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Wild Bill -> RE: How a Mega Campaign is Made (3/21/2005 6:37:50 AM)
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Making a Mega Campaign
Just what is the process of putting together a Mega Campaign? Nearly everyone knows about some of its parts, but how do you get it into a complete package?
It is a long, detailed and at times aggravating process. I’ve been fortunate to have been the coordinator and leader in three Mega Campaigns. In the first attempt I was flying blind. I learned a lot. My teams for MCNA, MC-W and MC-SE performed magnificently.
Here is an outline of how it is done so you might have a better understanding of what goes on with this system.
Think of a Mega Campaign Editor as a skeleton, a framework. You are going to put meat, muscle and transfuse blood into the bones to make it a living thing. You are going to add cement, wood, glass, and create a structure for housing and displaying that which is within.
Step #1 - Organizing
This includes selecting a theme, a time frame, and a list of battles or conflicts that will be the very heart of the MC (Mega Campaign). You will also give it a name, like Mega Campaign – Screaming Eagles. This will give the average player an idea of what is being offered in the Mega Campaign.
The list of battles will include branching scenarios, and perhaps alternative battles to give the player some choices during his playing of the MC.
It may change as the program develops but this will be initial set of battles on which the Mega Campaign will be built.
Step #2 - Recruiting
Next is the choosing of the team. First for scenario design, I need two men that I know are knowledgeable of the game and also can devote the time to lead a group of people through the process of designing and testing scenarios. Next I will want a person well-indoctrinated in military history and have a gift for writing. This individual will head up the writing team to help produce the wealth of historical material to be included in the Mega Campaign.
I then glean through my lists of previous designers and testers and begin my own recruiting. I also look for some "new blood," people who show talent and initiative and whom I believe will get the job done.
Once I have these people selected, I assign them to one or another of the team captains.
Step #3 - Communication
This is crucial. The next phase is that of securing the assent of all in the list to commit to the project. Of course some are not able. Sadly, some say they are but soon drop by the way. This is inevitable but always a disappointment.
There is, however, a core group of faithful who have counted the cost and hang in till the end. Those are the ones who get it done. I could never do a Mega Campaign without them. Endurance is as important, even more important, than talent.
Once teams are chosen, the assignments are explained in detail by the team captains to each group. The rules are set, deadlines are set and the wheels begin to slowly turn.
Step #4 - Completion
One by one the scenarios come into the captains, go to the testers, then back to the designers then back again to the captains. This process can be repeated more than once till we get the battles right.
Team Captains are VERY busy people. They make sure that the guidelines for the scenarios are followed. They pass out the scenarios for testing. They make sure I have the final product. When you multiply that by 10 or 15, it becomes a very sizeable piece of work.
This takes usually about 1 week for every 8-10 scenarios. It is a very large job and these battles are the core, the heart, the showcase of the Mega Campaign.
Step #5 - Creation and Collation
While all of the above is taking place as outlined in step Four, I am busy at work securing writers for articles, many articles. There is space in each node (a Node is a battle including alternative battles in the Mega Campaign) for up to 10 articles with 10 corresponding pictures.
For each node at least one article must serve as an intro to the battle or the situation around it. That requires even more research and study. Lamentably, again there are those who promise but don't produce. So it goes. I or another dedicated team member must take up that slack if it becomes necessary.
As you may know, writing an article is every bit as intense and demanding as designing a scenario.
Then there is proof reading, the search for and scanning of photos on the theme or thing related to it. This is work I largely do myself. These photos must be scanned, resized and restructured. It becomes again a time consuming process. Naturally all the text files have to be proof read to be as sure as we can that they are correct in form as well as content.
Step #6 - Converting
Once this material is ready, it has to be converted to 8 letter text files and lbm (graphic) files. This also takes a considerable amount of time. I have a good resource in Derek Boain who converts the photos to the proper format and who has been responsible for the fine music included in the product.
Marc Schwanebeck took voice files, enhanced them and added the proper sound effects to give even more life to the product.
This makes it easier to keep up with them but I must keep a separate spreadsheet to know what each Node.txt file is. This is so I can relate the proper picture to that article and also name it appropriately.
Multiply that process by 200-300 and you see where it becomes time consuming.
Then there is the preparation of the battle map, the strategic map, the ribbons page and the awards page. This requires pinpointing the location of certain spots on the graphic and coding them in for the flags.
Step #7 Checking
Then one must go back through the entire campaign checking each node to be sure the proper scenario name and number is attached to each node and alternate battle. One must also be sure that is a scenario is listed that it is in the MC-W file folder or the game will crash. If the Mega Campaign cannot find a scenario, even though it is there but misnamed, it will crash.
One must also set the location of each node on the battle map and assign values of winning, depending on the degree of victory achieved or not achieved.
Step #8 Testing
Finally, the moment arrives. If all has gone well in the above lengthy, complicated and often confusing steps, the Campaign is now at the point of testing.
What does this mean? It means we are going to work our way through the campaign to see if all the bells and whistles work. They usually don't. As problems are encountered, be they bugs, bad names, or whatever else might happen, they have to be found and fixed.
This is not a testing of the scenarios. That has already been done. It is a testing of the campaign itself to make sure it works properly.
This has to be done numerous times by selected real die-hard gamers. It is tedious and sometimes boring, though the pictures and articles do offer a little entertainment along the way.
Whew! I think I included everything.
Step #9 Delivery
After testing and finding all the possible or real problems we might encounter, the package is complete. It isl then turned over to Matrix for publication.
So what was a skeleton has taken life. What was a frame is now a showcase. We have arrived!
I wrote this with the idea that it might interest you to see the full picture of how it is done. Then when it is your turn to prepare one, you'll be ready.
Wild Bill
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