Very simple missions - Revision history

Machaka: grammar/clarity

2009-08-29T01:21:02Z

grammar/clarity

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:21, 29 August 2009
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	==Hints==		==Hints==
	*Make only a limited number of messages. Do so by making sure none will overlap one another. The more messages you make the higher the possibility that they will overlap. The following messages are a must to every FreeSpace 2 mission:		*Make only a limited number of messages. Do so by making sure none will overlap one another. The more messages you make the higher the possibility that they will overlap. The following messages are a must to every FreeSpace 2 mission:
	**~~Notification about~~ mission failure and success		**Notifications regarding mission failure and success
	**~~Notidication about~~ permission to return to base		**Notifications regarding permission to return to base
	**~~Report about big friendly or hostile~~ ships destroyed or, ~~when the goal is such~~, ~~disarmed~~ or disabled		**Reports regarding important ships being destroyed, disarmed, or disabled
	**Arrival and departure message for ~~mission critical~~ ships		**Arrival and departure message for important ships
	*~~A further note on messages is that they~~ should not be overly complex nor ~~should you display plot messages~~ in the middle of a combat ~~engagment~~.		**Messages should not be overly complex nor displayed in the middle of heavy combat.
	*Limited number of ships: ~~Do not place so many~~ larger ~~ships~~ than ~~a cruiser or~~ corvette~~. Placing a destroyer demands that~~ fighters ~~should~~ be ~~launched from it~~. ~~Destroying the destroyer sooner or later badly affects the number of fighters present in the mission unless there is only one wing to arrive from the destroyer~~
	*Stages: ~~Say that the mission consists~~ of ~~three~~ parts. ~~Each~~ part is ~~triggered~~ by the arrival of a ~~hostile or friendly~~ ship. You have to set the arrival cues of these ships so that they only arrive after a previous stage was completed, often by the destruction of a hostile ship or the departure of a friendly one. This makes it sure that the three stages won't intertwine, saving the FREDder from a lot of time to test each possibility in case the stages overlapped.		*Limited number of ships: Be especially careful with using ships larger than corvette-class, as they will be expected to launch fighters or be protected by bombers, which are complex actions to organize.
	*You ~~still~~ need to test the difficulty of the mission and optimize it for game balance. The simplest way to do this is to keep the number of fighters and bombers low.		*Stages: Missions essentially consist of several discrete parts. The transition of each part is defined by the arrival or destruction of a ship. You have to set the arrival cues of these ships so that they only arrive after a previous stage was completed, often by the destruction of a hostile ship or the departure of a friendly one. This makes it sure that the three stages won't intertwine, saving the FREDder from a lot of time to test each possibility in case the stages overlapped.
	*Avoid the use of random numeric variables. ~~The fact of randomization is rarely apparent and~~ to ~~make it so requires additional~~ testing ~~time~~.		*You will need to test the difficulty of the mission and optimize it for game balance. The simplest way to do this is to keep the number of fighters and bombers low.
			*Avoid the use of random numeric variables. This will cause your mission to require much more testing.

	==Purpose==		==Purpose==

Mobius: "Notes" ---> "Notes."

2009-03-22T11:38:10Z

"Notes" ---> "Notes."

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:38, 22 March 2009
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	==Example mission==		==Example mission==
	Through this mission example, you will see how a simpler mission looks like in theory. In practice, there is no guarantee it can be done exactly as it is described below.		Through this mission example, you will see how a simpler mission looks like in theory. In practice, there is no guarantee it can be done exactly as it is described below.
	See [[#Notes about Example\|Notes]]		See [[#Notes about Example\|Notes]].

	===Mission description===		===Mission description===

TopAce at 12:00, 1 February 2009

2009-02-01T12:00:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:00, 1 February 2009
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	**<i>Advised for testing</i> No traitor flag		**<i>Advised for testing</i> No traitor flag
	*Aligning the Team Loadout options		*Aligning the Team Loadout options
	*Warships added to ~~Escort List~~		*Warships added to [[escort list]]
	*The <i>Attack my target!</i> order removed from the issuable orders for the friendly corvette		*The <i>Attack my target!</i> order removed from the issuable orders for the friendly corvette
	*Initial orders for all ships		*Initial orders for all ships

TopAce at 17:48, 21 January 2009

2009-01-21T17:48:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:48, 21 January 2009
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	Simple missions must indeed be simple. Everything that distracts the player's—FREDder's—attention should be avoided, otherwise the mission will become more complex, and the more complex a mission is, the more likely a FREDder will make a mistake.		Simple missions must indeed be simple. Everything that distracts the player's—FREDder's—attention should be avoided, otherwise the mission will become more complex, and the more complex a mission is, the more likely a FREDder will make a mistake.

	As already mentioned, simple missions are good for those short campaign missions that are unimportant for your plotline or character development. Do not concern yourself too much with these missions, because all the other plot and character developing missions will be more memorable to the player. The FREDder must therefore dedicate more time to the development of more complicated and plotwise more important missions. Wasting days on a two-minute hit-and-run mission with one Mission Goal is neither wise nor very practical. No one will open your simple missions in FRED and complain about their simplicity if(!) there are far better and more memorable missions in your campaign. Though pay attention not to be too simplistic if you create such a simple mission and find a place to it ~~inyour~~ campaign. No pilot chatter, for example, is not preferable in this case.		As already mentioned, simple missions are good for those short campaign missions that are unimportant for your plotline or character development. Do not concern yourself too much with these missions, because all the other plot and character developing missions will be more memorable to the player. The FREDder must therefore dedicate more time to the development of more complicated and plotwise more important missions. Wasting days on a two-minute hit-and-run mission with one Mission Goal is neither wise nor very practical. No one will open your simple missions in FRED and complain about their simplicity if(!) there are far better and more memorable missions in your campaign. Though pay attention not to be too simplistic if you create such a simple mission and find a place to it in your campaign. No [[Mission Chatter\|pilot chatter]], for example, is not preferable in this case.

	Other than this, simple missions are good for beginner FREDders to see how they can handle SEXPs, Mission Goals, or manage game balance. If you stop for a moment to think about it, more complicated missions are basically simple missions with a lot more Events (messages, orders change, enemies withdraw, something self-destructs, etc.) and ships. If beginner mission designers learn how to make a simple mission, those missions can serve as a sample for more complicated missions, where they expand the mission file as extensively and creatively as they can, setting a solid ground for Volition-level missions. Do not be too ambitious at start. Be enthusiastic and energetic, but not ambitious. Your lack of experience will doom your overambitious project to failure. Gain some experience by doing simple things, then proceed gradually until you reach the apex of your abilities. You know, even F1 world champions must learn how to drive first.		Other than this, simple missions are good for beginner FREDders to see how they can handle SEXPs, Mission Goals, or manage game balance. If you stop for a moment to think about it, more complicated missions are basically simple missions with a lot more Events (messages, orders change, enemies withdraw, something self-destructs, etc.) and ships. If beginner mission designers learn how to make a simple mission, those missions can serve as a sample for more complicated missions, where they expand the mission file as extensively and creatively as they can, setting a solid ground for Volition-level missions. Do not be too ambitious at start. Be enthusiastic and energetic, but not ambitious. Your lack of experience will doom your overambitious project to failure. Gain some experience by doing simple things, then proceed gradually until you reach the apex of your abilities. You know, even F1 world champions must learn how to drive first.

TopAce: /* Which missions are considered simple? */

2008-06-27T18:36:51Z

Which missions are considered simple?

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:36, 27 June 2008
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	==Which missions are considered simple?==		==Which missions are considered simple?==
	A '''very simple mission''' is an official or fan nomenclature. Instead,the author of this article will use this term to refer to those missions that contain only those basic elements that are required in every single FreeSpace mission.		A '''very simple mission''' is not an official or fan nomenclature. Instead,the author of this article will use this term to refer to those missions that contain only those basic elements that are required in every single FreeSpace mission.

	Simple missions normally have only a needed amount of messages, debriefing stages, and a limited number of ships and even fewer ending possibilities.		Simple missions normally have only a needed amount of messages, debriefing stages, and a limited number of ships and even fewer ending possibilities.

TopAce at 18:36, 27 June 2008

2008-06-27T18:36:27Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:36, 27 June 2008
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	==Which missions are considered simple?==		==Which missions are considered simple?==
	A mission ~~being simple~~ is ~~not~~ an official ~~naming for a~~ mission ~~which needs some requirements, it's a general description~~.		A '''very simple mission''' is an official or fan nomenclature. Instead,the author of this article will use this term to refer to those missions that contain only those basic elements that are required in every single FreeSpace mission.

	Simple missions normally have only a needed amount of messages, debriefing stages and a limited number of ships and even fewer ending possibilities.		Simple missions normally have only a needed amount of messages, debriefing stages, and a limited number of ships and even fewer ending possibilities.

	If you are making a campaign and have some missions which play little part in the plot, it is not advised you make them overly complicated. For these missions, you are advised to make them simple. This way, you get more time to work on more important missions.		If you are making a campaign and have some missions which play little part in the plot, it is not advised you make them overly complicated. For these missions, you are advised to make them simple. This way, you get more time to work on more important missions.

TopAce: One more section: Purpose

2008-06-27T18:32:19Z

One more section: Purpose

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:32, 27 June 2008
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	*You still need to test the difficulty of the mission and optimize it for game balance. The simplest way to do this is to keep the number of fighters and bombers low.		*You still need to test the difficulty of the mission and optimize it for game balance. The simplest way to do this is to keep the number of fighters and bombers low.
	*Avoid the use of random numeric variables. The fact of randomization is rarely apparent and to make it so requires additional testing time.		*Avoid the use of random numeric variables. The fact of randomization is rarely apparent and to make it so requires additional testing time.

			==Purpose==
			Simple missions must indeed be simple. Everything that distracts the player's—FREDder's—attention should be avoided, otherwise the mission will become more complex, and the more complex a mission is, the more likely a FREDder will make a mistake.

			As already mentioned, simple missions are good for those short campaign missions that are unimportant for your plotline or character development. Do not concern yourself too much with these missions, because all the other plot and character developing missions will be more memorable to the player. The FREDder must therefore dedicate more time to the development of more complicated and plotwise more important missions. Wasting days on a two-minute hit-and-run mission with one Mission Goal is neither wise nor very practical. No one will open your simple missions in FRED and complain about their simplicity if(!) there are far better and more memorable missions in your campaign. Though pay attention not to be too simplistic if you create such a simple mission and find a place to it inyour campaign. No pilot chatter, for example, is not preferable in this case.

			Other than this, simple missions are good for beginner FREDders to see how they can handle SEXPs, Mission Goals, or manage game balance. If you stop for a moment to think about it, more complicated missions are basically simple missions with a lot more Events (messages, orders change, enemies withdraw, something self-destructs, etc.) and ships. If beginner mission designers learn how to make a simple mission, those missions can serve as a sample for more complicated missions, where they expand the mission file as extensively and creatively as they can, setting a solid ground for Volition-level missions. Do not be too ambitious at start. Be enthusiastic and energetic, but not ambitious. Your lack of experience will doom your overambitious project to failure. Gain some experience by doing simple things, then proceed gradually until you reach the apex of your abilities. You know, even F1 world champions must learn how to drive first.

			Every mission, no matter how complex, must contain all elements listed above. A ten-minute-long "Expose the NTF Spy" mission might be fun to play, but having a blank Mission Goals window or receiving no "Return to base" directive is distracting.

	==Example mission==		==Example mission==
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	*After the Leviathan has been destroyed or has departed, new wings of hostile targets start jumping in and attack the Deimos. They cease their attacks when the Deimos has been destroyed or departed.		*After the Leviathan has been destroyed or has departed, new wings of hostile targets start jumping in and attack the Deimos. They cease their attacks when the Deimos has been destroyed or departed.

	===~~Misc~~ additions===		===Miscellaneous additions===
	*Ediitng the Mission ~~specs~~ editor		*Ediitng the Mission Specs editor
	**Giving a name to the mission		**Giving a name to the mission
	**Setting All ships beam-freed by Default (In FreeSpace Open, if set, the events which enable warships to use their beams are redundant)		**Setting "All ships beam-freed by Default" (In FreeSpace Open, if set, the events which enable warships to use their beams are redundant)
	**Support ship settings		**Support ship settings
	***Allowed/disallowed		***Allowed/disallowed
	***Will it repair hull?		***Will it repair hull?
	**<i>Advised for testing</i> No traitor flag		**<i>Advised for testing</i> No traitor flag
	*~~Alligning~~ the Team Loadout options		*Aligning the Team Loadout options
	*Warships added to Escort ~~list~~		*Warships added to Escort List
	*The <i>Attack my target</i> order removed from the issuable orders for the friendly corvette		*The <i>Attack my target!</i> order removed from the issuable orders for the friendly corvette
	*Initial orders for all ships		*Initial orders for all ships
	*<i>Advised</i> Some sort of background, preferably with nebulae and planets and multiple, ~~coloured~~ suns		*<i>Advised</i> Some sort of background, preferably with nebulae and planets and multiple, colored suns

	===Notes about Example===		===Notes about Example===

KS07: /* Which missions are considered simple? */ Typo fixed.

2008-06-21T11:59:01Z

Which missions are considered simple?: Typo fixed.

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:59, 21 June 2008
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	==Which missions are considered simple?==		==Which missions are considered simple?==
	A mission being ~~simle~~ is not an official naming for a mission which needs some requirements, it's a general description.		A mission being simple is not an official naming for a mission which needs some requirements, it's a general description.

	Simple missions normally have only a needed amount of messages, debriefing stages and a limited number of ships and even fewer ending possibilities.		Simple missions normally have only a needed amount of messages, debriefing stages and a limited number of ships and even fewer ending possibilities.

AcePace: /* Hints */ -Random addition.

2007-07-15T09:15:42Z

Hints: -Random addition.

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:15, 15 July 2007
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	**Report about big friendly or hostile ships destroyed or, when the goal is such, disarmed or disabled		**Report about big friendly or hostile ships destroyed or, when the goal is such, disarmed or disabled
	**Arrival and departure message for mission critical ships		**Arrival and departure message for mission critical ships
			*A further note on messages is that they should not be overly complex nor should you display plot messages in the middle of a combat engagment.
	*Limited number of ships: Do not place so many larger ships than a cruiser or corvette. Placing a destroyer demands that fighters should be launched from it. Destroying the destroyer sooner or later badly affects the number of fighters present in the mission unless there is only one wing to arrive from the destroyer		*Limited number of ships: Do not place so many larger ships than a cruiser or corvette. Placing a destroyer demands that fighters should be launched from it. Destroying the destroyer sooner or later badly affects the number of fighters present in the mission unless there is only one wing to arrive from the destroyer
	*Stages: Say that the mission consists of three parts. Each part is triggered by the arrival of a hostile or friendly ship. You have to set the arrival cues of these ships so that they only arrive after a previous stage was completed, often by the destruction of a hostile ship or the departure of a friendly one. This makes it sure that the three stages won't intertwine, saving the FREDder from a lot of time to test each possibility in case the stages overlapped.		*Stages: Say that the mission consists of three parts. Each part is triggered by the arrival of a hostile or friendly ship. You have to set the arrival cues of these ships so that they only arrive after a previous stage was completed, often by the destruction of a hostile ship or the departure of a friendly one. This makes it sure that the three stages won't intertwine, saving the FREDder from a lot of time to test each possibility in case the stages overlapped.

Wanderer at 17:30, 3 April 2006

2006-04-03T17:30:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:30, 3 April 2006
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	===Notes about Example===		===Notes about Example===
	<u>This mission has not been made by the author of the article.</u> It is not guaranteed that mission balance can be kept using the numbers above or the mission in this shape could be too short. It is a main rule in making a balanced mission to not stick to the mission's preliminary description. If the mission is too easy, have a hostile cruiser or corvette jump in to attack the friendly Deimos. If the mission is too hard, give the player reinforcements and/or make the Deimos have cruiser escort.		<u>This mission has not been made by the author of the article.</u> It is not guaranteed that mission balance can be kept using the numbers above or the mission in this shape could be too short. It is a main rule in making a balanced mission to not stick to the mission's preliminary description. If the mission is too easy, have a hostile cruiser or corvette jump in to attack the friendly Deimos. If the mission is too hard, give the player reinforcements and/or make the Deimos have cruiser escort.

			[[Category:FRED]]