Note: This post is from when we were planning to make a different game about running wagons back and forth. Not terribly relevant anymore. We'll leave it here for fun though.
By game-given run, I mean something kind of like a "quest." I really really don't want to call it quests though. :( You've been tipped off to a thing you want to check out, and you have at least a general idea of where you're going. Maybe there's in interface where you can keep track of that stuff.
Anyway, you decide you're going to do this, in a way that either you tell the game about (by selecting a quest) or don't. Pick an NPC to come with and drive the cart, we'll call him Hatso. If playing multiplayer, I think we still pick an NPC to drive. We can pick a tame beast to pull the cart too. If we don't have beasts yet, Hatso rickshaws it up.
- (!) - If other NPCs can use the cart to go along safe routes, what if the cart is elsewhere at this point?
- Let's say that can't happen for now. We'll make them their own cart.
I'm running alongside the cart, clearing the path and shooing off small nuisances. If there's something big and scary nearby, we try to evade or avoid.
Game-given resource runs can have more story or dialogue built-in. Hatso makes a comment when we get there, we can talk about this specific mission, etc.
Let's say we're chopping down a cursed old tree. Run through it basic-like:
- I choose the cursed tree "mission" through an interface/menu.
- First off, I need to make a path so that the cart can get to the tree.
- I can choose to take Hatso with me for this stage or not. Let's say I do.
- Hatso comes to find me when summoned. He's got a yellow exclamation point. 😑 Click him to start.
- Maybe a quick dialogue about where we're going.
- Hatso's following me now, until I dismiss him. I head off in the direction of the tree.
- Let's saaayyy... I place trail markers as we go, and Hatso gets to work pathening. (If he wasn't here, I'd have to do that too; it'd take longer.)
- When there are monsters, we avoid them or drive them off with my magic.
- Maybe I can gather little things like berries or herbs along the way.
- When we get to the tree, maybe there's something a little scary to deal with, then I get a happy notification that there's a working path to this mission site now. The "mission" now becomes to get the wagon there.
- We go back and get the wagon.
- I can probably switch out Hatso for somebody else if I want.
- Hatso gets on the wagon and WE RIDE.
- I drive off and get us past monsters, which are a little more intense now that we've got a wagon.
- We kick off tree-chopping. We have to deal with curses/angry monsters while we chop.
- Tree's chopped! Walk over resources to load them into the wagon.
- Lead the wagon back. When you get within range of town/stockpiles, dialogue/event happens that wraps up the mission officially.
I'm not sure where this breaks first—if making a trail doesn't work well under the hood, or you wish you were driving the cart, or the whole thing feels redundant, or if it is fun but doesn't repeat well as a game loop. Maybe we'll find out someday.