Re: [Human-beings-discuss] primary resources

[Guillaume Cottenceau]

dams <address@hidden> writes:


[...]

> > > I agree, and this concept can be fully automatic. The interresting point 
> > > is
> > > that the player will have to handle it, even if it's automatic. He could 
> > > have
> > > the choice between different way to refuel, organize its waypoints or 
> > > choose
> > > moving mode between fast and economic, and so on. It will be possible to 
> > > do
> > > blitz attack 3 times faster consuming 3 times more oil... IMHO every 
> > > things
> > 
> > This is theoretically a good idea, but imagine it in reality:
> > each time you attack or get attacked, you will need to switch
> > your units to "blitz" mode, then switch back... very boring,
> > regarding user interface.
> 
> not if you can say that you are full power, no eceonomy in attack/defense mode

I don't think your statement answers mine. Of course you can't
stay in blitz mode forever, it would consume too much resources,
or else it's not a real blitz mode. Realistically, "blitz" mode
is "automatic", e.g. when a unit attacks it tries to attack the
most it can, automatically. I don't think having a degraded mode
is interesting.

 
> > > that can be automatic should be automatic, ie the player doesn't have to 
> > > bring
> > > its unit back to base to refuel. But he will be able to choose between
> > > different modes.
> > 
> > For the refuel, having to move back for a refuel is extremely
> > boring. For example Bomber or Fighter unit in Civilization needs
> > to go to a city or Carrier on a regular base, and I personally
> > then didn't use these boring units. In automatic mode, it would
> > be also very boring and not very interesting.
> 
> Ok, if you want, let's forget the refueling. I would keep the amunition
> concept, with big units that produced their munitions from energy (like fuel,
> and because we forget refueling, they don't need to refuel, nor to rearm). And
> other unnits that cannot produce their amunitions, so they have to get back to
> rearm.

It's a matter of taste, but I (at least for now) really don't
like the fact that a player would need to move back his units for
any reason.

Of course I agree that it's more realistic, but it's to the cost
of bore, which is in my opinion far more important. I tend to
agree with Pixel on that: the first criterion is the playability
of the game.
 

[...]

> You can also have refuel specific units, that will transport fuel. You can 
> then
> have tactics to cut refueling instead of brute force. Then you might want to
> protect your refuling line...

There is a similar approach with medics in the StarCraft BroodWar
extension, and I think this is the way to go: a unit "close" to
another unit would "enhance" it. This is automatic thus not too
boring. The tactics you talk about applies, when you kill medics
to prevent from soldiers to get automatically healed.


[...]

> > There is a refuel thingy in Battle-Isle or ASC (ASC is in
> > contrib, it's a Battle-Isle like game), I don't know if I like it
> > but it seems not so interesting; alos, it doesn't map well to the
> > timecycle of the game (the fact that approx 3 seconds will map 1
> > year in the game - this means a 5-hour game to go from 4000BC to
> > 2000AD).
> 
> In this space opera game, it was very important, you had to have different
> units to attack, because you know that at some time (automatically), some of
> your unnts will be unavailable, because returning to the nearest refueling
> unit. You could (on the defense side) sacrify some force to one enemy section

This can be handled by a "mana" energy needed for firing. This
was used in WarCraft-2 with Paladin. And this is another time
automatic thus playable :-).

> that will have to refuel, so won't be available for the next minutes
> 
> In this game in fact, there is only one ressources, and one type of energy.
> When you are out of duel or energy, the unit seek home. If it has no fuel
> anymore, it can seek home, but slowly. You can automate the refueling and
> energy consumtion.
> 
> IMHO it brings cool war style, and prevent strange war system (one section
> destroy everything). You have to conquier more globally, and you have to 
> secure
> the land you conquiered so that you can refuel, or you choose to send autonom
> units (like second base, refueling, energy gathering...)

This "securing land" concept is very interesting, and is actually
already handled by the concept I've talked about, e.g. the
additional percentage of cost on primary resources, when the unit
is far away from production center of the primary resources it
needs.

> This system tend to equilibrate games where ne player is really stronger.

Yes.
 
> In the e.g. game, only the fighters are refueling dependant. The units
> are basically many different flavors of fighters, big spacecraft (laser
> spacecraft, destroyer, no refueling needed), and auxiliar units (repair,
> refuel, transport, development... no refueling needed)
> 
> 
> Conclusion:
> Please take time to think about it, a simple system of global energy refueling
> for light units is for me necessary.

:-).


-- 
Guillaume Cottenceau - http://www.frozen-bubble.org/