A quick survey...

LoLth

Lo all.
OK. No laughing, but I was wondering how many of you lot play Roleplaying games (yes, I do mean that satanic Dungeons and Dragons and the rest of it's infernal kind ;-) )

Every now and then My brain gets really bored with doing nothing and decides to give me a shock by coming up with an idea. Well I have an idea for a Quake mod (or Quake 2 if you prefer, I don't really care which). The thing is I know next to nothing about editing Quake or QuakeC.

So, anyone interested in hearing the idea?

J.

ButcherOfNog

aye, post it up to the board man <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">. i've messed around with the q2 source but have no intention of writing a mod, although the grenade changes i made to make a grenade explosion 20 times more powerfull was interesting, more a howitzer than a grenade launcher <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)"> (if a bit dangerous)

LoLth

OK. The idea.

Those of you familiar with roleplaying games will probably have heard about the SSI silverblades series. A mix of top down and first person AD&D adventures. They were acutally quite good!

There is also a medieval mod for quake, where you play a fighter character with sword, crossbow etc. And there is a magic mod for quake with spellcasting.

So, how about linking all three formats.

A mod that allows you to choose a character class, develope the character through experience and gameplay, interact with other characters, and play quake!

Basic description.

The general idea is, the game is mainly quake levels, say five to start with and adding more as time passes, but instead of being DM orientated it is Co- operative play driven (well sorta!). the players form groups to play the levels (or adventures or episodes if you want) gaining experience and items and money for their efforts. More than likely though someone will turn around and kill the rest of the group at the end, but if it is made as an ongoing campaign idea then that players reputation would make it very difficult to find supporters for a new quest. In between quests, hte action is text and top down graphic driven (probably set in a medieval city) where players can meet and arrange ideas with other players, people can get mugged (maybe a duel mod added on, or connection to a duel site?), political factions can arise and local government have to make decisions. I would envision the government as the ops for the game, maybe law being imposed in the form of kick-ass bots that constantly harrass the character (if he gets beaten by the bots, he is arrested and kicked from the server, if he comes back he has to avoid being seen, or he can just wait for the town council to sit in judgement - maybe once a week , where all greivances are dealt with in open (and ordered) court.)

The classes,

I would see the choices in classes as being the standard AD&D classes.

Fighter - basic, paladin, ranger
Thief - assassain, scout, cutpurse
Mage - diviner, invoker, summoner, necromancer
Cleric - war, peace, health, elements, death etc...

Of course this is because I am most familiar with the AD&D system. Maybe a completely new system would be better?

Anyway the idea is to eventually create a virtual quake community, with it’s very own virtual land and region. (Hmmm, how hard would it be to produce outdoor maps? Anyone for a bit of exploration?)
There are tons of possibilities. This is only the barest outline (and probably not very well explained) and in need of refining. Another possibility is a Sci-fi version, maybe based on GDW’s Traveller, or or Elite.

The problem,

While I can write scenarios and design (on paper) levels and city maps etc.. I know next to nothing about programming and less about QuakeC. I can probably (with practise) manage to make a quake level but I definitely need to practise.

So, there ya go.

BTW. DEV! I hear you’re a name on the Gaelcon Committee. Well as someone who was at every gaelcon from the beginning (88 or 89??) to 97 (I missed it last year, and QP), could I ask a favour? Could you ask around and see if anyone would be interested in getting in on the project?

PS. Please note. The idea of this is NOT to make any money. As far as I am concerned it is something I would like to do, or failing that would like to see done. Just to be able to say, ‘Hey! I did that! It may be sh!t but it’s sh!t that I did’.


sorry about the length. If you've read this far, GET A LIFE! HEHEHEEHEHE. <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

earthworm_jim

Hey Jas,

sounds pretty ok - I'm sure something like it'll happen eventually. It wouldn't work with any of the Quake engines (even Q3A afaik), as they aren't too hot on large levels and for the games to be immersive, they'd need truely huge maps.

Talk to Baz about it - he works in the crowd that made half-life and that uses a mid level "load" trick that could create massive levels. The hard bit in a game like that would be working out the logical gameplay rules (imagine how realistic middlearth would look if it was peopled mainly by groups of pumped-up adventurers on quests)

LoLth

good point about the size. I'll have to have a chat with Baz. (You see the Batman he brought back for Karl? Niiiiice!).

Idea, how about teleporters connecting small 'bits of level', with each teleporter leading to a random choice of say 5 bits? That way the level could be broken into many small loads (though load time would be a bit decider on this) and the randomness would up the enjoyment from replaying a scenario (though you'd have to add something that would remember the sequence used on the way in, so a group would be able to backtrack)..

Well as I said, it is only a basic idea but the whole point ofposting the idea here was so that peeps could pick at it and refine it. Maybe even be inspired to add a bit here and there.

Thanks Jim. I had thought of the random idea before (and linking rooms with teleporters rather than doors - cos I couldn't get doors to work for me!!), but I never considered level size.

LoLth

hmmm. OK. So it already exists. I knew that already. There is a roleplaying game that is pretty much what I'm talking about (single player only unfortunately) - I don't remember the name but it was immense! Mike played it for ages, until he found a bug that wouldn't let him continue!!! <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

That isn't the point though. Of course I could buy a game. Hey! If I saved for a (long) while I could probably pay someone to write the exact game I want! The point is though, I want to MAKE a game. And why not make it Quake. Yes there are other games out there, but what is wrong with making another quake mod? there may be tons of them out there already, but hey! who cares. There are thousands upon thousands of mountains so why do most mountain climbers strive to beat mount Everest, or Kilimanjaro (did they ever sort out the measuring difference?).

And before you say it, I am not saying that quake is the greatest game ever (Xcom: Apocalypse is!!! <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/wink.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=";)"> ) I just think I would like to see two genres I really enjoy come together (RPG and Quake), and if anyone else would get a kick out of creating something like this then lets hear about it. Even if it's just, 'how could you make X do Y?'.

But please, CONSTRUCTIVE, RATIONAL criticism.
no posts of 'That's a load of crap!' or 'what are you on ****wit?', at least not without valid reason (explained in hte post) and/or an alternative suggestion (that makes sense nad helps in some way)

ButcherOfNog

how about doing this with no code changes at all? with a number of clans taking part as groups of adventurers?

take all the q1 maps u want (loads of them). link up all up virtually. i.e. e1m1 has the great ocean of froth on its southern shore which neeer can b crossed as the mistic daemon of huggraghmonthadom prowls its murky depths (sorry, got carried away there). its bordered on land by e1m3 and e1m6. keep going as such till you've mapped out your game environment. then someone GM's, makes up quests etc. builds the plot and everything into it. i could go on but you see where i'm going with this? aye?

me and rev thought about doing something like this with q2, but no one was interested. a sort of "its a crime" type thing with clans as gangs controling maps as their turf. lots of oppertunities for clans working together then stabbing each other in the back etc.

LoLth

sounds good.

I would see it as more of a beginning though. A dry run. Think about it.

1. you run it with the q1 maps. People eventually want different.

2. you change to maps downloaded from the net (after getting the editor's permission - of course <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)"> )
People will think, what if we could do such and such.

3. You put in such and such. People think, hmm better but something's missing.

4. You put in everything you think could possibly be missing. People are happy. Then you realise, hey! this is completely different from what I started with. Wow! It's a TC! You are happy!

5. Then some smart little @*!!@ says, 'emmm, something's missing. I think I'll write a mod that corrects that'.

Go to step one.

However, I like your idea. COuld give me a chance to learn something about the problems with changing things. Of course, it goes without saying that the level would *have* to be played on nightmare....

2 clans meet in a dusty hall. The fight like b*astards for ages. Finally one is left standing. 2 health, 0 armour, 2 shots for the shotgun and 1 nail. He sighs in relief and musters a faint but emphatic 'woohoo!' Then the shambler walks in.....

Somewhere, someone very evil and not at all nice laughs... <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Yes, I think I like that idea....

LoLth

oops! There's me trying to be nice and not swear! sorry.

ahem, ehhh, well. A pint to the first person who can spot my DELIBERATE mistakes. I won't tell you how many there are but the first person with all of the mistakes accounted for wins.

Think that'll cover it?

ButcherOfNog

"B*astards"
the quake equivalent of
"B*witched" <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

LoLth

AHA!

I knew I could flush one of their fans out from under their rock! Et tu Noggie? Is this an axe I see before me? <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

WhiteWashMan

there is nothing wrong with b*witched. i happen to be going out with one of them (im not telling which thou!)

the idea sounds like team fortress tolkien style, ie bowman instead of sniper etc.

sounds like a smashin idea thou.

oh yea, and ultima online is available in game on grafton street in vast quantites at the mere snip of 19.99 pounds. you will never play quake or q2 again, but i believe its er, catchey (bit like a b*witched song eh?)

<IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/wwman.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT="WW)">
white(snargle-the-flange-master-raised-aloft-his-mighty-rod)wash

Hobbes

Venom mentioned UO, there is actually a game not released yet called "EverQuest" which is supposed to be the same as UO only as a First person view rather then the C&C type view you get in UO.

I haven't played the game, but if UO is anything to go by, you want to have a 180 spin script to watch your back at all times.

The problem with doing anything like this in Quake or Quake2 is that the levels are going to be seriously small for what is normally needed in a good RPG.

If I was you, I would wait for Tribes and work on creating a mod for that. The levels can be 8KMx8KM and inbetween level load time is about 15 seconds (which you dont notice anyway). That's a 30 minute walk from one end to the other.

The only real problem I can see is because you are all trapped in the one level, and you can't change level until everyone is ready the game will be pretty linear. I've never played Co-op Q2, when you change level does that force everyone to change? With UO although the dungeons load, the game is non-linear, so last time I was on with Venom there I had actually sodded off back to town while Venom was getting b1tch slapped by giant serpents <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Rev Hellfire

Tell me about it.
Last time I played ultima with venom, while I was getting mauled by a group of orc's, and a pk'er, venom was nowhere to be seen, having tea and toast with a few orc friends of his, bastarido.

Hobbes

He's quite funny to play with <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)"> He's becoming very d0oD'ish. Both of us in a dungeon smacking a few monsters around when someone wants to join us, no probs to me, but the guy kept stealing our kills and it looked like he was just waiting for one of us to die so he could loot us. So when the guy walked off Venoms all "The bastid! He stole my kill, I think I'm going to kill him, I'll see you later" then sods off <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Where bouts you hang about Rev? I have to stay on T2A in Europa all the time as the lag for me in the first lands bites. I'm luckly to walk 2 steps in the space of a minute.

Oh yea, my character hasn't been PK'ed or killed since I created it (about a month). I think that's a world record! <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Rev Hellfire

I'm at Delucia or at least whats left of me.

I'm coming over to the states again this week for a while, and cartting me PC along as well, but playing on europa will be depend on my connection. You still using the pacfic server, I might start up on that 2.

You know we must get cloud to give us a Ultima board so we can stop boring the others.

Venom

Well Nog if u decide to attack an entire orc fort on ur own dont blame me when u get fragged (I got that pker tho.90 str and a halebard and he was half dead when he attacked me,forgot to take his head tho).
Lads i have a boat in Delucia now(in a lake but I did it on purpose unlike hobbes)so uz can use it as a base if uz want to.

Venom

And Hobbes the reasion i disapered was because I took out that troll who nicked our kills and had to hide for a bit till I turned blue again <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Dr_Teeth

B'HUH??

Dammit Cloud, give them their own board! <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Teeth.

Rev Hellfire

Hee Hee <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Well it was such a fine fort, I think things really went down hill when I accidently dismounted in the middle of all them orc, but I did manage to butcher my own house as well...

And for gods sake quit calling me Nog or I'll start calling you Obi.
Rev Nogfire

Rev Hellfire

Hmm seem to be having a problem typing with this cheap keyboard

Hobbes

Venom let me know when you go red, so I can kill you and get the bounty and we'll split it <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Btw when you go red you can't ressurect until 8 real hours has passed in play time. Eg. you have to have played the game for 8 hours online as a ghost. It's ok for the US as people just leave there machine on macro the kills away, but just thought I'd warn you <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)"> So what you should do is try to steal from them, they are allowed hit you, then when they attack you are allowed hit back. Much safer <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Rev, Delucia is actually my home town I can be normally found giving away free horses to people at the bank <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)"> As for pacific I have my thief sitting in an inn in Trinsic. I gave all his gear away (wouldn't be hard to get it back).

Oh yea Venom, let me know when your on and do me up a copy of the boat key please <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)"> muppet! dropping a perfectly good boat on a lake. <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Hobbes

Rev ROFL! I did the exact same thing, only I had an oztricth (or whatever you call them) and unlike horses those things are a ***** to fight so I ended up getting chased by a load of monsters to the exit all the while my Oz was too pi$$ed off to after me hitting it to it tame again.

Venom

There is such an online rpg out and it's called Ultima Online.It has all the things that you mentioned, except using the quake engine(there is more out there than just quake lads)and then some.The game is hard to get over here but if enough ppl hassle the gimps in the various computer game shops something might be done to correct this.This game is well worth getting and words just don't do it justice.Since I got it I havent played Zelda64 or Quake2 or anything else it is that good.

WhiteWashMan

what the **** are yis talking about?

Hobbes

http://www.owo.com

Venom

Hobbes-last night some poor sod put 2.5k on the floor of the bank instead of in his bank account,so I grapped it.The shock of his loss drove the guy(whose name is Hello)nuts and he then attacked me in the bank and was diced by the town guards <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

And the moral of the story is the curse of hello can strike any where.Rev(c I known who u are)next time i say watch ur back at the orc fort,take the hint <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Hobbes

He didn't drop it by accident. It's a bug. You can't stack Gold in piles bigger then 6000, if you do the remainder gets thrown onto the ground.

He is obviously a newbie or he would of known this. Least you know he doesn't have more then 6000 in the bank <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)"> You get anything off his body when he attacked you? <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)"> The bank everyone is like gannets when that happens. One second a deady body, the next a pile of bones with 12 people standing around you checking out all the new stuff they got. <IMG SRC="http://lacerta.ucg.ie/boards/smile.gif&quot; WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT=":)">

Ronin

Oh now its mud with graphics aghhhh...

Ro.

gandalf

Ahh Cloud give em their own board......

On another note whats the connections like to connect to UO from Ireland, this could be interesting, might try it out.

Gandalf.

Cloud

New board, for UO is it? I kinda got lost in the thread there so best fill me in and make all new board requests now, we have three blank spaces left!

John.
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