🚀 go-pugleaf

reborn rolla wrote:

>   To make a Thief fan mission? Some of the authors claim months and months. 
> Do you have to be a computer expert to assemble a decent product? 
> 
> 
  Just a guess, no. Yes, some take months and months, but that depends 
on the quality and story line of the game. I have never taken the time 
to do it, but some decent come out with just weeks of work.
Albert

"Albert Conklin"  wrote:

> reborn rolla wrote:
>
>>   To make a Thief fan mission? Some of the authors claim months and 
>> months. Do you have to be a computer expert to assemble a decent product?
>  Just a guess, no. Yes, some take months and months, but that depends on 
> the quality and story line of the game. I have never taken the time to do 
> it, but some decent come out with just weeks of work.
> Albert



   Say once you have made the complete mission couldn't you just play it 
through yourself to test it? Instead of getting 5 beta testers to preview 
it. 

"reborn rolla" <zzrollazz@King2.com> wrote in message 
news:5Dc3h.262667$R63.32926@pd7urf1no...
>
> "Albert Conklin"  wrote:
>
>> reborn rolla wrote:
>>
>>>   To make a Thief fan mission? Some of the authors claim months and 
>>> months. Do you have to be a computer expert to assemble a decent 
>>> product?
>>  Just a guess, no. Yes, some take months and months, but that depends on 
>> the quality and story line of the game. I have never taken the time to do 
>> it, but some decent come out with just weeks of work.
>> Albert

If I may:  it does take a lot of work.  Dromed (the editing program)
often seems to have it's characteristics.  And no matter how frustrating
it can be, it's a bit habit forming to have something come to life like it
does.  As per being a computer expert....well....no, but it depends
on what aspect of computer work a person does.  I run an intranet
for the government, and making a FM is totally different in most
concepts than what I do every day.
How well and fast a FM is done, depends a lot of how much
time and detail the maker has to put into it.  I can only devote about
1-2 hours a day to it, but right now, am taking a break and playing
Oblivian.
Anyway, areas have to be hollowed out, others filled in.  Placement of
objects isn't always as easy as it may look.  Having the AIs do some
of the things they do can be a major task.   Lighting, textures, sounds,
effects, objects, etc, all have to be placed to make things work right.
If you want, take a look at some of the subjects the makers of FMs
talk about.

http://www.ttlg.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=85

Since I started dromeding (working on FMs), my respect for anybody
that has worked on a game, even the crappy ones, has grown.
If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

>   Say once you have made the complete mission couldn't you just play it 
> through yourself to test it? Instead of getting 5 beta testers to preview 
> it.

The author of the game knows what he is looking for and what to do.
Beta testers go into it not knowing exactly what is what. They see
that things do work for the players (who don't know exactly what is where),
notice errors the maker may have missed so they can be corrected.
Nightwalker is one that often does beta testing, see how it plays,
and I don't envy her job to find the mistakes and let the author know
so they can be corrected.  Sometimes different eyes can see what
others can not.

On Sun, 05 Nov 2006 03:10:57 GMT, "reborn rolla" <zzrollazz@King2.com>
wrote:

>
>   Say once you have made the complete mission couldn't you just play it 
>through yourself to test it? Instead of getting 5 beta testers to preview 
>it. 
>

This would work if you are infallible, but the very best of the
existing authors always use several testers because: 

Some missions work OK on one set of hardware and fail on another.
Players approach a mission in different ways -  a mission that works
OK if played the way the author intended may crash horribly if
something different is tried.   Remember the old adage - you never
find all the bugs!

So for testing I would recommend  at least 5 testers,  ranging from
experienced through to newbie, and including at least one DromEder .
Several testers = several hardware combinations = several play styles.

"Spud" wrote:

> On Sun, 05 Nov 2006 03:10:57 GMT, "reborn rolla" <zzrollazz@King2.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>   Say once you have made the complete mission couldn't you just play it
>>through yourself to test it? Instead of getting 5 beta testers to preview
>>it.
>>
>
> This would work if you are infallible, but the very best of the
> existing authors always use several testers because:
>
> Some missions work OK on one set of hardware and fail on another.
> Players approach a mission in different ways -  a mission that works
> OK if played the way the author intended may crash horribly if
> something different is tried.   Remember the old adage - you never
> find all the bugs!
>
> So for testing I would recommend  at least 5 testers,  ranging from
> experienced through to newbie, and including at least one DromEder .
> Several testers = several hardware combinations = several play styles.



   Thanks for the explanation. I want to make a mission with no un-dead, 
zombies, "we're gonna have fun gutting you" black guards, hidden in 
ridiculous places switches, 132 scrolls or books or notes to read, large 
spiders etc.

  My ideal mission would be a huge castle and.... 

reborn rolla wrote:

> "Spud" wrote:
> 
> 
>>On Sun, 05 Nov 2006 03:10:57 GMT, "reborn rolla" <zzrollazz@King2.com>
>>wrote:
>>
>>
>>>  Say once you have made the complete mission couldn't you just play it
>>>through yourself to test it? Instead of getting 5 beta testers to preview
>>>it.
>>>
>>
>>This would work if you are infallible, but the very best of the
>>existing authors always use several testers because:
>>
>>Some missions work OK on one set of hardware and fail on another.
>>Players approach a mission in different ways -  a mission that works
>>OK if played the way the author intended may crash horribly if
>>something different is tried.   Remember the old adage - you never
>>find all the bugs!
>>
>>So for testing I would recommend  at least 5 testers,  ranging from
>>experienced through to newbie, and including at least one DromEder .
>>Several testers = several hardware combinations = several play styles.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>    Thanks for the explanation. I want to make a mission with no un-dead, 
> zombies, "we're gonna have fun gutting you" black guards, hidden in 
> ridiculous places switches, 132 scrolls or books or notes to read, large 
> spiders etc.
> 
>   My ideal mission would be a huge castle and.... 
> 
> 
  Not bad except for the 132 scrolls or books. I hope you are joking on 
that part.
Albert

"Albert Conklin"  wrote:

> reborn rolla wrote:
>
>> "Spud" wrote:
>>
>>
>>>On Sun, 05 Nov 2006 03:10:57 GMT, "reborn rolla" <zzrollazz@King2.com>
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>  Say once you have made the complete mission couldn't you just play it
>>>>through yourself to test it? Instead of getting 5 beta testers to 
>>>>preview
>>>>it.
>>>>
>>>
>>>This would work if you are infallible, but the very best of the
>>>existing authors always use several testers because:
>>>
>>>Some missions work OK on one set of hardware and fail on another.
>>>Players approach a mission in different ways -  a mission that works
>>>OK if played the way the author intended may crash horribly if
>>>something different is tried.   Remember the old adage - you never
>>>find all the bugs!
>>>
>>>So for testing I would recommend  at least 5 testers,  ranging from
>>>experienced through to newbie, and including at least one DromEder .
>>>Several testers = several hardware combinations = several play styles.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>    Thanks for the explanation. I want to make a mission with no un-dead, 
>> zombies, "we're gonna have fun gutting you" black guards, hidden in 
>> ridiculous places switches, 132 scrolls or books or notes to read, large 
>> spiders etc.
>>
>>   My ideal mission would be a huge castle and....
>  Not bad except for the 132 scrolls or books. I hope you are joking on 
> that part.


   No was for all of them. Wonder which mission has the most reading 
material?



> Albert 

>>>   My ideal mission would be a huge castle and....
>>  Not bad except for the 132 scrolls or books. I hope you are joking on 
>> that part.

>   No was for all of them. Wonder which mission has the most reading 
> material?

If  a scroll is more than a couple of pages I just don't bother reading it. 

On Mon, 06 Nov 2006 07:45:39 GMT, "Mother Farquhar" <fake@ddress.com>
wrote:

>>>>   My ideal mission would be a huge castle and....
>>>  Not bad except for the 132 scrolls or books. I hope you are joking on 
>>> that part.
>
>>   No was for all of them. Wonder which mission has the most reading 
>> material?
>
>If  a scroll is more than a couple of pages I just don't bother reading it. 

I much prefer overhearing some guards talking, giving away secrets, as I
observe them from the shadows.
-- 
Michael Cecil
http://home.comcast.net/~macecil/
http://home.comcast.net/~safehex/
http://home.comcast.net/~macecil/hackingvista/

Mother Farquhar wrote:

>>>>  My ideal mission would be a huge castle and....
>>>
>>> Not bad except for the 132 scrolls or books. I hope you are joking on 
>>>that part.
> 
> 
>>  No was for all of them. Wonder which mission has the most reading 
>>material?
> 
> 
> If  a scroll is more than a couple of pages I just don't bother reading it. 
> 
> 
  I agree. A note with combinations or passwords is much better then 
having to read a book, diary, log books or whatever.
  Also agree with Michael as long as it isn't a long winded conversation.
Albert