1.) Hmm. 4 sounds sorta low o_O. 1.5 or 2 for each player (resulting in a total of 6 or 8, assuming 4 players) would probably appeal more to the typical open rpg player (remember, open rpgs tend to be more about variety of what the player can do than the actual storyline).
(Before you ask, I asked the question in the first place because somehow hearing someone come up with an answer I don't agree with helps me form my own opinions. It's weird o_O)
2.) Aww fizzles, are ALL of my ideas already used? Seriously, I even independently invented the scarab spellcasting system and thought it was my own unique idea until I found tutorials for it while I was searching for something... (that was a while back)
3.) Sounds pretty good, except that might make it pointless to get more armor ups, and if any enemy happened to do more than 1 damage (which undoubtedly some would, there has to be high damage low hp enemies), the hero would be toasted o_O. Hmm. I could probably do something like spellsword, assuming that the heroes were protoss (maybe I could make each hero work differently in terms of hp and such).
4.) How? The same comp can't have different ups, can it? And none of the comps will be allied to eachother (the entire point of multiple comps is to make different factions that hate eachother). Hmm. A "king" approach could work, I suppose, it's not completely out of the question to have a comp player that's allied to all the other comps (and unallied with the players) that owns bosses and such.
8.) How does the theme of the map affect the string limit? And I'm gonna have way more than 3 towns, I can assure you that right now. I'll probably have a capital for evil, a capital for good, a few (2 - 3) cities for neutral, an outpost for good, an outpost for evil, and a few scattered bases for creeps. Oh, and don't forget the alien capital

. Oh, and the players will be able to build their own completely functional cities. (Don't worry, it's not that hard to fit all this in the map, my "cities" aren't as large as the "cities" in most open rpgs are.)
9.) Hmm. Futuristic is bad for my map... I'm going for a fantasy style (with some technology and sci fi). K, I'll use jungle.
Ok, thanks for the ideas. I think I know what I'm going to do now... (It doesn't matter that I disagreed with most of your opinions as far as I'm concerned, like I mentioned earlier, hearing other people's thoughts somehow helps me form my own opinions.)
Next order of business:
Since I'm only using 4-8 heroes, I'll have to decide which hero ideas I scrap. Here's some of the ideas I can remember off the top of my head:
1.) Vampire (probably zealot or dark templar, perhaps zergling if those are unavailable)
How to obtain: Either get killed in a fight with a vampire, or commit suicide (by jumping down the Evil Waterfall). Note that you must be human or of the Light to do this, it will not work if you are already demonic/undead. Alternatively, it could possibly be a reward for running The Gauntlet (the bound thing I mentioned earlier).
Spells: a.) Shapeshifting - can only be performed inside your coffin, or at exact sunrise/sunset (within 5 seconds of the timer going out). The vampire can shapeshift into either a bat (probably a scourge bat at first, might advance to different units later), or a rat (if I have enough units to make a "rat" unit). Also, in later levels, the vampire can become a fog (dark swarm that follows some cloaked unit, perhaps a cloaked queen).
b.) Nightfall (day only) - The vampire can shift time forward during day so that night can come sooner. The amount of time you can shift forward grows as you level up.
c.) Vanish (night only) - Summons a cloaked overlord (yes it's possible), which immediately takes you up to safety. Assuming the enemy can't see the overlord, you can simply run off with it and unload yourself elsewhere (note: this spell consumes mana until you turn it off by unloading your vampire, so make sure you unload quickly).
Default Alliance: None
Other information: "Mana" represents your supply of blood. It is constantly going down, and it goes down rather fast if you are exposed to sunlight. You gain more mana from kills. Thus, as the vampire, it's important to keep on killing enemies. Also, as a vampire, you get a free coffin. Since vampires aren't welcome in very many cities (contrary to popular belief, vampires are actually at war with the darkness, due to various economical and political issues that you probably don't care about), the coffin also comes with a medic, and upgrade buildings.
2.) Carrion Worm (reaver)
How to get: Random chance of getting it after your hero dies (note that you have to be non-undead).
Spells: a.) Tunneling - moves the reaver to a separate area and replaces it with another unit (probably a faster one and an air unit, and probably cloaked), that you can move around. Cast the spell again, and your worm unearths at the location of the other unit, which then disappears. Being underground also protects you from the sun. Remember, however, that if the other unit (the one that guides the worm tunneling) dies, the worm is forced to unearth.
b.) Consume/Munch - summons a dark templar (representing the worm's teeth) for a few seconds, which does very high damage to anything it can get it's hands on. This is the worm's primary attack, and does not use mana, only a cooldown of a few seconds (building a scarab triggers the tunnel spell, so the reaver cannot launch scarabs).
c.) Regenerate - converts your corpse count (mana) into health; fully heals your worm.
Default Alliance: Dark Side
Other information: The carrion worm, much like the vampire, constantly loses mana, and loses it faster when exposed to sunlight. It's mana represents it's store of decayed material (ie, bodies), and is increased with kills.
3.) Knight (probably zealot)
How to get: Selectable at start. Alternatively, you can become one later in the game if you are nobility.
Spells: a.) Block - makes the knight invulnerable for about a second. Used to block attacks from enemies.
Default Alliance: Neutral/Light (varies)
Other information: If you've played spellsword, playing as a knight will be no problem to you. The knight's combat functions much like that of spellsword, with armor that is set every few seconds to a certain level depending on what armor you are wearing, and gaining attack ups by gaining new weapons.
3 1/2.) Paladin (same unit as knight)
How to get: You will be able to upgrade your knight into a paladin after a while.
Spells: In addition to the Block spell you had as a knight, your paladin will have:
a.) Divine Shield - just like in spellsword; a science vessel is summoned for you to use d matrix (this can also be used to see cloaked enemies).
b.) Wrath of the Light - summons a few scouts that immediately fire upon a random target, and then disappear.
c.) Holy Rage - hands your paladin over to The Light (comp), which has quite a few more ups than you probably will ever get. The comp will most likely order your knight to go on a killing spree of everything evil for a few seconds until the paladin is back under your control.
Default Alliance: The Light
Other information: The paladin has a typical mana system, in which mana constantly rises and eventually hits a max level. As usual, mana is lowered by using spells, and then it regenerates. Also note that the paladin can NOT defect away from the light (ie, by becoming a vampire, joining a neutral faction, etc), which is probably the only reason one would choose not to become a paladin.
4.) Noble (high templar)
How to get: Selectable at start.
Spells: None
Alliance: Any, although not usually Dark Side.
Other information: The noble is basically your "townsperson" hero. It does not fight, but starts out with a good sum of cash, and is able to command other units at the start of the game (also, in some places, you may be offered cheaper goods simply for being aristocracy. Society is funny that way.). Usually as a noble, you buy what you need to make more money (probably a vehicle or ship; armies are hard to come by due to the fact that you need a liscence to legally buy an army), and use it until you are able to afford a Charter to build a new town (you can build a town illegally, but it'll probably make the comp a bit angry, and you might have a hard time building with the comp constantly raiding you).
4 1/2.) King (probably aldaris, although dragoon isn't out of the question)
How to get: Either as a reward for a quest, or you can crown yourself if you own a town and enough of the people like you.
Spells: a.) Rally troops - masses all of your soldiers to your king unit. Really useful for leading large armies, although it's unlikely you'll get more than you can hotkey. Can cast for free without cooldown.
Alliance: Varies - if you were crowned king as a reward for some quest, then you are still with that faction, but crowning yourself generally makes the king of your comp faction angry.
Other information: If you were crowned as a result of a quest, you can switch back and forth from your hero and your king unit. The important thing about being king is that you can expand your town and army without permission from a comp faction. It's essentially an upgraded noble.
5.) The Corrupted Void (observer with recall graphics as it moves)
How to get: Choosable at start.
Spells: a.) The Eye - gives vision with EVERYONE. Spell slowly uses up mana until you turn it off.
b.) Possession - gives you whatever unit The Void is hovering over (does not work on most bosses). The unit must stay within a close distance to the void at first, however, the longer you control it, the farther you are allowed to go from it. To release a unit, simply move out of range. Note that if you try to control a player, you are only able to hold the player for as long as it takes for him to defeat your Mindform (the player is moved to a separate area that represents The Void's mind, and it must fight some unit there until it dies). Note that you cannot possess those who are already possessed or who are strongly attached to The Light (ie, paladins).
c.) Magic Drain - drains the lifeforce of your possessed victim. It takes the form of a few air units (possibly arbiters) that attack your unit, and the longer they are there, the more mana you regain.
d.) Paralyze - summon a dark archon, which you can use to paralyze anything.
e.) If your possessed victim has spells, you will be able to use them.
Default Alliance: Dark side. However, if you possess a member of another faction, you are able to pose as part of that faction as long as they do not discover the possession.
Other information: The Corrupted Void is your typical Omniscient Evil Being. The Corrupted Void itself is invulnerable, however, it is often forced to manifest it's power into some object, which it must keep from being destroyed. If a player finds said object, they are able to use it (usually they do not know of it's connection with Evil), and if they do, you immediately gain permanent vision with them, and if they use it long enough, you will eventually be able to begin possessing them and giving their character orders (ie, you can have it ordered to move to a certain location, you can cause them to unally other players, etc). Also, the Void uses the typical mana system (mana regenerates over time and has a max level). And yes, before you ask, this was inspired by Lord of the Rings >_<.
6.) Void Mage (defiler)
How to get: Choosable at start.
Spells: a.) Dimensional Ripple - Creates a rift in the dimension that releases dark matter (scarabs) from where you cast dark swarm. Make sure to cast these away from your units (unless I can find a way to make it so that the scarabs go to the player and still retain their AI Script).
b.) Teleportation - teleports your defiler to wherever you cast dark swarm. Does not work in certain places, ie, small buildings.
c.) Conjuring - summons some creature (probably a demon) to fight for you. Drains mana until you release the creature. Note that if you run out of mana while still controlling the creature, it turns against you.
Default Alliance: Dark Side
Other information: Has standard mana system. Also, Void Mages can perform demonic rituals (summoning particularly nasty demons into the world, or bringing a particular group some extra power from the Abyss).
7.) Wizard (tassadar)
How to get: Selectable at start. You can choose whether you are a Dark Wizard or a Light Wizard at the same time you choose your hero (they are the same unit, only different spells and alliances). Alternatively, you can get a wizard by running The Gauntlet (this will always be a Dark Wizard).
Spells: a.) Energize - restores the templar to full energy (for storming and such) at a cost of mana.
b.) Fireball - summons a unit (probably scourge bat) with explosion graphics. Move it to a target, and it spawns wraiths which fire upon the target.
c.) Summon Undead (Dark Wizards only) - summons a number of skeletons (broodlings; the amount depends on your level - high levels can conjure armies), which die out over time (due to being broodlings).
d.) Magical Flesh (Light Wizards only) - restores the wizard to full hp.
(Hmm, I need to come up with more spells for the Wizard...)
Alliances: Varies; Dark or Light
Other information: Your generic wizard class. Has typical mana system. Also, Dark Wizards can perform demonic rituals (summoning particularly nasty demons into the world, or bringing a particular group some extra power from the Abyss).
8.) Druid (zeratul)
How to get: Selectable at start. Alternatively, if you are a Wizard and defect to the Nature (creeps and such) faction, you become a druid.
Spells: a.) Entangle - summons a dark archon, which you can use to immobilize an enemy.
b.) Force of Nature - summons lurkers under your druid which can be used to attack some target (good in combination with Entangle). These lurkers disappear after a while.
c.) Natural Remedies - summons a medic that can be used either to heal you or an ally. Medic disappears after a while.
d.) Call of the Trees - awakens any nearby sleeping ents (zerg spires), which then serve you (awakened ents are archons). They constantly drain your mana, and after you run out of mana or you turn the spell off, they revert back to their sleeping form.
e.) Wolf form - druid shapeshifts into a wolf. Note that wolves cannot cast the druid's other spells, and that wolves are not usually welcome in towns that a druid would be accepted into. If an npc sees you shapeshifting, he will probably think you are a werewolf and report you as such (making the neutral and light side towns unally you).
Default Alliance: Nature (creeps), however, the druid can also usually enter neutral and light side towns.
Other information: Has standard mana system. Not much more to the druid, however, you may want to note that "Nature" and "Aliens" share a faction, so you are also allied with the aliens as a druid.
9.) Pantokrator Egg Layer (hydralisk)
How to get: Selectable at start.
Spells: a.) Lay Egg - lays an egg which eventually hatches into another alien, which goes to the Nature faction. Requires that you have an egg to place in the first place.
b.) Human form - shapeshifts your Pantokrator unit into the form of a beautiful human female. This generally allows you to walk right past the neutral faction, which would attack you otherwise.
c.) Hijacking - takes control of a nearby vehicle. If you're a high enough level, you'll even be able to steal vehicles from other players.
Default Alliance: Nature faction; also, it's human form can interact with neutrals.
Other information: As this hero, you will spend most of your time in vehicles, particularly your spaceship. Also, for those who are wondering, "pantokrator" is Greek or something for "almighty."
9 1/2.) The Spaceship (Infested Command Center); will probably get a better name later
How to get: You get into it as the Pantokrator Egg Layer
Spells: a.) Thrusters - summons a queen, which the spaceship follows for quick movement. Constantly drains the ship's energy while in use.
b.) Gun turrets - gives player control of scouts (or whatever) that can be used to shoot a target. Drains energy until turned off.
c.) Shields - summons a bunch of cloaked units that are constantly moving to the ship. While turned on, these make the ship and all it's components invulnerable. However, they use up energy, and they subtract a good chunk of energy when they die (they immediately come back however).
Default Alliance: Nature faction
Other information: Very similar to the "gear" in the map Astrogears. The main purpose of this craft is to traverse the Icy Black (space), although it can also be used for combat, particularly once you buy it more weapons and such.
10.) Spy (probably cloaked civillian, possibly dark templar)
How to get: Selectable at start.
Spells: a.) Hijacking - (same as the Pantokrator Egg Layer's "Hijacking" spell)
b.) Cut Power - use near a generator to cut off the power of an entire town. This disables defences and most detectors.
c.) Disguise - disguises your spy as another unit, allowing you to sneak past comps by pretending to be one of them.
Default Alliance: usually Dark Side
Other information: The spy's activities throughout the game are mostly quests given by it's comp faction, which usually involve infiltrating an enemy town and doing something. Like the Pantokrator Egg Layer, it is good with machines and can adapt to most vehicles with ease.
11.) Psycic Warlord (cloaked dragoon or cloaked ultralisk, or maybe cloaked archon; yes, it's possible. Also comes with a corsair)
How to get: Selectable at start.
Spells: a.) Neurodisabling - summons a dark archon which you can use to paralyze opponents.
b.) Teleportation - teleports your unit to wherever you casted d web. Cannot be used in certain places, ie, small buildings.
Alliances: Haven't decided yet, probably None.
Other information: Mainly a brute strength character. Has standard mana system.
12.) Solbeast Monster (ultralisk)
How to get: Selectable at start.
Spells: a.) Sunbringing (night only) - turns the timer forward, closer to day (the amount by which it goes forward depends on your level).
b.) Focused Energy (day only) - releases your solar energy in the form of archons, which you can use to attack whatever. The archons drain your energy until you turn the spell off.
c.) Sunshine (day only) - summons a medic that can be used to heal you or your allies (although you probably won't have any).
d.) Force of Sol - summons mutalisks, which strike your enemy and then disappear.
Default Alliance: None.
Other information: Essentially an anti-vampire. It gets it's own Solbeast Keep (similar to a vampire coffin), which protects it from the negative power of the Moon. It also has upgrades and a free medic, as most towns do not welcome Solbeast Monsters (admit it - if you saw a huge, shiny looking monster running towards your town, and you didn't know what it was, would you let it in?).
Those are most of my ideas for heroes... I think I may have forgotten a couple... anyways, which ones do you think I should get rid of?
EDIT: Sorry, this took so dang long to type (I didn't type it all in one interval either XD), I only saw Rockz post. Hang on, I'll reply to the other posts.
EDIT2:
For question 1, I'd say as many as you possibly can. Like 15. That way the map has more replay value. I don't know why you would want less.
Because there's a limited amount of units I can use. If I made 15 heroes, that'd mean there would be 15 less units that I could use for creeps, NPCs, etc. (It would also mean that I would have to balance 15 different characters to be roughly equal in how fun they are to play)
EDIT3: Hmm, thanks UnholyUrine, I think that all made sense... (As for the guy a couple posts before him, he was too vague >_<. For example, telling me to make the default terrain I start my map with the same terrain that I want to be the most common on the map doesn't really help much... I asked what terrain should make up the majority of my map XD.)
Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Jul 23 2009, 7:17 pm by Jesusfreak.
None.