programming an RPG

Scripting would be my guess, often but not always.

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"This album was written, recorded and edited at Gröndal, Stockholm in the year of 2000. At this point in time money still ruled the world. Capitalistic thoughts were wide spread. From the sky filled with the fumes of a billionarie''s cigar to the deepest abyss drenched in nuclear waste. A rich kid was a happy kid, oh..dirty, filthy times. Let this be a reminder."
- Fireside, taken from back of the Elite album

For my text-rpg, I put all of the game''s functions, classes, and other info inside a header file. Then I put all of my story info inside MAIN(), not using a function or anything. I put a variable inside the player''s class that I incremented everytime teh player witnessed a part of the story. And I checked the variable to make sure that the same story did not play itself for a second time. I hope that helped.

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The Shining Knight

I use my nice little scripting language.

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/* todo: insert cool sig */
Martee
Magnum Games.NET

It really depends on how you want the story to transpire.
RPGs have:
- conversations
You meet NPCs and ask them questions and deal and trade with them. You need a conversation system to deal with this; usually having tree options and/or a shopping system. Some times it can go into combat and that''s part of the story
- quests
You want something and you have to fulfill a task. You need a struct to see that all the tasks are completed and all the objects collected.
- exposition
Usually cut-scenes and long conversations
- events/triggers
Usually these are scripted in. Events - you have completed a quest or conversation and then a series of actions happen(you return a froo to Bozz and then pyrotechnics happen and a SlithyWith pops in as a surprise or trap). A trigger is a more passive event. You walk across a certain tile and whole bunch of orcs burst through a nearby door. Some scripting is needed and with triggers you need to tie in the map editor to the script.

ZoomBoy
Developing a 2D RPG with skills, weapons, and adventure.
See my character editor, old Hex-Tile editor, diary, 3D Art resources at
Check out my web-site
I''ll also be loading up my RPG hex-tile game in the new year. I''ve abandoned it for Isotile but it''s got a lot of stuff I''ll be porting over to the new RPG engine.

even if you don''t use any kind of scripting (though that would be my recommendation) at least don''t hard code it.. just read it from a simple text file if anything - that way you can change it without having to recompile for every little typo...

Avoid hard coding anything...

Scripting, they would all be done via scripting, for a few reasons.

1) The programmers can make the scripting system, and leave it, ork of bugs and other stuff, while someone else, who doen''t ork on the engine does all the scripting.

2) It mkes a sequel SOOO much easier. due to the fact that minimal re-programming is required.

see, not to mention, if you do go back to the old game later you can reprogram the client (the bit that reads the scripting) and make it work in 3d, or with better graphics, or even.... somthing else.

go with scripting, it might be a hassle working it out, but once you have a scripting lang, you can use it over, and over, and over, an.....