I'm working on a TC thats based on an alternate reality where Rome never fell. I posted it a long time ago here, and I have a thread running on the EVN board. (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/webboard/Forum26/HTML/008499.html")http://www.AmbrosiaS...TML/008499.html(/url)
If anyone's interested, I could use help.
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"We must look forward to the future, and past- to the back,"
Dan Quayle
"If it wasn't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college,"
anonymous
Can I make a suggestion about your phasing?
First, create graphics for one world, one outfit, one ship and one weapon and test them to make sure they are sound. Also create one of each of the other kinds of resources.
Then write the missions.
Every time you need a new world, outfit, ship or weapon in order to make the mission work, create it by duplicating your existing resource and then modifying the details. Do the same thing with systems. Write the descs for these to suit the missions, but don't do any more graphic work until your missions are pretty much complete.
After you've done all this, you should have a coherent set of worlds, ships, outfits and weapons and other stuff with tight descriptions. You'll probably also have a mental picture of what each thing should look like.
Then make the graphics for the stuff you've done.
Only when you've done all that, have a look at how many outfits, ships, worlds etc you have. If it's sufficient to make an EV sized game, then you've finished and can start alpha testing (that's when you play through it a few times) and tweaking for perfection. After that you can get some friends to beta-test.
If you discover that you don't have enough stuff, then fill in the gaps - for what the player can buy, maybe four light freight types, four heavy types, four lightly armoured trade/warships, four heavily armoured warships, and what ever each government needs. Then fill in the gaps with outfits and weapons so that the ships are varied and entertaining.
For filling in the Systs and Spobs, it's probably best to infill rather than creating vast tracts of universe which the missions never take you to. These are boring and frustrating because, having got there, the player discovers that there was nothing worth discovering that moved the plot on.
For additional missions, come up with some nice sub-threads which begin at various points in the plot.
Once you've made a universe big enough to be a good game, fill the rest of the slots that Nova has used with Null resources - that's resources with at least one field which makes it impossible for that resource to become active in your game. That way you will prevent the Nova stuff creeping in and spoiling your look and feel.
Finally, when you've done all that, tweak the interface to taste.
I say this because we've had literally tonnes of developers (assuming the average developer to weigh about 10 stone under Earth gravity) who have started out on TCs by creating a vast web of worlds with an array of ships, weapons and outfits, but who then get stuck on the missions. Putting the missions first will mean that you can guide the player to explore far more of your galaxy as well as leading them through your most interesting and novel ships.
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M A R T I N T U R N E R
(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evo&category;=plugins&display;=downloads&file;=FrozenHeart104.sit.bin")Frozen Heart(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evo&category;=plugins&display;=downloads&file;=FemmeFatale.sea.bin")Femme Fatale(/url)
(url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/dl-redirect.pl?path=evo/plugins&file;=Frozen Heart - the No.hqx")Frozen Heart - the Novel(/url)
What do you want help with? You'll find if you say exactly what you want its easier for people to respond. Its better to have one or two responses for what you actually want then to have half a dozen replies for something you have already done.
Also this topic (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/webboard/Forum9/HTML/003196.html")http://www.AmbrosiaS...TML/003196.html(/url)
has a long list of plugin designers who may be able to help you.
If you have something specific you want help with then send me an e-mail and I'll give you a hand. Unfortunately I won't be able to take a full time place due to the 6 projects I'm working on at the moment and all my sporting and school commitments but I can probably lend a hand for a while. Good luck
-Starbridge42
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Hey! If I want cheesey poofs, I'll get cheesey poofs!
-Eric Cartman Law Enforcer
"Respect my Authorita!"
Thats good advice guys, I really appreciate it. As for the help I need, its pretty much in any department, but especially graphics and any nitty gritty stuff. I can write up the missions fairly well, and have a general idea. And there's no worry about me creating a huge universe that I can't fill, I wouldn't have the patience for that. 
Edit:
And I won't start this for a few weeks while I make the move to college and get my new computer (assuming I don't give up... again).
Oh, and I always did want to read the Frozen Heart novel, yipee!
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"We must look forward to the future, and past- to the back,"
Dan Quayle
"If it wasn't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college,"
anonymous
(This message has been edited by ZPhyrstar (edited 08-26-2003).)
Quote
Originally posted by Martin Turner:
**Can I make a suggestion about your phasing?
<SNIP>
I say this because we've had literally tonnes of developers (assuming the average developer to weigh about 10 stone under Earth gravity) who have started out on TCs by creating a vast web of worlds with an array of ships, weapons and outfits, but who then get stuck on the missions. Putting the missions first will mean that you can guide the player to explore far more of your galaxy as well as leading them through your most interesting and novel ships.
**
I can back him up on this! With The Ages Trilogy , the now-vaporware plug that myself, Quantum Transcendence, and BariSaxGuy5 were working on, we started by coming up with all sorts of cool ideas for ships, weapons, outfits, and systems, and then started having a hard time putting them together. I may end up reviving it eventually (which is why all the resources are still on my HD), but prospects aren't looking too good right now.
However, note that this approach may actually work with a non-TC plug. We downsized the plug to a simple addition of one of the TAT storylines to one of the EVN storylines (you'll find out which one whenever I release it). The ships, weapons, and outfits were pretty set from the beginning, and although at first I had a hard time trying to find a place for it to fit, I've found its little niche and am progressing rather well.
The thing about having all the "stuff" done first is that it gives you a framework in which to create the missions -- the universe should not be tailored to the missions; the missions should be tailored to the universe. But too strict a framework will strangle you.
Computer class is starting now, so I really must go...
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Suddenly, the little scoutship disappeared and then reappeared right behind the alien warfleet. The gravitic ship's captain hailed the armada. "You are going to be destroyed, but I will give you a choice as to how you want to spend eternity: big pieces, little pieces, or quarks?"
Dead silence.
"Quarks it is, then."
