I'm particularly loving your recent videos on implementations of systems like this event system, the quest system, the status effects system, etc. Writing a roguelike at the moment which uses many similar systems and having your insight on pros and cons of different systems and different implementations is incredibly valuable. Looking forward to diving into some of your older UI/UX content.

So, I get that you're coming at this in the context of conventional RPGs, I think a lot of this applies to the event systems of grand strategy games -- it's just that the variables are different, owing mostly to the fact that the player character isn't singular, and isn't moving around a map. Something like Old World where you have hundreds, thousands of events -- event trees, basically, tons of authored sidequests -- can do an incredible job at fulfilling that fantasy of "roleplaying" the ruler of an empire. Great stuff.

I just wanted to say that I'm so happy that this videos are keep coming out... I've watched so many of them, some of them multiple times, some of them I still didn't watch... And the thought that their stack grows every week warms my heart :)

Event queues are one of my favourite design patterns. They are so useful for connecting loosely connected systems.

Thank you for sharing your valuable time and knowledge with us.

I love these videos focused on the programming side of things

Please give us more implementation/systems videos. These have been great! Thank you!

Yes that answered the question, and thank you for the response! <3 Events are an important yet invisible system that merit an explanation. I wish I knew about them sooner.
My only followup is regarding optimization in MMO's (ie. Wildstar), but I think you covered most of the bases. :)

I am designing a game with a strategic layer which picks pseudo-random (weighted choice) "game events" every turn, either ad hoc or  based on data like which biomes the user has claimed, faction relations, etc. I decided to rename them "happenings" (named after the movie The Happening) so I don't confuse these with event channels, which serve a different function... data from the "happenings" can be the payload for events, and having both things named events was conceptually jarring

Hey Tim, if you ever write a book on game design and game programming, I would read it. Thanks for the informative video.

I am finding it fascinating to hear Tim talk about building games, although the programming is mostly gobbledygook to me... 🤣
Alas, I am a bit old to learn isometric RPG programming, art or level design- it would be for fun rather than a career- and I have no idea where I'd even start! 🤣
But it is wonderful to hear about how games I love were built!

My first experience with using an event system was Neverwinter Nights, which has a pretty robust set of them that is designed to be easy to use by beginner programmers and hobbyists. As time goes on, my appreciation grows for how well thought out the Aurora Toolset was.

Another insightful and inspiring video! Thank you!!

I love event systems. We use them in my work all the time. Our event system is a sort of glorified subject/observer pattern using java annotations.

Starting to work on my first game, really insightful and invaluable information always coming from the man himself.

Thanks again, as always!

Bladestorm actually used event stack, and it would only play 1 event per Contract, and event on top of the stack would probably be the event gained from the just completed contract. I had an important unlock event stuck quite low as I kept getting introduction events and other thing popping onto the stack.

Enlightening, will try it in my toy prototype today :) especially last bit about scope

I love your tech talks, the abstract examples allow to think of new ideas quickly. Can't wait for the next one :D

A question on event systems: what are your thoughts on events which act as "commands"? For example, instead of using events only for reacting, you use them to send commands. I've tried toying with this idea and it didn't really work out as it was too hard to debug, though curious if there are valid use cases for this.

Your whole description of event queues have always been handy to as an occasional modder/cheat-builder, because you can interrupt/manipulate the queue before something fires, and get a result you like better. If stealing X decreases friendship with Y, you just swap that negative to a positive, or zero it out, or whatever you like, and then when they consume it, ta-da!

Even for more instantaneous things, as long as you can to it before it's consumed, you're good. Much easier (and more fun) to mess with than some of the other systems where you have to find/alter things before they even happen because they just immediately change things when they do.

Appreciate the video, as always!

Love these videos talking about engineering-patterns 👍