Talk:CAM Scripting Analysis Docs.: How To

CAM Scripting Analysis Template v.1.0
For Each Mission:


 * Story Treatment Outline: It helps to think of a Campaign Mission Level as an "Interactive Story" where the "Player" is the "Protagonist / Hero" & is challenged by adversity to achieve a tactical goal that is but one  stage (of many) on the way to an over-arching strategic objective / story denoument / satisfying climax.


 * Opening Cinematic Details


 * Mission Briefing / Objectives: Basic "Victory Conditions", not overly detailed. There must be an unfolding element of suprise / discovery that is spell-binding & immersive without being unduely frustrating in the gameplay.


 * Map Constructed: If "Bounded", must specify apt quadrants for Mission.


 * Starting Tech Level: Assume T-3 for all Sequel CAMS


 * Any Music to be Played & When


 * Specify LZ or Start of Mission Map Coordinates


 * Specify Starting Contingent of Units (inc. Rank & Health) & any Pre-placed Structs


 * Specify Artifacts / New Tech Available for Discovery & too be researched (Include Map Coordinates.)


 * Specify ALL "Victory Conditions" for the Mission that the player MUST fulfill in order to proceed to subsequent mission. Such that for each Mission you have to defined the following things for the CAM a.i.:


 * Challenges to the Player in the form of "Event-Triggers"


 * Event-triggers are, in part, HOW Victory Conditions are implemented......


 * A necessary component of their specificity are the Map-coordinates where the Events are Triggered


 * As well as any Timers that are moored to the Game Play.....


 * Events Triggered such as, but not limited too...


 * Number & Type of Enemy Units for EACH Spawned Wave event..,


 * Number of Spawns per event...


 * A necessary achievement of Commander Rank


 * The necessary survival of certain units


 * The need to reach a certain resource / economic level


 * The need to recover a specific Artifact


 * The need to establish a Foward Base or LZ or a certain struct in a Specied Location (Map Coordinates)


 * The need to rescue or join-up another contingent that could be anywhere on the map, either pre-placed or spawned... (all details specified as above)..


 * Any combination of the foregoing.


 * Plus anything else you might dream-up as a Victory Condition

It is this prepared Script-Analysis & associated "Level Map" that a Scriptor would then translate into a Playable Mission Level.

- As far as I've gone.... RJ :)

CAM Scripting Analysis Template
OK.... first task - just like stated in the header.

I will get that Template started & post it after I take a little nap - been up all night.

This Template will guide us in the Mars CAM & any others we will work on.

It will be the prerequiste considerations in approaching the Scripting Analysis of the basic Mission / StoryLines.

Scripting a CAM is somewhat analogous to programming a Robot to walk to the store & pick-up a six-pack of beer.

EVERY single detail has to be DEFINED....& yet leave room to deal with the suprising.

Actually it's not nearly as hard as programming our hypothetical robot but only by orders of magnitude complexity - the principle involved is still anologous, though far more simple.

Back later with the Template or Boiler-Plate........ RJ :)