There is a tabletop Star Wars game called Star Warriors that uses a tabletop hex-based strategy game in which star fighters can fight against each other, capital ships, make bombing runs, etc.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3593/star-wars-star-warriors
I've been thinking if it would be possible to take some of the elements of the game and make a good WC3 mod. I'm not looking to make a flight simulator, but something a little different. There would be multi-player dueling maps with different goals (the y-wings would bomb installations, the x and a-wings would duel the other ships), but there would also be a campaign with short specific mission maps kind of like the old Xwing flight simulator game. Here are some of the main features:
1. You control one ship which moves forward continuously and with a very slow turn rate. So when you turn you travel in a wide arc. You can't just turn toward your target and fire, you have to plan the approach somewhat.
2. Your mana bar is your pilot skill points. it regenerates fast, but it limits what "abilities" you can cast.
3. Your abilities will primarily be flying manuevers such as:
- half loop, which lets you do a fairly quick U-shaped 3d loop and go back the way you came. While half looping you are easier to hit.
- slide. Allows you to slide left or right while maintaining forward orientation.
- overturn. This temporarily increases your turn speed, so you can make more rapid turns.
- roll. Rotate on your z-axis so you spin in circles while moving forward. Makes missiles and laser fire harder to hit you
- jink. You jerk left and right, up and down, for a few seconds evading enemy fire.
There will also be combat abilities such as:
- fire. You fire your lasers forward. Laser fire will be units that move in your direction quickly and will hit anyone they collide with.
- concussion missiles. Fires heat-seeking concussion missles. These will also have slower turn rates, and thus can be dodged by moving your craft or by rolling.
- proton torpedos. same as above but more damage less speed.
- concussion bombs. These are dropped on ground targets.
- targeting computer. Using this ability makes you easier to hit but begins tracking the selected target. After a few seconds if its still in your forward firing arc your missiles, torpedos and such will track the target. The longer it's held, the better the missile will be at turning and following the target.
- countermeasures. Releases a cloud behind you. Any missile that passes through it detonates immediately
- self-destruct. For suicide missions.
Damage:
Damage should be dynamic and fun. Rather than just have HPs ticked off, specific systems can be damaged when hit. This will be more or less random, and can be repaired over time. Such systems would include:
- one of more of your weapons will cease to work
- you can lose control of the craft and fly off in a random direction for a bit
- your stabilizers can be damaged, making turns wider and causing jinks to make you spiral out of control for a few seconds.
- you can lose your stabilizers entirely and fly straight for several seconds
- you can be sent into a roll, making you harder to hit but also harder to turn
- you can lose shields making future attacks do more damage
- you can have an injured pilot meaning your mana regenerates slower
- you can have a damaged engines lowering max speed
- and so on...
If this all works correctly it will feel like you are flying a ship around fighting, but rather than worrying about numbers or HP and such, you are entirely concerned with your position to your enemies. Are those bombers reaching your base yet? Is that tie fighter to the left going to bank hard and come in behind you? Can you quickly slip to the left to avoid that turret fire? If you bank hard can you turn fast enough to fire at that shuttle?
In campaign mode you would start with crappy fighters with fewer options and slowly upgrade your ship, your pilot abilities (learn how to do a 1/2 loop while slipping so you can slide and spin behind a person who is passing you on the left), and traits.
Resources:
Luckily skilled modelers have released about all of the models I would need for a project like this. This is good because I'm not a modeler. I would have no trouble finding missiles and lasers on this website either.
The big problems I see ahead:
1. The AI is going to be brutal. Getting ships to pursue and fire at a ship shouldn't be that hard. But getting them to maneuver like expert pilots will be damn hard.
2. If the ship just flys and turns this will absolutely not feel right. I need ships to spin around in circles, to fly straight up in the air while doing a half loop, etc. And frankly, it doesn't look like you can rotate a unit on a verticle axis. Does anyone know how that is done?
This idea is still in the planning stage. If someone wants to run with it you're welcome to. If not, I may get around to it when I finish my campaign. I'd also like advice on whether it wouldn't be smarter to just wait until SC2 comes out as space combat will probably be much easier in that editor.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3593/star-wars-star-warriors
I've been thinking if it would be possible to take some of the elements of the game and make a good WC3 mod. I'm not looking to make a flight simulator, but something a little different. There would be multi-player dueling maps with different goals (the y-wings would bomb installations, the x and a-wings would duel the other ships), but there would also be a campaign with short specific mission maps kind of like the old Xwing flight simulator game. Here are some of the main features:
1. You control one ship which moves forward continuously and with a very slow turn rate. So when you turn you travel in a wide arc. You can't just turn toward your target and fire, you have to plan the approach somewhat.
2. Your mana bar is your pilot skill points. it regenerates fast, but it limits what "abilities" you can cast.
3. Your abilities will primarily be flying manuevers such as:
- half loop, which lets you do a fairly quick U-shaped 3d loop and go back the way you came. While half looping you are easier to hit.
- slide. Allows you to slide left or right while maintaining forward orientation.
- overturn. This temporarily increases your turn speed, so you can make more rapid turns.
- roll. Rotate on your z-axis so you spin in circles while moving forward. Makes missiles and laser fire harder to hit you
- jink. You jerk left and right, up and down, for a few seconds evading enemy fire.
There will also be combat abilities such as:
- fire. You fire your lasers forward. Laser fire will be units that move in your direction quickly and will hit anyone they collide with.
- concussion missiles. Fires heat-seeking concussion missles. These will also have slower turn rates, and thus can be dodged by moving your craft or by rolling.
- proton torpedos. same as above but more damage less speed.
- concussion bombs. These are dropped on ground targets.
- targeting computer. Using this ability makes you easier to hit but begins tracking the selected target. After a few seconds if its still in your forward firing arc your missiles, torpedos and such will track the target. The longer it's held, the better the missile will be at turning and following the target.
- countermeasures. Releases a cloud behind you. Any missile that passes through it detonates immediately
- self-destruct. For suicide missions.
Damage:
Damage should be dynamic and fun. Rather than just have HPs ticked off, specific systems can be damaged when hit. This will be more or less random, and can be repaired over time. Such systems would include:
- one of more of your weapons will cease to work
- you can lose control of the craft and fly off in a random direction for a bit
- your stabilizers can be damaged, making turns wider and causing jinks to make you spiral out of control for a few seconds.
- you can lose your stabilizers entirely and fly straight for several seconds
- you can be sent into a roll, making you harder to hit but also harder to turn
- you can lose shields making future attacks do more damage
- you can have an injured pilot meaning your mana regenerates slower
- you can have a damaged engines lowering max speed
- and so on...
If this all works correctly it will feel like you are flying a ship around fighting, but rather than worrying about numbers or HP and such, you are entirely concerned with your position to your enemies. Are those bombers reaching your base yet? Is that tie fighter to the left going to bank hard and come in behind you? Can you quickly slip to the left to avoid that turret fire? If you bank hard can you turn fast enough to fire at that shuttle?
In campaign mode you would start with crappy fighters with fewer options and slowly upgrade your ship, your pilot abilities (learn how to do a 1/2 loop while slipping so you can slide and spin behind a person who is passing you on the left), and traits.
Resources:
Luckily skilled modelers have released about all of the models I would need for a project like this. This is good because I'm not a modeler. I would have no trouble finding missiles and lasers on this website either.
The big problems I see ahead:
1. The AI is going to be brutal. Getting ships to pursue and fire at a ship shouldn't be that hard. But getting them to maneuver like expert pilots will be damn hard.
2. If the ship just flys and turns this will absolutely not feel right. I need ships to spin around in circles, to fly straight up in the air while doing a half loop, etc. And frankly, it doesn't look like you can rotate a unit on a verticle axis. Does anyone know how that is done?
This idea is still in the planning stage. If someone wants to run with it you're welcome to. If not, I may get around to it when I finish my campaign. I'd also like advice on whether it wouldn't be smarter to just wait until SC2 comes out as space combat will probably be much easier in that editor.