Different ideas than using quotes in game

**Mulattothrasher** · April 17, 2008, 07:27 PM

Looking at the way quotes are arranged in the files, is there anything preventing us from using something different than strictly quotes in the game?

"blah blah blah"
- by blah blah when he was blah blahing in 230 B.C.

For example, we can have something like rare or little known facts presented in certain battles, or "Did you know?" "blah blah blah blah." Theres alot of rare facts that the average Joe doesn't know. I think it would spice things up a bit in that category. That, plus new/different loading screens will pack a punch in the presentation when RS2 is released.

It's often the little things that can give the biggest effect at times.

**aja5191** · April 17, 2008, 07:41 PM

Sounds like a good idea.

**Drtad** · April 17, 2008, 11:26 PM

I wholeheartedly support...

Anybody have any initial ideas?

**Nellup** · April 18, 2008, 06:48 AM

This sounds like an excellent idea.

**cherryfunk** · April 18, 2008, 08:11 AM

It depends what this other information is. Quotes have a power to them and bring an element of class and professionalism. A snippet from wikipedia might not have the same effect. And implementing this properly would be a big project.

**Gotthard** · April 18, 2008, 11:23 AM

Perhaps some explanations of new things we've added...

"RS2.0 has implemented a cultural penalty system. The town center of every settlement has a culture, and the farther removed your culture is from theirs, the harder it is to rule that settlement"

Could even be a screenshot with some of the basic numbers... with the buildings i have planned, we could have some new graphical representations of the trees... something EB could *really* use.

**Jingles** · April 18, 2008, 11:27 AM

If we used a mixture that would be quite good, but GOOD quotes mind you, not those cheesy war quotes like 'war determines not who is right but who is left'....Ugh it makes me cringe. EB's loading screens were good in the way they showed you facts about stuff. That said, it dosent compensate for it's MONOLITHIC loading times.

**Mulattothrasher** · April 18, 2008, 03:31 PM

I was thinking, and its just a part of the overall picture if something other than quotes can be done, is maybe we could gather unique, rare, and otherwise unknown facts about each of the factions (except the free barbs and free greeks perhaps) and present them where the quotes go.

For example, many people do no know that the Celts practiced successful brain surgery, or trepanning as its called, where you bore a hole or cut/saw into the skull to treat various ailments. Skulls have been found where healing and bone regeneration has occurred indicating the patients survived the process. Now not in those exact words, but something similar.

I do not believe there is a limit on loading screens and the amount of quotes to add (I might be wrong). If I am right, this could give us plenty of breathing room and flexibility with what we add into that part of the game. I also think we should scrap the overused quotes that everyone knows, and focus more on the rarer ones if possible, again only to separate the mod from others.

**dvk901** · April 18, 2008, 04:02 PM

There is no limit to the loading screens, but they are chosen randomly. So you wouldn't be able to match a quote to a screen unless the quote was ON the screen.

**Gotthard** · April 18, 2008, 04:13 PM

You know, if we wanted to use a loader, we *could* customize the loading screens for each faction. Include all the graphics, but substitute different text files for each faction. Especially if we'll need something like that for swap factions anyway. Might personalize the factions a bit more. I can whip something up if there's a need for it.

**Mulattothrasher** · April 18, 2008, 04:45 PM

Thats right, I forgot the loading screen are chosen at random

Would that loader noticeably slow the game down Gotthard, like a heavy script or anything, or how do you thin it might affect the game overall? :hmmm:

**Mulattothrasher** · April 18, 2008, 04:47 PM

oops, double post....

**Jingles** · April 18, 2008, 05:45 PM

I knew already about the trepanning..Wow I feel so PROUD!

I would love to see these facts on the screen, It would make it so much more interesting, as well as making the RS team look very clever. I guess it depends on how many obscure facts we can dig up.

**cherryfunk** · April 18, 2008, 07:52 PM

Perhaps some explanations of new things we've added...

Now that's an interesting idea -- we could use the loading screens to explain things about the mod, like new buildings, the 'homeland' concept, new units, the AOR, new factions... since most of this info is scattered all over the place in the forum, this might be a great way to get it to the player...

Also, many players seem to gravitate towards Rome as a faction; perhaps some loading screens could almost be 'adverts' for other factions, explaining what their roster is, what their culture and history was like, why they were included in the mod, to sort of entice players to try a campaign as the Boii or the Getae or the Skythians...

Even something as simple as a screenshot of a Skythian unit in battle, with a few lines of text explaining the unit, how it came to be developed, and what niche it serves in the Skythian army...

Of course the same thing could be done for the Romans themselves -- perhaps a separate loading screen for each Legio, giving its name and history, with a gripping image of the cohorts in combat....