MMORTS
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Drone_Fragger
- Posts: 1341
- Joined: 04 Dec 2005, 15:49
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Drone_Fragger
- Posts: 1341
- Joined: 04 Dec 2005, 15:49
Ok, this world would not be scrollable but it would be expandable.
It would be based on tiles, as in a user would start off on a tile they design, with 8 more tiles to surround them. As users approached the edge of these tiles they would see more tiles, aka the other tiles of another player that adjoin there own tiles.
As more users are added their tiles are appended to the edge of the world, and tiles are only added as necessary, so the player doesnt know about a tile on the other side of the world untill it gets there.
This would also give a basic level of determining who owns what and borders as you can say tile x is udner control of person y.
Of course there would be a system allowing the user to set a preference as to where they start so that they dont end up spawning next to a gigantic empire, and instead spawn next to players of their own skill level with similair strength and size.
Then there'll be tiles added by people who arent players in order to make it more interesting. For example, the initial world may be a set of neutral tiles with stuff around which other players can spawn, perhaps with obstacles making it awkward for literally anyone to attack anyone else.
The detail of each tile would be minimal, 2D spite features where appropriate, and every 3D model would have lesser counterparts, and every map tile would have a very basic version that was just a very limited coloured tile with the usual heightmap.
There'd also be restrictions on the user terraforming their tile too, such as maximum amount of resources, shall they place a geo on their tile or add an extra mex spot, shall they have rocks.
It's also possible that tiles can be frozen when players go away, and the system can be setup to specify what gets done with the resources they generate while they're gone.
That and specifying multiple players able to control a single account, so you can have a clan share a game instance, which would proove useful should factions become too large.
From time to time large amounts of neutral tiles rich in resources should be added near new players in order to try and give them the resources to defend against the larger factions, and provide physical obstacles.
It would be based on tiles, as in a user would start off on a tile they design, with 8 more tiles to surround them. As users approached the edge of these tiles they would see more tiles, aka the other tiles of another player that adjoin there own tiles.
As more users are added their tiles are appended to the edge of the world, and tiles are only added as necessary, so the player doesnt know about a tile on the other side of the world untill it gets there.
This would also give a basic level of determining who owns what and borders as you can say tile x is udner control of person y.
Of course there would be a system allowing the user to set a preference as to where they start so that they dont end up spawning next to a gigantic empire, and instead spawn next to players of their own skill level with similair strength and size.
Then there'll be tiles added by people who arent players in order to make it more interesting. For example, the initial world may be a set of neutral tiles with stuff around which other players can spawn, perhaps with obstacles making it awkward for literally anyone to attack anyone else.
The detail of each tile would be minimal, 2D spite features where appropriate, and every 3D model would have lesser counterparts, and every map tile would have a very basic version that was just a very limited coloured tile with the usual heightmap.
There'd also be restrictions on the user terraforming their tile too, such as maximum amount of resources, shall they place a geo on their tile or add an extra mex spot, shall they have rocks.
It's also possible that tiles can be frozen when players go away, and the system can be setup to specify what gets done with the resources they generate while they're gone.
That and specifying multiple players able to control a single account, so you can have a clan share a game instance, which would proove useful should factions become too large.
From time to time large amounts of neutral tiles rich in resources should be added near new players in order to try and give them the resources to defend against the larger factions, and provide physical obstacles.
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Michilus_nimbus
- Posts: 634
- Joined: 19 Nov 2004, 20:38
I've played Ballerium for quite some time (since closed beta round 13ish).
The initial plans were very ambitious. It would feature an Uber-AI which could take over every aspect of managing your empire when you went offline, managing it in a way like you would, so it would actually learn your style of playing. Unfortunatly, lots of it's features were scrapped in favour of good old traditional RTS gameplay, ending up with a crappy unresponsive online AI, and a TOTALLY unpredictable offline AI.
What they did manage to do is building an infinite procedural seamless world. It's freakin' huge.
Although it clearly lacks some features like basebuilding (you could only capture existing cities), and takes way too much time (since you have to babysit your units while mining etc), I really had some fun for a while. The clan wars are pretty exciting to say the least.
For me, it's the second best attempt at an MMORTS yet. The best would be Boundless Planet.
BP features basebuilding and pretty good defensive AI. If you want to try it out, register NOW on their site. The closed beta starts tomorrow, so you won't be able to get in afterwards, unless you pay for it.
Anyway, if you're interested, register at http://www.mmorts.com. Usually they've got the latest news on the matter.
The initial plans were very ambitious. It would feature an Uber-AI which could take over every aspect of managing your empire when you went offline, managing it in a way like you would, so it would actually learn your style of playing. Unfortunatly, lots of it's features were scrapped in favour of good old traditional RTS gameplay, ending up with a crappy unresponsive online AI, and a TOTALLY unpredictable offline AI.
What they did manage to do is building an infinite procedural seamless world. It's freakin' huge.
Although it clearly lacks some features like basebuilding (you could only capture existing cities), and takes way too much time (since you have to babysit your units while mining etc), I really had some fun for a while. The clan wars are pretty exciting to say the least.
For me, it's the second best attempt at an MMORTS yet. The best would be Boundless Planet.
BP features basebuilding and pretty good defensive AI. If you want to try it out, register NOW on their site. The closed beta starts tomorrow, so you won't be able to get in afterwards, unless you pay for it.
Anyway, if you're interested, register at http://www.mmorts.com. Usually they've got the latest news on the matter.
No MMORTS would appeal to the casual gamer that plays WoW, though. MMORPGs retain their players by letting them climb a slope (the levelling threadmill) without seriously throwing them back down. It usually takes months to reach the top. For an MMORTS that would mean bases wouldn't be permanently destroyed but be "revived" after destruction and it'd take like 3 months to build a complete base and research all the tech. Since you'd want to force people to go to the top instead of using their skills to outmaneuver higher-level opponents the differences between the tech levels would be so steep that one scout of a top-level player could wipe out your entire base if you're a few levels below him. And attacking other players instead of randomly spawned AI-controlled bases would be heavily discouraged.
Thats why in the proposed world, supersized player factions will become problematic after a while making a gigantic empire that expands very quickly, extremely hard to consolidate. The world would simply be too large to keep together.
That and there would be the usual protection status that normal players in turn based online strategy receieve.
That and there would be the usual protection status that normal players in turn based online strategy receieve.
My plan was to have a commander unit (or possibly units) that could improve his stats, research new technologies, obtain new special weapons and techs and improve the ammount of units he can control, and the amount of space he could control, when a unit leaves his area of influence it would go on automatic unless it came under influence of another member of the same clan.
As such, the persistance that is needed by typical MMOers is satisfied by the commander gaining levels/items and possibly there could even be instanced areas to take hold of, when logging out all of your units would become uninfluenced and would just go idle and wait for the influence of a clan to take over again.
Something like that.
As such, the persistance that is needed by typical MMOers is satisfied by the commander gaining levels/items and possibly there could even be instanced areas to take hold of, when logging out all of your units would become uninfluenced and would just go idle and wait for the influence of a clan to take over again.
Something like that.
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Michilus_nimbus
- Posts: 634
- Joined: 19 Nov 2004, 20:38
You could take the road Society is planning to: only make it possible to destroy 1/3 of someones property in an certain area when he's offline.
Also, having really big clans/factions by design could cover up the persistence problem pretty well.
Looking at Shattered Galaxy (which isn't persistent, I know), uniting players from the beginning gives everyone common goal, and most likely enough protection from other friendly players to make a defendable persistent base. Off course, all of this requires a hugh amount of players, which is unfortunately not practical for an mmorts, unless the unit cap is severely reduced, which partially destroys the meaning of "massively"
Also, having really big clans/factions by design could cover up the persistence problem pretty well.
Looking at Shattered Galaxy (which isn't persistent, I know), uniting players from the beginning gives everyone common goal, and most likely enough protection from other friendly players to make a defendable persistent base. Off course, all of this requires a hugh amount of players, which is unfortunately not practical for an mmorts, unless the unit cap is severely reduced, which partially destroys the meaning of "massively"
There was this pretty neat MMORTS I played once for a 7-day trial. I forget its name, but it was persistant and you did battle on a checkerboard sort of map. It was maybe 8x8 or something, each tile representing a sizeable area of land. Each player was limited to 12 or so units in battle, so to have a real battle you needed to get a lot of players involved. The battles could go on for hours as each player lost his units and brought back reinforcements.
Each unit you made was kind of unique. You chose a chassis, then chose what weapons and other equipment it had.
Not sure what the game was called though. The only thing I didn't care for about it was, of course, paying for it every month, and that it was starcraft-style 2D.
Each unit you made was kind of unique. You chose a chassis, then chose what weapons and other equipment it had.
Not sure what the game was called though. The only thing I didn't care for about it was, of course, paying for it every month, and that it was starcraft-style 2D.