Dungeon Master Forum

This is only a theoretical question!

I`ve been thinking (theoretically), if it was possible to make a "Hired Guns" clone on CSBwin (= to divide the party).

To those who didn`t play HG: it`s a game somehow similar to DM, wchich you controll four soldiers independently (so they don`t form a "party" like in DM). Take a look at this picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Leahdile.gif

Would it be possible to do something like that in CSBwin?
In HG you`ve got four windows on the screen to controll the whole party. In CSB you have one window on one screen. So to controll full party you would have to switch the characters.
Of course, switching the characters would also switch the wiev.
And exchanging objects between the characters should be forbidden.
And, most importantly, the characters should be assigned with some bitmaps. So when char #1 meets char #2, he sees, say, a Doom marine, a giggler, a dragon or something else.

Then, when one of the characters is controlled by a player, three of them are not controlled, and can be, for example, attacked by monsters.

Enitrely the wrong clone. You could stretch RTC to breaking point by trying a compniation of party member drops and info screens to 'swap views' where you basically remove everyone fro mthe party, teleport to a waiting 'monster' holding your previous party, and reload your old party members

Though the effort might kill you, GG, RTC, and the samity of anyone around!

Dunno if DSB might have better hooks to do that sort of thing, i do not know if party make up is configureable and hence embers droppable yet

what you need is a dm clone that supports network play;
multiplayer. there is not really a modern one around.
there was some with split screen on amstrad ? and
it was unfinished.
Astonishingly, no multiplayer dm game so far!!

Actually, there was an atari one called 'master of chaos' that was split screen - i thought that was finished?

yes, but "Master of Chaos" had two windows on one screen (so there was a double wiev). I`m talking about one window one one screen; the only thing you do is switching the characters, and therefore, changing the displayed locations in the window: char #1 is on level 3, so his own wiev (wchich is level 3) is displayed. But if you switch him to char #2, wchich is in level 9, the wiev in the same window also will be switched (level 9 will be shown instead of level 3, because char #2 is currently on level 9).

yeah, I realize this idea was stupid. The DM engine wouldn`t allow that.

I would not call it stupid

edit: yes, I meant MasterofChaos///
could never play it or try it out

well. ok. undoable

I know from a reliable source that a dividable party is either already possible or in the making right now. But I'm too luazy to tell you which clone...

DSB party makeup is configurable and it has some hooks for having someone "in your party" and yet not active in the current party. It also has hooks for showing the external view of a given character. So, while DSB might be able to come closer to doing what you want, it'd probably require a lot of work even so...

I think a dividable party is doable in CSBwin with some hassle.

I take it you'd use the various party filters to block actions by members not currently there.

I have a freeze life filter that can disable the party, so could disable only the absent people at a push

There was even something that dropped items fro mthe hand in that filter, so I guess that could even be used to stop people not present, if the party leader, from picking up dungeon items

Stopping the mouse picking up items from the backpacks of people not there would be the interesting one, how would you interrupt that?

It's probably easier to write a game that has it in from the start than try and hack existing clones.

...But 4 sweaty teenagers sitting around keyboard/mouse at the same time was great fun though. Ahhh memories.