Full of ideas this week.
The biggest area which is a minor disappointment with aurora is there ground combat phase, there is very little interaction you can do with your units. Now understanding that creating something as advanced as the space game is out of the question 1) Because it then would detract from the main points and 2) The code that would be need is another game in itself.
So I been thinking of some idea to enhance ground combat without making it too complexed.
Rock paper scissors is the most simplistic strategy game that I know of, many games revolve around this concept as well as many life principles.
My idea is to add simple elements in the ground combat, the could enhance or detract from a ground combat point phase.
A SOE for ground combat, this drop down box could have against each unit, or simplified even more against each HQ a number of choices such as.
- Mobile Operations
- Static Defence
- Bombardment Operations
Idea 1: Variations so not to go with the heavy armoured or marine unit every time
These choices will enhance and decrease a unit attacking or defensive abilities, and different units have different amplifiers. For instance straight leg infantry may have a 2.0x on static defence for defence and .5 x on attack. Meaning if the opposing unit was to attack then you could see greater losses on a defensive stage. But if the alternate unit was on bombardment operations then you would a lower defence rating and a high attack rating.
Idea 2: Rock Paper Scissors
You could also look at it another way and simplify it even still and compare the opposing forces strategy and apply modifiers based on this.
Where Mobile operations beat Bombardment, Bombardment beats Static Defence, and Static beat Mobile Operations.
Idea 3: Battle Card Layout
I am not sure how the battles are currently worked out between two opposing sides, but to me it seems like a point stack, I would suggest something a little different.
A simple card game style process, a brigade attack a brigade ever 5 days, each have 4 units, the computer assigns the three best defensive units for attacking units based on the TOE in the line and hold one in reserve, the opposing force lines up its units in a similar fashion. The battle then takes place and wounds are best on the attack and defence of the various units.
If a player only has two units in his front line, then 1/2 the attacking or defensive points from the unit beside it add to the total of the middle unit battle.
You can amplify this with multiple brigades, if there is only one brigade left on one side and ten on the other, it still is a brigade v brigade fight. Because in reality regardless on number a small unit can only hold the same frontage it is attacked on, the difference will be they will not be reinforce and will eventually dissolve by numbers.
I really hope Steve read this cause with a little abstract programming around this it could really make colony attacks a little more exciting. A combination of the three ideas would be best, but even one of the three idea would enhance the ground combat phase
I would also like to see a new unit added which is Air support, which takes as much space as a engineer brigade has a low defence but huge attack.
