The Beginners Guide to Encounter Making
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:47 pm
Obviously, this document will change and grow as the encounter maker does the same, but let's start with the basics.
I'm working on further input for the guide. Please post any tips you'd like to add to help new encounter makers (we're all new for the moment) or improve the overall level of encounters in the game?
Controls
(researching)
General Theory
Objects (player's ships, allies, enemies, civillians, asteriods, power ups, terrain) are placed on the map, either initially or in successive waves. A later wave will not occur if any enemy from a previous wave is still alive.
You are declared the winner when all enemy ships are destroyed.
Types of Encounters (More than one is common)
Assault (destroy all enemy targets)
Assassination (destroy a particular enemy target)
Survival (Stay alive until a time / event has occured)
Defend (keep at certain object [ship/base/other] alive until you've destroyed all enemy targets or a time / event has occured)
Escort (keep at certain moving object [ship/other] alive until you've destroyed all enemy targets or a time / event has occured)
Delivery (Move to one or more locations on the screen, staying alive until you've completed the moves or a time / event has occured)
King of the Hill (Prevent one or more enemies from occupying a location until a time / event has occured)
Modifiers-
Wave reward
You recieve ships/power ups / other good thing when you survive a wave full of enemies
Timed reward
You recieve ships/power ups / other good thing when you survive for a period of time.
Destroy reward
You recieve ships/power ups / other good thing when you destroy a certain object.
Cool Encounter Maker tricks
Delays within Waves may be put in to create varied timing (almost as if they were different waves). Each unit of 30 appears to be one second of delay.
You can easy make a battle using the 'standard' ships by using the custome made analogous ships created by TormakSaber
(inspired from the wonderful designs of th15, and others)
the thread pointing to these ships location is
http://www.wyrdysm.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1111
Tactics
Already we've seen the use of delay to lead / surround a player. Ships position and heading is key to BSF, plan for where a ship would have to be, and exploit any possible weaknesses.
Noteworthy Encounters / Hall of Fame
It's a little early to have a Hall of Fame, but since later encounters will doubtless build upon the work of earlier ones, let's recognize those who gave us fine work along the way.
Formating
Please include with your encouter, by post or text file: your name, the encounter's version number (so we may play your latest version of the encouter) the Shipmaker version number (just in case compatability ever becomes an issue), the ships used (although this could be a spoiler), and any story and/or win/lose conditions not yet enabled within the game. Some people will not like to play modded ships, other's won't care. Any information you include that lets people know the qualities of your encounter will help them enjoy it.
other
I'm working on further input for the guide. Please post any tips you'd like to add to help new encounter makers (we're all new for the moment) or improve the overall level of encounters in the game?
Controls
(researching)
General Theory
Objects (player's ships, allies, enemies, civillians, asteriods, power ups, terrain) are placed on the map, either initially or in successive waves. A later wave will not occur if any enemy from a previous wave is still alive.
You are declared the winner when all enemy ships are destroyed.
Types of Encounters (More than one is common)
Assault (destroy all enemy targets)
Assassination (destroy a particular enemy target)
Survival (Stay alive until a time / event has occured)
Defend (keep at certain object [ship/base/other] alive until you've destroyed all enemy targets or a time / event has occured)
Escort (keep at certain moving object [ship/other] alive until you've destroyed all enemy targets or a time / event has occured)
Delivery (Move to one or more locations on the screen, staying alive until you've completed the moves or a time / event has occured)
King of the Hill (Prevent one or more enemies from occupying a location until a time / event has occured)
Modifiers-
Wave reward
You recieve ships/power ups / other good thing when you survive a wave full of enemies
Timed reward
You recieve ships/power ups / other good thing when you survive for a period of time.
Destroy reward
You recieve ships/power ups / other good thing when you destroy a certain object.
Cool Encounter Maker tricks
Delays within Waves may be put in to create varied timing (almost as if they were different waves). Each unit of 30 appears to be one second of delay.
You can easy make a battle using the 'standard' ships by using the custome made analogous ships created by TormakSaber
(inspired from the wonderful designs of th15, and others)
the thread pointing to these ships location is
http://www.wyrdysm.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1111
Tactics
Already we've seen the use of delay to lead / surround a player. Ships position and heading is key to BSF, plan for where a ship would have to be, and exploit any possible weaknesses.
Noteworthy Encounters / Hall of Fame
It's a little early to have a Hall of Fame, but since later encounters will doubtless build upon the work of earlier ones, let's recognize those who gave us fine work along the way.
Formating
Please include with your encouter, by post or text file: your name, the encounter's version number (so we may play your latest version of the encouter) the Shipmaker version number (just in case compatability ever becomes an issue), the ships used (although this could be a spoiler), and any story and/or win/lose conditions not yet enabled within the game. Some people will not like to play modded ships, other's won't care. Any information you include that lets people know the qualities of your encounter will help them enjoy it.
other