- Joined
- Oct 7, 2007
- Messages
- 2
I've started work on a map basically like Battleships, but in space instead. I figure there are probably a few of this kind of map around already. I'm planning to use the food cap for weapons, and item slots for "parts" or upgrades, eg shield, hull, thrusters, reactor etc.
What's stumping me at present, is the unit stats. What kind of scale should I aim for? What kind of health, armour, damage, cost, etc, would promote balance? Clearly, some design work needs to be done before I begin creating units. That's what I'd like some help with, if any of you have ideas. I've looked at other battleship maps for ideas, but I'm still unsure of what I should be doing.
To start, I'll describe some of the concepts I plan to implement, so maybe you can get a bit of a feel for what the game will be like.
Firstly, hero-ship stats will not be Strength, Agility, Intelligence. They will be Hull Integrity, Initiative, and Reactor Output. Initiative is the only ability that increases with level, and is the same across all ships, as it represents the ability of the captain (presumed to remain the same between ship changeovers) to command, and affects ship movement speed and the rate of fire of the primary weapon. Hull Integrity is obviously hit points (or hull points), although starships don't regenerate naturally. I wanted to associate Hull Integrity with armour as well, but that doesn't appear to be possible (given which, I'll still be doing it, but in a more annoyingly roundabout way). Reactor Output is energy max and recovery.
Next, damage and armour types. I'm still working on the idea, but I'd like to have them reflective of the environment, so damage types such as Heat, Gravity, Impact, Ordinance, Corrosion, and so forth, and armour types such as Starfighter, Light Cruiser, Heavy Cruiser, Battleship, Structure, etc. Some thoughts on what types I should use and what should be good against what would also be nice.
Thirdly, parts. Basically, ship customisation. Each part would have different branches. For example, a given hull might regenerate, or might be heat-resistant. You could choose between Energy Shields (Mana Shield), or Holofields (Evasion). Thrusters might boost your speed normally, or might confer an Active Warp ability (Blink). You should get the idea. There will be one type of special part representing the commanding officer, and granting an Initiative bonus as well as other special abilities. Only one part of each category would be allowed, obviously.
If I have the time (and can still be bothered), I'd also like to differentiate the two teams into humans fighting for Earth, and alien invaders of some description, maybe Zerg-like things or robots.
So, anyway. Back to the question. I'd mainly like advice regarding scale of unit statistics, although any other comments or suggestions are more than welcome.
What's stumping me at present, is the unit stats. What kind of scale should I aim for? What kind of health, armour, damage, cost, etc, would promote balance? Clearly, some design work needs to be done before I begin creating units. That's what I'd like some help with, if any of you have ideas. I've looked at other battleship maps for ideas, but I'm still unsure of what I should be doing.
To start, I'll describe some of the concepts I plan to implement, so maybe you can get a bit of a feel for what the game will be like.
Firstly, hero-ship stats will not be Strength, Agility, Intelligence. They will be Hull Integrity, Initiative, and Reactor Output. Initiative is the only ability that increases with level, and is the same across all ships, as it represents the ability of the captain (presumed to remain the same between ship changeovers) to command, and affects ship movement speed and the rate of fire of the primary weapon. Hull Integrity is obviously hit points (or hull points), although starships don't regenerate naturally. I wanted to associate Hull Integrity with armour as well, but that doesn't appear to be possible (given which, I'll still be doing it, but in a more annoyingly roundabout way). Reactor Output is energy max and recovery.
Next, damage and armour types. I'm still working on the idea, but I'd like to have them reflective of the environment, so damage types such as Heat, Gravity, Impact, Ordinance, Corrosion, and so forth, and armour types such as Starfighter, Light Cruiser, Heavy Cruiser, Battleship, Structure, etc. Some thoughts on what types I should use and what should be good against what would also be nice.
Thirdly, parts. Basically, ship customisation. Each part would have different branches. For example, a given hull might regenerate, or might be heat-resistant. You could choose between Energy Shields (Mana Shield), or Holofields (Evasion). Thrusters might boost your speed normally, or might confer an Active Warp ability (Blink). You should get the idea. There will be one type of special part representing the commanding officer, and granting an Initiative bonus as well as other special abilities. Only one part of each category would be allowed, obviously.
If I have the time (and can still be bothered), I'd also like to differentiate the two teams into humans fighting for Earth, and alien invaders of some description, maybe Zerg-like things or robots.
So, anyway. Back to the question. I'd mainly like advice regarding scale of unit statistics, although any other comments or suggestions are more than welcome.
