GBS-II & Harmless Castes?

[Simparadox]

Please show some respect next time. There are NO useless castes in the game. Next time, I will delete the thread.

Okay, the whole "Colonizing Empty Planets" (or something like that) thread in the BCM General Forum has been going on for a day or two and it's really got me thinking. As a matter of fact, it's the thing that got me interested in scripting and modding the game. It's also brought up a few questions in my mind and I figured this is a more appropriate place to ask them, so here goes...

When the information for scripting scenarios and campaigns is available will it allow for Diplomat or Explorer scenarios that use some latent advantage these castes have? For example (and this really isn't an attempt to get more information about the castes, I'm just seriously curious about whether scripting will open up new possibilities for them), do the Explorer and Diplomat castes have some special ability that can be tied into mission objectives? Something that would allow me or someone else to make a scenario/campaign that could only be realistically completed by these castes?

Thanks in advance!

[ 11-27-2001: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

[Badgerius]

Well, I haven't looked at the GBS-II system yet, but based on what I've heard, and based on GBS-1, I'm guessing that there are no caste specific abilities.

However, you could easily script things for explorers or colonists to do using GBS-II. For example, you could create ruins models using 3d studio, insert them into the game at random locations, and put artifacts in them. Happy treasure hunting for your explorer.

You could create a fledgling colony on a far flung world, and grant experience for every time a colonist ferries its capacity of guests from Galcom HQ to the new colony.

You could create a high level meeting between two nations that requires a diplomat as an arbitrator(sp?) that leads to a Diplomat becoming embroiled in a high stakes game of intrigue, with nothing less than interstellar war hanging in the balance.

These are but a few ideas of things you can do with the GBS-II. Personally, I can't wait to try my hand at scripting myself.

[ 11-27-2001: Message edited by: Badgerius ]

[Simparadox]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Badgerius:

Well, I haven't looked at the GBS-II system yet, but based on what I've heard, and based on GBS-1, I'm guessing that there are no

caste specific

abilities.

However, you could easily script things for explorers or colonists to do using GBS-II. For example, you could create ruins models using 3d studio, insert them into the game at random locations, and put artifacts in them. Happy treasure hunting for your explorer.

You could create a fledgling colony on a far flung world, and grant experience for every time a colonist ferries its capacity of guests from Galcom HQ to the new colony.

You could create a high level meeting between two nations that requires a diplomat as an arbitrator(sp?) that leads to a Diplomat becoming embroiled in a high stakes game of intrigue, with nothing less than interstellar war hanging in the balance.

These are but a few ideas of things you can do with the GBS-II. Personally, I can't wait to try my hand at scripting myself.

[ 11-27-2001: Message edited by: Badgerius ]

---

Well, I'm glad to hear that. I came up with a few ideas in the "Colonizing" thread and I figured that anything I could do would mainly be focused on just creating situations that diplomats and explorers would fit into. However, I guess I was hoping that there was something that set explorers and diplomats apart from the other castes.

[Badgerius]

Explorers and Traders are not the same as the other castes!

In EverQuest there was a word for it. It was factions. Each caste is evaluated separately by the AI as a threat. While raiders will almost always attack traders, they won't always attack explorers or diplomats. Diplomats and explorers can go a lot of places other castes can't. As Terran/Mil, the majority of the galaxy is hostile to me. As Terran/Dip, the majority is neutral.

If I needed someone to hand deliver an ultimatum to the Gammulan High command, I'd send a diplomat. No one else would make it alone.

Explorers are going to be very handy to fleets as independent scouts, gathering intelligence on each others' actions, and diplomats will be very useful negotiating treaties and settling disputes between fleets, nations, and individuals. When Multiplayer comes around, expect explorers and Diplomats to be in high demand.

So lets hear no more of the "useless caste" talk. In single player, there may not be tons to do as these castes. So don't play them. In a few months, that'll all change, and those people you have used those months to explore how the other race/castes react to them will have the advantage.

[Gallion]

A Diplomat would not make it to Gammula. An Assassin would more than likely take out the Diplomat before it ever made it there. Take a look at the Castes page of the Appendix.

Creating a scenario that takes advantage of harmless castes abilities (traders, explorers, workers, etc.), that is centered on a player playing as one of those castes, would be easy to do but not very exciting IMO. Creating a scenario/campaign with harmless caste NPCs could add to the scenario. I don't know what that would be aside from what I call normal NPC interaction.

But what the hey, when GBS-II is release, try it and find out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

TTFN

[ 11-27-2001: Message edited by: Gallion ]

[Simparadox]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gallion:

A Diplomat would not make it to Gammula. An Assassin would more than likely take out the Diplomat before it ever made it there. Take a look at the Castes page of the Appendix.

Creating a scenario that takes advantage of harmless castes abilities (traders, explorers, workers, etc.), that is centered on a player playing as one of those castes, would be easy to do but not very exciting IMO. Creating a scenario/campaign with harmless caste NPCs could add to the scenario. I don't know what that would be aside from what I call normal NPC interaction.

But what the hey, when GBS-II is release, try it and find out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

TTFN

[ 11-27-2001: Message edited by: Gallion ]

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I plan to (try it, that is)... but that's sort of what I was concerned/asking about. It just seems like their should be some interesting or fun use for them (with a player in control, that is) if they're playable. That's part of the reason I said "useless" - because they don't seem to have a use for the player. Uhm... anyway...

I suppose this is going nowhere until I can try GBS-II out for myself. So I'll shutup.

[Spuzzum]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Simparadox:

do the Explorer and Diplomat castes have some special ability that can be tied into mission objectives? Something that would allow me or someone else to make a scenario/campaign that could

only

be realistically completed by these castes?

---

This is where the history of the galaxy comes in. There is lots of political strife happening in the BCM universe!

A diplomat could have a mission where they have to rendezvous with allied soldiers in a conflict zone before both sides tear each other to bits. The enemies would leave the system peacefully.

A diplomat could have a mission where they must pick up key delegates from various nations and carry them all to GalCom HQ for a meeting.

A diplomat could try to negotiate the surrender of enemy forces that have besieged a lonely outpost.

As for the explorer, someone already filled in that gap.

But there are many other things you can do -- forward observations of enemy movements, for example. I.e. an explorer gets hired by a private party to locate an enemy invasion force. If the invasion force gets there first, you lose. If you find the invasion force first, you win and get payment because you warn the defenders of impending attack.

Use your imagination -- by themselves, castes don't have much apparent use in ROAM, though as the Castes entry in the appendix shows, they do have uses in general. It is up to you to make ideas based on those uses and turn them into full-fledged scenarios.