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Combat Mechanics

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Tbone
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Joined: 02/18/2013

So I have been working on an RTS type board game and just recently it went through a huge transformation. Instead of a an actual board with a grid allowing unit shaped pieces to be able to be moved on it, I have made it sort of like a deck building game. Although, instead of building your deck by getting more cards, you actually have to build buildings to be able to use certain things on the cards.

Anyways, the one area that has given me issues is how to make a fun unit to unit interaction without it being boring and to much to calculate.

At right now the "field" is where you will put the five buildings: the HQ, Barracks, Supply, Lab, and Research. These will have Integrity points that act similar to HP points except each Integrity point will have 8 HP. The way you destroy a building is by creating a "group" or "squad" that has more attack points than 8 HP until it has no more Integrity points.

These buildings are set in front of you horizontally where you will put cards in each "territory" or on the field which is between the players' buildings. Now, you can stack cards up to three and you can group horizontally up to three. Groups are what you attack with. Each card has an attack, hit points, and defense. Using attack you position the card facing upright, using the defense you position the card side ways. Attack subtracts HP, defense subracts attack. Whoevers HP is higher wins the battle and keeps their cards in that group. The one who loses during the battle puts their group in their defeated pile, where the cards cannot be used again. Do note there are abilities that can be enable with Lab points.

To me it doesn't seem like it would be fast and fun.

If I didn't explain it well enough I can hop on my computer and do a more in depth analysis but let me know your ideas.

kpres
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Joined: 04/20/2013
Too much content for a fast and fun game.

Ok, I see you have made a combat game where the combat actually feels like combat. That's excellent. However, I get a first impression that your game is trying to go into a lot of different directions. You have research and labs and tech trees, but you also have combat and an economy. If you're making a war game, you should focus on that. Your game might feel more like combat if units had the option to retreat, or if they are affected by morale.

Try testing out the mechanics of your combat, leaving everything else out. If that mechanic is fun, then you're onto something; otherwise, rework it. Don't be afraid to let the idea hibernate for a little bit and come back to it when you've explored other similar ideas.

Tbone
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Joined: 02/18/2013
Yep

Yeah I've been taking some time moderately testing it and it can get tedious so I just need a fun quick way to enhance the games combat.

RGaffney
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Joined: 09/26/2011
Instead of hit points could

Instead of hit points could you use dice?

Instead of sending squads could you send missiles?

is there a way to invite the player to use himself or herself as a surrogate in the fight which also simplifies the math. That's what you want.

Rock paper scissors would not be bad. Or something like a war mechanic. (I'm going to lay down 10 cards one at a time, one of them is the boom you have to slap that card before I land the next one or the boom goes off.)

starflier
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Joined: 01/09/2009
Non-Transitive Dice?

What might be cool, would be to assign each unit type a specific Transitive Die:
http://mathsgear.co.uk/products/non-transitive-grime-dice

Why this would be cool:
It gives a built-in Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lisard-Spock mechanic, but all you have to do is compare the number you rolled on the dice.
It gives you situations where one [Unit A] will usually beat one [Unit B] but two [Unit B]s will usually beat two [Unit A]s
The weird math is already done for you.

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