[Theory] A RTS game idea, feel free to post critism.

[#ClumsyWizard]

Ok, so I've had this idea for a while, but it's not as old as my Realistic Zombie RPG idea.

So..

You start out the game as a small tribe on a planet, you get to pick to play one of twelve different races, each with their own perks and flaws. From this point of the game it's a simple RTS with resource gathering, Stone and Copper. As you progress through the different "ages" your main resource changes too.

Example:

Tribe Age: Stone and Copper

Metal Age: Bronze and Iron

Modern Age: Wood, Steel, and Oil

Futuristic Age: Unobtainium (Place holder, not permanent), Crystals, Urainium, and Liquid Mass.

Only four examples, resources might change. Especially with the Futuristic Age. Your workers also can revolt and refuse to work if they feel over used, this can be fixed with lower taxes on works or killing them. The former leading to less money generated, but less pissed off workers. The latter leads to more money generated, and more pissed off workers. Also another way to counter-act the pissed off workers you can place special units / buildings near your workers and mines to lower the chances of a strike.

Example:

A priest until the Pre-Modern Age.

Speaker Tower until Futuristic Age.

Security Robot until System Dominance Age.

2.) Unit control

In this game you can control legions, platoons, squads, groups and a single unit. Allowing more strategy than provided in your average RTS. Lets say that you have 5 Secure Worker Suits (SWS) constructing an Orbital Space Station, you can control one and increase production time, or have it stray away and mine an asteroid.

In a battlefield situation lets say you have a legion of Space Destroyers with Medivac Drop ships in tow carrying 20 marines each. After you distract your enemy with the Destroyers you can slip in the drop ships to your planet of choice, once the drop ships enter the plant you zoom into the LZ and order the drop ships to unload your marines.

Once ordering all your marines to charge the main resource base of your opponent you have the choice of entering a FPS mode to control one single marine and interact with the base destroying. If you enter an enemy turret, only availible to Techicians though once the operator has been taken care of, you can control one enemy turrent from a Third Person View (TPV or TPS), unloading unforeseeable damage onto the enemy base.



~~ Too be continued, I have a class to go to now.

[Goldennose90]

It kind of sounds like a more hardcore version of Spore. I think if you are planning to add a first person and / or third person perspective to give specific moments more of an actiony kind of feel rather than just sitting and watching - you would need to make sure that each age would be playable that way. For example, a space marine that you can enter FPS mode with, would need to be just as "exciting" as some tribal archer.


Cool concept though.

[Dr. Doom]

I like the FPS concept once you invade someones base, it makes it seem a bit more interactive imo. Cool ideas.

[#ClumsyWizard]

~~ Continue from First post ~~

2b.) Unit Control

While in control of a unit in Third person view or First Person View you will have full control over the unit. Each unit has a different control set to it. As a Hunter in the first age you will have full control, throw tomahawks, knife kill animals, and explore the map. While this might not be as fun as a Spearman, or a Guard Captain later on. It will be a small taste of what you can do. While in full control of a unit the AI will allow you to fully control the unit without interuption.

A few extra features within unit control are availible if you are controlling a certain unit. As a lead unit of a squad of Archers you have full control of that unit as well as ordering the rest where to go.

Example:

You have approached a small enemy expansion town with your fighters and archers. You order the fighters to attack the village, taking out gatherers. As soon as you execute the command you take direct control of the lead unit in the group of Archers. Moving away from the group and into the thick trees near the village. You can order the Archers to flank the village from this view, or shout to attack. You can either watch the fight ensure and do nothing, or shoot at enemy units from within the thick trees. Leaving them confused and leading them to attack the units in the open. Though useful in stealthy attacks, other ranged units can fire upon you if you take cover in a small clump of trees.

In my previosly stated base attacking scenario the above idea can work in many ways. Instead of unloading all your troops in one spot you can take direct control of a drop ship, and fly it over an enemy base and land on another side, if you make it.

There might be no cooldown for unit control, but might be only a few seconds.

3.) Economy

Yes, you gather resources for constructing buildings and making units, but while some units might require only resources there are others that will require currency.

How would you obtain currency is by trade routes, taxing towns, villages and cities that you fully control. Higher taxes will cause rioting, and damage to the town. Minor revolts as well. Think of this like the game Deadlock, a turn based strategy game from the 90's that required you to tax buildings and workers.

You have the option of setting the taxes yourself, or selecting one of three pre-made tax options. Prosperous, Medium taxes few riots. Tyrant, High taxes and a lot of riots, and lastly Samaritan Low Taxes with no riots. In a simpler sense, you have a medium income, a wealthy income, and a poor income. Money made from taxes comes to the play at the end of each game month, equalivent to 5 minutes real time.

~~

More later, english essay needs to be done.

[Goldennose90]

Once again nicely laid out. You seem to have put a lot of thought into this.

What I am really curious about, is when you enter the Unit Control phase, what is going on with the rest of the map? Would the AI be doing the macro-management while you were doing the micro-management? To really get a "feel" for the Unit Control phases, I would imagine that you would need no less than 3 minutes with that unit per raid/attack/ambush/etc. If this would be a single player campaign, it would work awesome. But what about Multiplayer?

If you imagine that an AI controlled unit has a 75% hit chance in general, a person taking control of that unit is going to have like a 75% chance of getting a headshot, and like a 90% chance of scoring a hit in general. So if Red attacked Blue base and used Unit Control, and Blue attacked Red base with Unit Control, wouldnt the game keep running in circles? I think you would need to make the unit control have a negative effect once you die, or a cooldown. Just so that it wouldnt be going in circles the whole time.

All that being said, I'd play your game. +rep