jordanaustino wrote:I was thinking something similar to a Tom Clancy game except far more sci-fi.

Taiyo.uk wrote:There does appear to be a lack of decent single player games in the FOSS world. However creating the content for such a game is a mammoth task. Particularly in the mapping sense since SP maps tend to be large and detailed.

Urmel wrote:I think Zymotic (the next Alientrap game) will contain a story however, no?

jordanaustino wrote:I've tried to log into zymotic and failed multiple times, the website is gone. I'm thinking the project may have been abandoned, perhaps not enough people working on it. So I'll start working on this. The bots are going to be hard, It will be simple at first and may take a while, I don't have very much c++ experience, but should be able to learn quickly(I've used java and c# a lot). If anyone is up to helping it would be great. I'll keep you guys posted on any advancements.

Flying Steel wrote:I think that a story driven campaign would be a great addition to the game at some point in the future. In fact, having a good backstory could help solidify the game's feel and direction.

But there currently isn't a foundation for a story driven campaign. The game needs more gameplay features and content, imo. The class based mod, vehicles, turrets, new weapons, jetpack and hook, onslaught and assault, these can form a solid foundation for a campaign (in addition to making the game alot better in general) but they are still works in progress atm.

Otherwise you just have a string of repetitive deathmatches strung together through a weak storyline that by some plot device revolves around said deathmatches.

Sepelio wrote:Either way a campaign is going to end up very linear and scripted I don't think theres many ways round it.

Within a very short time today I was able to come up with a plot outline thats probably pretty similar to a lot of other games but still highly adaptable.

Sepelio wrote:Three sides to conflict
Initially between 2 large empires
You start as an officer in charge of a ship, but are stripped of rank after allegedly "destroying" a civilian transport or some such
Posted to a far out backwater colony
Soon strange sightings occur, outposts destroyed
Third side. Some big bad enemy that washes over everything in its path.
Have to discover what it is, blow stuff up along the way.
Pushed back to the central worlds, same for initial enemy who are suffering the same problem.
A ceasefire and soon an alliance is called against this unstoppable force
Fighting back, discover an alien planet with wrecked remnants of a civlisation. Holds the key to defeating enemy.
Have to defend it from destruction (onslaught anyone?) then use it against them.

Thats all. Its easily moulded into something more interesting. In terms of non linearity we could always have decision trees leading to different missions.

Campaign Storyline Idea wrote:In the near to not so distant future, Humanity's sublight space exploration uncovers on/around a nearby world, an ancient alien device of unknown purpose.

The team of scientists sent to study this artifact activates it during one of their experiments on it and the device creates a massive wormhole/teleportal nearby. Afterwards they learn that the device was a pandora's box- it is just a beacon for whatever has created and maintained the portal and as such there is no way to close the portal locally.

Faced with the sudden and very uncertain situation, the Military is sent in and takes over the site. They send a recon team of well equipped soldiers and scientists through the portal. But the team never returns. Plans are prepared for sending a second team, but with no proof travel through the portal is even survivable, official authorization is never granted.

Instead, a black operation is put in motion. An entire squadron is assembled from mercenaries, test subjects, criminals and volunteers with no living relatives, and over the next few months trained in basic astronautics and various combat roles. Then equipped with the latest and most advanced gear and the promise of riches, pardons and glory upon their successful return, the squadron is sent through the portal.

They're mission is to uncover the whereabouts of the first team, discover the source of the portal, but most of all return back with any reconnaissance at all.

(If it isn't already obvious the campaign follows this second expedition and its major characters.)

Upon reaching the other side, the second team finds itself somehow scattered over kilometers of the surface of a dyson sphere of similar alien construction to the portal beacon, surrounding a small bright star and a system of a few terrestrial planets. But the awe is soon broken when it is discovered that the portal cannot be reentered- it seems that it was a one way ticket.

And as your party tries to regroup with the others, things go from bad to hellish as a thousand strange noises begin growing in the distance while unrecognizable shapes appear over nearby highground. Seconds after lightning, fire, detonations, strike all around, coming from the strange forms now approaching rapidly from around, above and then underneath through the structure itself under your feet. Those who last long enough to do so, flee anyway they can and you allow with them, eventually losing the attackers in the liquiducts, maintenance labyrinths and literallly endless tunnel ways.

The campaign plays out from there as you and your party travel the place, both above and below its surface, journey through portals and space to other worlds and back, along the way reuniting with other surviving bands of your party as you follow the trail of the first team to find a way out of this celestial hell.

Sepelio wrote:I like it, theres lots to do there and it meshes in with my outline nicely too!

I think we should continue to develop a plot then see where it goes.

Maybe at least get things designed so that they CAN be implemented whenever suitable means/scripting etc. comes around.