Okay, let’s try this out. There will be some spoilers for the campaign stories, so read at your own peril.
So, while traveling this summer, I had a really helpful email correspondence with Unkoman, who helped me plot several new campaigns and expansions for existing ones. The centerpiece of my DCUG 2.0 update/expansion is a finished/polished JLA campaign that also provides a significant expansion in the form of half a dozen new missions featuring Green Arrow’s recruitment to the team, the first encounters with the Injustice Gang, and the first battles with the Key. I created a really fun but, of course, overly ambitious outline. I wrote it all up, added new materials to the mod, set up the maps, and got it all ready to test weeks ago. Since then I’ve been very busy, and of course, only able to test and troubleshoot occasionally. Of course, my attempts to get fancy have led to tons of bugs and lots of frustration. I had a little time recently and got back to it.
I’ve been working on level 14 of the JLA campaign, where Green Arrow is jumping from pocket universe to pocket universe to rescue the JLA who have been scattered through the multiverse by the Key. I’m using the ‘disk worlds’ maps from the finale of 
, which makes for a really cool level. Unfortunately, the maps have some issues. More unfortunately, my scripts had issues! I think every single encounter had bugs, and I eventually had to create workarounds for certain parts of it.
The mission was designed with GA encountering four heroes, Batman, Flash, Aquaman, and Superman, each imprisoned on their own diskworld, which was a threat specifically for them. GA could teleport between them, recruiting each hero as he rescued them. First I discovered that the individual encounters were not ending properly, meaning the mission never progressed past the first one. This seems to be a result of using custom encounters that had an ally join your team.
I fixed that by just starting all the encounters at once. Then, inexplicably, the Flash would somehow join your team twice, meaning there was no room for poor Aquaman….again. I had to split that up into two encounters, one where you rescue Flash, one where that Flash is destroyed and a different one joins the team. After I finally solved that I discovered that the diskworld he is on has pathing issues.
Here’s a truncated version of my scripting work-around. You’ll notice that I name the two Flashes different so the game doesn’t get confused, and I wait to tidy up my extra Flash until we reach the second encounter, that way his being wiped out of existence, Anti-Monitor style, won’t screw up that first encounter. By fading the camera between encounters, hopefully my players won’t even notice the substitution.:
#———————————-
Encounter: Chill1
Type: Rescue Frozen
Allies: flash named bob
Villains: shurale named harry
Minions: shurale, snow_man, snow_man, snow_man, snow_man
Marker: snow1
Primary Objective: “Free Flash from his frozen prison” for 1000 prestige
Next: If All allies freed: Chill2
Next: If No allies freed: Final2
End Cutscene:
Fade for 1 seconds
bob teleports to bottom1
#———————————-
Encounter: Chill2
Type: Custom
Actions: allies become controllable, allies fight villains, allies follow heroes, allies remain after encounter ends
Allies: flash named jim
Marker: snow2
Next: None
Alert Cutscene:
jim teleports to green_arrow
bob is killed
bob is destroyed
Unfade for 1 seconds
#————–
I’ve got an idea about that, but I haven’t tried it yet. Finally, Aquaman’s wasn’t properly rescueable in his custom encounter, so I had to change it up too. I’ve finally got this mission mostly sorted out…and now I face another one in mission 15, where you save the rest of the team. I honestly don’t know that I’ve ever had a mission with so many problems per-capita!
Let this be a lesson to you, future modders: don’t get fancy!
The good news is I’m still making progress, and the campaign is coming together well. I’m also really happy with a lot of how I’ve designed these missions and the base scenes. I know SO much more about modding these days than I did when I made the DCUG in the first place, and it’s nice to be able to bring a little higher production value to the stories I’m telling. I’m still often limited by EZScript and the available maps, but I’ve been able to find some fun ways to change things up. I hope y’all will agree with me when you get a chance to play these missions!
I also just got a small pile of new and updated skins/skopes from Deanjo2000, and they look fantastic!
Finally, I posted an add for a map maker on ModDB. Since it’s just an unpaid position working on a decade old game, chances are nothing will come of it, but it would be really fantastic if I could get some help with map creation. That could open up so many possibilities and free up an incredible amount of time for me. So, cross your fingers, gang!
Completed script:
Story: 14jla
#
# New JLA mission pitting the team agains the Key
#
Starting Encounters: Knight1, Chill1, Red1, Dry1, Dry2, Dry3
#———————————-
Encounter: Knight1
Type: Custom
Actions: allies become controllable, allies fight villains, allies follow heroes, allies remain after encounter ends
Villains: duplicate_male1, duplicate_fem1, duplicate_male1, duplicate_fem1, duplicate_male1, duplicate_fem1, duplicate_male1, duplicate_fem1
Minions: duplicate_male1, duplicate_fem1
Allies: batman
Marker: city1
Primary Objective: “Help Batman defeat the strange civilians” for 1000 prestige
Next: If Ally Survives: None
Next: If Ally Lost: Final2
Alert Cutscene:
Set Lighting to Night
Cinematic camera on green_arrow
Unfade for 2 seconds
Play music music_pandemonium
green_arrow says, “Well…this doesn’t look that bad. Looks a bit like home, actually…though it’s strangely quiet…”
Cinematic camera on batman
batman says, “Green Arrow? How in the world did you get here?”
green_arrow says, “Hiya Bats, I just caught a lift through…”
batman says, “Nevermind! There’s no time! Watch out! There’s something wrong with the people of this world!”
green_arrow says, “What do you mean…?”
Camera on Minion1
Minion1 says, “Hsssss…fresh meat! kill them! rend their flesh!”
batman says, “I think you get the picture. It’s the Key’s idea of a joke. I have dedicated my life to protecting the people of my city…so he sent me to a world where they’re out for my blood..though it seems any will do.”
green_arrow says, “But how…?”
batman says, “Later! Now, just concentrate on survival!”
Ally Lost Cutscene:
green_arrow says, “Nooo!”
End Cutscene:
batman is revived
Cinematic camera on green_arrow
green_arrow turns to batman
batman moves to green_arrow
batman says, “Best as I can tell, this world suffered some type of plague or contamination, and its inhabitants seem to be mad. we should keep our eyes open for more infected civilians.”
batman says, “so, how did you end up here?”
green_arrow says, “You’re welcome….”
batman says, “Yes. thank you.”
green_arrow says, “For saving your….?”
batman says, “don’t push it.”
green_arrow says, “Fine. I had just teleported to the Watchtower when the Key grabbed all of you. I followed him through his portal before it closed. I found myself in a crazy place, glowing, under a neon sky…”
green_arrow says, “there were a bunch of other portals. I crossed my fingers and jumped through, found myself here.”
batman says, “Hmm…disappointing. I hoped you’d have some way to get back.”
green_arrow moves to spot1
green_arrow says, “Yeah, I didn’t really think this through…unfortunatley, these things don’t come with instruction manuals.”
batman turns to spot1
batman plays animation ranged
batman says, “Wait! The portal…it’s open again!”
green_arrow says, “How? Did you do something?”
batman says, “No…I wonder…the Key talked about absorbing dimensional energies in his travels…it’s possible that you absorbed enough as you jumped between worlds to activate his gateways.”
green_arrow says, “Well, there’s only one way to find out. You coming?”
batman says, “It would be tempting fate to say ‘anywhere is better than here,’ but I suppose I’ll take my chances.”
#———————————-
Encounter: Chill1
Type: Rescue Frozen
Allies: flash named bob
Villains: shurale named harry
Minions: shurale, snow_man, snow_man, snow_man, snow_man
Marker: snow1
Primary Objective: “Free Flash from his frozen prison” for 1000 prestige
Next: If All allies freed: Chill2
Next: If No allies freed: Final2
Start Cutscene:
Fade for 1 seconds
Set Lighting to Day
Camera on snow1
Unfade for 1 seconds
batman says, “It looks like this world is frozen over. some second ice age, or perhaps nuclear winter.”
green_arrow says, “Brrr! You’re telling me. I wish I’d have packed my thermal costume…”
Camera on bob
green_arrow says, “Look! It’s the Flash, frozen like a TV dinner! and we thought we were cold…”
Camera on harry
batman says, “And it looks like he’s not alone. We’d better free him, but tread carefully.”
harry says, “Raarraggghhhh!”
green_arrow says, “A little late for that!”
End Cutscene:
Cinematic camera on bob
batman moves to bob
green_arrow moves to bob
bob says, “thththththannnnks….gggguys…this entire world…is so cold…even I couldn’t…keep my molecules moving.”
batman says, “we must have been protected by residual dimensional energy. hopefully there’s still enough left to get out of here.”
green_arrow says, “No kidding. I snow as much as the next guy, but this place over does it!”
bob says, “whhhwhhwhat’s going on?”
batman says, “Explanations can wait. We need to find the rest of the League. Let’s hope our next stop is warmer.”
Fade for 1 seconds
bob teleports to bottom1
#———————————-
Encounter: Chill2
Type: Custom
Actions: allies become controllable, allies fight villains, allies follow heroes, allies remain after encounter ends
Allies: flash named jim
Marker: snow2
Next: None
Alert Cutscene:
jim teleports to green_arrow
bob is killed
bob is destroyed
Unfade for 1 seconds
#———————————-
Encounter: Chill3
Type: Fight
Villains: shurale named harry
Minions: shurale, snow_man, snow_man, snow_man, snow_man
Marker: snow1
Next: None
#———————————-
Encounter: Dry1
Type: Custom
Actions: allies become controllable, allies fight villains, allies remain after encounter ends, allies can be freed, allies move when freed, allies in cages, allies do not move, allies thank heroes
Villains: fire_elemental, fire_elemental, fire_elemental, fire_elemental
Minions: fire_elemental1
Allies: aquaman_classic
Marker: desert1
Primary Objective: “Rescue Aquaman from the burning desert” for 1000 prestige
Next: If Ally Survives: None
Next: If Ally Lost: Final2
Start Cutscene:
Camera on desert1
green_arrow says, “Some kind of desert world…well, at least it’s warmer.”
batman says, “very warm. we’d better be careful. we could easily dehydrate here, and there’s no water in sight.”
jim says, “dry or not, I’ll take this over that frozen…”
Camera on aquaman_classic
jim says, “Hey, there’s Aquaman! It looks like there’s something wrong with him…”
green_arrow says, “hopefully it’s not whatever was wrong with those folks on the first world…”
batman says, “no, don’t you see? he’s an amphibian. this place is killing him! we’ve got to get him out of here, quick.”
Camera on Villain1
jim says, “Ohh yeah? I wonder what they’ll have to say about that…”
green_arrow says, “what the heck are they?”
jim says, “They look like some kind of…living flame…sort of the opposite of the things on the snow world.”
green_arrow says, “well, they don’t look any more friendly!”
Ally Thanks Hero Cutscene:
Camera on aquaman_classic
aquaman_classic says, “th…thank you all…I wouldn’t have…lasted much longer…”
jim says, “we’ll find you a nice ocean as soon as we can, aqua-buddy. can you make it?”
aquaman_classic says, “Yes…I’ll be alright, once we get out of this heat…”
green_arrow says, “Then it’s onward and upward!”
jim says, “do you realize what this place means, guys? these different versions of earth…this is the multiverse that physicists have theorized about for years!”
jim says, “scientists have posited that there are infinite variations to our universe, each in its own dimension, and each differing in key ways from our own. it looks liek they were right!”
batman says, “Yes, but unfortunately that multiverse is currently trying to kill us.”
green_arrow says, “Hey, you wonder if there are alternate versions of us out there anywhere?”
#———————————-
Encounter: Dry2
Type: Destroy Object
Villains: fire_elemental
Objects: ro_generator
Primary Objective: “Sabotage the automated factory” for 1000 prestige
Marker: desert2
Next: None
Start Cutscene:
batman says, “These fire beings seem to be coming from that portal…maybe we can destabalize if we hit it hard enough…”
Red Arrow on desert2
End Cutscene:
jim says, “That’s done it!”
#———————————-
Encounter: Dry3
Type: Hunt
Villains: fire_elemental
Marker: desert3
Starts When: Dry2 not at End
Next: Dry4
#———————————-
Encounter: Dry4
Type: Wait
Minimum Time: 30
Maximum Time: 35
Next: Dry5
#———————————-
Encounter: Dry5
Type: Hunt
Villains: fire_elemental
Marker: desert4
Starts When: Dry2 not at End
Next: Dry3
#———————————-
Encounter: Red1
Type: Rescue Caged
Villains: darkman_blue, darkman_blue, darkman_blue, darkman_purple, darkman_blue, darkman_blue, darkman_blue, darkman_purple, darkman_blue, darkman_blue, darkman_blue, darkman_purple
Minions: darkman_blue, darkman_blue, darkman_blue, darkman_purple
Allies: superman
Marker: ruin1
Primary Objective: “Save Superman from the ruined world” for 1000 prestige
Next: If Ally Survives: Final1
Next: If Ally Lost: Final2
Start Cutscene:
Fade for 1 seconds
Camera on ruin1
Set Lighting to red alert
Unfade for 1 seconds
green_arrow says, “Whoa, this place has seen better days. It looks worse than Gotham.”
green_arrow turns to batman
green_arrow says, “Err…sorry Bats.”
batman says, “It looks like this world has suffered some type of catastrophe…and look…the light.”
jim says, “Red…is that the natural sun color of this world, or is it linked to whatever happened here.”
batman says, “No way to tell…but if this place is under a red sun….I can guess who the Key imprisoned here.”
aquaman_classic says, “Superman…but where…”
Camera on superman
jim says, “there he is!”
green_arrow says, “Well, the good news is, this place looks dead. Hopefully we don’t have to worry about any unfriendly natives.”
Camera on Minion
Minion says, “Outsiders! Maybe they have food! Maybe they WILL be food! Get them!”
jim says, “Arrow! Don’t you know better? You NEVER tempt fate like that!”
Ally Thanks Hero Cutscene:
Camera on superman
superman says, “Thanks, guys…I’ve been robbed of my powers under this red sun. I’ve been staying just ahead of these poor creatures. they’ve been hunting me since I arrived.”
superman says, “It looks like there was a nuclear war here…and the survivors were changed…mutated…it’s not a pretty sight…but the worst part is…all I could think about was…I wasn’t there to stop it.”
superman says, “We’ve got to get home. I won’t let the same thing happen to our world.”
superman says, “Now, someone tell me, what in the name of Krypton happened to us?”
batman says, “I’ll explain, but first, we still have a few Leaguers to find.”
#——————————————————————————-
Encounter: Final1
Type: Cutscene
Next: Win
Start Cutscene:
Play Transition
#——————————————————————————-
Encounter: Final2
Type: Cutscene
Next: Lose
Start Cutscene:
Play Transition
#——————————————————————————-
The Greylands 