Sui
Tank
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2004
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OK, here’s my ideas on the subject.
General
Everything you read in the following sections are just ideas for an RTS / FPS game. Before you read anything else, read this.
The game can be looked at in two different perspectives: MMO or regular FPS. Either way it is a multiplayer game.
Game speak
The game will be an FPS, and will consist of “bases”. a base it just like one in an RTS- it contains structures that can be destroyed or built, and is where everything is bought. From there on, players can run out to the battlefield and try to obtain victory. A “team” is simply what side you are on, but in an MMO it would be regarded as what “base” you are currently fighting with. Read on for further details.
MMO:
Anyone who has played planetside will have an IMMEDIATE idea of what I mean. The servers are gigantic worlds, with “continents” containing neutral bases that can be captured (an HQ must be built on top of the foundations) and expanded. Every army has a main base, on an island that only they can get to (islands are linked with portals, just like PS). This main base is where the admins (actual staff of the game) check up on all of the player- commanders, and make sure that they aren’t using resources inefficiently.
Every “base” will be manned by many players, as there aren’t that many bases in the game. A base has its own “bank” of money, that nearby players can supply. This bank distributes money to all players in the perimeter evenly, and is also used for high level characters to build structures and advance in technology. This is explained in more detail later on. However, in an MMO, this “bank” is restricted to only one base, meaning that bases can prosper or fail. If a base prospers, players will support it and profit from it, then use what it supplies to attack the enemy… but if it fails, It will be vulnerable to attack, and enemy scouts will see that it is failing and inform their army. This means that it is likely to be attacked, and captured. If this happens all of the money in it’s bank would be distributed evenly among all the remaining bases from that army.
FPS
If the game was to be an FPS, it would probably be similar to BF1942, in that the main focus is multiplayer, and it requires big servers to work. Of course, the servers would require 10- 20 people per side to work, as the game needs a variation of classes. Servers would contain two or three bases, and each would be controlled by a rival team. It’s a lot easier to relate what I have written in the next few sections to the FPS version, instead of the MMO version, as the bases and Teams just complicate things in an MMO.
However, the Fps character development would be extremely similar to the MMO. Basically, your EXP and skills stay with you for any server, and your account is as cherished and worth as much as any MMO account, because unlike other server based multiplayer FPS games, your character will not only stay the same, but will increase in skill and experience as you change between servers. But yet this will not unbalance the game too much- as you will still be reliant on money (and will start with none on each server), meaning someone who is proficient in flying a helicopter would still have to run onto the battlefield and kill tons of enemies in order to save up a lot of money. By levelling up you will not be significantly harder to kill… but you can benefit your team in a far more efficient way, and have a LOT MORE fun.
Management / classes
At the beginning of the game, you pick a role. Examples would be Soldier, medic, engineer, supplier or scout. As you advance through the game, You gradually gain EXP and climb through the ranks, and gradually become an even more important member of the team. Most classes start off very similar, but gradually spread out in their different ways and become unique. For example, an engineer would start off by having high skills in shotguns and explosives, but as he upgrades, he can fix tanks, plant unique traps that trigger all sorts of things, gain access to special engineer areas in HQ and eventually reach such a sophistication that they can build bunkers from scratch. Characters do not advance too much in health or damage dealt, as obviously this would be incredibly unfair to newcomers- but instead they become a bigger cog in the mechanism.
For each server, generals are issued. (NOTE: this does not apply to the MMO). Whether you are promoted to a general or not relies on your SCORE (I.e. how much you have helped your team, nit just how many people you have killed) and not your experience. Generals are not better fighters- but instead they can build, and buy advancements. If players feel that a general is inadequate, they can vote him off and elect a new player- but this is unlikely, as it is quite hard for a general to mess anything up, as everything he does will be an improvement on the base. While the General can command troops from anywhere in the map (I.e. advise players where to attack and place waypoints), any player can view the map and see things that scouts have marked, and can advise the team what to do.
Commanders apply to both MMO and FPS versions, and are not elected, but are instead achieved by levelling up and gaining lots of EXP. A “commander class” is just a player who has gained enough EXP to be an expert in his class. Commanders are just the same as Generals- they can build, advise troops, organise players and place waypoints- but have gained their position through endless hard work, instead of just benefiting their team briefly.
Supplies / spending money
Everyone wants to buy a tank, or obtain a decent gun. But unless you get out there and help your team, you won’t have access to almost anything- unless you save the small amount of money that is distributed to the individual team members from it’s supplies. You can be “granted” a larger percentage of this money by contributing to your team, but generally you get money by killing enemies and helping others (this doesn’t come from the team’s bank, but is instead generated for you).
The team’s “bank” is it’s main source of money, and is used for general team upgrades (bullets +5%, collecting supplies +5% efficiency etc.) which are bought by the commander ranks. The remaining amount of money is spent on two things: a kind of “reverse tax” that distributes money to the entire team (giving a larger % to individuals depending on how much they are contributing to the team, regardless of how high up the class ladder they are).
Supplies can be collected by anyone. They are collected from drop sites, which are neutral supply piles belonging to no team (which makes them important to defend) and literally contain boxes or raw materials, junk and minerals- that are useless on their own, but can be refined by a supply centre into pure cash. You can’t carry much (only a few crates will fit in your backpack) but by picking up a crate or two when passing by a supply centre, this can make a huge difference. But of course, this is nothing in comparison to the “supplier” class. As the name suggests, these players gain immediate access to a carrier vehicle, that is extremely cheap, but can carry ten times more supplies than any individual. Whenever you donate supplies to the base, whether you’re a supplier or not, you will receive a 10 cut of the money produced. This may not seem much, but considering that supply crates contain loads of potential money, this immediately makes the supplier a very beneficial class. The only trouble is that he is pathetic on combat- meaning that he will often require a soldier as a bodyguard. Of course, there are also bigger vehicles that can carry supplies… With EXP and a lot of money, a supplier can obtain a truck.. Or a lorry… or even a helicopter- the ULTIMATE supplier in terms of efficiency.
building/ advancing
A “base” is a collection of buildings that were constructed by engineers, and planned by commanders. Bases can only be built where there is a HQ structure (the foundations for a HQ, or perhaps the ruins of an old one). This means that a base can’t be build just anywhere. From there on, the HQ supplies everything that is needed for a team- weapon store, a small barracks to rest, a supply-depo to deposit supplies… but of course these are all very simple, and a separate, larger building will need to be built in order for the team to expand.
To build a structure, a commander must first use a control panel (a top down map of the surroundings) to find a suitable build location. Then, anyone near the location will see a blueprint layout, that will stay there until an engineer of suitable status is available to build it. An engineer will certainly take the job, as he will receive large amounts of EXP for just contributing in the construction. It takes time to build a structure, which can be sped up by funding it with money. If an insane amount of money is applied, the structure can be built in no time at all- but this will surely not benefit the team.
Buildings allow construction of advanced vehicles and weapons that cannot be purchased from an HQ- And also have a secondary, and very useful, feature. For example a War factory can produce high tech vehicles providing the player has enough money and skill in that area, but can also repair vehicles much faster than any engineer (but less efficiently). A barracks will allow a player to purchase high- tech weaponry, but also contains a rest area that can heal players.
Vehicles / weapons
Vehicles are purchased from a war factory, and are unique to each class. There are general vehicles that can be bought by any player proficient in that area- like humvees or tanks. Each class has a variation of vehicles however- for instance a soldier would be able to purchase advanced tanks, and if the team was sophisticated enough to have built an airfield (one of the most expensive buildings), the player could purchase a fighter jet. A medic would be able to obtain an ambulance that can treat players on the field, and eventually gain access to a troop transport, or even a chopper that can evacuate bases under attack or transport troops to strategic points. Some more examples would be an engineer with his demolition vehicles, or a scout with his small, stealthy and lightly armoured vehicles.
Vehicles can only be piloted by someone with a relevant class and skill, but unless the vehicle is a one- seater, they can carry any type of soldier, who can hitch a lift in the confinement and safety of the vehicle, or take a chance and duck out the side, firing at the enemy. Once a player has used a vehicle, if they don’t want to lose it (vehicles cost money!) the player can “lock” the vehicle (which means that only he can use it). The lock is automatically broken when the player abandons it for too long, or dies. If the vehicle is taken to a War factory (or airfield), it can be put in a garage, then recalled at any time, at any war factory. You could even get a teamate to carry it back to HQ in his helicopter.
Vehicles are bought with large amounts of cash, which is why players will want to store their vehicles in the garage. Unlike weapons, vehicles can be traded in for 30% their original price- which means if you see an unlocked vehicle abandoned somewhere that you can drive, you should bring it back to HQ and trade it in, or even just store it and claim it as your own. But cash isn’t just the only thing you need- for each vehicle type (helicopter, jeep, tank etc) you must spend a huge amount of EXP to drive this type. From there, you are granted access to all vehicles of that type, but cannot store, trade or even drive efficiently some of the “advanced” vehicles of your class until you buy the skill with EXP, and you can’t even attempt to drive vehicles from other classes. For instance a Medic with the “jeep” skill could drive both the generic humvee and the ambulance, but could only buy, store or trade the basic jeep until the “ambulance skill” was bought. At no time could the player ever drive a tractor though, which is a construction vehicle for engineers.
Combat / movement
Players will not gain access to vehicles for a long time, unless they are a supplier. This means that generally they will be hitching lifts with more advanced players, or just running and exploring- collecting supplies and scouting out enemy structures. If you die while exploring, you are “cloned” at a nearby HQ. This gives you NO disadvantages to your Experience, but you lose any weapons or armour you bought (but you keep any unique items or weapons).
Combat is just like any other FPS, just with modifications depending on your experience and skill. Even an incredibly high level soldier can fall to a new player, providing he is caught off guard by an enemy. After all, armour and weapons must be bought for a (very) low price when you re-spawn after dying, and if a player just wants to collect supplies or travel somewhere he may not want to waste money on additional things. Think of it like CS, but with a lot more money.
Weapons come in many variations- and they are very similar to vehicles in that they are unique to each class and must be bought. Players can buy skills in the different types of weapons (rifles, pistols, heavy weapons) but then must purchase additional skills to use the more advanced weapons (plasma rifle) or the class - specific weapons (supply carrier, medical injection).
General
Everything you read in the following sections are just ideas for an RTS / FPS game. Before you read anything else, read this.
The game can be looked at in two different perspectives: MMO or regular FPS. Either way it is a multiplayer game.
Game speak
The game will be an FPS, and will consist of “bases”. a base it just like one in an RTS- it contains structures that can be destroyed or built, and is where everything is bought. From there on, players can run out to the battlefield and try to obtain victory. A “team” is simply what side you are on, but in an MMO it would be regarded as what “base” you are currently fighting with. Read on for further details.
MMO:
Anyone who has played planetside will have an IMMEDIATE idea of what I mean. The servers are gigantic worlds, with “continents” containing neutral bases that can be captured (an HQ must be built on top of the foundations) and expanded. Every army has a main base, on an island that only they can get to (islands are linked with portals, just like PS). This main base is where the admins (actual staff of the game) check up on all of the player- commanders, and make sure that they aren’t using resources inefficiently.
Every “base” will be manned by many players, as there aren’t that many bases in the game. A base has its own “bank” of money, that nearby players can supply. This bank distributes money to all players in the perimeter evenly, and is also used for high level characters to build structures and advance in technology. This is explained in more detail later on. However, in an MMO, this “bank” is restricted to only one base, meaning that bases can prosper or fail. If a base prospers, players will support it and profit from it, then use what it supplies to attack the enemy… but if it fails, It will be vulnerable to attack, and enemy scouts will see that it is failing and inform their army. This means that it is likely to be attacked, and captured. If this happens all of the money in it’s bank would be distributed evenly among all the remaining bases from that army.
FPS
If the game was to be an FPS, it would probably be similar to BF1942, in that the main focus is multiplayer, and it requires big servers to work. Of course, the servers would require 10- 20 people per side to work, as the game needs a variation of classes. Servers would contain two or three bases, and each would be controlled by a rival team. It’s a lot easier to relate what I have written in the next few sections to the FPS version, instead of the MMO version, as the bases and Teams just complicate things in an MMO.
However, the Fps character development would be extremely similar to the MMO. Basically, your EXP and skills stay with you for any server, and your account is as cherished and worth as much as any MMO account, because unlike other server based multiplayer FPS games, your character will not only stay the same, but will increase in skill and experience as you change between servers. But yet this will not unbalance the game too much- as you will still be reliant on money (and will start with none on each server), meaning someone who is proficient in flying a helicopter would still have to run onto the battlefield and kill tons of enemies in order to save up a lot of money. By levelling up you will not be significantly harder to kill… but you can benefit your team in a far more efficient way, and have a LOT MORE fun.
Management / classes
At the beginning of the game, you pick a role. Examples would be Soldier, medic, engineer, supplier or scout. As you advance through the game, You gradually gain EXP and climb through the ranks, and gradually become an even more important member of the team. Most classes start off very similar, but gradually spread out in their different ways and become unique. For example, an engineer would start off by having high skills in shotguns and explosives, but as he upgrades, he can fix tanks, plant unique traps that trigger all sorts of things, gain access to special engineer areas in HQ and eventually reach such a sophistication that they can build bunkers from scratch. Characters do not advance too much in health or damage dealt, as obviously this would be incredibly unfair to newcomers- but instead they become a bigger cog in the mechanism.
For each server, generals are issued. (NOTE: this does not apply to the MMO). Whether you are promoted to a general or not relies on your SCORE (I.e. how much you have helped your team, nit just how many people you have killed) and not your experience. Generals are not better fighters- but instead they can build, and buy advancements. If players feel that a general is inadequate, they can vote him off and elect a new player- but this is unlikely, as it is quite hard for a general to mess anything up, as everything he does will be an improvement on the base. While the General can command troops from anywhere in the map (I.e. advise players where to attack and place waypoints), any player can view the map and see things that scouts have marked, and can advise the team what to do.
Commanders apply to both MMO and FPS versions, and are not elected, but are instead achieved by levelling up and gaining lots of EXP. A “commander class” is just a player who has gained enough EXP to be an expert in his class. Commanders are just the same as Generals- they can build, advise troops, organise players and place waypoints- but have gained their position through endless hard work, instead of just benefiting their team briefly.
Supplies / spending money
Everyone wants to buy a tank, or obtain a decent gun. But unless you get out there and help your team, you won’t have access to almost anything- unless you save the small amount of money that is distributed to the individual team members from it’s supplies. You can be “granted” a larger percentage of this money by contributing to your team, but generally you get money by killing enemies and helping others (this doesn’t come from the team’s bank, but is instead generated for you).
The team’s “bank” is it’s main source of money, and is used for general team upgrades (bullets +5%, collecting supplies +5% efficiency etc.) which are bought by the commander ranks. The remaining amount of money is spent on two things: a kind of “reverse tax” that distributes money to the entire team (giving a larger % to individuals depending on how much they are contributing to the team, regardless of how high up the class ladder they are).
Supplies can be collected by anyone. They are collected from drop sites, which are neutral supply piles belonging to no team (which makes them important to defend) and literally contain boxes or raw materials, junk and minerals- that are useless on their own, but can be refined by a supply centre into pure cash. You can’t carry much (only a few crates will fit in your backpack) but by picking up a crate or two when passing by a supply centre, this can make a huge difference. But of course, this is nothing in comparison to the “supplier” class. As the name suggests, these players gain immediate access to a carrier vehicle, that is extremely cheap, but can carry ten times more supplies than any individual. Whenever you donate supplies to the base, whether you’re a supplier or not, you will receive a 10 cut of the money produced. This may not seem much, but considering that supply crates contain loads of potential money, this immediately makes the supplier a very beneficial class. The only trouble is that he is pathetic on combat- meaning that he will often require a soldier as a bodyguard. Of course, there are also bigger vehicles that can carry supplies… With EXP and a lot of money, a supplier can obtain a truck.. Or a lorry… or even a helicopter- the ULTIMATE supplier in terms of efficiency.
building/ advancing
A “base” is a collection of buildings that were constructed by engineers, and planned by commanders. Bases can only be built where there is a HQ structure (the foundations for a HQ, or perhaps the ruins of an old one). This means that a base can’t be build just anywhere. From there on, the HQ supplies everything that is needed for a team- weapon store, a small barracks to rest, a supply-depo to deposit supplies… but of course these are all very simple, and a separate, larger building will need to be built in order for the team to expand.
To build a structure, a commander must first use a control panel (a top down map of the surroundings) to find a suitable build location. Then, anyone near the location will see a blueprint layout, that will stay there until an engineer of suitable status is available to build it. An engineer will certainly take the job, as he will receive large amounts of EXP for just contributing in the construction. It takes time to build a structure, which can be sped up by funding it with money. If an insane amount of money is applied, the structure can be built in no time at all- but this will surely not benefit the team.
Buildings allow construction of advanced vehicles and weapons that cannot be purchased from an HQ- And also have a secondary, and very useful, feature. For example a War factory can produce high tech vehicles providing the player has enough money and skill in that area, but can also repair vehicles much faster than any engineer (but less efficiently). A barracks will allow a player to purchase high- tech weaponry, but also contains a rest area that can heal players.
Vehicles / weapons
Vehicles are purchased from a war factory, and are unique to each class. There are general vehicles that can be bought by any player proficient in that area- like humvees or tanks. Each class has a variation of vehicles however- for instance a soldier would be able to purchase advanced tanks, and if the team was sophisticated enough to have built an airfield (one of the most expensive buildings), the player could purchase a fighter jet. A medic would be able to obtain an ambulance that can treat players on the field, and eventually gain access to a troop transport, or even a chopper that can evacuate bases under attack or transport troops to strategic points. Some more examples would be an engineer with his demolition vehicles, or a scout with his small, stealthy and lightly armoured vehicles.
Vehicles can only be piloted by someone with a relevant class and skill, but unless the vehicle is a one- seater, they can carry any type of soldier, who can hitch a lift in the confinement and safety of the vehicle, or take a chance and duck out the side, firing at the enemy. Once a player has used a vehicle, if they don’t want to lose it (vehicles cost money!) the player can “lock” the vehicle (which means that only he can use it). The lock is automatically broken when the player abandons it for too long, or dies. If the vehicle is taken to a War factory (or airfield), it can be put in a garage, then recalled at any time, at any war factory. You could even get a teamate to carry it back to HQ in his helicopter.
Vehicles are bought with large amounts of cash, which is why players will want to store their vehicles in the garage. Unlike weapons, vehicles can be traded in for 30% their original price- which means if you see an unlocked vehicle abandoned somewhere that you can drive, you should bring it back to HQ and trade it in, or even just store it and claim it as your own. But cash isn’t just the only thing you need- for each vehicle type (helicopter, jeep, tank etc) you must spend a huge amount of EXP to drive this type. From there, you are granted access to all vehicles of that type, but cannot store, trade or even drive efficiently some of the “advanced” vehicles of your class until you buy the skill with EXP, and you can’t even attempt to drive vehicles from other classes. For instance a Medic with the “jeep” skill could drive both the generic humvee and the ambulance, but could only buy, store or trade the basic jeep until the “ambulance skill” was bought. At no time could the player ever drive a tractor though, which is a construction vehicle for engineers.
Combat / movement
Players will not gain access to vehicles for a long time, unless they are a supplier. This means that generally they will be hitching lifts with more advanced players, or just running and exploring- collecting supplies and scouting out enemy structures. If you die while exploring, you are “cloned” at a nearby HQ. This gives you NO disadvantages to your Experience, but you lose any weapons or armour you bought (but you keep any unique items or weapons).
Combat is just like any other FPS, just with modifications depending on your experience and skill. Even an incredibly high level soldier can fall to a new player, providing he is caught off guard by an enemy. After all, armour and weapons must be bought for a (very) low price when you re-spawn after dying, and if a player just wants to collect supplies or travel somewhere he may not want to waste money on additional things. Think of it like CS, but with a lot more money.
Weapons come in many variations- and they are very similar to vehicles in that they are unique to each class and must be bought. Players can buy skills in the different types of weapons (rifles, pistols, heavy weapons) but then must purchase additional skills to use the more advanced weapons (plasma rifle) or the class - specific weapons (supply carrier, medical injection).
