Re: [stella] RPG Design

Subject: Re: [stella] RPG Design
From: Glenn Saunders <cybpunks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 04 Jul 1999 12:32:09 -0700
At 01:53 AM 7/5/99 +1000, you wrote:
>But such a game would not be practical on the VCS, since it has almost no
>RAM, really.  Games such as those need lots of RAM for state [unless you're
>going to generate the level screen-by-screen with some kinky heuristic for
>ensure "continuity" for currently-off-screen sectors, etc.

It can be done without much RAM by using polynomial counters ala Pitfall.
You'd just have to randomly seed it with every reset.  I don't know if you
could do it this way with a top-down perspective, though.  With the
counter, it has two directions, forward and back.  One dimensional.

The problem with this is if you back up, the monsters would have to reset.
There is no way you can store the state of every monster in a world this big.

Or you have the Adventure approach of very compact reflected playfields and
a limited world that is constantly updated, or the Dragonstomper approach
of multiloads where you have some RAM to work with, or some hybrid of the
two with a bigger Adventure-style world and multiple loads of world.

To this day, most RPGs on the playstation, because they are CD-based, spool
monsters off of disc and reset the zone so that if you return, the monsters
reappear.  Really sucks.  I think part of the reason that people are
getting interested in massively multiplayer online RPGs is because
something is actually happening all over the world at once whether you see
it or not.  The world is influenced and you will notice this when you enter
an area that was changed by something that happened while you weren't
there.  Something that really got its start in its primal form with
Adventure with the bat rearranging objects off the scenes and the dragons
all moving around.  I think an RPG should have this immersive feel first
before it has a "story".






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