Plan for content development

[svenskmand]

To get things more steam-lined, and make it easier to know what we should do, I suggest we make a precise development plan for the content. There are allot of questions we need to decide before we can start making the content the first is factions vs. an alignment system. I have compiled three lists of what I would suggest for a development plan for the game content. For creatures the plan should be:

1) Should we go for factions or an alignment system?

1*) If we should chose the faction system, we would have to sort out which kinds of specialty each of the factions should have.

2) We should decide on exactly which creatures we should have, for each faction (if we go with factions) or for each alignment (if we go with the alignment system) These descriptions should include a textual description of the creature and preferably some pictures from a google search showing how the creature could look (think of this as you find pictures of creatures where there is some part you like, so our creatures must combine these features from each picture)

3) When we have decided for a exact list of creatures and descriptions of them, we would need concept art (sketches) so we can all agree on the visual look of the creatures.

4) Once this is settled we can get on with modeling the creatures.

5) Then we finally need to create the voices for the creatures.

Here is some of my comments to each of the steps above:
1) Right now we have factions and I think that is a good direction, but I am open to the other suggestion, but for that to work we would need a more precise definition of how the logic of the game world should be, that is; why is there different keepers?, what is their goals?, etc. to make a "water-proof" story which we can then rely on when we design creatures, rooms and traps.

1*) Right now Bodsda and I have made some backstory which defines the internal story-logic in the game (that is how creatures and objects came into existents and what their purpose is).

We need to do similary for the rooms and the traps/doors, for the rooms I suggest we do this:

2) Description of which rooms there should be, with google search pictures that could give an impression of textures and colors we should use in the rooms, or even pictures of rooms where there are elements that we like to have.

3) Concept art (sketches) which we agree on.

4) Then we model them.

5) Finally we make sounds for them.

For traps we also need to decide on a system for setting triggers for the traps, I really liked the system from Evil genius, where you could go into a special trap mode and then connect you traps where traps are nodes in a graph and triggers are edges. For the traps we again have:

1) Decide on trap trigger system.

2) Description, google search with pictures

3) Concept art

4) Do modeling

5) Sounds

Now these tree lists can be worked on independently but they should be done in the internal ordering of each list. Such that all 1)'s are done before any 2)'s, and so on.

Edit: When we agree on the development plan I will put into the wiki page Progress Reports and keep it updated as we go along.

[svenskmand]

So any opinions about the plan? I think we should get the issue about factions vs. alignment-system fixed first, what does you all say?

[Skorpio]

The problem is that it's not really clear how exactly the faction or alignment systems would look like. There are only some rough suggestions. If you wanna discuss them, I think we should stick to this thread: viewtopic.php?f=37&t=246 And I'd wait with the backstory till we have made some decisions.

Your suggestion for the development plan looks ok. However, I think we shouldn't plan too far ahead and focus on the next release instead. BTW when should we release the next version and what features should be added? What I really want at the moment are functional animations.

[svenskmand]

The problem is that it's not really clear how exactly the faction or alignment systems would look like. There are only some rough suggestions. If you wanna discuss them, I think we should stick to this thread: viewtopic.php?f=37&t=246 And I'd wait with the backstory till we have made some decisions.

Yes, this thread is only for discussing what we should proceed with, not HOW we should proceed, that is for other threads like the one you linked to.

Your suggestion for the development plan looks ok. However, I think we shouldn't plan too far ahead and focus on the next release instead. BTW when should we release the next version and what features should be added? What I really want at the moment are functional animations.

I think it is fine to get the animations in place. But I think we should not put too much work into models until we actually have decided on which creatures, rooms and other stuff should definitely be made, else we would have done allot of work in vein :S

To get the technical stuff to work, I suggest we use some content/models - from one of the free game art sites - for testing, and play-testing stuff, while we decided on the actual content of OD.

But regarding the alignment vs. factions questions, I would like to hear some more ideas form the proposers of the alignment system, as I have not idea of how the game would be using that.

Regarding the factions idea I have a very clear idea of how many of the things should be, so I might be a good idea to writ these down. We could devote the wiki to this, such that the factions party work on their idea in there, writing it up, and the alignment party could do the same in the wiki. That way we would have a clear definition of what the two ideas are. Anybody that likes this suggestion?

[TheAncientGoat]

In my eyes, the faction system would be more artwork intensive, and balance intensive if you want to make the factions be anything more than just the same units with different skins. An alignment system would mean that you have 1 pool of creatures, smaller than the combined amount of 4 different factions of creatures. Each creature can be as individual as you want, without regard for "is this balanced compared to the other 3 factions' creatures". Adding creatures to this pool is way easier too, because in a faction system, if you want to add 1 creature to a faction, you have to give each faction an equivalent bonus. This gives the artists more freedom, and thus makes it a more attractive projects for artists to contribute for, and makes it easier for us to grab creatures from other free art resources.

Currently, we don't have enough models to support a faction system

Also, it is easy to switch from an alignment system to a faction system once you have enough creatures. You could even implement a faction-like system by using the Avatar/Keeper system that has been suggested (you choose a character to play as that biases your alignment). The play-style code that is needed to support an alignment system would also really benefit a faction system (creature happiness and the like)

I also think the current backstory would be usable in an alignment system, just like backstories fit in in any openworld-sandbox-rpg type game.

All a faction system does is duplicate work, and pidgeonhole you into a limited set of play styles for that faction.

[svenskmand]

Please use this thread for a discussion for/against factions and the alignment system. I have quoted you post in that thread.

[xahodo]

Wouldn't it be better to let scripts handle the mechanics of how the different parties work? This will allow for factions and alignment systems, but also for anything in between.

It also takes burden away from the developers, in this regard that a default plan can be provided and if somebody doesn't like it he can go all haywire using scripts. On top of that, a modding community can be very helpful.

There are enough scripting languages available for use in game, so that shouldn't be much of a problem.