[Aleona-devel] Proposal for continuing Aleona's Tales

[Ingo Ruhnke]

Aleona's Tales is currently basically non existing, except that we
have a webpage and a collection of ideas, but no code, no clear goal
or anything. So I would suggest the following to get something done
fast:

 * checkin all the old FcMP graphics into CVS, replace spaces and
   other funky characters while doing that (unless nobody volunteers I
   will do it, but I am a bit busy with other stuff, so it might not
   happen all that quickly)

 * create a very basic game design that works with Stratagus in its
   current stage, no engine modifications must be required or only if
   we can get them coordinated with a new release of Stratagus

 * implement the game design and do a release, announce project to
   happypenguin.org and friends, the release will not be the hugest
   game, but it should be enough to keep a player entertained for an
   hour or so (entertained as in having fun, not as in 'wasting more
   time installing this thing than playing it')


My suggestion for the game design would be like this:

 * player controlls a group of farmers, the farm is there 'base'

 * player can't create new units, but new units will be spread over
   the map in the form of other farmers and there homes, player has to
   discover them to get more units 

 * at later levels the soldier units might join the fight, again only
   as discoverable unit not as a buildable one

 * enemies of the farmers will be some kind of critter or orc creature
   or if none of them looks good enough, it will simply be another
   group of farmers

 * lots of sheep running around
 
 * final boss in the last level will be a dragon

 * farmers need to build a balista or multiple of them to defend the
   dragon, balista will be buildable in an inventors house, again not
   buildable but discoverable

 * one of the farmers could be a 'hero' be a bit more strength then
   the rest, etc.


Story would be like this:

For many years now the <insert funny name> clan has been attacking and
robing the farmers, steeling them there wealth that they had worked
for. So far nobody had the courage to do anything against the clan and
the king of Talimus wasn't really interested in this issue. The mighty
dragon, which was a allied with the <insert funny name> clan simply
seemed to mighty to be defeat able by a lonly farmer and all those who
tried have failed. But now the day has come that the farmers will
unite and stand up against the dragon and the clan and defent there
plague.

Story will be told in normal mission briefings and cutscenes, maybe we
can also get a few messages ingame, but not sure about that.


So stuff that needs to be done would basically:

 * collect all the needed gfx from FcMP, probally paint/change them of
   them if necessary

 * collect sounds or record new
 
 * write a bunch of ccl's

 * create a handfull of missions


Timeframe:

Since most gfx and sounds should be already available, it should be
relativly easy to create this thing, UI is also ready. All that would
needed would be simply some .ccl and some missions to hold this thing
together. A bunch of images for cutscenes and some sentences of story.
So if a few people volunteer to help, it shouldn't take any longer
than a month to get this thing done.


Multiplayer:

Maybe we could provide a few multiplayer missions which use only these
units, but I don't consider multiplayer that important.


The Big Picture:

After all I think that starting with indepedent mini-games is the way
to go for Aleona's Tales, as the past have shown cloning Warcraft2
will never really work and will not lead to really good looking
result, beside that it will lead to legal throuble. So buying a
Warcraft2-Cd for a few bucks and using Wargus is much more of a
practical way to go for people who want to play Warcraft2 under
GNU/Linux (Wine(X) might of course also be an option).

Indepedent and finished minigames will provide the huge advantage of
providing something worth for the player, while not being all that
hard to develop. So in the end a set of minigames will provide more
fun for the player then an in-complete half playable full-game.
Minigames could also make optimal use of the available resources,
while a full game would basically need to throw away lots of the gfx,
since they are simply not useable in a single game.

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