The basic idea of the thread is: FTL quickly becomes repetitive after your xth playthrough. To fix this, we 'merely' need to add a couple hundred of new events. Doing this with just a few people, however, can be quite tedious and bothersome, exspecially if you need to scratch together ideas all by yourself.
That's why I'm asking you, the community, to help me out with ideas for my upcoming mod, currently work-title'd 'AW'. There are a few general guidelines I would like you to read first, though:
1. Content of Events
Trivially, the events you want to submit do need to have a plausible content. As well, it needs to be conform with the FTL-universe. Sidepuns at other famous Sci-Fi series' are allowed though. 'Reasonable' content is preferred over 'random/ludicrous' as well. We don't really need a teletubby-planet here.
As well, please refrain from submitting any events which contain
- - sexual or otherwise mature content
- - insulting, offensive or racistic material (though of course you may have a planet with foreigner-hostile attitudes)
- - names or elements of other games and brands, for copyright reasons
2. Possibility's, code-wise
Please keep in mind we're merely scripting in XML-language and are subject to the limitations of the FTL-engine. I will now list a number of features which ARE possible. If you want to do anything that's not listed here, ask beforehand, or you may waste your time designing something impossible.
- Events can have any length, consist of multiple screens or just single ones.
- Events can have any sort of text as description and/or choices.
- Events can have multiple choices attached, which lead to different results.
- A choice or a 'continue' can be linked to a list of events, from which one will be picked randomly.
- Event Choices can be 'blue' = invisible unless the player meets a certain condition (valid conditions are weapons, augmentations, systems (with specified level), crewmembers of race X).
- Events can add or subtract fuel, missiles, drones and scrap. As well they can remove RANDOMLY CHOOSEN crewmembers or add specific (even with pre-defined names) or random ones. Weapons and Augmentations can be awarded ad random or predefined, however, it is NOT possible to remove weapons or augmentations.
- Events can damage or repair the ship.
- Events can use requirements mentioned above to force a player into picking a blue choice. However, the current method only permits to check for ONE requirement per choice (if you want to test whether a ship has A and B and C, you'll need to chain up 3 according event choices).
- Events can queue up 'quests'. Quests are simply events linked to a randomly choosen sector. Upon entering the sector the 'quested' event will trigger.
- Events can influence/'lockdown' ship systems for the duration of staying in the given sector.
- Events can spawn any sort of ship with random or defined equipment/crew in hostile or neutral states.
- Events can create stores. Doing so will cause the beacon to become a new permanent 'store beacon'
First of all, do NOT post your events in this thread.
Why? Because if you do, everyone will be able to read the outcome of your event, spoilering the fun for everyone. You're free to announce you will write events here, you can discuss generic ideas here, you can ask for help here (and you can bump the thread for the sake of it). All event-submissions please go VIA FORUM PM to me.
For the generic format, I insist on proper spelling and punctuation, as well as common grammar. Noone wants to read "and theres a ship and it shoots and you shootback but boom your shield blocks the shot and now you can either kill them or show grace and loot them or take them slaves because you need more crew and".
I won't hunt you down for every slight typo, but simply take a look at FTL itself: That's the quality we want to reach as well.
If you're proficiscent with XML (and eventually the structs used in FTL's XML-files), please use this to directly write the event-code. Doing so will save me the time to convert it into the proper form.
Even if not, however, you should at least 'organize' your event. The most simple form of doing so is by using labels.
F.e. your event starts on [1], contains an intro text and then the player can choose option 1, which leads to [1a] or option 2, which leads to [1b] or a hidden option 3 (rquires mantis), which leads to [2].
Then on [1a], there's a 1/2 chance for X to happen and the player gets to [2] or Y will happen and nothing happens.
Etcetc. I will probably post an example soon to make things more clear.
4. The Mod
There is no estimated release date for AW so far. I first want to ensure the new weapon system is properly balanced and as well want to add a proper amount of events myself. Submitting events does not grant you early (beta) access to the mods.
Submitting events actually does not net you anything personally, though you will be mentioned in the credits of the mod for contributing events. As well you can have your name added to the in-game name list (the one used for randomly assigning names to crewman, which as well contains all kickstarter donators).
5. No gurantuee
Submitting an event doesn't necessaryly mean it will be implemented right into the mod. If necessary, submitted events will be modified, f.e. to fix typos or to fit the code of FTL. As well, the event may be ignored or rejected for any reason (and exspecially if it doesn't comply with the things mentioned above).
Example for a XML-formatted event:
Code: Select all
<event name="RANDOM_EXAMPLE_EVENT" unique="false">
<text>You arrive at the jump beacon and suddenly waves of strange kitchen advertisment are broadcast across your ship's speakers. It appears a spambot is upon you!</text>
<choice hidden="true" req="weapons" lvl="6">
<text>(Weapons) Blast everything around you in an attempt to kill the spambot!</text>
<event load="RANDOM_EXAMPLE_OUTCOME_1"/>
</choice>
<choice hidden="true"> <!-- Hidden='true' without requirement is the default choice syntax -->
<text>Try to ignore the spam.</text>
<event>
<text>Enraged by your ignorance, the spambot, an Auto-Scout, attacks!
<ship load="SPAMBOT_SHIP" hostile="true"/>
</event>
</choice>
</event>
<event name="RANDOM_EXAMPLE_OUTCOME_1" unique="false"> ...Code: Select all
[INTRO] You arrive at the jump beacon and suddenly waves of strange kitchen advertisment are broadcast across your ship's speakers. It appears a spambot is upon you!
Choice 1, requires Weapon Systems lvl 6:
(Weapons) Blast everything around you in an attempt to kill the spambot!
- Leads to [1]
Choice 2:
Try to ignore the spam.
- Leads to [2]
[2] Enraged by your ignorance, the spambot, an Auto-Scout, attacks!
- Spawn a hostile auto-scout.
[1]...
ummm... Grammar might not be perfect so do you want me to stare at it for a hour?