Hello... I want to create a all new RTS! Now.. im not talking about changing the name of all units, give them new stats, and redraw the graphics, im talking about starting from the ground, and try to change the basics... for example: *The world will be a 3D sphere with the size of a big city (like a realy realy realy smal planet... (with gravity!!! :-) ) ) where you can move all around... no borders.. This will give the game a new look, but maybe not change gameplay aloth.. *Your base will be a spaceship thats landed, and transformed into a base... ewerything will be in place from the start, but you can upgrade it, and you keep the base-ship for next mission (also the units inside on takeof) *Fewer units... no hack and slash and die gameplay... rather fewer units with better defined commands (not just attack) (because of the 3D worlds poligon draw limitations) *Resorce management is done by AI.. *When you create a unit factory, you have to spesify what kind of unit to create.. you build your own units! (all robots of corse..) and add parts together to different units.. Maybe you can have 1-10 different factories on the base-ship, and you can either build expensive strong heavy tanks, of light fast cheep week walkers... (or both , player choose, no need to say more) *The story will not be linear, because you bring your base, you get a list of missions.. if to difficult, you die , if to easy.. it should go fast.. *The game is going to be a rather simple RTS, but i want it to be a simple but original one! Now i wonder... anyone have any realy new ideas? Not ideas like :"all the units can have 5 different weapons" or "Buildings should build slower the units" or "no fog of war" or "Is should be in the medival times"... Do anyone have any revolutionary ideas or any comments on mine?

quote: Original post by uncutno
Now i wonder... anyone have any realy new ideas? Not ideas like :"all the units can have 5 different weapons" or "Buildings should build slower the units" or "no fog of war" or "Is should be in the medival times"... Do anyone have any revolutionary ideas or any comments on mine?

Yes, we do. Quite a lot of ideas get posted on here about how to make a very different RTS, I''d recommend doing a search.

quote:
*The world will be a 3D sphere with the size of a big city (like a realy realy realy smal planet... (with gravity!!! :-) ) ) where you can move all around... no borders.. This will give the game a new look, but maybe not change gameplay aloth..

It will change gameplay. By making a wraparound world, you lose the ''corners'' of the map, which typically have a greater defensive value than central regions. You can also launch your attacks from any direction, and be attacked from any direction.

quote:
*Fewer units... no hack and slash and die gameplay... rather fewer units with better defined commands (not just attack)
(because of the 3D worlds poligon draw limitations)

While I agree that better defined commands are needed, you still need to keep things simple, or the interface will become cluttered and the game will become unplayable. I played a demo of a game recently which claimed to offer a huge range of commands to the player, and it did, but the interface was so clunky that the game was just no fun at all.

For my own design, I am looking at a real time adaptation of the orders system in the Games Workshop''s Epic turn based table top game.

quote:
*Resorce management is done by AI..

...this begs the question, why bother with resource management at all if the player doesn''t have any influence over it?

quote:
*When you create a unit factory, you have to spesify what kind of unit to create.. you build your own units! (all robots of corse..) and add parts together to different units..
Maybe you can have 1-10 different factories on the base-ship, and you can either build expensive strong heavy tanks, of light fast cheep week walkers... (or both , player choose, no need to say more)

Personally, I don''t think user designed units add a great deal to a game. It is too long winded a procedure to appeal to the hardcore gamers, a complete nightmare to balance, and in the end doesn''t offer much in the way of diversity or fun anyway. Far better in my opinion to work out a reasonable number of fixed units which complement each others abilities in a well defined way. Also, avoid RPS balancing, it is horrible.

If you really want to have user designed units, let the player do this in between battles rather than during them, in a sort of R&D phase. You could get quite detailed this way, having a mechwarrior-esque design screen enabling you to REALLY design your own units. Good luck on balancing this though

Actually what your suggesting isn''t that new really. 3D world (Homeworld, etc. are 3D, its just a new spin on it) Your base being your spaceship (Force Commander, etc.) Keep the same ship throughout the game (old game in early 1990s, can''t remember the name but you went planet to planet conquering worlds. Always kept the same ship during the game, units, etc.) Fewer units, more defined roles/commands (Myth,etc.) AI resource management (Shogun: Total War) Different parts, different units, etc. (Can''t remember the game but you went around stealing genetic material from creatures and making new creatures from that. Really bad game.) Limit on number of factories, etc. (Mostly done by turn based strat games, but oh well).

Really what you have is a combination of a bunch of games put into one game. Sounds interesting and if done well I''d play it. Just not sure I''d say anything in there is truly new. But then again I haven''t seen anything new (truly new) in about 10 years now.

Thanks.. i agree :-)

My point is that most posts just have millions of posts talking about changing one function in a standard rather complex RTS world... i created this thread, aweare of all the others: "do we like fog of war in RTS" and "micro or macro management in RTS" posts....

my intention was to se if somone had any ideas that could change the whole RTS defenition? , so please dont make me read all the millions of posts... :-) They are often about changing a spesific feuture in RTS standard.. i want to change RTS standard (At least in my little simple game!)


I gues non of my ideas are new, but they are not common, and they changes more to the game, then removing fog-of-war would have done...

But maybe maybe out there somwhere , there is a new idea? :-)


alos... GTA3 was not new either... FPS + CAR GAME = HYBRID...
i want RTS_GAMEPLAY + STRANGE_SETTING = RTS! :-)

[edited by - uncutno on April 29, 2002 11:58:37 AM]

Well, I''ve had this idea for a time now. Maybe it''s hard to understand or see the new stuff in it, but the basics is:
Living units.
What I belive kills most of the new RTSs out there is that it''s not even cool when a hundred of units crashe into eachother. They usually run up to eachother and then stands still shooting til one of em gets killed.

But what about this:
A soldier-unit run for his life as a tank comes round a corner. While doing so his helmet falls down to the ground. He screams and waves his hands to warn his friends. On the run he stamps into a rock and flies down to the ground. He starts crying and screaming even more. He tries to crawl away, but the tank is already there.

You see, screams and realistic behaviour would give a lot of realism to a RTS.
What if you give commands to a squad commander with a com-radio, and he then tells the foot units what to do? The player not having total control of the units would give a good sense of realism to the game.
If you just put a LOT of effort on the details, like dropped helmets and soldiers smoking between fights and human behaviour you could create something totaly new...

I guess a couple of emotional factors would be great (fear,borednes,happynes,horror!)... eyecandy mostly(exept retreating soldiers)... maybe i could add it in a simple form..
but thats later in the proces..

I like the standard_RTS direct control thing... A comand chain would just be in the way if you only got 15 units...
(Maybe a combination :-) you could command your units to be afraid, happy, bored? :-) )...

Both of these you can just add to the standard_RTS like a new feature on top of all the old once.., and therefore this will be second hand stuff , because im only one, and i want it simple.. :-)

howz about adapting your idea to multiple planets! You can have around 5-50 planets, each with their own advantages and disadvantages as far as resource management and defense goes!


just a thought...
bangz.

I think this living units is a very good idea, but hard to implent because you need LOTS of animations. Another idea is giving the units their own will. For example when a group of soldiers has no orders they start to patrol a little bit or shot an animals and if you let them alone a VERY long time, they build up their tents or something.

Multiple worlds! I Gues thats new! JIPPI!
With maybe 3-5 other enemy base-ships flying around... when you leave units on a planet, you canot controle them, until you get back (some basic radio systems hould hovewer be posible)... you could also add satelites to some of the planets as defence, so that you could create a strong "home world"...
You would fight the enemy, by concuring all planets, or with a direct hit... you could also hide on planets until enemies land there

this must be new!

total destruction weapons would be nice here... wipe out ewerything on a planet... (this must be created well though)

[edited by - uncutno on April 29, 2002 12:36:11 PM]

That idea about setting the game on the surface of a sphere was done by "Populous: The Beginning" (aka Populous 3). Check it out if you haven''t already (there''s a demo somewhere on the net).