EPTI picture most of it in a f2p version.
Races, Units and Setting
Though my original idea was a little different, I settled on the idea of a "Humans vs Alien" outer space two race scenario. Basically, the humans are the classical Starcraft, StarshipTroopers, Starwars-esque mixture of Infantry/Tank/Aircraft based race. The alien race on the other hand is a mixture between Ants, Zerg, Bacteria and very powerful mythological creatures.
The lose conditions are "lose all buildings" for Humans and "lose all queens" for the Aliens.
Two races? Yes, but don't worry. The game principle is more adaptable than "just choosing races and playing the same 3MUs over and over again" and actually allows for a magnitude of matchups and leaves a lot of room for player creativity.
And here is how it goes:
Both races have a small set of basic units (amongst the number 5 - including workers) which they will field in every battle and therefore will be available in any game. However, before the game you can choose a few units from all units of your race which you will be able to build as well. After those have been chosen, you get to see your opponents choices and you are allowed to choose one additional unit depending on what your opponent has chosen. This should bring you up to a standard number of units - the amount you can field in any game.
Explanation: The idea behind this is to
- allow the game to have a bigger number of variety - instead of a certain amount of matchups you get many possible scenarios
- allow the player to give his army a personal touch and develope trademark playstyles
- let the player adapt to a map
- keep the game simple in terms of basic racial interaction, making it much easier to balance/improve/design than a 3+ race game (there is never this other race that you have to take into account)
- allow the game to have more units
- make it really easy to add content - which can be vital in a f2p future
The Damage System
The core idea behind the damage system is that there are two types of health in the game. One that is regarded to as health or hit points(HP), the other one that is being called armor.
Naturally, when a units HP sink to 0 it is destroyed. However, a unit does not take damage for as long as it has armor. Armor is basically a second layer of hit points - but one that gets affected by attacks differently.
F.e: a unit might to 10damage vs hit points, yet only do 5damage vs armor (so 10/5) or the other way around (5/10).
Note, not every unit in the game has armor!
Explanation: I believe that this system allows for a lot of interesting dynamics in the game if properly implemented. Comparing it to the established systems of different armor/damage tags, I believe this system is easier to understand (visually you just get two health bars like with Protoss shields) while still providing a lot of possibilities, just by adjusting health/armor ratios and damage boni to make unit interaction very complex.
Even more, there might be very neat unit interactions possible. E.g: A unit with 5/10 damage would be used best by switching target to attack units that still have armor, while a second 10/5 unit should try to focus down the troops with no armor remaining.
The Resource System and Expanding
Similarily to Starcraft, there are two main resources with a similar "base" setup as in Starcraft - in this case they are biological materials and ore. However, they don't work quite the same as minerals/gas do in terms of mining.
Biological materials are gathered from plants, which multiple workers can mine from. However, by choosing to use multiple workers at once, the plant cannot reproduce resources as fast, making it shrink and mining from it becomes less efficient until it has had time to regenerate. Shrinking can go to the point where the plant does not provide resources at all anymore!
Ore is gathered automatically by building Ore Pits if you are human. As an Alien player, you have to dedicate a unit - which is your first combat unit as well - to mine it.
Additionally to those two resources, bases provide command points (I really need a fancy name for them). Certain tech buildings can exclusively be build there, which forces players to control bigger areas to unlock additional tech.
Explanation: The "plant" system is my way of trying to encourage expand play and worker spread, while encouraging steady macroing of workers (they still add something, just not as much) and allowing early game rushes which cannot afford expansions, yet need more than 1-2workers per resource.
The "mining combat unit" is an interesting way to provide defense while investing into tech and encourages building combat units early on.
The command points are a core idea of the game, which makes holding certain areas in the game interesting. It should be noted, that they work slightly different for the Aliens.
Whether or not there should/neeeds to be a supply system or a supply cap, I'm not sure.
The Humans
Supply Center:
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This might be the most important building of the human faction.
Easily deployed it gives access to most upgrades in the game. However, upgrading is not as easy as in other games. New units actually have to run to a supply center to replace their equipment.
Additionally, the supply center can be upgraded with
Explanation: This building provides many concepts that I would like to have in the game.
This might be the most important building of the human faction.
Easily deployed it gives access to most upgrades in the game. However, upgrading is not as easy as in other games. New units actually have to run to a supply center to replace their equipment.
Additionally, the supply center can be upgraded with
- an Ammunition Depot which allows ammuntition based units to reload their weapons there
- a First Aid Room which heals nearby units for as long as no enemies are close
- a Guardian Tower which detects enemies even if they are far away
Explanation: This building provides many concepts that I would like to have in the game.
- It allows for a more complex upgrade system, which introduces a certain amount of defenders advantage as the defending player will always have one nearby, while the attacker might not.
- By giving it many upgrades for different kinds of units there is a lot of variation possible, how many of those supply centers you want to get, which leads to many different strategies. Also, thinking about buildings in other games (e.g. citadel, twilight council), there are less "inactive, because everything is already done" things around when there is always something left.
- You can upgrade that building and use it as a strong, proxy heal and upgrade outpost in a contain strategy or similarily to shorten the path your ammunition based units have to go. However, you better protect it well once you invested into its extras!
Seraphim
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The Seraphim is a fast, low HP soldier which is equipped with a Pistol and a Knife, allowing it to take on most early game ground units in a melee combat, yet is rather inefficient from afar.
It carries one small detector which can be placed to keep vision upon a certain area.
By upgrading Jetpacks, Seraphims become capable of flying for a limited amount of time and Personal Cloaking makes them invisible.
It carries one small detector which can be placed to keep vision upon a certain area.
By upgrading Jetpacks, Seraphims become capable of flying for a limited amount of time and Personal Cloaking makes them invisible.
Guardian Trooper
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The Guardian Trooper is the basic Infantry unit of mankind. Equipped with a rifle it does good damage vs HP, but is ineffective when trying to penetrate armor.
The Guardian Trooper can attack air units as well as ground units. A significant improvement is the Double Trigger Modification which allows the Guardian Trooper to attack much faster. However, as the double trigger is very hard to handle, the outcome is that the Guardian Trooper misses a lot of shots on the target and his damage output against a single target stays the same, while targets around the main target will take some hits.
The Guardian Trooper can attack air units as well as ground units. A significant improvement is the Double Trigger Modification which allows the Guardian Trooper to attack much faster. However, as the double trigger is very hard to handle, the outcome is that the Guardian Trooper misses a lot of shots on the target and his damage output against a single target stays the same, while targets around the main target will take some hits.
Lightbringer Trooper
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The Lightbringer Trooper is an Infantry Unit which carries a rocket launcher. The rockets are mainly strong vs armor, but provide resonable splash firepower vs HP as well.
However, the rockets cannot follow a target and therefore the Lightbringer Trooper proves to be inefficient vs fast moving targets. Still, Lightbringers are capable of fireing at air targets - whether trying to hit one is a clever idea or not.
However, the rockets cannot follow a target and therefore the Lightbringer Trooper proves to be inefficient vs fast moving targets. Still, Lightbringers are capable of fireing at air targets - whether trying to hit one is a clever idea or not.
Redeemer
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Redeemer are costly high tech Infantry troops with personal teleporters allowing them to materialize in any visible space on the map. However, the further they teleport, they longer it takes them to materialize back, making them vulnurable for quite a long time.
As they cannot teleport with heavy equippment, they use their teleporter as weapon, channeling its powers onto a target to demateralize it from medium range. This does not kill the target, but makes it impossible for it to perform any actions.
The Redeemer is not restricted to attacking ground units with this.
Explanation: The Redeemer resembles the CnC:RA2 Chrono-Legionaire. It's main task is to deal with stronger opponents in combat and to catch and intercept fast units. It cannot attack buildings, however it can be a useful tool when hunting down queens.
As they cannot teleport with heavy equippment, they use their teleporter as weapon, channeling its powers onto a target to demateralize it from medium range. This does not kill the target, but makes it impossible for it to perform any actions.
The Redeemer is not restricted to attacking ground units with this.
Explanation: The Redeemer resembles the CnC:RA2 Chrono-Legionaire. It's main task is to deal with stronger opponents in combat and to catch and intercept fast units. It cannot attack buildings, however it can be a useful tool when hunting down queens.
Combat Cycle
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The Combat Cycle is a cheap unit, capable of reaching a very high speed by accelerating over a few seconds. It is equipped with a laser that takes it's energy not only from the energy cells of the cycle, but also from a generator in the cycles wheels. Therefore, the laser reaches its highest power for as long as the cycle is going at full speed.
Still, the laser proves to be rather inefficient against armor and the cycle itself doesn't provied much protection either.
Still, the laser proves to be rather inefficient against armor and the cycle itself doesn't provied much protection either.
Warlord Tank
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The Warlord Tank is amongst the most terrifying battle machines humans have ever built. Heavily armored it cannot move fast.
It's main task is to siege opponents positions and destroy their most expensive forces from long range. Thereby It can extend its range and firepower immensly. However to do so, the Warlord has to become immobile. Additionally, the Warlord can be upgraded with Deployable Barricades which he drops around it to work as a deterance against melee troops and which eat up damage from unguided missiles.
Explanation: OK, so this is my interpretation of the Starcraft Siege Tank. Slower, harder to deploy, with more firepower and slightly more range. The barricades give it some extra "siege character".
Some things to note:
It's main task is to siege opponents positions and destroy their most expensive forces from long range. Thereby It can extend its range and firepower immensly. However to do so, the Warlord has to become immobile. Additionally, the Warlord can be upgraded with Deployable Barricades which he drops around it to work as a deterance against melee troops and which eat up damage from unguided missiles.
Explanation: OK, so this is my interpretation of the Starcraft Siege Tank. Slower, harder to deploy, with more firepower and slightly more range. The barricades give it some extra "siege character".
Some things to note:
- In my mind this tank does not fire upon sight but needs like 0.5-1seconds before an actual shot occurs. This allows units to move a little more freely in and out of range allowing for a little more micro against it. (imagine perfect drop micro or more simply just turning around when you barely spotted them without taking damage.)
- This unit should have "overkill" - meaning more tanks will fire at the same target than needed to kill it, if the Warlords are not spread out well.
The Jupiter Fighter
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The Jupiter Fighter is one of mankinds most advanced and universal aircrafts. Flying at high speed and using very adaptable weaponry has its drawbacks, however. It has hardly any armor and low hitpoints and is only capable of carrying two of its deadly Juno-Warheads, a third one when upgraded with Advanced Capacity.
Generally, the Jupiter Fighter uses laserbased guidance systems to hit its target from medium range. However, a pilot can turn those off to achieve manual control over the Juno-Warheads, which allows him to do a straight shot trying to hit ground targets beyond reach of the systems. Furthermore, it also allows him to use the warheads as bombs and use the extra fuel for a bigger blasting power. Warheads used this way which fail to hit a target don't explode and burrow into the ground instead.
Explanation: The Jupiter Fighter is a unit made for 2 and a half roles.
However, the Jupiter does need to return to a Supply Center very often and can be easily destroyed when getting caught by Antiair. Its direct combat value is therefore limited.
Generally, the Jupiter Fighter uses laserbased guidance systems to hit its target from medium range. However, a pilot can turn those off to achieve manual control over the Juno-Warheads, which allows him to do a straight shot trying to hit ground targets beyond reach of the systems. Furthermore, it also allows him to use the warheads as bombs and use the extra fuel for a bigger blasting power. Warheads used this way which fail to hit a target don't explode and burrow into the ground instead.
Explanation: The Jupiter Fighter is a unit made for 2 and a half roles.
- First and foremost, the Jupiter Fighter is a very fast and active unit which can release a lot of damage at a single spot. Manual usage of its weapon systems allows the active and skilled player to attack an opponent with less risk for the Jupiter or to attack targets that are out of reach for other units. It is thereby a harass as well as a siegebreaking unit.
- Furthermore, they Juno Warheads provide reasonable antiair damage, especially when dealing with bigger amounts of enemies.
- In case any other usage is shut down by heavy turteling, an active player should be encourage to use the Juno-Warheads to create minefields.
However, the Jupiter does need to return to a Supply Center very often and can be easily destroyed when getting caught by Antiair. Its direct combat value is therefore limited.
Venus Transport
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The Venus Transport is a fast transport helicopter. Decently armored, it can transport medium amounts of troops behind enemy lines.
It's greatest strength is being capable of flying near the ground and under enemy spotting. Not to mention that getting in and out of the Venus becomes much easier for any transported troops when in such a mode.
Explanation: Have you ever been annoyed by dropship micro? Well, then you gotta be annoyed if this happens to you with an invisible dropship. However, this has the downside of the dropship becoming capable of being targeted by ground weapons.
It's greatest strength is being capable of flying near the ground and under enemy spotting. Not to mention that getting in and out of the Venus becomes much easier for any transported troops when in such a mode.
Explanation: Have you ever been annoyed by dropship micro? Well, then you gotta be annoyed if this happens to you with an invisible dropship. However, this has the downside of the dropship becoming capable of being targeted by ground weapons.
The Aliens
The Nest
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The Nest is the main building of the Alien race which is capable of producing nearly any Alien Unit. However, a queen needs to be present to do so.
Even more, every Nest needs to build chambers to allow a queen within to hatch the more complex units of the Alien race. Special birth chambers allow a queen to produce two or more units at a time.
A Nest is also the drop-off point for resources and therefore needed for expanding.
Explanation: The Nest is somewhat similar to the Zerg hatchery. However, unlike the Zerg the Alien race produces by production queues and not by larva. Also, just having a Nest is not enough
to produce units. Without a queen the Nest is only a drop-off point for resources and without extra chambers it is only capable of producing workers - one at a time.
The intention behind this lies within complexity. Alien players are forced to build as few chambers as possible at each Nest as they are expensive. Therefore, different Nests will end up with
different production. Last, by requiring a queen for production, expanding and adding production become decoupled to a certain degree. This allows for more control over what you aim for strategically,
as Alien players don't always have to buy the full package at once.
Costwise, the intention is to make Nests cheap and Queens expensive - so to allow for cheap expanding, while extra production has to be acquired with cheaper birth chambers instead.
Last it is important to note that there is only a limited amount of chambers any Nest can hold. Therefore, past some point in time, extra queens will be required.
Even more, every Nest needs to build chambers to allow a queen within to hatch the more complex units of the Alien race. Special birth chambers allow a queen to produce two or more units at a time.
A Nest is also the drop-off point for resources and therefore needed for expanding.
Explanation: The Nest is somewhat similar to the Zerg hatchery. However, unlike the Zerg the Alien race produces by production queues and not by larva. Also, just having a Nest is not enough
to produce units. Without a queen the Nest is only a drop-off point for resources and without extra chambers it is only capable of producing workers - one at a time.
The intention behind this lies within complexity. Alien players are forced to build as few chambers as possible at each Nest as they are expensive. Therefore, different Nests will end up with
different production. Last, by requiring a queen for production, expanding and adding production become decoupled to a certain degree. This allows for more control over what you aim for strategically,
as Alien players don't always have to buy the full package at once.
Costwise, the intention is to make Nests cheap and Queens expensive - so to allow for cheap expanding, while extra production has to be acquired with cheaper birth chambers instead.
Last it is important to note that there is only a limited amount of chambers any Nest can hold. Therefore, past some point in time, extra queens will be required.
The Queen
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Queens are the brains and mothers of all Aliens. Uncapable of combating themselves, their main task is to hatch other Aliens to do so. Usually, Queens hide deep inside their Nests.
Without a Queen, the Aliens cannot survive.
Without a Queen, the Aliens cannot survive.
Crunchers
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Crunchers are medium sized bugs, which use their antlers to harvest ore and to attack enemies alike. In their carapace they are capable of transporting few amounts of tiny units, even while
moving underground.
Crunchers have been seen dropping off their transporting back parts and even regrowing them. It seems like, even those dead immobile parts are capable of keeping small organisms inside them.
Explanation: The Cruncher features a trademark Alien attribute - multihealth. It is a unit made of two parts with different amounts of health which can be killed of seperatly.
The main body part - head, antlers and the lower part of the body - is the actual bug which has to be killed of. The Transporting carapace at his back is expandable and can be regrown for a small
amount of resources as well as arbitrarily dropped of to create little hide-outs around the map.
moving underground.
Crunchers have been seen dropping off their transporting back parts and even regrowing them. It seems like, even those dead immobile parts are capable of keeping small organisms inside them.
Explanation: The Cruncher features a trademark Alien attribute - multihealth. It is a unit made of two parts with different amounts of health which can be killed of seperatly.
The main body part - head, antlers and the lower part of the body - is the actual bug which has to be killed of. The Transporting carapace at his back is expandable and can be regrown for a small
amount of resources as well as arbitrarily dropped of to create little hide-outs around the map.
)
) the Jupiter Fighter, equipped with 3 Juno Warheads - fireing at Protoss Dummies.
