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Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving -- even if you’re not in the United States!

The team has today off.

The team is starting on tactical battle work. We’ll be talking a great deal with you guys on the battle system in the coming weeks.

Here’s an old sketch.

0577_005

If there was a game called Magic: Total War (request to the Creative Assembly – please make this) this is a bit what I’m picturing the tactical battles being a bit like. Players could zoom in as close as they’d like.

It’s not “real time” per say, it’s continuous turns.  Examples of continuous turn battles would be Baldur’s Gate and more recently Dragon Age: Origins where there are rounds and turns but the game automatically will move it forward but players can pause it at any time and cycle it turn by turn if they’d like.

70,546 views 34 replies
Reply #26 Top

A Dragon Age style combat system would be... insane.

Reply #27 Top

**Remember to allow multiple players for each battlefield as seen within AgeofWonders:ShadowMagic.**

Reply #28 Top

Quoting NTJedi, reply 27
**Remember to allow multiple players for each battlefield as seen within AgeofWonders:ShadowMagic.**

That would be AWESOME!! best part about that game :grin:

Reply #29 Top

Quoting NTJedi, reply 27
**Remember to allow multiple players for each battlefield as seen within AgeofWonders:ShadowMagic.**

Seconded. This is a must have feature. Joint attacks from multiple directions..hell yeah! :D [Btw this system was used in many KOEI strategy games as well. :)]

Reply #30 Top

Quoting NuclearEngine, reply 17


Taking a page from Dragon Age, it would be cool to assign leaders to unit groups and have them managed with preset tactics. Like making the archers leader target light infantry type or run when units get close. This would reduce micro-managment when you start to get huge armies, but would still have the option to issue direct orders to all groups if you perfer to. These leaders could also be tied in with the family trees and hero's.

 

:thumbsup:

The tactics system in Dragon Age for the AI party members is fantastic.  You can totally ignore it if you want to do full micro manage control or you can setup some complicated sets of actions based on various conditions.  This would be awesome for full tactical battles in Elemental like you point out.  You can have various "captains" of various sets of units on the field that have tactic action slots like "if Dragon appears do X" or "if certain spell gets cast by the enemy then do y" or "if infantry squad 1 gets killed then do z". 

I like it.

 

Reply #31 Top

I think there should also be an *Observers* option for multiplayer battles. Basically, normally during a battle between players A and C ... B, D, and so-on just go about tweaking their decisions and commands for the turn. However, if one (or maybe only both?) of the participants choose *Observers* during the battle start-up, then EVERYONE can watch the battle take place.

However, the Observers cannot talk to the participants, only to each other. The way I figure it is that a Lord can invite their allies/friends/rivals, to send a scout/diplomat to "watch" the battle ... but other-wise its a common courtesy to other players.

Now, to not choose Observe would probably indicate something meant to be done under quiet, low-profile circumstances. However, the final battle between the World's last super powers, while everyone else is just a vassal and bored as hell ... those should DEFNITELY have Observers xD

Reply #32 Top

Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns.  That game was the first "Continuous" battle system that I ever really liked.  Formations, flanking, reinforcements, LOS, height advantage, fortifying, all with very simple commands.  If your really going to make battle "RTS-ish", please consider taking a look at Kohan (not II, just I) to get some great possibilites for the battle system in Elemental.

And yes, an observer option is so very needed for MP.  A game like HoMM5 for example is pretty much destroyed in multiplayer due to battles; you have nothing to do but tap your finger while other people battle, which was a game killer multiplayer-wise for us.

 

Reply #33 Top

Quoting NTJedi, reply 27
**Remember to allow multiple players for each battlefield as seen within AgeofWonders:ShadowMagic.**

 

That was a great innovation and a feature that would allow interesting and big battles. Definetly want that feature :D

Reply #34 Top

While Magic:Total War sounds alright,

What I and the rest of my cohort have really been hoping for is MoM:awesome update.

Unit composition, individual squad troop numbers, tactical combat, this is the secret sauce.

We dont really need another Fall from Heaven, it's awesome, what we want is the MoM update.

Dominion does the rts/turn based, will it blend thing and it's just not that great.