SC2Mapster

@ Insidious

About the difficulty

Checkpoints would be great! More ideas about difficulty and how to involve it into gameplay:

• Timed quests (Complete task within x seconds. X is based on the difficulty level, and the player may recive a bonus if the quest is completed within a certain time frame. Quests that aren't optional in the storyline may as well be marked as "failed" if they aren't completed in time. (Main quests that fails can perhaps take the player back to the previous checkpoint giving the same result as "death"))

• Creatures (Improved creature stats is one way to increase the difficulity and probably the most common way, but i find it a bit boring. What about adding new creatures in addition to the old ones? and perhaps bosses that wouldn't be there in a lower difficulity level. You can also add additional mechanics to the creatures like new abilities or an improved tactical experience that is requierd to defeat them.)

• Obstacles of differents types (Maze, puzzle, enviorment, codes, creatures, quests etc)

• Checkpoints (Higher difficulity levels may reduce the number of available checkpoints)

About Decisions

Decisions shouldn't nessesarily have a massive impact on the story, it can as well be small things like:

Decision example: You encounter a broken bridge. (Choose an option)

A) Find another way around. B) Ignore the obstacle and try to jump over it.

If you choose A) you have to take a long trip to reach the other side. And if you choose B) you might have a chance to succeed with the jump, and if you do, it saves you the trip! But if you don't you fall down into the river and flows away with the water to a beach that you have seen before. Once there, you have to make your way back to the broken bridge and take the longer trip around.

This example affect both gameplay and the story even if it doesn't have a massive impact on the main storyline. It's easier to add such things rather than writting two (or more) different stories based on the characters decisions. But a combination of both would most likely give the greatest result.

About inventory

Hopefully there will be alot of UI improvements to the galaxy editor when the game goes live, personally i find it to complicated to learn (compared with wc3) so i haven't yet found the strength to start trying, it's very messy and hard to find what you are looking for. And it may as well be complicated to create inventory systems and items to make it look wc3 like. However i believe it's possible to introduce an interesting store experience without inventories. I'll add some examples.

• Items based on upgrades (When you purchase an item, you purchase an upgrade that affect the way the original "item" behaves. This is a simple way to for instance make a weapon selection system (Example: Purchase Flamethrower, changes the weapon type of the character to a hellion based "line of fire" attack type.))

• Abilities based on upgrades (Similar to how you introduced your abilities during the "weapon trial" quest, but instead of giving them for free you might have to purchase them. Or giving an option for players to select a few out of many abilities before a mission begins)

• Tarvens (The characters visit a tarven, and have an option to hire a guardian/bounty hunter to follow them on their trip for a certain time or to a decided location)

• Transport (Buy/hire Vehicles to increase the safty and/or speed of traveling)

Adding a money perspective to your projects will add a more complex game experience and allow players to choose what they really want to spend their money on and if it's worth to buy it or save it. Another tip could be to make money a main factor in the game the affect it in different ways (Examples below).

- If you don't buy the equipment you may not be able to deal with combat as easy as you could, and you would be "forced" to use more transport oppertunities.

- If you spend all your money you may not have enough minerals left to bribe the guard in a future obstacle and are forced to find another solution.

-If you don't buy anything at all and save your resources for eventuall quests it may take longer for you to complete the mission, but instead you may be able to afford special offers that you encounter on the way.

I hope this clearify what i mean with the money experience :)

More ideas

• Introducing risk factors (Gives you a chance to succeed, but if you don't it may have bad consequences)

• Optinal quests (Quests that aren't a part of the main storyline, but gives an addition of some sort)

What an amazing creativity i have! to bad it never appears on my own projects. I think you'll find these tips interesting and mind-opening :)

I will be around for additional feedback and ideas, and keep an eye on your projects. I enjoy to write these things and think about all possibilites of map creation (that's why my posts usually are so long), so don't be shy to ask for my opinions or ideas (Yes, it's an offer!). If i'm unavailable at that point i'll let you know. =)

Regards, Infernium

Just played your map and i liked it a lot, adding a list of feedback below:

Feedback Date: 2010/06/17

Strength:

• Good story
• Great voice acting
• Good and interesting enviorment
• Easily played (Good hints and descriptions - i never got lost or were confused what to do :D)
• Great size management (most of it looked pretty real size-wise)

Weak:

• The sound management at certain points should be adjusted. Example when a character speaks while in combat i had problems to hear what they said because the sound were overwritten by combat sounds. Occoured in all "combat scenes".
• Camera angles in the city of Metron, during the gameplay should perhaps be adjusted to improve the "i'm in a big city experience". I had my camera stuck in a skyscraper at some points. (No big deal, just a tip :))

Bug/Miss:

• At the beginning of the mission just after the first quest there is a pool of water that doesn't block ground movement. So you can make the characters run down into the water and stand on the buttom of the lake. (North west of Duncan)

What you can improve:

• There should perhaps be more abilities and ingame character designs to improve the gameplay and adding a "tactical experience" to the map.
• Increased Difficulity or an option to select a difficulity level.

Ideas for future projects:

If you plan on adding additional parts in the series then you may want to have:

• Flashbacks (Scenes that goes back in time to a previous event).
• Improved character personallity.
• Additional characters and/or temporariy party members.
• Decisions based on the player that change the way the story ends up.
• Stores (A place to purchase items, vehicles and weapons for the current mission)
• Tactical Options (Lets say that a swarm of zerglings charge towards you, and instead of killing them one by one you can fire at an explosive barrel to eliminate the threat directly.)

The overall experience of the map was great and it is by far the best custom story map that i've played in starcraft 2 at this point of time. It really spiced up my boring day and i'm eager for future projects. I hope you'll find my feedback useful and that the story continues :D

Regards, Infernium, Europe.

Awesome, i loved the story the voices, the units, the size and structures and missions where plenty to enjoy it. Looking to see more of your maps

I liked a lot the movement on the Hellion, the elevator, i loved the ending of the story with the mothership.

Gratz! and thanks.

Awesome map! I had fun :D

Hi there.

I played your map and enjoyed it.

So, I want to translate it to Korean. Of course, I don`t start translation without your approval. I will NOT modify any other things in map but inserting Korean subtitle.

I will wait your commet

Have a nice Day : )

Loved the cinematics of the map! Very well done and makes me excited about the actual campaign of the game. Keep up the good work and is there going to be a part 2 to this?

congrats on making a magnificent map sir... nice plot twist at the end.. cant wait to play your next work

great map!

Fantastic, enjoyed it thoroughly.