Need Scenario Text Help

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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [World War II] >> Steel Panthers World At War & Mega Campaigns >> Need Scenario Text Help

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Need Scenario Text Help - 12/23/2000 3:29:00 AM

Paul

Posts: 10
Joined: 6/22/2000
From: Delavan, WI USA
Status: offline

I'm working on a historically accurate recreation of the battle for Wake Island. It will not be play-balanced as that is too much work for an old, PC-illiterate, board gamer like me (66), but hopefully will be a close simulation of the battle--unit names where possible, unit leaders, weapons, etc. I have a fairly extensive military history reference library accumulated over the years. I don't know how to get the nicely centered title, designer ID, subtitles, and paragraphing that folks like "Wild Bill" and others have in their scenario texts. I've spent over a 150 hours so far on the research, design and editing; and would like to be able to write a "nice" intro to the scenario--providing my "time machine" approach to SPWaW works the way I hope it will. When I write the text in Win98SE Notebook or on Microsoft's Word97, the text all runs together when I save it to the SPWaW scenario file? Any new tricks for an old dog?

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- 12/23/2000 3:53:00 AM

David F. Wall

Posts: 158
Joined: 5/25/2000
From: Waltham, MA, USA
Status: offline

There's almost certainly an article on this on the web site somewhere. The short answer is: Use the * character to put in line feeds. Just a * on a line will produce a blank line. Use an underscore to align text in the box. I think the box is forty or fifty characters wide. What I'd suggest you do is pick an existing scenario's text file and look at that in Notepad. There aren't any effects in the scenario text that aren't achieved by simple typing. And if someone could cite the article.... DFW

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- 12/23/2000 4:50:00 AM

Don

Posts: 810
Joined: 7/12/2000
From: Elk Grove, CA (near Sacramento)
Status: offline

Hi Paul, The first time I had to write up a scenario, I just opened up one of the scenario text files in the Scen folder, and printed it out for reference. This should give you the format info that you need. Don

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Don "Sapper" Llewellyn

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Post #: 3

- 12/23/2000 5:18:00 AM

Paul

Posts: 10
Joined: 6/22/2000
From: Delavan, WI USA
Status: offline

Many thanks, fellow gamers. David's reply to my plea for help has pointed me in the right direction. I'm not that "skilled" at PC "stuff", so opening files buried in software, and pointing and clicking gives me the same feeling as walking in a mine field. I lost way too many scenario designs back in the Commodore 128 days hitting a button I shouldn't have. I normally do scenarios just for myself because I don't make them into "games" per se, just close historical (I hope) re-creations--sort of like a time machine, if you know what I mean? Anybody else out there interested in this type of scenario?

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- 12/23/2000 5:19:00 AM

Wild Bill

Posts: 6821
Joined: 4/7/2000
From: Smyrna, Ga, 30080
Status: offline

Paul, I have a little tutorial on this that I will include here for you. I'll also send you a copy. I'm looking forward to your Wake Island masterpiece... ======================== Writing a Text File for SPWAW, SP2, SP3 Writing the introduction for a scenario in these games is a little tricky. Here is how its done. You use a simple text file editor such as Notepad or Wordpad. If you use any other more sophisticated program, you should always save it as a .txt file. The Text File should include the following information with this sort of setup. _____TITLE* * __Type of Battle* _Location and Date* _____Turns: x* * _Design: John Doe* * Background and hints* Read this over carefully. This is the usual order of information we use at the Raiders. Now in more detail. The underscore (____)is used to move the text so that it is centered. The Asterick ( * ) is used to create a line break so that the text is not all run together. Now here is an example already filled out: ___SAVING PRIVATE RYAN* ___billw@matrixgamers.com* * Background;* * Type in the background here. Make paragraphs short. Include hints if you wish.* * Don't write a book. Keep it to the point. Its very easy to write too much.* * Include sources if you wish.* ------------ Now notice that I used the _underscore to center my text. Notice that the asterick separates sections and paragraphs and puts a space between each section. To get an even better idea, open some of the text files in the game with a text editor such as notepad or wordpad. When you think it is done, save it as xxx.txt in the SPWAW \Scen subdirectory. Save it with the same numbers (xxx) as the scenario it introduces. Finally, always open the game and check how the text looks in the game. It may look good in the text file but the game may show it differently. From there you can reopen the text file and make any corrections you wish. Wild Bill ------------------ In Arduis Fidelis Wild Bill Wilder Coordinator, Scenario Design Matrix Games

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Independent Game Consultant

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- 12/23/2000 8:22:00 AM

Don

Posts: 810
Joined: 7/12/2000
From: Elk Grove, CA (near Sacramento)
Status: offline

"Don't write a book. Keep it to the point. Its very easy to write too much.*" Ahh, WB brought up my least favorite thing when starting a scenario - the 10-screen long story. I don't know about anyone else, but after 2 screens I skip it and get to playing the scenario!

Don

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Don "Sapper" Llewellyn

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- 12/23/2000 12:14:00 PM

AmmoSgt

Posts: 1002
Joined: 10/21/2000
From: Redstone Arsenal Al
Status: offline

When i play a Wild Bill scenario i read the text portion very carefully ..in those cases where i am allowed to chose forces i fast for two days meditate for a night then chose carefully ...before deploying i take a ritual bath and appease the Gods..I check each and every terrain feature carefully then write a check for 10% and send it to my Church.. and play holding both a rabbits foot and a four leafed clover.

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"For Americans war is almost all of the time a nuisance, and military skill is a luxury like Mah-jongg. But when the issue is brought home to them, war becomes as important, for the necessary periods, as business or sport. And it is hard to decide which

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- 12/23/2000 2:19:00 PM

Wild Bill

Posts: 6821
Joined: 4/7/2000
From: Smyrna, Ga, 30080
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Now the Good AmmoSgt takes his gaming very seriously

Sounds more like the gladiators prior to going into the arena. HOWEVER, Sarge, if it works, I may have to try it

Seriously, a well written background text file can prove not only interesting, but very helpful. A scenario designer should take special care in even the text file writing. It is not an afterthought. Normally, I write the text file first to serve as a sort of guide for the scenario I am about to design. WB ------------------ In Arduis Fidelis Wild Bill Wilder Coordinator, Scenario Design Matrix Games [This message has been edited by Wild Bill (edited December 23, 2000).]

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Independent Game Consultant

(in reply to Paul)

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