Zero-K Campaign

Zero-K Campaign

A dynamic game undergoing constant development and refinement, that attempts to balance playability with fresh and innovative features.

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Jazcash
Posts: 5309
Joined: 08 Dec 2007, 17:39

Zero-K Campaign

Post by Jazcash »

So me and Kaiser wanted to make some cool missions on some mission specific maps, we also though a series of missions or a 'Campaign' would be cool. After much discussion, we came to an agreement that Zero-K/CA would be a good option to base a Campaign upon. While this post and thread will give an idea of our general direction of our goal and focus, it will not reveal anything about the mission content or maps themselves as we wish to hopefully, release them together as a complete single player campaign system.

The missions will be created using Mission Editor whilst Kaiser will take focus on making mission specific maps. However, we are open to any help people can give us, whether it be mission ideas, map concepts, coding help or anything else you feel you can help with. Not going to reveal why, but some awesome models may be required as well, along with possible music/sounds but this is unconfirmed.

The following write up below is not set in stone or final in any way, but at the time of writing, is our current plan towards the Campaign

We're hoping create 8 very varied missions in total on 8 different styled maps, each with its own feel and objective. The story basis for these missions is still unsure, but I myself am up to writing a general storyline for Zero-K if the folks working on this and that want me too as I could see these taking quite a while for them to complete :wink:

A solid script of the factions, their styles, traits and morals would give some good inspiration as to how the maps will be styled and who the player will be playing and will be playing against along with anything else related to the story we may wish to chuck in there.

Regarding the story line, I thought it would be a good idea to base the first 4 of 8 missions on the ally homeworld where the general objective is to drive away the opposing enemy faction from it. The remaining 4 missions would be seen as a push against the faction to "crush it once and for all", these would be significantly different styled missions, perhaps with more advanced units coming into play. An alternative to this would be to have the last 4 missions play as the initial enemy faction instead.

Regarding the basis of the missions themselves, we were debating whether it would be best to stage the missions on two planets, 4 missions for each faction else, have 8 missions on 8 different planets. I'm now thinking the former would be the best choice. Regardless, this isn't exactly directly relevant to the gameplay of the missions, but may affect how the maps are styled.

We're also hoping to use the latest cooltoys available to ensure the maps are still worth their effort in a good few years time, not to mention, improve the quality of this whole project. One idea we're contemplating is dynamic interactivity within the maps. One such idea is the concept of gates that open and close when a button is fired at/touched by a unit, however, ideas of this sort could be endless ranging from holographic bridges to elevators. This would be very complex and would probably require a lot of external coding and testing by people who know what they're doing so currently, this will only remain an idea until a knowledgeable gentleman or two raise their hands :P

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This will be a big project for just the two of us, and we'll probably be asking for help with bits and bobs every now and then so any offered support is welcomed.

The channel #missions is now up so anybody may feel free to join but it would be particularly useful for the following people to join the channel for the reasons described:
  • Quantum (Mission Editor)
  • Beherith (Mapping/Modelling)
  • SirArtturi (Mapping)
  • Licho (CA/ZK)
  • Saktoth (CA/ZK)
  • Smoth (Mapping/Modelling)
Don't feel obligated to join, but it would make discussions and support easier for us. (Also, mini-sneak-peaks might occur!)

That's all for now but expect a lot more information to come, along with confirmation of concepts discussed in this post or new ideas.

IMA NOUNCIN' MAH MISHONS
Saktoth
Zero-K Developer
Posts: 2665
Joined: 28 Nov 2006, 13:22

Re: Zero-K Campaign

Post by Saktoth »

Feel free to dive in, on any front. CA is open development, and if you do the work you get to decide what it looks like, so dont worry too much about stepping on toes story/campaign structure wise.

You're free to operate a more closed shop, but you cant expect the same level of coordination and assistance if people dont know what you're doing ;). Seeing progress tends to motivate people to contribute. Whatever works for you though.

On factions and story, the stuff written down right now is brainstorming, precisely because it hasnt been turned into missions yet. Until someone is willing to put in the man hours to make it a reality, its all just ideas. If you like it, use it. Outcome is what matters here.

On complex doodads, retractable bridges, teleporters: There is a lot of really incredible stuff you can do with just the mission builder. It exists to make content creation easier, so best to start with just it.

To the meat of the issue though, i'd like to hear the story/faction ideas you mentioned. Obviously the story is primarily important in regards to the campaign, and will be told through the medium of the campaign.

To the mission more broadly, what kind of mission structure you're thinking of? Each faction using only one or two factories, so it has a distinct aesthetic, or merely distinguished by different commanders to give maximum flexibility in mission design? Gradually unlocking units over the game, starting the player with limited options, or more of a toolbox, problem-solving approach? Run-and-gun style fixed-force missions, or all traditional RTS style base construction (possibly a mix)? A new player 'tutorialy' type focus, or geared more towards experienced players?

I am currently working on an introductory mission set, though without much to show for it, so dont worry about effort duplication (mostly i've been familiarizing myself with the editor and working out its bugs by making multiplayer missions of the sort you can already see). If yours starts out more advanced, we could link the two together.
NeOmega
Posts: 64
Joined: 15 Dec 2010, 11:06

Re: Zero-K Campaign

Post by NeOmega »

this is all just brainstorming.....

If history is any indicator, wars are fought over resources, ideology is just used to program the people's minds to accept the wars for resources as something other than wars for resources, and one of those resources is always cheap labor.

The idea of ideological driven robots is a little odd. I can see robots out to exterminate all other life, and humans out to exterminate robots... ...but that was done in terminator. Perhaps the commanders are ancients entombed in their suits. Immortals fighting over power and survival. In fact, usually, in high levels of power, power and survival are the same thing. There is no real need for ideology. Just alliances of power.

It also might be interesting to refer to humans as the ancients. Especially if they are being worshiped. Something about humans, when mortal, achieved greatness, but when immortal, became complacent, and stagnated. This could help explain the not too advanced weaponry.

Also, why give the commander a jump drive? Isn't that a bit powerful for a unit? Something like that should be in a structure that produces a lot of energy. Perhaps have the first battle start on a map of a crashed/abandoned star cruiser on an asteroid/lost planet. The enemies are the star cruiser's internal defense droids, and the cruisers AI defense apparatus, meaning trying to fight off it's guns, missiles, etc.

Or you can go with the cliche got teleported somewhere, now wants to go back home, discover who/what/why you are.

Inside the cruiser, a nice touch would be skeletons of a long vanished crew.

Or, perhaps, have one of the missions be to simply survive until the commander can build a teleporter, instead of having one built in. Kind of a t3 building. In fact, in the meta-game, building a teleporter could chance the keeping of battle experience or something if you choose to retreat when you see you are going to lose.
Pxtl's Campaign is simply killing the other robots and stealing their technology, in the form of factories. Structure the campaign in tiers - tier 1 is linear tutorial introducing the game, which unlocks your first factory (a bot lab). Tier 2 lets you start choosing which factories to attack - hovers, gunships, 2 land-labs, and the larger buildings (1 mission where enemy is a megabase with no mobiles that you have to destroy before it completes Supeweapon), in whatever order you like. Tier 3 is a Chicken Defense mission that functions as the End Boss of tier 2. Tier 4 is larger than tier 2, and you the rest of the labs, again in whatever order you like - navy, planes, and the remaining land-labs. Tier 5 is the big putting-it-all-together final battles. Note that it doesn't have to be fighting 1 lab per-mission, you can get labs in pairs. Basically, like Megaman - every mission ends with "You Got XXX" telling you about the new units you earned.
And maybe take a few of your best surviving units with you. I played a MMO called Shattered Galaxy, where your units also gained exp. Perhaps you can build a t3 lab to recall these super units. Imagine the battles where players rush and fight to build the t3 lab to reveal what their super units are. Not necessarily krogs, but highly experienced, faction specific units. It would be really neat if there were hundreds of these unique units to choose from, so it would be player dependant. Maybe they could pick two or three for their character/commander.

Another interesting twist would be if killed, the uber unit drops a crystal/brain/consciousness/soul thingy that can be reclaimed by an enemy commander and turned to his. Give it a good 5 minute capture time, to heat up the battle real quick, and add extra risk to bringing out a super unit.

Dling CA zero-K atm, it looks gorgeous, and I love eye candy.

BTW, I like the name Zero K as it is. That's the temperature that must be reached for consciousness to be frozen and moved from brain to Latticed Intelligence Consciousness Hologram and still retain life.
Last edited by NeOmega on 16 Dec 2010, 09:58, edited 5 times in total.
NeOmega
Posts: 64
Joined: 15 Dec 2010, 11:06

Re: Zero-K Campaign

Post by NeOmega »

Also, I never got to do religions in Pentagenesis, because Civ III really didn't have a religion mechanic, but I was, and have been, toying with the idea of stars and planets being guidance of consciousness. Meaning stars are actually the sentient powers driving events in the universe.
NeOmega
Posts: 64
Joined: 15 Dec 2010, 11:06

Re: Zero-K Campaign

Post by NeOmega »

How does the human civilization end? Civil war, perhaps similar to what the robots are facing now?
It's funny, I just finished a course at the UW about transhumanism. The human race doesn't necessarily have to end. It can just evolve and branch out into other species. That was what Pentagenesis was about. Of course, there would be a war, when humans find out they can become immortal, but it is very expensive. That means some get the resources, but most do not. Some get to live for ever, the elite, but the rest must die like everyone else. Not only does this cause mortal/immortal conflict, but also intra-immortal conflict, as immortals become more and more powerful through experience, wisdom, wealth accumulation and knowledge, and more paranoid, as they realize they will live for ever... as long as nothing tragic happens to them.
Saktoth
Zero-K Developer
Posts: 2665
Joined: 28 Nov 2006, 13:22

Re: Zero-K Campaign

Post by Saktoth »

Generally, i have referred to humans in the story as 'Man', in a semi-biblical language.

Sort of 'Thus Man created Machine, and then on the seventh day he rested. Man said unto machine 'go forth and multiply'. Etc. It fits very well. but that kind of semi-biblical rhetoric may be reserved for one specific faction.

Anyway, if you've studied transhumanism at all, then the idea that robots could be idealogically driven shouldnt be that odd to you. Transhumanism is an evolutionary thesis, that humans are a transitional form which are evolving rapidly and whose lifespan as a species in geological terms is not likely to be significant. Robots will be subject to the same evolutionary pressures as we will, IE survival and reproduction, and are thus likely to be fairly similiar to ourselves: Especially if we program in them at the most basic level a dogmatic worship of their creators (Which, if we are sensible at all, we will).

On 'faction specific' units, there are no factions. The commander himself will probably be able to be upgraded over the course of the game to a 't3' level unit (thus, they are 'commander' specific, and customizable).

Anyway, the important thing is making the missions. Whoever does that will get the most power over the storyline they wish to include.
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