More to the point, when you guys create plugins, which do you do first the coding for the planets and such, or the storyline and text.

I'm a born procrastinator. The only way I am going to get my little ol' project done is by jumping in head first. But I have been putting that off

So, from you experienced folk, which should I get down on papaer first?

Thanks

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Only when space is rolled up like a piece of leather
will there be an end to suffering,
apart from knowing God.
--Svetasvatara Upanisad, VI 20

Ideally, you should have a plotline (which the missions are based upon) already developed before you ever even open up ResEdit. Once you have the storyline, however, I think you should work on the actual filler of the plugin; that is, all the ships, weapons, planets, systems, düde/përs resources, etc. Missions can be hard to test, so you should have as much other stuff set as you can get (ie: you could test a mission that calls some enemy ships against you, then later on down the road, you could accidently change those ships so that they're much harder to defeat, and then you'd have to test the mission again).

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Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
More to the point, when you guys create plugins, which do you do first the coding for the planets and such, or the storyline and text.

You should have at least a basic plotline in place before you start work on the resources at all, and you can then probably make planets and maybe ships and outfits. You should have a pretty detailed plan by the time you get to the missions.

Quote

Originally posted by Vast Deathmaster:
Which came first, the chicken or the egg

The egg, naturally.

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David Arthur
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(This message has been edited by David Arthur (edited 07-01-2002).)

Quote

Originally posted by EVula:
**Ideally, you should have a plotline (which the missions are based upon) already developed before you ever even open up ResEdit.
**

(I think this is the most important ingredient you need before starting a plug. In my humble opinion, o' course.)

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Kalos: IRC alter-ego.
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If you're going to create a plugin with missions in it (that have definite connections from one to the next), then you HAVE to know the plot of the plugin before you start anything. In other words, you have to know your destination before you start on the journey.

Matrix

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"Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool."

Since you are going to have to write the story plot line, might as well start breaking it down to key points of events once you have it all down. Then break it even further to the point where you are now writing the actual missions, you know, the text you encounter in desc resources. This way, at least you can see what you're doing so you can make any necessary editing before you finally copy and paste each text segments into their own desc resources.

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Nosumus Fortiolis Quad Volimus

Quote

Originally posted by David Arthur:
**The egg, naturally.

**

I agree 100% with that statement. Animals laid eggs long before chickens even existed. Think Dinosaur™.

Back to topic (sort of, well, it was mentioned): Testing. Testing can be difficult. It would be nice if you could get others to test for you, wouldn't it? Well, there is a source of (url="http://"http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/webboard/Forum9/HTML/003091.html")Plug-in Beta Testers(/url) available to help (sign up in that topic if you want to test plugs). You just need to sell them on the project first. These testers don't just do testing for any plug.

Back to topic (for real now, I swear): I like to start with an idea, then determine what kind of resources and/or graphics I'll need to get it done. I tend to start with base-level resources like gövts, then work my way up the ladder. Starting with resources that don't call on other resource types is always a good place to start. When you're halfway through a project and realize you need to go back and assign governments and düdes to five dozen systems and spöbs, you'll understand why ;).

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Quote

Originally posted by David Arthur:
**The egg, naturally.

**

Of course, because a Hen is the Eggs way of making another Egg.
Duh!

~Belisarius

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I always have a plot worked out (but not written out) before I start. I then design (in this order) the Governments, Weapons, Outfits, Ships, Dudes, Fleets, Persons, Systems, Missions, Intro Text.

And yes, I think it's pretty obvious the egg came before the chicken, although a chicken/predecessor of chicken hybrid probably laid the egg.

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Hand me the gun and say that again.

Quote

Originally posted by Zax:
**I always have a plot worked out (but not written out) before I start. I then design (in this order) the Governments, Weapons, Outfits, Ships, Dudes, Fleets, Persons, Systems, Missions, Intro Text.

And yes, I think it's pretty obvious the egg came before the chicken, although a chicken/predecessor of chicken hybrid probably laid the egg.

**

The more elaborate the plug, the more back-filling becomes inevitable. The concept is paramount, but even that will evolve through mock-ups and testing. That said, the govt-weap-outfit-ship-dude-fleet-mission order works well in most circumstances. I happen to like roughing out the systems early on, but I don't detail the spobs until dudes and outfits are in.

---

A similar question exists with mitochondrial DNA. Seemingly, the first "cells" formed a symbiotic relationship with a completely different DNA-based "life-form" -- mitochondrial DNA may be older than the DNA that is the base of every other living structure on Earth.

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"I know the stranger's name."
Turandot

I often change some spöbs after the mďsns are made (or as they are made). And not just the dëscs for them either.

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