Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by Whiplash! »

Game play has always been huge for me. I want a map that's fun and has some degree of re-playability, and a lot of really cool features. Custom graphics/sounds are like icing on the cake. If you've played my campaign you notice how I load it up with lots of cool little graphical features and have large big macro style maps in addition to small micro ones.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by Lavarinth »

But always make sure the stripped down key components are excellent as well, that being story and gameplay. Then spice it up with goodies.
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by GnaReffotsirk »

Updates: 11-23-2008
-------------------------

The link has been updated with a new download of Starcraft: Survivors, containing updates to Missions 1 to 4.

These updates are solid, making for progress to the next missions.

The missions now contain Story bits that ties everything up. However, some story points are kept in store for future, yet unannounced projects.

Trigger updates have also been applied.

Thank you for your patience, and continued support!

If you're enjoying the Campaign, as Karune usually says, "feel free to give us a Woot!"

Have fun, and good luck with the Missions!
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by Lavarinth »

Great, now I can play it updated over the weekend.
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by GnaReffotsirk »

Guys, thanks a lot for the insights. I'm sure a lot would have heard them and improve through them.

About Starcraft:Survivors, I'd like it to get as much honest reactions as possible. Slam the heel down, if you will. The Project can take the beating, and actually is looking for an honest evaluation. Is it bad? Can it be helped?

Your reactions will be valid, and suggestions will be taken objectively.

So, if you have time, "strike down the hammer". :)

Thanks in advance, and thanks again for the advice.
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by Maglok »

I'd strike that hammer (gawd knows I am to the point), but I don't have Starcraft installed anymore and don't have the means atm. Am personally prepping for Starcraft 2 mostly. If it was Starcraft 2, I'd Hammer it. :)
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by GnaReffotsirk »

Terrible news indeed, Maglok, as your experience and long involvement with Starcraft Campaigns and their varied  impact to the fans would definitely mean valued input.

I am planning to critique this piece, personally, as soon as distance and time avails for an audience's perspective and reaction. We campaign makers know how it is to "know" our campaign from a developer's point of view, and find stuff out proving differently from the audience.

Putting this project into the "judgment seat" is hoping to give us insight, as campaign developers/designers. It's intention is to stand in the firing line and become an object of points of praise and frowns. Having a concrete object to attack gives us  precise insights of the "Standards" we'll apply to or from our current or future projects.

I'm excited to jump back to this "episode" of Starcraft: Survivors, as an audience or UMS Single Player fan, and whip it down with the lash, if needed be. :)
Last edited by GnaReffotsirk on Sun Nov 23, 2008 7:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by Maglok »

You seem to be giving this great thought. You mention 'us campaign makers', made more stuff then aye?
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by GnaReffotsirk »

I mean, as fans of Single player campaigns, we can gather up some nasty set of things to look for when trying to make campaigns.

Like, Lavarinth mentions the "stripped down key components", stuff like that. Or someone could say, "well, the maps are too difficult to be fun!" things of that nature.

Anyway, I'll try to make something of value, like what I look for a Single Player Campaign and thereby prompts the great "Download Now" click. That could be a good start. :)
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by Maglok »

Ah, yeah as for critics fellow campaigners are the 'worst'. Oh and then there is Mesk/Doack. ;)
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by Meta »

I'll probably give it a try soon.  ;D

Is there custom music in the campaign?
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by Thalraxal »

Had a chance to play the first mission and start the second mission.  You've got a couple grammar mistakes in the briefing, "At the wake" really should be "In the wake".  There were a few others, but that's the only one I can remember right now. 

Also, I suggest adding an "End of Briefing" at the end of the briefing.  With the delays you added between dialogue in the mission briefing, I was left wondering if the briefing was really over or not.

MISSION 1:
+I have to admit, the modified gameplay was kind of cool.  Don't see this kind of stuff very often.

-The starting placement of the minerals was kind of annoying.

-One issue: The Zerg attacked me with three mutalisks and I got owned.  I suggest leting the player build (or rescue) some Dragoons and/or build photon cannons.  That, or disable the Zerg's ability to build Mutalisks.

MISSION 2:
Haven't finished playing this one yet, but just my initial impressions.

+The "Use Overlords to control your Hive Clusters/take over new ones" is pretty cool. 

-My only problem is that you didn't explain the Overlord thing anywhere outside of the Mission Objecttives.  Explain it better: use a Display Text/Transmission instead/in addition to the Mission Objectives description.

-Also, I find that red font kinda hard to read.  Personal preference though.
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by GnaReffotsirk »

Noted. I'll start creating a compendium of "Things to watch out for" that we can have access to. Stuff we can choose to utilize like a check-list or the likes.

Taking from your input, we'd have, for example:

1. Briefing #1 : Don't forget to add "End of Briefing"...
2. In-Game Tips: Have you informed the player of the vital mechanics in your map? Give a hint through dialogue, like, "We are unable to provide air support for this mission."
3. Coloring Text: "Clutter is one thing, unreadable is another" -- Xenophon
4. Grammar...

I'll give this some more thought, and add more as we go through. There is one thing you mention I'd like to go deeper into, which is very interesting -- that is, resource placement.
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by Lavarinth »

Note sure what you have and have not done, I didn't get a chance to play since I had my birthday party over the weekend, however here's a helpful tutorial:

http://www.campaigncreations.org/starcr ... text.shtml

Relates to the formatting of text which most people skip on.
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Re: Starcraft: Survivors -- a Single Player Campaign

Post by GnaReffotsirk »

What happened was that red colored text didn't quite prove to be readable, unless shown with a black background.

The text spanned more than 5 lines, if I recall correctly, and had the formatting applied.

The intention was to establish the tone of the character speaking it, but it proved to be ineffective. It would have been better done like this:


     Warped Voice (ominously):

          Bla, bla, bla, bla? Oh, and, more BLA!


From this, I've come to a set of suggestions/tips:

1. Group dialogue beats within a Pause/Unpause trigger action and switches. This will give the player a choice to either read through the dialogue, or skip on to play.

2. If colored text, center the screen to an unrevealed section of the map before displaying colored text.

The costs of the above is the fact that, as the player, the timing of the centering and pause/unpause might come while you're busy doing some important stuff.
Last edited by GnaReffotsirk on Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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