A list of tips which you can add to your warcraft III rpg. Note: This is meant for Warcraft III World Editor, and meant only for those who know how to use it with more skill than adding units and terrain. Not meant for those who do not know how to change the team of a unit, or how to use triggers and regions.
CAMERA
Try the script Lock Camera For Player One Red On (select a unit, or if you have a unit selection try last created unit, if not then the event that starts this should be map initalisation. This will lock the camera on your character)
Have some NPCs talk to you. Perhaps you could have a simple script like this for dialogue:
EVENTS
Unit enters (place region here, the region should be in front of an immovable NPC)
CONDITIONS
Owner of (triggering unit) equals player one red
ACTIONS
Quest update message: Show (insert comment by NPC character here) for player one red
Note that the above tactic can also be used for rumors or filling in the lore of your game
Music that fits the scene. For example, in a certain mission an innocent NPC may be killed, add a trigger that says EVENT: If (select character) dies, play music theme TRAGIC CONFRONTATION. Or, in another mission, if you kill the main antagonist, instead it should play music theme HEROIC VICTORY.
A cinematic at the start of your game. It can help set the scene, where you can try using the lock camera for player one red to a character in the cinematic, turn cinematic mode on, and when the cinematic is over lock the camera to the unit which will help you select a hero, or lock it onto the hero you are playing as.
Try to have your character actually witness certain events, such as if a city is being sieged by bandits, then you can have a group of bandits right outside, and when you step in a region near them then it will order them to attack the city.
Though this takes more time and effort, create custom heroes which have the same stats, appearances and names as creeps on your map, and add a script for as many as you can saying If this hero dies wait a hundred and twenty seconds or so then revive him with even more strength. You could also do this only for the strongest, and have them revive with several other creatures.
Try going Baldur's Gate or Dragon Age, by making it possible to recruit companions after you finish their quests. Such as, for example, if you save a paladin's life then add a script to set it's team to one which Player One has Advanced Unit Control over. Also add a resurrection script, where all you need to do is add the following script
EVENT: Player-owned unit dies
CONDITION: Unit belongs to Player One Red
Action: Instantly revive hero at (insert region here)
The reason the companion should not be added to Player One Red's team is that it will be revived as well, making the game much easier, unless you want it to be easy, in which case the companion will also be revived if you place it in Player One Red's team. Note that if you make it possible to get companions you could have ten or twelve or even more at any one time, as even I do not know a script to limit their numbers.
Try making more unique heroes, such as making a custom spell for a necromancer hero based on raise dead, where you simply select Hero Ability=True, Levels=3, and increase the strength and duration of raised skeletons as well as the mana cost for higher levels, as well as adding descriptions for it.
Add a weather effect to as many parts as you can. For example, in a lush part of the forest add a region with the weather effect Ashenvale Rain (heavy), or for a snow-capped area add a snow weather effect, or, if you are doing a Night Elf city add a Moonlight weather effect, or, hey, you get the idea.
Use as large a map as you are able. Trust me, there is nothing more stressful than realizing that you do not have enough space on your map right when you are looking for a location to add that next dungeon.
Add a large selection of playable characters. I would aim for at least nine possible characters. Try not just with ready-made heroes (demon hunter, pit lord, dark ranger, naga witch, paladin, archmage, so on), but customize a few. For example if you want to create a female human hero look in models to see if there are any female humans, then select one, and add powers as well as names and descriptions that match it, such as selecting Sorceress, and in powers Blizzard, Rain of fire, Mass teleport and Drain Life, then setting names.
Try making some unique heroes as well, heroes which are not the first expected. For example, using the priestess of the moon model file, select rifleman in appearance, attack sound and sound, as well as rifleman names, and name it Dwarven Sniper, changing the speed, and changing the abilities (i left trueshot aura, but added Forceful bullets (custom ability, based on bash) Grenade (custom ability, based on flame strike) and sniper shot (custom ability, based on Finger of Death (archimonde)))
I hope this helps
Last edited by tenzinkendrick (2012-09-19 05:31:54)
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