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Optional Substages

(NEW) This feature is valid for Expeditions only.

Overview

The Optional Substages mechanics allows you to mark certain substages within the stage of an objective as optional and do not require their execution by the player.

In this case, the player may perform or not perform these optional substages. The stage will be accomplished when the player executes all its substages that are not marked as optional.

Typically, optional substages are used:

  • to enhance the variety of assignments available for the player
  • to avoid "blocking" of objectives that require the item that the player may not have

For example, a player may have a task with the objectConstruction substage that tells the player to deliver and install a Camera Trap in the particular zone. Obviously, the player needs a Camera Trap inventory item to execute this substage. So, we can create an additional takeInventory substage that will allow the player to obtain this item. However, the player may have this item in the Inventory from the start, so we will make this takeInventory substage optional to allow the player to skip it.

NOTE 1: The example above is only one of the possible variants of describing gameplay scenarios using objectives. For example, as another variant, we could have created another objective that would provide this item. Or, due to our narrative, we could decide that obtaining this item should be required in any way (even if the player has the similar item) and would add takeInventory into a separate preceding stage (in this case, we would need to make this takeInventory substage required, not optional, see below).

NOTE 2: When we make a particular substage optional, this should be supported by the corresponding narrative (uiDesc fields) to make the optional state of the assignment clear for the player.

Setup

To mark the substage is optional, you will need to enable the OptionalToPerform option in this substage. This option is disabled by default – i.e., by default all created substages are required.

This option is available for all substages, except truckDelivery and freeRoamInfo.

Thus, the process is the following:

  1. You set up a substage in a regular way.
  2. You enable the OptionalToPerform option for it.
  3. You specify the corresponding uiDesc text (or its localization) to notify that this substage is optional.
  4. You ensure that the parent stage of this optional substage has at least one required substage with disabled OptionalToPerform, see below.

IMPORTANT: Every stage of the objective must have at least one required substage where the OptionalToPerform option is disabled. I.e., stages where all substages are optional are prohibited and will lead to an error.

For example, we can create stage [0] with two substages:

Stage [0]:

  • takeInventory – (optional, enabled OptionalToPerform) allows the player to obtain some item from some zone.
  • objectConstruction – (required, disabled OptionalToPerform) tells the player to deliver this item to another zone.

Please note, that if we created two stages ([0] and [1]) and added takeInventory to a separate stage, it could not be optional (if it was the only substage).

I.e., in this case, we would need to make this substage required:

Stage [0]:

  • takeInventory – (required, disabled OptionalToPerform) requires the player to obtain some item from some zone.

Stage [1]:

  • objectConstruction – (required, disabled OptionalToPerform) tells the player to deliver this item to another zone.