Here's a few questions I have: Green = Answered, Yellow = Unsure - input needed, Red = Need answers

1. I place Zerg Egg on the map in editor for player 9, will it stay there throughout the duration of my game under normal circumstances?
There shall be Zerg Eggs placed for player 10 throughout my map. These represent Chests - whose contents may be acquired via attacking.

2. How does one make a dropship system? Wiki is noobin me on this one.
Fair enough, not yet sure how this will be implemented.

3. How do I change the value of a mineral patch via triggers?
Answered, but on second thought, I don't know if this will be required.

4. I want to make a complex equipment system with Weapon, Armor, and Accessory. What is best method?
My map will feature equip-able items: Armor and Accessory. Input on methods still appreciated.


5. I want to have spells purchasable and then equipt to spell slots for use. Will this be too complex for the average player?
Of course it is >< I will need to construct a tutorial.

6. Has anyone ever seen a method similar to Diablo2's Town portal pulled off in a SC map? (It's where allies can enter the portal, but it will dissapear once you enter it from town.)
It has been done =) So, it won't be an issue to come up with a way myself to do a similar system.

7. What are some cool things people would want to buy in a shop in an RPG? (So far I have consumable items, materials, weapons, accessories, armors...)
Players will be able to purchase Consumable items, Raw Materials (used in alchemy, equipment), and Accessories.

8. What are some good examples of SC RPGs where a team travels the land and ultimately defeats a giant boss at the end?

9. What is the best way to do a stash system? (Stash from Diablo2) How can I best combine this with a dropship system used for items carried on you?

10. What is the best way to go about alchemy or transmuting system in a SC RPG?

11. Chests are placed in set areas among the land. What's better, random contents? or pre-determined contents?
I have decided to take this shit to the maximum level and make dynamic randomized chests, with some pre-determined ones thrown in.

12. What is the idea party size in a co-operative SC RPG?
We are leaning toward 4... Any other opinions?

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Jun 4 2009, 7:38 pm by Norm.

I'm just answering the ones that I know or that seem obvious, rather than guessing at the others:

2. A ground only location under a dropship. When a certain unit is detected at that location, load it into the dropship and perform whatever action.

3. Action: Modify Unit Resource Amount

5. Who cares. But with the prevalence of Temple Siege, if you make it similar to that you shouldn't have any problems.

6. No, but I don't think it would be hard at all. Just have separate locations for each player's portal and remove it when the player who owns the portal brings a unit to it in town, after warping him.

7. Mercenaries. Not useless ones, but not overly powerful ones. They should be expensive but able to be healed, so that they serve a purpose but don't become just an army for you to use. Pay over time would be cool, albeit difficult.

8. My favorite RPG has always been Alamara RPG 0.55, it was never finished entirely but a big boss at the end was the ultimate goal, and it wasn't overly long or drawn out, and was based on objectives. I'd upload it but the DLDB isn't working, so just google for it.

9. Don't bother with a stash, items can't be made that versatile in SC without a ridiculous amount of work, so generally players will just use whatever weapon is the most powerful.

10. Avoid it at all costs. The most I would put up with is combining a certain mineral or something to improve a weapon, giving me the hero unit or some added effect. Maybe adding one mineral to a sword makes it lifesteal, another gives it extra damage, etc.

11. Random, if you expect your map to have any replay value whatsoever. Given the indicated scale of the RPG, though, I doubt that's the case and so predetermined fair values would be better.

12. 3-4 people. 4 is pushing it, can work if it's not hard to continue if one leaves, though.

Good luck.

Yes, unless you kill or remove or do whatever else to it.


Read the wiki again, you detect when a unit drops out, use the AI to order it back in, and run the spell.


Set Resources


vHP, look it up in the wiki


Most likely, yes, but I'm sure with a decent tutorial they can figure it out.


Disable the trigger for entering..?

You should play it again and think about this answer...
I wasted 30 minutes on this crap always telling myself:
"the final boss, the final boss, the ultimate goal, the ultimate goal, i wanna see him, i wanna see him..."
I even told people that played with me to stay till we find him. It was impossible, even if i would get a free entrance ticket to Disneyland with a free flight to it and 2 nights in the best Hotel they have, with the girl of my choice, i would not play this map again.

did i say that, of course i would.

Edit :
For the answers to the questions 4,7,7,7,8,9,10!,11,12 maybe you wanna have a look on my map Hero of the Land

Edit 2 :
I just wanted to make sure i don´t get missunderstood here...
Plz dont upload Alabugmara RPG to the DL Database, especially not Version 0.55, I hope there are not too many Versions more out there.
Let me think...
If there is 0.55 there is possibly at least 9 more Versions of it...
OMG.

Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Jun 4 2009, 7:40 am by r00k.

Yep. There's a Diablo II Act IV map somewhere in the DLDB which has Town Portal scrolls.

Thank you everyone so far, but there are still questions to be answered. The first post shall become edited.

Spellsword. Most ORPGs. Mage RPG. Etc...

Gateway hotkey. Four Item 'packs'. Rotate between each pack, and make unit sizes in dropshop accordingly.

- Not in combat.
- Decent alchemy skills.
- Actual equipment.
- Make Alchemy a mini game.

All of your questions can pretty much be answered via spellsword rpg. Either use osmap or trigger viewer to take a peek.

Oh, I didn't want to use that RPG as a reference because I didn't find it be be particularly interesting =/

Wow seriously?? That's probably (one of) the most renowned sc rpgs. Well even if you didn't find it interesting, its triggers and methods are still a good reference.

The storyline was blatantly obvious, but it still had the generic fun of killing random stuff.

___________________________________
|For the questions that needed answers|

8) SpellSword RPG
Spells RPG II by BearCat fan

9) I've always Liked the "You have a box surrounded by unwalkable terrain, full of units" It's elementary, but it works, it's easy to see what you've got quickly, and you can take any number of things and use them quickly. Dropships just complicate things, and they have limitations + inflexibility issues, like speed at which you use items, (There's a delay), you can't see everything you have by looking at it, you are limited to 8 items (at the most for 1 dropship)
However, if you absolutely insist on being stubborn, I suggest you have a system where you have Shuttles or Overlords instead of Dropships. I've heard testimonials that they are faster from people on B.Net. I would suggest using a number (You decide on the spacious issue) for the equipment one picks up, and then use a seperate 1 for potions + scrolls.


10) SpellSword RPG has a GREAT Alchemy System.
Also, you can look at the Casting System for WAF or Medieval Battles too. WAF has good combination control, Medieval Battles has a combo system controlled by medics, pretty neatly organized. Check them out, you might be able to incorporate something like that into your map.


_______________________________________
|For the questions that you're unsure of|

2) Simple, don't use one.

4) How many pieces of equipment are we talking here? If you're going with 4 (Preferably) or 5 (Still works) main core items to wear, (Helmet, Armor, Sword, Shield, Gloves), then you can use a Starport. Each unit you build would scroll through the list of items you have for that category. For example, if you have 4 Helmets; A, B, C, D, and you Want C, you'd build 3 Dropships to get there, and you'd do the same thing for each and every unit, and then "Set it" by building either the fifth unit or lifting the starport.

12) 4 Usually tends to be good, unless you have a map that requires some real hard-core decision making. If you do, you may want to make it an odd number so the party can rule on majority vote. 3-5 are the ideal numbers. 3 is easier for you to map with, 5 is harder, but it may make the game more enjoyable, especially if someone leaves.

Thanks, oh and Pyro you obviously haven't seen my spell system from CW Tactics. It's far more effective than any spell combo system in other maps i've played.

8. What are some good examples of SC RPGs where a team travels the land and ultimately defeats a giant boss at the end?
Death Knights 3, Spellsword, Rush. Most RPGs have boss battles at the end. I know mine will.

10. What is the best way to go about alchemy or transmuting system in a SC RPG?
Spellsword has a system like that, look at that map.

Unless you want to create them, preplaced resources will work (gas cube etc)
Wiki is noobin you? Look up selection systems. There are numerous ways to achieve this, I personally prefer a gateway/starport to dropships.
Note that you can't subtract/add. To do that you need a DC and a set resources action for each viable number.
Simple things work best: Use the built in armor system. Protoss shields (constantly set to a value) do well to stop two frames worth of damage.
Just be careful. Don't make it too crazy. Rush is about the limit on craziness.
It's simple. All you need is to create two powerups for the player. One in town, one at the location you cast. You may want to input a selection system (ie yes/no, enter portal/building) so that people don't accidentally enter somewhere they really don't want to go. It's as simple as making a zealot, then removing the zealot when you enter the building. If you make 2, it removes them both.
Make sure they are mildly useful. A lot of the time there's little to no point.
That's sort of the point of ALL RPGs. I'm not sure what you're looking for here.
This should be kind of self explanatory. Anything IN your dropship is your inventory. Anything in a different location is your stash. When you walk up to the stash, move the dropship to the stash location. When you walk away, move the dropship back. That way you can load up what you want. You have 3-4 transports at your disposal if you want to use them for different things. For example, a shuttle could be your armor, and an overlord could be your weapon (switch). A bunker could be potions, and a dropship can hold ANYTHING.
Copy oblivion or something. Make a shop where you can rent a mortar and pestle.
Randomization is tiring at times.
4 is a decent size. 2 is stupid. 3 is just 1 away from 2. 5 has an asshole. 6 has 2 assholes. 7 is ridonculous. 8 has no computer players.