Toying with some game dev ideas for 4x space games.

[DontSayBanana]

I've got way too much free time on my hands, was thinking about trying to dig out Homeworld, and thought of a couple improvements that could be made to a 4x space game, more specifically hybridizing.

- A promotion system. The most basic elements of a 4x space game are the shipyards, and the scouts. Instead of starting out commanding the whole thing, why not introduce some more tactical components, put yourself into a few skirmishes, and work at the scout group level instead? Promotions could be done ala TIE Fighter, and once you're promoted, you move into the host ship, from there into capital ships, and from there onto the shipyards.

- A defensive AI component- naturally, if you're not going to command the whole thing, you need to make sure your fleet isn't wiped out before you get high enough. I'm thinking of setting up the defensive AI with "ignore," "cooperate," and "defend." Your vessel and all its subordinate vessels would be set to "defend" you, while your sister ships that you do not command will "cooperate." Its subordinates, most superior vessels, and all unrelated vessels would be set to "ignore."

Basically, my intent is to make something a little more immersive than the traditional 4x game. Think it stands a snowball's chance in hell of working?

[Ideologue]

Could be fun.

If I developed a space strategy game, I'd limit it to STL speeds--actual physics all the way around, with a game timeframe on the scale of millions or billions of years.  It'd be weird, and probably not very successful, but interesting.

[Strix]

I'd add boarding combat into the mix. You can have ship classes designed to teleport boarders in to an enemy vessel once it's shielding has gone down. The outcome would be capture of the ship, ship self-destructs (to prevent capture), ship scuttled, or ship fights off boarders successfully.

It would an interesting facet to any space game.

[Ideologue]

If you can do that, what's keeping you from teleporting an atomic bomb into the engine?  Or, if you do want to keep the ship, dispersing a few kilograms of nerve gas or few milligrams of plutonium dust into the air?

[Strix]

If you can do that, what's keeping you from teleporting an atomic bomb into the engine?  Or, if you do want to keep the ship, dispersing a few kilograms of nerve gas or few milligrams of plutonium dust into the air?

It's a game.

[The Brain]

If you can do that, what's keeping you from teleporting an atomic bomb into the engine?  Or, if you do want to keep the ship, dispersing a few kilograms of nerve gas or few milligrams of plutonium dust into the air?

What would the plutonium do?

[Strix]

If you can do that, what's keeping you from teleporting an atomic bomb into the engine?  Or, if you do want to keep the ship, dispersing a few kilograms of nerve gas or few milligrams of plutonium dust into the air?

What would the plutonium do?

I am not sure either would do much. Well, the atomic bomb would but why would you transport it rather than fire it as a missile? It would seem much easier and safer to fire it than transport it.

The dust would do little as would the gas because in a combat situation most people would be in some form of vac suit designed against being in space.

[DontSayBanana]

Actually, I was thinking of implementing alliance as an attribute, rather than built-in, so that you could have defectors/traitors/boarded vessels in the fray, as well. Glad to see some minds are operating on similar wavelengths.

I'm gonna start working on the engine so that I could at least see it in action- graphics are gonna come much, much later because I'm no good at them.

[dps]

I'd add boarding combat into the mix. You can have ship classes designed to teleport boarders in to an enemy vessel once it's shielding has gone down. The outcome would be capture of the ship, ship self-destructs (to prevent capture), ship scuttled, or ship fights off boarders successfully.

It would an interesting facet to any space game.

MOO2 had that.  Though I don't think there was a option to self-destruct or scuttle.  What would be the difference in those 2 anyway?

[DontSayBanana]

MOO2 had that.  Though I don't think there was a option to self-destruct or scuttle.  What would be the difference in those 2 anyway?

Self-destruct would obliterate it; scuttle would leave it adrift and able to be brought in for repair or stripping for resources?

[Ideologue]

If you can do that, what's keeping you from teleporting an atomic bomb into the engine?  Or, if you do want to keep the ship, dispersing a few kilograms of nerve gas or few milligrams of plutonium dust into the air?

What would the plutonium do?

I labor under the presumption that plutonium is radioactive enough that dusting the interior of a spaceship could deliver lethal doses of radiation.  May be wrong, in which case I fall back on my nerve gas idea.

[Lucidor]

If you can do that, what's keeping you from teleporting an atomic bomb into the engine?  Or, if you do want to keep the ship, dispersing a few kilograms of nerve gas or few milligrams of plutonium dust into the air?

Lethal, perhaps, but not in the short run. It would be impractical, since cleaning out the ship would have to be very thorough before the new owners could use it.

What would the plutonium do?

I labor under the presumption that plutonium is radioactive enough that dusting the interior of a spaceship could deliver lethal doses of radiation.  May be wrong, in which case I fall back on my nerve gas idea.

[grumbler]

If you can do that, what's keeping you from teleporting an atomic bomb into the engine?  Or, if you do want to keep the ship, dispersing a few kilograms of nerve gas or few milligrams of plutonium dust into the air?

Lethal, perhaps, but not in the short run. It would be impractical, since cleaning out the ship would have to be very thorough before the new owners could use it.

What would the plutonium do?

I labor under the presumption that plutonium is radioactive enough that dusting the interior of a spaceship could deliver lethal doses of radiation.  May be wrong, in which case I fall back on my nerve gas idea.

[The Brain]

If you can do that, what's keeping you from teleporting an atomic bomb into the engine?  Or, if you do want to keep the ship, dispersing a few kilograms of nerve gas or few milligrams of plutonium dust into the air?

Lethal, perhaps, but not in the short run. It would be impractical, since cleaning out the ship would have to be very thorough before the new owners could use it.

What would the plutonium do?

I labor under the presumption that plutonium is radioactive enough that dusting the interior of a spaceship could deliver lethal doses of radiation.  May be wrong, in which case I fall back on my nerve gas idea.

[dps]

If you can do that, what's keeping you from teleporting an atomic bomb into the engine?  Or, if you do want to keep the ship, dispersing a few kilograms of nerve gas or few milligrams of plutonium dust into the air?

Lethal, perhaps, but not in the short run. It would be impractical, since cleaning out the ship would have to be very thorough before the new owners could use it.

What would the plutonium do?

I labor under the presumption that plutonium is radioactive enough that dusting the interior of a spaceship could deliver lethal doses of radiation.  May be wrong, in which case I fall back on my nerve gas idea.