Massive army combat?
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Warrior
Member # 126
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written Monday, March 15 2004 06:16
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How would YOU handle a battle between massive armies? Personally, I'd like to find some way to plunk down, maybe 5 to 10 groups for each side on the worldmap (not including Your Adventurers), just to create the illusion of massive armies. The side you're with would be harmless to you, like the wandering groups of friendly soldiers you sometimes encounter in the avernum games, but walking into a group of opposing side (this is on the worldmap, now) would trigger one of those types of battles where you get aided by some friendly NPC's, only with a lot more enemies and friendlies than usual. I'll have to keep enemy archers and spellcasters low in numbers, because enemies with ranged attacks can often attack you WAY before you can attack them, and large numbers of 'em would make the battles very hard to win. The Player's group of adventurers are like the Special super forces commander guys, or something, and they're spearheading the battle, y'know? Of course this kind of epic war would only take place late in the game, when the Player can probably handle it. A problem would be: how do I keep the friendly groups of soldiers on the worldmap from wandering off and spoiling the illusion of two armies clashing? I could get them to stay put, and just have the enemy come at the side the player's on, maybe? Also, you could wipe the friendly groups of soldiers off the worldmap when all the fighting's done, right? accompany it with a popup info box saying they packed up 'n went home? -------------------- Fly beyond the ocean, over the mountains, past the moon and across the face of the sun, never to come home again. Posts: 161 | Registered: Monday, October 8 2001 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 4034
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written Monday, March 15 2004 07:53
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I would think with a large number of npc's it would take forever for your turn to come around ounce you attacked... EDIT: NM I think I read the top post wrong. [ Monday, March 15, 2004 07:56: Message edited by: Chuck ] -------------------- "When one thinks to him or herself about who they really are, They usually come out of it empty handed for the question be -not who am i-, but -what have i acheived?-" Experimental forum Posts: 113 | Registered: Friday, February 27 2004 08:00 |
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Shake Before Using
Member # 75
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written Monday, March 15 2004 08:29
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Ideally, I'd handle it by using custom terrain to give the illusion of armies assembled and waiting for battle. I'd make the "armies" a town entrance to the battlefield, then pave the custom terrain back to normal / remove the town entrance after the battle is over. Posts: 3234 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 3862
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written Monday, March 15 2004 11:51
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Heres an idea that doesn't relate to the topic much. But how about you can fight army like people and have them lined up in rows like actual armies in the past. Have some sort of riders in the front, melee men behind them, archers behind them, and the spellcasters last. Having some sort of organized fighting sequence unlike Avernum games where the enemies are completely scattered. -------------------- Legends tell that Avernum, Is a gateway to the underworld, from which the dead never return, Well thats a lie because im here now aren't I. -------------------------------- "Never get into a fight with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." Posts: 312 | Registered: Tuesday, January 6 2004 08:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2238
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written Monday, March 15 2004 13:20
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Well considering that I've planned a massive (kinda) siege for part of a series, I've been thinking about this. My best idea was similar to one already posted, having custom graphics in the world. When entered, it's essentially a dungeon, and there's some fighting (or not), and then you move to another section. As far as formations, that really doesn't hold much use in an Avernum game. -------------------- DEMON PLAY, DEMON OUT! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 720
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written Monday, March 15 2004 13:35
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I would think that you would be able to program scripts on custom monsters so as to have them behave in a coordination that you see fit. At least, that's the impression that I've been getting... -------------------- -Daravon Posts: 104 | Registered: Friday, March 8 2002 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 3862
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written Monday, March 15 2004 13:55
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Karzoth I don't mean to say that I want every enemy you encounter in the outdoors to be set up in a perfect manner. Just a few large major battles that you may run into near the end of a game. Like say you are trying to take over a for and there is a set group there. Could you have set formations for them. Although you are right it isn't that important I just think it would add a tiny bit more of a reality bit to it and it would look kinda cool too. Of course I could just have them set up like that in like in a cave or castle of some sort, too. O well :rolleyes: -------------------- Legends tell that Avernum, Is a gateway to the underworld, from which the dead never return, Well thats a lie because im here now aren't I. -------------------------------- "Never get into a fight with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." Posts: 312 | Registered: Tuesday, January 6 2004 08:00 |
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Triad Mage
Member # 7
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written Monday, March 15 2004 14:48
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quote:This is ... pretty close to the mark. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 126
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written Tuesday, March 16 2004 10:42
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Thanks for the input, everyone! Now, another question because it doesen't feel right to start another topic so soon: Do you think there would be ANY way to make the First Aid skill useful? Tone down the kit weight, increase # of uses, increase amount of healing gained? You know, stuff like that. Or will I just have to pepper the dungeons with healing potions to help keep the player from dieing horribly? -------------------- Fly beyond the ocean, over the mountains, past the moon and across the face of the sun, never to come home again. Posts: 161 | Registered: Monday, October 8 2001 07:00 |
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Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
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written Tuesday, March 16 2004 11:18
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quote:That's kind of what Jeff does in the Avernums. In a really long dungeons with no way out, he hides a cache of healing and energy potions in a secret passage somewhere, ideally in a place where a monster might realistically keep such things. Or you could just hint to the player that the party may be stuck down there for a while ("You feel the ground shaking beneath you, as if it might give way at any second" a few steps before a trap springs that drops them down into a cave from which they must fight to escape) so that the player can know to regenerate spell points and grab potions if s/he hasn't already. Or you can have one-time healing from altars and such, another favorite of Jeff's. Or you could allow the player a way out of the dungeon so that the party can regenerate periodically. Or... well, there are many options. -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Smoo: Get ready to face the walls! Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00 |
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BoE Posse
Member # 15
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written Tuesday, March 16 2004 11:35
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What about a series on mini-battles that you bounce about from one to the other - your actions in one battle affect how the other's are going. For example, let's say you have 3 mini-battles. You start in #1. After a set period of time, you are yanked out into #2. If you've killed the "leader" of battle one, then #2 battle might be easier - the enemies are in retreat, etc. Then you are yanked into #3, who might be calling for reinforcements based on your progress in #1 and #2. The mini-battles are occuring more or less all at the same time - what happens in one affects the others. This should get around the "waiting forever for NPCs to finish up" problem, provide an exciting time for all, and simulate a large scale battle. -------------------- All that we see, or seem, is but a dream within a dream. Visit the Louvre, the BoA Graphics Database at http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/boa/louvre/ Visit Alexandria, the BoE Scenario Database at http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/boe/alexandriajs/ Posts: 653 | Registered: Thursday, September 27 2001 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 126
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written Wednesday, March 17 2004 10:51
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It is possible to let the player influence the direction of a battle in that fashion? How would it be done, though? I'm having visions of coding lessons from tech class. If The Bandit King is killed in Fight1, then enemies in Fight2 = 23. Meh. Maybe the manual that comes with BOA will outline such things. -------------------- Fly beyond the ocean, over the mountains, past the moon and across the face of the sun, never to come home again. Posts: 161 | Registered: Monday, October 8 2001 07:00 |
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Triad Mage
Member # 7
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written Wednesday, March 17 2004 12:59
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The manual that comes with BoA will outline such things. An SDF can be the death flag for bandit king and then checked later on. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Wednesday, March 17 2004 15:30
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If the battles are all in one town, you would probably cause different groups of enemies to appear depending on certain flags set by monster deaths. If you kill the bandit king, make group 1 appear. If not, make group 2 appear. You could also do it by moving the party to different towns. Say town 1 is a battlefield. A timer counts turns in town 1. If you kill the bandit leader, the timer stops and you move to town 2, which is a new battlefield with different enemies. If the timer runs out before you defeat the leader, you move to town 3, yet another battlefield. —Alorael, who is sure there are more elegant ways to do it. But those almost certainly work and don't require much effort. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |