Question about combat/cutscenes

[MikeyTWolf]

NS pre-order, so no idea if this has been discussed before, didn't wanna search for fear of becoming a thread necromancer yadda yadda.

I was just thinking, mostly due to boredom, of a few miscellaneous missions that might exist in OG and wondered about the techniques and tools used to produce a good quality version (not that I'm actually likely to make them since I haven't got any skill, or time, to do much). I then realised that I don't know how advanced OG is compared to Lugaru besides the fact that you now have a real map editor, which in itself is apparently a godsend (again, not that I actually tried anything).

My mission idea was as follows, using inspiration from games a la Assassin's Creed style.

- Locate a messenger outside of restricted area
- Isolate him, then defeat him
- Animated custcene ensues, possibly changing slightly based on how the fight carried out
- Find instructions for password/hand signs in order to access restricted area through dialogue with guards
- Go sneak some shit up.

Now I'll digest this idea and come up with questions related to problems you'd encounter in Lugaru or simply curiosity about specific knowledge I haven't read anything about yet.

Firstly, in Lugaru you had the constant set-piece mission segments, where you'd warp in, fight, then warp again a few feet to have dialogue before fighting again, often losing weapons/items and stuff you broken/left lying around reset based on the mapper's design. This could count up to about 4 levels just for the one mission, so could it be possible now to have simple scripted missions that can spawn/destroy enemies/entities as when needed as opposed to having everything possible spawned as one entire level?

Next, if I was to create a cutscene in Lugaru, not only would it be static with everyone standing up (usually, body-snatchers style) (which would now appear to be resolved thanks to animation editor) but as shown above, everything would be fixed and linear. Might it be possible so that the cutscene changes on whether you battered the messenger with your fists or slashed him up with your knife? i.e. he would either die in your arms telling you to get lost (killed by permanent damage) or he'd refuse to answer so you coup de grace him (knocked out, then killed in cutscene).

Thirdly, is it now possible to have some grey areas between "Hippy fest" and "Helms Deep"? i.e. not everyone will totally flip out unless you meet certain conditions beyond "stab to face" and "I see you" rules? i.e. You must be in the restricted area without clearance from the guards in order to become diced to giblets, with the exception of stabbing them in the face first.

Lastly, would it now be possible to play simple custcenes using simple scripting so the player can perform password/hand-sign animation without having to delve into "Wall-O-Text" mode? i.e. you'd run up to the guards, perform the animation and then, assuming they can see you do it, have the guards move out the way and change their behaviour so they'll let you into restricted areas?

If these examples may now be possible in OG, then please explain what techniques may be used in order to accomplish this, preferably without external coding, plugins or mods that don't come with the official suite of tools. Thanks.

[wiweeyum]

Well, to be honest, no one really knows the answers to your questions... because those things have not been implemented and shown off yet. Pretty much what we have the ability to do currently is make sweet looking levels (either by piecing things together from pre-made props, or by importing your own models), and make custom animations (which is still in its early stages).

One thing I know though is that we have access to every single tool they're using for scripting, animating, level editing, etc. They've been putting a lot of emphasis on flexibility by using JavaScript, CSS, and Angel Script. So my guess is that everything you're asking will be possible. It's just, possibly, going to take a lot of work.

My suggestion? Flesh out your ideas and start dorking around with the tools. I'd also suggest reading through the blog... like read through the blog... every single one. You'll come out smarter than when you went in. I can't begin to describe the gems hidden within those pages. Here's the first one so you can go through chronologically:
http://blog.wolfire.com/2005/01/turner-concept/

Good luck mate!

[TheBigCheese]

Lol. Just realized no one had replied to a month-old help thread.

Shape up guys!

[Blorx]

Lol. Just realized no one had replied to a month-old help thread.

Shape up guys!

Agreed. Someone could have at least said there was no news long before this, heh.

[Wilbefast]

MikeyTWolf: the answer to all your questions is "almost certainly". These features haven't been confirmed because they're so basic that nobody would get excited about them.

Lugaru differentiates between dead and unconscious enemies, and Overgrowth will too - you will have access to this information at the very least, and be able to manipulate it with scripting. Lugaru may have hacked things around a lot, but reloading the level ever 5 minutes is not at all practical when they're that big and complicated, so the ability to add and remove agents and items is pretty much guaranteed (not so for static objects with pre-calculated shadows). It should be possible to detect proximity, and ray-cast, as well as simple AI scripting (move to X) once the AI is done.



All told the devs are trying to make this as mod-friendly as possible, and games as old as the original Starcraft have had the power to do all these things - I wouldn't worry about it.

About scripting.
Almost everything there is to know about Overgrowth.