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FPSC Classic Product Chat / Survival Game - Make it Challenging?

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Omegamer
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Joined: 25th Feb 2009
Location: There
Posted: 14th Oct 2012 00:56
Well this might be a stupid question but I don't find an answer for this

I'm currently trying to do a CoD Zombiemode-type-Game and I don't think it will be a problem for me to do the scripting for it since I'm very used to the FPI Language, but one thing I'm currently stuck at is on how to balance it.

I mean, on CoD as example, the zombies get more and more each round, and stronger and stronger, but thats the problem:
In FPSC I can actually only spawn about 5 Zombies a time without lag,
and even if they'd get extremly strong (more health) it would be to easy to "rapetrain" them.

So I wanted to ask you what you think would be a good idea to make each round more challenging in FPSC.

-Omegamer
Burger
14
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Joined: 22nd Jun 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posted: 14th Oct 2012 01:18 Edited at: 14th Oct 2012 01:20
Well for my game An Instinctive Fear I did a survival mode, and its quite fun and challenging. Because of how FPSC characters can easily get stuck I designed my arena to be simple in the first place - almost no entities in the first place and a roughly diamond shape. The level design meant that there was a point where it would become too much. The player has enough room to run around, but will be cut off eventually. If you design your area small but not to small to begin with it sets you up easier for the future.

If the level is smaller, simpler or tighter less enemies are needed to make it challenging.

Look at the original call of duty zombies map, it was small and simple enough, yet very fun and challenging. For FPSC though the level design might be too ambitious for the AI to navigate. If that's the case an arena styled level like mine in survival suits FPSC possibly the best, you will never run into stupid AI problems like being stuck on a bucket or a piece of furniture.

The map itself doesn't have to be smaller, but funnel things down and simplify them. Corridors are an example, they are narrow and can cut off your player. Creating tense gameplay without hundreds of enemies. And so if there is less room (like a corridor) you can't really rapetrain them effectively. Because, as a developer you would never have a dead end, a zombie spawn would be there.

If you're map is small enough then you can spawn enemies within the limits of FPSC, and their stats that you alter will have a bigger impact. In my Survival mode the strength of a character increased over 100 health to the latest time the player was expected to survive until.

I don't know if you have already, but consider reading Gencheff's Zombie system thread, its worth a read. http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=178003&b=23
And I don't know if you have read it but in my W.I.P thread for An Instinctive Fear I talk to the Nerevar about how I did Survival, and gave away some of my scripts.

Few - end of post

"I'm inspired by my own wise quotes, thank you." - Burger, 6/7/12
Omegamer
17
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Joined: 25th Feb 2009
Location: There
Posted: 14th Oct 2012 02:15
Thanks for the reply Burger I actually found this very helpful

I know most of the things already, but you actually mentioned some things I didn't think of yet.
Well I already took a look at Gencheff's System and at your scripts,
but I actually don't think the scripting will be a big problem for me and I really want to make it from scratch

But still thank you for taking your time, your post just gave me some ideas for the map layout
I think the best idea now might be to find a way to prevent the player from rapetraining the zombies.

-Omegamer
Burger
14
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Joined: 22nd Jun 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posted: 14th Oct 2012 02:33
I just thought I'd mention the scripting side of things. When I set off to do survival I knew the variables and scripting was perfectly possible, it would just take a little work. I agree with your idea to prevent the player from rapetraining the zombies. Will you do this by the quantity of zombies, proportions of your map or maybe both? Or some other method, anyway I'm genuinely interested. Survival styled games while they are somewhat overdone and unoriginal if they are done well they can be great games.

"I'm inspired by my own wise quotes, thank you." - Burger, 6/7/12
Omegamer
17
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Joined: 25th Feb 2009
Location: There
Posted: 14th Oct 2012 02:56
Quote: " I agree with your idea to prevent the player from rapetraining the zombies. Will you do this by the quantity of zombies, proportions of your map or maybe both?"


Since I really want to keep the game lag-free I thought about not spawning more than 5 zombies at once.
I think like in the original Nacht der Untoten it might be a good idea
to just place a few pillars in the room, but the best way I think might be to place one zombiespawn in the middle of the room, of course not right in the air, maybe a hole in the ceiling or something.

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