y'know, been thought about. That would be about par for the course I suppose, but still.

About the unity of design - how about variety and the presence of placeholders in the modpack? The modpack evolves and upgrades are progressive. Also, there's additional stuff we can't show here, like exclusive cutscenes and music tracks.

Except, of course, I've been saying this since day one and nothing's actually changed.

[ShadowGorrath]

Plot's nothing special, people. Be more concerned with the fancy mods they're making.

That said, sorry if I offended anyone. Please, feel free to flame me

[Mobius]

[shiv]

Plot's nothing special, people. Be more concerned with the fancy mods they're making.

That said, sorry if I offended anyone. Please, feel free to flame me

if you think our plot's nothign special...
That's just silly that you didn't do much for this mod, then left our team even if you were impressed by our stuff and then you say that plot's nothing special. You start making bad opinion for yourself in my eyes.

[ShadowGorrath]

No, seriously, I expected a much better plot in Earth Defense when I joined. The only thing I liked about it were the mods made for it, and I sorta liked your goal. The team's attitude and etc. changed that eventually.

And since I "didn't do anything" for the ED, I'm sure you won't mind me giving the stuff I made for ED to another mod. You didn't really bother checking it out anyway.

[TrashMan]

The campaigns released to date which actually worked on these kind of detail didn't really have this problem because they used stock sets, at least until Blue Planet did both. It remains the only one. Everybody else with major mods in has blown it on the details so far.

Really? You saying my campaign sucks plot-wise? 


*adds NGTM-1R to his Gruesome Death List.*

[Snail]

FEAR NOT THE PLOT WILL BE RELEASED SOON.


Sheesh, you guys nag too much.

[Siddyus]

Im good with the flashy screenies and i prefer to discover the plot myself once i play it. Hopefully its gonna be great. Keep up the good work guys!

[Snail]

A recent trend I've noticed with campaigns is that campaigns which put emphasis on storytelling rather than mods or gameplay tend to do better. For example, Blue Planet had an excellent plot and had great success whereas other mods such as Inferno Alliance, which lacked a proper story but which had some interesting mods, didn't do as well...

[Mobius]

How about projects that combine plot and interesting mods?

[General Battuta]

How about projects that combine plot and interesting mods?

Blue Planet had an excellent plot and had great success

Blue Planet also had great storytelling.

There's a difference between a good plot and good writing. Good writing can save a bad plot, but rarely the reverse. Good writing makes for good storytelling.

[Mobius]

That's a generalization. I'm not refering to Battuta's last post, but to the whole point of this thread.

Changing texts (command briefings, briefings, debriefings, tech descriptions, messages) is a thing which can be done anytime. Creating or modifying textures and models is completely different and need more coordination. You can easily change someone's text by editing it, but doing the same to a mesh is much harder.

In other words, touchups to texts are not a priority if you still have an entire modpack to create. Even the plot itself can be continuously changed. One example is INFASA: although the modpack is mostly done, the campaign and several aspects of the plot are undergoing a serious upgrade which helps delaying the release of the project. Making that kind of changes, however, is not the same as rebuilding the modpack from scratch.

[General Battuta]

None of that has anything to do with good writing. Anybody who thinks that 'good writing' means grammar and text touch-ups doesn't grasp the importance of said writing.