Campaign Makers: Where are you?

[IskatuMesk]

It is as Lavarinth says. Those who dropped wc3 for the complexity of the editor hoping that sc2 will be better are in for a seriously big shock. Wc3 is simple compared to what sc2 will open up to you. I imagine hardpoints alone are beyond anything what anyone else here has really messed with except for HKS.

The other reason people are probably waiting is because of wc3's extreme limitations. It was in many ways a step back from SC. Those who ditched SC to make a campaign in wc3 discovered how bad wc3 was for making campaigns, especially for something sci-fi related. So those guys are waiting on their thumbs for sc2 to come out, too.

I imagine all but 1% of them will ditch their projects in the conceptual phase, though.

[Ricky_Honejasi]

Thus due to what some already said on this thread, I say the best way to prepare and plan is learning the WC3 editor so you get any real clue on how to use the Galaxy Editor when it will be out. That's even if you don't have any intention to make any real wc3 map/campaign.

There are many aspects that can be learn from the WC3 editor and will be carried over to SC2 : variables (including array), most of the various events/conditions/actions, unit editing and so on.

Otherwise, it would be too much to learn at once when SC2 comes out unless Blizzard somehow manage to make the most used functions extremely easy for the common people. However, giving tons of options often come at the sacrifice of scrapping some ease of use although Blizzard managed to keep the GUI in War3 instead of other games which required you to script even the most simple trigger.

Note : The hardpoints that Mesk mentionned is for the modding (precisely modeling) aspect of SC2 rather than the editor aspect. I presume it's likely that Blizzard will add some default hardpoints to all models similar to how it is done for WC3 to attach special effects on a model's head, left hand, etc. For the commoner with the SC2 editor, I expect it will be similar to adding special effects more or less the same way it was done in WC3.

[Maglok]

Finishing off the preliminary scripting phase myself. When SC2 hits go through it all again and change it according to lore and gameplay possibilities/ideas. Done some website work, doing some casting, but overall a bit of backburner till that beta hits, and even more so SC2.

[WB]

I don't think I'll ever be doing stuff like this again, work takes up far too much time.

[Meta]

Working on scripts myself. As good as BW is, its limits and the lack of variables are a big letdown, as you end up doing a lot of boring manual labor. Add to that the fact that I personally think I got my Crowning Moment of Achievement with my 2 campaigns appearing on PCGamer and I don't have much else to do, other than waiting for SC2 and taking care of real life.

Hopefully having a script ready when SC2 is out will greatly help on the huge effort that is making a campaign. It helps with consistency and foreshadowing, which are two things I greatly value in pretty much any story.

[GnaReffotsirk]

Very true. I had plans with WC3 back then. I even got into modeling stuff for it. Obviously, I didn't like warcraft3 that much. The first time I started playing it, I said to myself," this is it!?" Warcraft3 wasn't an RTS, it was a fucking RPG. (I know, got to get over that).

Anyway, once having learned WC3 editor, SCBW's editor was like writing on note pad. Very easy, yet very very limited. You gotta do things manually, and all. This part of SC2's editor is very exciting indeed.

And making in-game cinematics would be fun as well.

[IskatuMesk]

I don't think I'll ever be doing stuff like this again

you said it brother

Even if I did something in sc2 it wouldn't be a big project. Absolutely nothing like a mod or a campaign.

[Meta]

I don't think I'll ever be doing stuff like this again

you said it brother

Even if I did something in sc2 it wouldn't be a big project. Absolutely nothing like a mod or a campaign.

That's a very reasonable statement, actually. Even a small project could take many, many months or even years of brainstorming, testing and bugfixing (the worst part). Only those who have been through it know how huge a task it is.

[IskatuMesk]

By a small project I mean I'll just play around with the editor but I don't plan to actually make anything. There's nothing in my game concepts that will fit into the SC2 engine (only an engine like homeworld 2 that preferably doesn't suck).

[Whiplash!]

By a small project I mean I'll just play around with the editor but I don't plan to actually make anything. There's nothing in my game concepts that will fit into the SC2 engine (only an engine like homeworld 2 that preferably doesn't suck).

the word today folks is plan.

[IskatuMesk]

I'll plan YOUR FACE

[Marco]

I know my 3+ years of thoughts and ambition will be enough to get at least a years worth of content out of me.  The full first script.  And since I'm always integrating new ideas directly into the story/characters, no jumping around projects.  This is definitely my only single player campaign project for SC2.  Any idea I have along the way gets integrated into my universe.  It always should of been this way, rather than continually creating entirely new campaigns to integrate new ideas.

[The Oracle]

Just lying in wait...

[Lavarinth]

Just lying in wait...

Always the mysterious poster.

[Meta]

I know my 3+ years of thoughts and ambition will be enough to get at least a years worth of content out of me.  The full first script.  And since I'm always integrating new ideas directly into the story/characters, no jumping around projects.  This is definitely my only single player campaign project for SC2.  Any idea I have along the way gets integrated into my universe.  It always should of been this way, rather than continually creating entirely new campaigns to integrate new ideas.

Very interesting, this is exactly how I'm working my own way to being a SC2 mapmaker as well. Only one campaign with as many interesting ideas as possible, as long as they're compatible with the plot.