Making a Campaign non-linear

[Drozdov]

I think this is a great way of improving a campaign. Instead of just having a pre-defined set of missions that never changes, it would be great to have a few different routes you could take, depending on your success or failure in some missions. So if you lose one mission, instead of just having to do it again until you succeed, the player would go to the next mission, which would either be entirely different or just a harder version of the one you would go to if you were successful. For example, you could have a mission in which you must ambush a troop convoy; if you succeed, then in the next mission there would be less troops, but if you fail, there would be a hell of a lot more. This would be very useful for having different endings... if you lose the final mission, then you get a 'bad' ending. Is this possible?

[dmakatra]

You should use the Savevar command, don't know how it works though.

:beat: *Gets Shot* :beat:

[Drozdov]

Well, the SaveVar command does things like saving a variable of the amount of ammo you have collected in a mission and transports it into the next mission. I don't know if it can operate outwith this field.

[m21man]

Ammo is done with the weaponpool commands, saving a unit's/vehicle's status is done with savestatus, and savevar is frequently used to carry over deaths from one mission to the next.

[Komuna]

Savevar saves any variables for public use during a campaign: saveVar "varName" [the variable will be available for every missions in the cpgn.

Note: "UnPBO" the resistance campaign archive and learn more about campaign dinamics.

[macguba]

You can indeed do this.    However, the real problem is not the technicalities of carry over variables, units, etc., but the massive increase in the number of missions you have to make.

For example, a four mission campaign needs, you've guessed it, four missions.   However, you want to have one mission with a choice you will need up to seven missions to create the campaign - that's nearly double.     Even if there is only a choice for the final mission you will have 5 rather than 4, which is a 20% increase in the work required.    In other words, before you embark on such a venture have a clear idea of what you're intending to do, otherwise you'll never finish it.    Tricks like a choice leading to different versions of the same mission, and several paths leading back to the same mission, can help reduce the workload.

Having said that, I'd love to see more non-linear stuff.   There are tutes in the Ed Depot on description.ext which might help.

[m21man]

Savevar saves any variables for public use during a campaign: saveVar "varName" [the variable will be available for every missions in the cpgn.

Note: "UnPBO" the resistance campaign archive and learn more about campaign dinamics.

Yes, but any practical person savers his weapons with the weaponpool commands. Plus, savestatus is a very efficient way to save a units damage levels. I only use savevar to carry over how many of my men are alive.

[TrackenHit]

One problem.


Are you willing to make a ALOT of missions?? Cause thats whats would happen.  Thats why you don't often see too many branches in the campaigns.

[KTottE]

He wouldn't have to make that many missions, he could just beef up the ones he make.

Let's take the convoy as an example.


Mission 1: Convoy Ambush.
Point is to destroy a convoy with X infantry and Y vehicles.

If he destroys 50% of X and 25% of Y, he saveVars it, and on to mission 2.

Mission 2: Retaliation
Now the enemy retaliates for the convoy ambush. They will have a set number of infantry and vehicles, plus whomever survived in mission 1, just createUnit and createVehicle them and you're set.


Now, that's not very non-linear, just dynamic.
But you could add in options that, if you accomplished objective X in mission 1, objective Y in mission 2 is switched to something else and so on.