Disciples II: Dark Prophecy Designer Diary #3
Producer Pro Sotos talks about fleshing out the game's scenarios, story, and background information.
Entry #3 - 02/05/01
By Pro Sotos
Producer, Strategy First
I had this really great idea about how I should start my very first designer diary. In my opinion it was not only brilliant, but it was also incredibly funny and clever. After I gave it to someone to proofread, the blank stare that person gave me was all I needed to be convinced that I'm not as funny as I think I am and that I should leave the funny stuff to the funny people and just focus on a topic.
This designer diary focuses on the scenario editor for Disciples II: Dark Prophecy. Basically a scenario editor contains code from the game. The difference is that instead of exploring a world, it lets you place all the elements that are to be found in the scenario. The scenario editor that will ship with Disciples II is the exact same one that we are using to create the scenarios you'll find in the game.
Scenario Creation
This is where the designers get to combine all the work that the programmers, artists, and the sound team have produced. Even if you've got the best looking graphics, the coolest game engine, and the finest music, if the scenario creators do a bad job, all the work that those teams have completed will go to waste. It may be a cliché, but it is true: The more time spent on creating a scenario, the better it will look and play.
From each scenario, the members of our design team demand three things: They require that (1) it's well balanced, (2) it looks good, and (3) it tells a story or follows a theme. The way the Disciples design team goes about creating scenarios is by documenting everything in a scenario. Whether it's a stand-alone quest or part of a campaign, they set down every building, resource, party, and item on paper first. I guarantee you that there are people out there rolling their eyes as they read this. They're thinking, "I don't have to waste my time by setting it all down on paper, computers let you make all kinds of adjustments instantly." While this is absolutely true, making a map seem natural takes a lot of time. By setting it out on paper, you get a better idea of what everything looks like at a glance. If time has been devoted to mapping out your scenario on paper first, it'll take you less time to get the look that you want. As a matter of fact, all of the campaigns for Disciples II were completed before the scenario editor for the game was ready. Once the editor is completely finished, designers will simply insert each one into the game.
One of the advantages to documenting everything in a scenario is that it is easier to find what items or objects have been placed into the game, and also where out of the 450 possible locations the Sword of the Ages has been placed, for example.
Story and Background
The first thing our design team members do is set a theme for each scenario. They determine the setting, races, and units that live in the area, and they create a story or purpose for the quest. The more time spent on this aspect of the game, the less time spent on trying to figure out where to place units. For instance, if the story takes place in the mountains, there probably won't be a need for sea creatures, but dwarfs and mountain dwellers will be high on the list.
When they want the quest to tell a story, they write it out first. By doing this they get a better idea of what to place in the story. This is especially true for the campaigns, since they are a series of stories that are linked together to tell a whole one. They need to know what takes place where and when.
The sooner in development the design team can identify special needs, the better the chances the other departments have to deliver them. The special requests might be for the art, sound, or programming teams--they can be easy or difficult--but the sooner the request is submitted the more likely it is to be completed.
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- Strategy First
- Fantasy Turn-Based...
- Release: Jan 22, 2002 »
- ESRB: Teen
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