Training mission Yes or No?

Mapping & modding Fallout Tactics and reviewing maps thereof.
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requiem_for_a_starfury
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Training mission Yes or No?

Post by requiem_for_a_starfury »

I hated the temple of trials, whether it was the design, or the non-linear nature of it I don't know. FOT on the other hand is linear through and through so what do you people think, would starting a campaign in a training mission put you off?

My campaign isn't set in the post nuclear Fallout world and I'm trying different approaches to the combat. I want to get away from solo powergaming, and encourage the player to use their team to the maximum effect. To achieve this I've reduced the maximum for the stats to 5 instead of 10. Having a 10 maximum is okay for the RPGs where you've only got control of the one character anyway but in FOT I think it's too overpowering. Of course this means that you won't have access to most of the perks, so I'm thinking of disabling them all entirely. Instead as you and your squad are trained soldiers you'd all start with slight bonuses to your combat skills.

What do people think?
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Stevie D
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Post by Stevie D »

I don't know; is a training stage necessary? I mean, if someone DLs your campaign, then chances are they've played through FOT to some degree already and are familiar with the interface. I would channel my creative energies into improving/polishing the rest of my campaign, if I were in your shoes.

Handicapping powergaming sounds like a good idea in theory, but I'm not too certain about something as abritrary as a stat-cap. I'd suggest, if it's technically possible, that the campaign starts with a pre-made main character, with the alternative option to create a character either disabled or bypassed.

For some players, not being able to create their own character would be a disappointment. But I think they'd get over it soon enough. Besides which, it's only one character out of a maximum of six innit? They can't customise the other five. This is not an elegant solution, either, but a lot less harsh than a stat-cap, IMHO.

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Post by requiem_for_a_starfury »

Well it wouldn't be a training map as in the tutorials, where everything is explained step by step, but a mission set in a training camp, where possibly you have to complete an obstacle course and then have to shoot so many targets against a timer. Perhaps with some optional side areas with bomb/mine disarmanent and (if I can trigger it) a small h2h competition. Even if the player is an expert at FOT, my campaign uses only 3 of the weapons (not counting grenades and knives) that you might be used to. xbow has come up with some great mission ideas for the campaign, and at the moment I'm massaging my mission plan to fit them into the plot. The training camp was going to be a bunker, but if I start the campaign there I can start the player character naked, so to speak and then let the player equip him etc as they desire. I'm thinking it'll be a more gentle introduction to the campaign, but it smacks of the temple of trials which is why I'm asking if it'll put people off.

I've disabled the create button, and in case people workout how to still create a new character, I'll have a trigger to end the campaign before it starts if they don't use a prefab. I'm supplying three prefabs, one's blank with no name/background or stats/traits/tag skills assigned so it'll be pretty much as if you're creating a new character but with my modifications. The stat cap is definately staying (every actor is stat capped not just the human characters) I was more interested in people's reactions to having no perks?

I'm tired of running around with 76 trombones in my inventory, and with the stat cap and a penalty to the max carryweight people will have to manage their inventory more efficiently. There will be a couple of aids which will allow you to carry more, but your characters will be limited to a main weapon, a back up (pistol) a knife and half a dozen grenades each. If you want to have a secondary weapon, say your main is a rifle and you want to have an smg as well then you'll have to sacrifice ammo or other equipment.
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Post by Jimmyjay86 »

TW Kreator has a training mission in the his Lost in the Wasteland campaign and it worked well. As long as it has a place in the storyline of the campaign, then do it. The typical complaint about the Temple of Trials is from people who replay the game time and again. Then it gets boring to repeat.
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Post by Stevie D »

requiem_for_a_starfury wrote:I'm thinking [the training camp will] be a more gentle introduction to the campaign, but it smacks of the temple of trials which is why I'm asking if it'll put people off.
Fair enoughski. In that case, presumably the training camp will be in a field of sorts with all the free-ranging opportunities that will give. How about having the exit grid switched on at the very beginning, so that a player can simply leave if he doesn't want to do the training stage? Also, you could have each training exercise accessable by, say, having a character for the PCs to talk to. By talking to him/her, that would trigger the related training mission to start. Or something. Non-sequential order, then, with training exercises at the player's beck and call.

I don't think you'll have any problems with Temple of Trials syndrome.
I was more interested in people's reactions to having no perks?
I'd not miss them, I think. I'm not really into hardcore stat-crunching anyway. Optional Traits are pretty cool though. Are you keeping them?
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Post by requiem_for_a_starfury »

Stevie D wrote:Fair enoughski. In that case, presumably the training camp will be in a field of sorts with all the free-ranging opportunities that will give. How about having the exit grid switched on at the very beginning, so that a player can simply leave if he doesn't want to do the training stage? Also, you could have each training exercise accessable by, say, having a character for the PCs to talk to. By talking to him/her, that would trigger the related training mission to start. Or something. Non-sequential order, then, with training exercises at the player's beck and call.
I'll bear that in mind when I or someone else comes to do the map. :)
Stevie D wrote:I'd not miss them, I think. I'm not really into hardcore stat-crunching anyway. Optional Traits are pretty cool though. Are you keeping them?
If I could turn off gifted I would but the rest are staying, though they might get renamed to fit the theme of the mod.

Though I suppose I could be evil and script the first mission to exit to the main menu if the player chooses gifted and then add a warning in the readme and gui?
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Post by Retlaw83 »

I would just replace a tutorial mission or two, and use that as the training levels.
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Post by requiem_for_a_starfury »

Well I might do that as well, if I have time. Perhaps using the same map, but I'm trying to reorganise my plot line to incorporate some new missions. I've managed to incorporate them but the way I've done so leaves me without a finale, my old finale now comes in the middle of the campaign. I thought that if I rearrange things to bring my old finale back where it belongs, then I need a new starting map.
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