SE: V expanded ground combat

[thorfrog]

Will a better ground combat mode be added? I'd like the combat to be kind of a mini Version of Panzer General or Master of Magic. Units have different advantages and disadvantages that can be modified by adding equipment. These are some of the unit types I'd like to see:

-artilary (good distance attack, week deffense)
-tanks & grav tanks (high attack and defense, week on urban attacks)
-infantry (cheap cost, good defense in urban/fortified areas)
-Battle Droids (very cheap, poor att/def, high hitpoints)
-milita (cheap units, moderate defense)
-mobile infantry (starship troopers)(equal to paratroops)
-battle armor infantry (think 40k Space Marines)(high att/def, high hit points, expensive)
-fighters & bombers (what ever comes with your carrier)(support, cannot occupy territory)
-Battle Mechs (slow, expensive, high att, moderate def, multiple role)
-Battle Titans (very slow, bigger than Mech, walking fortress, extremely expensive, fear bonus)
-special commando units (stealth, can distroy one target only)

Battle map is of the planet with structure taking up a square. They provide defensive bonus per structor type. They battle out for 10 rounds until there is one winner. Then attacker can either leave to transports, stay until next turn, etc. Of course you could alway let the computer fight the battle for you.

[Suicide Junkie]

For a taste of what is possible already with SE4, check out my GritEcon mod.

http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/...Mods/GritEcon/

[Slynky]

I think playability will dictate otherwise. Not sure I am remembering the correct word, but "grognard" comes to mind. I think the days of "grognard" have passed. These days, due (usually) to the youth which, to a large extent, dictate gaming trends, there is more of a tendancy to make fast-moving games. And while 4X strategy games don't generally (IMO) appeal to today's youth, by the very nature of being a 4 game, one expects some kind of "grognard-ness" (if that's a word... ) but not TOO much.

[David E. Gervais]

SE:Ground Assult hmmm, a fully 'modable' RTS by MM. I'd buy that.

As to having that kind of detail in se5? I don't know what Aaron is planning on that front.

What are the 4X's again? eXpand, eXplore, eXploit, eXterminate?

If I read you correctly, you want something like 'Tactical' battles but with troops to determine the outcome of planet 'occupation'? hmmmm, interesting idea. (but might be 'overkill' in the micromanagement department.)

In an 'Ideal' SE:Universe, there would be a 'Strategic-engine' for the empire management, a Flight-sim for resolving combat (mmorpg style) and a RTS for the ground combat. Not impossible, but quite a ways off.

This is what the dev cycle would be like..

1) SE4 - Strategy 4x game (Done)
2) StarFury - 3D Space sim (Done)
3) SE5 - Strategy w/3D engine (In Dev)
4) SE:Ground Assult - Tactical RTS (Not Planned 'yet')
5) SE6 - Strategy 4x, 3D Engine and RTS all rolled into one. Release date?? (Summer 2010 A good year for a 'Space Empires Odyssey') LOL

All that is needed,.. Lots of Money so Aaron can hire a good sized dev team to make it all happen.

I don't know about the rest, but SE5 is the current project over at MM and everything will be done to get it out 'FIRST' then Aaron will have the time to start thinking about all these 'other' things.

But, It's fun to think of all the potential that Aaron and MM have for the future of SE.

Nuf said, Cheers!

[ July 12, 2004, 16:57: Message edited by: David E. Gervais ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

If he doesn't find other things to do. I remember a while back he was thinking of other projects, wasn't he? After SEV.

[ July 12, 2004, 17:07: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

[thorfrog]

Originally posted by Slynky:
I think playability will dictate otherwise. Not sure I am remembering the correct word, but "grognard" comes to mind. I think the days of "grognard" have passed. These days, due (usually) to the youth which, to a large extent, dictate gaming trends, there is more of a tendancy to make fast-moving games. And while 4X strategy games don't generally (IMO) appeal to today's youth, by the very nature of being a 4 game, one expects some kind of "grognard-ness" (if that's a word... ) but not TOO much.

I dissagree. I feel this game grew in popularity because of that "grognard" aspect. Some thing about being able to take your time to plan your strategy is what makes this game great. The market is already flooded with Starcraft/AoM knock offs. I don't think we need another. I do feel there needs to be more added to the ground combat.

[Karibu]

Originally posted by David E. Gervais:
What are the 4X's again? eXpand, eXplore, eXploit, eXterminate?

Oh, this reminds me of MOO3. They praised to add fifth X (eXperience) into 4X games and lift it into another level alltogether. However, it proved out to be (if not equal to Battlecruiser 3000 but close) one of the greatest failures Strategy genre has seen in long time. That game could still amount to something with one more year of intensive developement.

I believe Space Empires -serie could take the kings mantle with good ground combat addition. MOO3 had fairly easy ground combat and something like that could be SE ground combat. Good ideas in this thread for that.

[dmm]

I suggested a LOOOONG time ago that SE combat (both space and ground) have a "manually input the outcome" option. This would allow people to use SE for grand strategy and some other system for combat. This would take almost zero time for Aaron to implement, yet would satisfy those who like to immerse themselves in detail (especially for critical battles). In fact, I bet that one could even have special SE mods just to handle the combats (if only there were a scenario editor, which is the other thing I've been begging for forever).

[dogscoff]

dmm's idea is a good one- especially if "manually inputting" could also mean passing the data in from some other program as a parameter.

However, the main changes I'd like to see made to ground combat- which would enhance it greatly without noticably increasing micromanagemnt- would be to throw in a few extra (and moddable) ground combat variables:

- "home ground" modifer- so that gas races get a bonus scrapping on gas planets, ice races on ice planets etc.
- An ability that can be added to facilities and/or weapon platform components and/or nearby ships and stations to enhance troop defence so you can build "fortifications".
-Militia numbers modified by population mood/ loyalty/ whatever we get in se5.

As long as all the above are moddable and moddably stackable, these few things would open up all kinds of possibilities for more interesting combat.