This idea has been floating around in my head since I was about 10 years old. Until now, I haven't really been able to do anything about it. I was thinking of making an Indie game off of it. It is for an RTS-FPS type game. Here it is: I call it "Command and Control". Basically, command and control is the way in which you control your units. 'Command' and' 'Control' are the names of the gameplay modes. In command mode, it is like a traditional RTS game, you can build buildings, train units, etc. Control mode is where the fun comes in. If you build a unit, you can click on it and click a certain button which would change the HUD completely and put you in first-person perspective of that unit. So not only must you manage your strategies in your base, but you CAN manage your armies from first person as well. Example: You have just trained some riflemen. You click the unit and go into FPS mode. That way, instead of just clicking the enemy and watching them charge, you could use your own aim to your advantage, etc. That is the idea. I think it is rather unique. I've never heard of it being done before. I, personally, think it would bring the RTS-genre to a whole new level with that much control over your units. A complicated system, yes, more gaming choices and more intense and satisfying matches against your buddies? Definitely. Thoughts?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_of_War_%282000_computer_game%29


Not as unique as you might have hoped. A few other games have done it, and it can be fun, but sometimes it is rather hit and miss.


The main issue with this idea is, what is happening with everything else while you are running around having fun in first person? With the way most RTS games work currently, the answer is likely "going to hell".

This has actually been done a few times, another example is the game 'Rise and Fall'. Actually I'm working on that idea in my current RTS/Action multiplayer game 'Gang War', I've been working on it for about 3 years now.

My solution to the 'things go to hell' problem is to allow teamplay in multiplayer, as well as a small rank system. So while two players are running around the 3rd person can act as the boss giving orders to them. The teams can by assigned arbitrarily.

I'm also working on a order visualization system to make following the action of your gang members easier to do, especially since my game is set in a city environment it's easy to loose sight of things.

But yea, the idea isn't as fresh as you'd hope. In fact I was calling my two different modes 'Command' and 'Action'. I'm sure a lot of other people have had the same ideas.

- Dan

interesting idea. but i dont see how this could posible be anything more than a worse system of
"special abilities" that you have to micro.

Some people in StarCraft for example finally got to the point of being able to target a sqad of carriers/bc's with ghost lockdowns
but many people never did, and the computer was always better at it.
Then look at the next-gen game Warcraft3, they added in the "auto-cast" to get rid of that exact problem.
Again to the next gen of RTS, Supreme Commander, takes it even further making the dropship/transport units automated.

What cauzed this trend? people wanted games that have strategies to implement, but not need player skill in gameplay to
properly pull off the strategy. This is important in PvP because people are more frustrated with things like:
"he yammato cannon'ed all my ships at once!" than "he targeted my medics first!"
"he countered my zerglings by running his marine arround taking one shot at a time!" over "he built firebats to kill the zerglings"
This is also important in PvAI because 1) if you have a tatic the person can use, but the AI never does than the AI
looks dumb. 2) if you have a tatic that the AI can(read does) use more effectively than a person could ever hope to
than the AI is too godly.

If you really want to make it work, you need to provide coverage of the game outside your "special mode" so that the player
doesnt lose control while running arround. AND you need to make this something that doesn't become another piece of frustrating micromanagement.

Ah crap. I really thought I had something unique here :P

Well I'll keep this option open but I'm also going to ponder some other ideas. Thanks guys.

Quote:

Original post by dgreen02<snip>... I've been working on it for about 3 years now.</snip>

I hate the way a job can interfere with what is really important.

Another related conecpt I've been toying with for awhile has been the idea of a large scale RTS game, where the player starts as the lowest rank, and likely fights in first person. (could be third, but first is usually easier to shoot with) and then if you do well in a few missions you get to command a small squad of 3-8 other people. If you do well enough in the game overall, you'll get to do the last few missions Sup-Com stlye with even more abstractions.

You might want to look into an idea like that, don't know if anyone has yet pulled it off well.

Dungeon Keeper did it, but then its wasn't a typical RTS.

One of the problems I see with this is that RTS units tend to die real quick. It would probably work much better in a more tactical game with lower numbers of units where the added control could provide more of an advantage.

Ye' know what might be kick-arse? If sometime 10-20 of us got together on here or some chat program like MSN and designed some massive new way of playing. Like combining all those ideas and somehow making it good.

Thanks for all the replies though, guys :) It was just a couple of months ago that I modded games(still helping one mod a little bit) and the forum I was on was the worst for this kind of stuff. Most of the artists weren't that great, there were only about 2-3 texture artists and they couldn't even UV, only 2 people could animate. It's ridiculous. Here, Christ, it's awesome. Everything is here!

Yeah, I'm afraid to say that this idea is not as original as you think. I thought about it ever since the original WarCraft came out and several games have implemented this approach at some level such as Battlefield 2 with the Commander mode. However, I don't think any game including BF2 and C&C Renegades has taken this concept as far as it could go. I've had an FPS/RTS concept that I've been developing for several years now that I think integrates the two game-types almost seemlessly. That doesn't mean that you can't make a better mouse trap based on the concept though. That's certainly what I plan on doing sometime in the future.