I''m brainstorming again on an idea I''ve seen floating around on the ''net for awhile. Here''s how it works... Games like X-Com and Gangsters give you lots of cool, cross genre stuff to do while building up a faction, but they limit you to only one side. In X-Com, you couldn''t be the aliens. In Gangsters, you (of course) couldn''t be the cops. (Imagine playing the Untouchables ) Maybe this could this be made more generic? Running with the X-Com model here: RPG character stats, team selection, research, economics, base building, and tactical action... In theory, you could come up with lots of different sides (rebels, criminals, elite strike force, mage guild, whatever), make a cool universe and backstory, and run the same gameplay no matter your side, right? Different sides would mean having: Different RPG characters; different techs to research; different resources & goods to trade; and different base parts or modules. (And definitely different story & reputation in the game''s universe.) The meat I think would be in the tactical action. But I don''t think it should just be about combat. Maybe the different techs and items players get for their faction would allow them to outfit different characters, ala Commandos or even Star Trek Away Team. So they could build fighters, spies, warlocks, engineers, or whatever based on their faction''s strengths. Maybe these characters could even have the depth of an NPC, or there could be hero versions you could train / build? I think the fun would be in building up your faction and going out on assignments. I''d make this just as open ended as X-Com, but instead of conquering the aliens you''d be trying to be king of the hill. Thoughts? -------------------- Just waiting for the mothership...

The problem is if you can enter a game and have more sides, you must make the game symetrical (like counterstrike) - each side has equal chances. But these games rely on mass murdering lots of enemies w/o loosing your team. The only way to do this is if there is one side that takes all the punishment (the aliens, the goblins, etc.) and all the other sides compete in dealing this side damage.

Of course noone would want to play this side.

It could be made more generic however the more sides that you add to the game the better the balancing has to be. One idea that popped into my head was having the setting take place in some wasteland or medival land, where there are many individual factions vying for power. Then eventually as the game progresses factions will be merged, conquered, destroyed infiltrated and so towards the end of the game there will only be several large powerful factions and then it would get interesting.

But diodor has a point, in these types of games the player is usually playing the underdogs at the start (Particularily in Xcom) where they come out on top in the end (hopefully).

Never having seen X-Com, or Gangsters, I''m probably not in the best position to comment but... I''m going to anyway.

From what it sounds like you''re pointing all factions at one goal, it may be better to give them different goals... I''m sure back in the old days (well over 6 months ago when I actually spent time in here) there was another discussion on this idea on these boards... Cant remember who started it, probably you Wav...

NightWraith

Check out:

www.edf-project.org

Let us take a step back a moment and survey this.

It seems to me that the idea would work perfectly, and would, in fact, be quite welcomed. I very rarely find games about the ''other'' side that I enjoy, and, having enjoyed Gangsters and X-Com so much, I think it would be brilliant to provide the ''other'' side to the genre.

I don''t see balancing as an issue here, unless you were planning on having a multi-player option, which, in my opinion, would be an unnecessary thing to put in.

All you have to do is provide the player with the option of which force they wish to command and gameplay is like normal, except with different techs, etc.

Let''s look at X-Com as if they had originally provided us with this option.

On selecting ''New Game'' you are presented with the choice of ''Aliens'' or ''X-Com''.

If you choose X-Com then you play the Human side, and anyone that has played this game knows the story, etc.

If you choose the ''Aliens'' then the play is, in essence, the same as the X-Com option. You have a different perspective of the story and different technologies, etc, but the game-play remains the same.

The Aliens may outnumber the Humans, but as a player of the Aliens, perhaps you control only a significant amount of the squad?

Or, perhaps, the roles are simply reversed. It is now the Aliens who are on the defensive side - defending their homelands from the swarm of Humans eager to escape the imminent destruction of their own planet.

Have I made clear my point? I think X-Com provided us with half the answer ... the other half lies in simply reversing the roles and providing a variated story . . .

Cheers!

There''s also a problem with unit design. With the aliens (the side the player is supposed to fight), the unit designs purpose is that each monster type has something specific defining it (the player must recognise quickly what are their abilities - the enemies cannot really evolve a lot).

With humans (the player side), the unit designs purpose is to allow developing the character alot.

No offense, but while you at it, allow the player t build the town, people, and things in the house, like in The Sims. And the allow them to design thier bases, own cars, outfits, ect.

What I mean is, you better have a team of 10, or 20 years on your hands to make 2 sides.

"I''''ve sparred with creatures from the nine hells themselves... I barely plan on breaking a sweat here, today."~Drizzt Do''''Urden

20 years to make 2 sides?

The EDF project is making 3 sides.

And, the story is same on each side(same universe), so your tactics have to change for each side....

quote: Original post by Wavinator
In X-Com, you couldn''t be the aliens.

X-Com is based on Laser Squad, where you could be the aliens. I think they just axed this from X-Com to cut development time, and move more towards story and away from tactics.