Ambrosia Software Web Board: How to make a branching plot... - Ambrosia Software Web Board

This idea can be used by any one else if they want simply because I have no way of stopping it but if some one does use it I would appreciate if they did not use it for a Star Trek/starwars/b5 type thing and did a good job.

It is well known that Ares can not handle branching plots. But there is a way around it. The first scenario lets say is given: you start out having to launch an attack against a Catharian heavy shipyard. After destroying the shipyard and its defences you get a typical Ares scrolling text thing that gives you a bit of the plot and some information and then at the bottom says:

You have the option of:
staying in the system to defend from counter attack (ch 2)
attacking the ore proccessing ship which warped to a near by system when you attacked (ch 3)
or making a surprise attack on one of the Catharian home systems (ch 4)
lets say you choose the surprise attack. In the mission you capture the planet but right after you do that a huge Catharian fleet jumps in,
The next text would tell you to iether stay and fight (ch 8)
or retreat (ch 9)
this would involve some dificulty with having to quit the game and load the chapter you want but it could be done.

-Walter-


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Hmmmm. Yes, I agree it could work, but it would be a bit of a hassle. It would be easier if the Admiral could just add some code for Yes/No questions, or option boxes, in between missions, and add it in when he updates Ares to be Hera compatible.

Sound possible, Admiral?

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Sundered Angel,
The One and Only

No, I'm not going to add a multiple choice interface.

However, I probably will be adding the ability to make chapters available on an arbitrary basis, instead of the current method where all chapters up to the last chapter completed are available.

Ares already allows you to jump to any other chapter when a scenario's conditions are met.

With the above feature added, you could have any kind of branching plot you wanted. Instead of a multiple choice text interface, though, the player would choose in scenario itself. For example, you could have the player go to the jumpgate if he wanted to run away, or go to the planet if he wanted to stay and fight.

Ares wasn't designed for this, but it's certainly possible to do.

So does this means that you can have multiple, unconnected, different, victory requirements?

Hmm...

-Walter-

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Quote

Absolutely. The set of conditions that Ares can test for is small, but any condition which Ares is capable of detecting can lead to victory for any player.

Could it be possible that if they win you could go on to another level?

So you could jump so many missions depending on how successful you were. ex: you destroyed the heavy shipyard-jump 1 level, you also destroyed the carrier-jump 2 levels, you did it before the cantharan reinforcements arrived-jump 3 levels. Interesting.

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No, I'm not that cruel. I don't use the flamethrower on my
enemies. I save that for my
allies.
-caalaklael, the trigger
happy obiard

Yes, that is possible, Dr. Tall. But you would confuse the player.
One of the two possibilities (win/lose) would have two different levels accessible. And you could just repeat the mission anyway. Actually, would it be possible to assign negative level #s or deny access to a particular level (without allowing levels of higher numbers), Admiral Grammaticus?

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Once caalaklael, now Pallas Athene
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Athena, daughter and favorite of Zeus, half sister of Ares, goddess of wisdom and