Designing a wargame story for 2 players

Nonetheless. Let me answer you first.

I agree with that it is actually a 2 player game now.
I must edit my first post to make it clearer.

In regards to the AI. Obviously, if there is no second player present. I need to make a good AI. I guess this should be added in later. Since "programming" an AI can be tedious. My oldest work was based on a deck of cards and a die roll and then the actionSSS the AI would take. Meaning that from the deck, 6 cards in total are drawn. The die roll would choose a card. And then the AI keeps rolling until it rolls a used card. That was one way of how we did it. Another way was a true script to follow. With IF's and Then's and While's. Very complicated indeed.
But seeing as how tactical moves are super important in this game nowadays. The need for a second player was born.

I have heared about Solomon Kane before. I shall research this at a pleasentry time.

So, I must make a choice. Should I go completely single player? Or make it a 2 player campaign?
Co-op, if mentioned.... Is kinda a single player campaign with AI. But more complicated... Still a lot of fun though and can easy be added to the true single player campaign.

Or maybe expanding over 2 or 3 missions. IDK....

Either way. The original idea with the whole campaign was.
The players add new units and structures by choice to the faction over the missions. This is completely random. But once chosen, it cannot be changed.

The mission entitles the players to add something new.
The technology sets the bar.

It is at this point that I realized that balance can be an issue. We don't want a snowball happening. Thus one player being the attacker all the time. It is better to have a back and forth, like in any RTS game. The faction should stick with one player. Meaning that you can't sabotage the opponents faction. And last: the factions need to be guarded in balance. If one of the players decides to pick something bad to add. Then it is their own fault (or smart move). Instead of sabotaging your opponent, the losing player could get a bit more technology development instead.

The following statistics are linked:
- Armor tier A and Damage tier B
- Armor tier B and Damage tier A.

If one player has a higher tier of damage, the other player automatically follows with a higher tier of armor.
Example: If player A has a lot of tanks with anti infantry weapons. Then player B has a lot of infantry with anti tank weapons.

Start
Both players start with the following limits:
- Armor and Damage tier 1
- Range and Speed 2
- Damage multiplier 2 for tier 1
- Health is fixed at 5x Armor

Other statistics:
- Accuracy can be anywhere between 1 and 6.
- All other weapon adjustments are not allowed (yet). These are mission based. For example, player B can get the artillery ability in mission 5.

Everything is to be tracked on a technology card.

Development
- The losing player decides if the next tier of armor or damage is opened. The winning player will follow with the linked statistic. This does not mean that the players are forced to choose something with the new tier. This especially happens when tier 3 or 4 is reached and skipped by one of the players. They might get more fodder instead, etc. (RPS effects, what can I say :) )
Sometimes 2 tiers are added, to one or both statistics.
- The winning player decides first on applying a point to either range or speed. If 2 points where added it could be to its range and speed. R2S4, R3S3 or R2S4 are then 3 possible outcomes. Each mission will have a maximum on the development though. And it can be that only 1 or even no points are allowed.
The player who lost will take note and picks after for its own faction.
- The winning player picks on of the damage types it owns and adds 1 multiplier to it. Once again, it doesn't have to be chosen. A player could prepare for something very strong, it would feel as real research. Flamebased weapons are such examples. After the winning player, the losing player can pick its own multiplier. But, it can now be stored instead, for a future tier.
- Health has now an offset of -1/+1. So either 4x or 6x the armor is allowed.

Later missions and/or alternatives

- Not sure about health development. Going down should go linear with the number of missions. Having that 1 health bastard in the last mission is funny. When the 3 health units appear, the concussive attacks should be introduced. Seeing as how these are more effective against the lowest healths.

- Air and sub. These types are introduced by the players choice. Somewhere halfway the campaign would be best.
If both are to be introduced, then on the thirds of the campaign. One type will simply be more frequent.

- A certain mission will allow the players to choose an terrain ignoring weapon. They choose from: Spread/Arc/Flow/Seekers. Not sure with how many missions I can come up with that these weapons would be great. But everytime when the terrain requires them, a new one could be added.

- Ballistic weapons (Artillery) and X-ray. These 2 are the big brothers of the terrain ignoring weapons. Maybe I put them in the same category. But they ignore 3D effects as well. Thus they are more advanced. Again, mission based.

-
Velocity altered weapons
Turn altered weapons
Specific weapons
Explosive weapons
Chain reaction weapons
Cooldown and Charging
All these get a turn in being applied at a certain point. But seeing as how these are advanced mechanics. Players will not meet them in the first campaign.
Except for Cooldown, this one is simple to grasp. And one unit or defence structure will gain this ability.

- Minimum range
Will be added somewhere at the end. Seeing as how only then the longest ranges will be applied. And this is not a technology development. But simply part of the USC. So it could happen for almost every unit and defence structure.

No matter how it is gathered.
Only one resource is the easiest to balance.
It doesn't force players into a path.
Or the second resource isn't obsolete.

In wc2, ships cost oil. And this can be a true secondairy resource on itself.
In SC, I consider gas to be obsolete or simply a time factor.

Either way. No matter how fast we get resources. We need to have a maximum per mission if we also take remains to the next mission.
If a mission is complete, remaining resources are carried on to the next mission as being harvested.

Warzone 2100 is based on a time limit. A player could push till the end and gather the resources.

Maybe it is better to have a limit on resources per kission. And a player should simply admit losing a mission so that the opponent doesn't get more.

Also, each mission, both players should have licked their wounds if possible. By default.

The resources did have different value's. So players could only guess how much an unit is truly worth. But I am not sure if I should do this again. You see, if you have 2 resources. The first resource is often used as a pure choice. The second resource, in order to get it balanced, is a different value than the game would suggest.

The reason for this is that if you have an unit that costs both resources. These resources are kinda gathered twice as fast. 50 minerals and 50 gas is obtained in the same time as only 50 minerals. And there might be units costing 50 gas.
So, by pondering about this. I once discovered that gas is roughly 2 times the value of minerals. Meaning that 50 gas should be referred to as 25 minerals. The game however, treats this the other way around... which for me meant that gas was obsolete.

A siege tank costs 150 minerals and 100 gas in SC1. The total costs are 250 for players who don't understand the mechanics. The true value is supposed to be 350. Yet due to the game mechanics, I always had the feeling that the tank was only worth 200. The total costs would be 150 minerals and then 200 gas. But as said before, a secondary resource that only dictates time, is worth half.

If it is however, like you suggested, more worth yet the same resource. Then that too, is an option. I used to have Green, Blue, Yellow and Red Tiberian, story wise (when I was a little kid). But that is just silly :D

***

Either way...

The design can be done in such a way, that I could do this again. After all, the resources are limited. And thus, players have a true choice, regardless of the resource gathering speed.

Units 5 main statistics are:
- Armor
- Health
- Speed
- Damage
- Range

As secondary statistics:
- Multiplier
- Accuracy (no real influence)
- Any weapon modifier
- Any propulsion modifier

Seeing as how certain modifications are very detailed. I can only go for the 5 main statistics. After the body costs and weapon costs are calculated. Simple infantry cost 1 resource. Simple tanks have 2, but the secondary is much more important. Based on if the armor/health is higher than the first tier. A tier 5 with 1 health would still be like an infantry. :)
Same goes for the other statistics. If they reach a threshold. Suddenly a secondary resource would be added to the price.

The process would be complicated. All math. So I am not going to share it here unless someone is interested.

Perhaps.... having rounds per mission?
So it is time based, just like in Warzone2100

Let's say, you have 6 rounds in mission 1 in order to complete your mission. If you succeed at round 3. You get the resources immediately for the other 3 rounds.

If the enemy is running away. While you get resources each round. The effect would be the same. You get the resources.

If the 6th round ends. And the enemy is still alive. Then the player has at least failed the mission. But the concequences aren't that bad either. All the resources are gathered. And the only thing that remains is the enemy going to the next mission.

But now that I am thinking about this more and more. Perhaps it is better to postpone the campaign. And work on smaller missions first.

observer missions;
peacekeeping missions;
peace enforcement missions.

And that just doesn't help at all for new idea's.
So I went to wiki.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Military_operations_by_type

I continue somewhere next week.
Reading all of those.

Meanwhile...
Feel free to comment.

The missions have an order. But also should appear at random times. Or else a player might prepare for the next mission. And have an advantage. So, the player should be punished if the preparation was false.

Either way, both players start as far away as possible from each other.

The map is going to be needing several places of interest.
Better said, the map is going to be needing several places of POSSIBLE interest.

I decided that there are 2 players who invade a planet for resources.
And 2 different locals.

One of the locals is going to have a city and some static defences. With some civilians that can't move from their homes.

The other locals have build a fortification and guard something of great interest for the players.

If resources are a goal. What if earning one, automatically means that the other player gets more of the other resource?

***

Missions that influence each other.

The locals in the city set
- First part is to steal a special hidden technology in the form of an unit. This unit will be able to steal units from the other player. Both players can aim for this. Taking over of this unit requires to have the last hit on it (as if it is destroyed)
- Second part is to actually start stealing as much units as possible from the other player. It could be a campaign ender. This mission ends when the special unit dies for real this time.
- Third part is to use the units of the other player. And attack the locals that are in a city. Once all defences are gone with the stolen units. The locals supply this player with some extra resources every round. However, if some defences are still standing. The locals will know you tried to trick them. And they will support the other player.
- Fourth part is to protect these locals. Because shooting them personally will reduce the extra resources. This is something alongside the other missions. So not really a triggered mission on itself.

The better technology set
- At random, up to 3 times (or 6?), 1 of the 6 locations is pin pointed as the next target to get technology from. You need to have the last hit on a certain target in order to gain this reward. You will only get a bigger window of choices. A die is rolled to pin point the location. A location can be used several times, so there are 6^3 possibilities here.
Taking hold of every position is a very taxing task though.

The more resources set
- At random, up to 3 times, 1 of the same 6 locations is pin pointed as the next option to get more resources from.
However, once this location becomes a resource. A 7th location is added to the list. And this location is now scrapped from the same said list. So, the whole map should have 9 points of interest. I don't know how to randomize deciding which 3 should wait though.
Not sure if I should do more resources of 1 type. I need to create a new topic for that.

More build space
- There will be multiple plateau's that are higher than the rest of the map. The middle contains a "lost" construction yard that can be conquered. "destroying" it is a take over. After that, it can be destroyed normally by the other player. In the mean time, the player can start adding defences and production facilities to that place.
I aim to have 3 plateau's. So in total, there can be 5 bases on the entire map.

The other locals
At random, 3 points of interest. Should be protected by some fortification. The players surely need to siege these places. So, some missions are harder. The static defences always shoot every round, once.
So, the only thing that the players need to do is to see if the static defences are able to shoot on their enemy. First come, first serve.
Usage of fodder is also an option.
Not sure if this should be a mission on itself though. Maybe the other locals have a certain attribute that also can be the reward. Simply destroying the last or the main local. Ehm.... Perhaps some sort of AI that can be scrapped up for the reward??
It will be harder to get to it. But this isn't really different than other missions tbh.

***

I think, there are enough missions now, right? Now to work on the map in order to make it happen. And of course on the details of each mission.

When using dice, the points of interest have several preparations. So, I mentioned 9 in total. While players roll for 6. So how to determine the order of points of interest? They will be indicated on the map with a number token. Should I go for the bag again?

Players build up slowly.
Then they get a mission until it is finished by random.
I was thinking about cards.
The main goal is simply to annihilate the enemy completely. The missions can be done to slowly increase the leverage.

The mission cards so far:
- Locals in the City (3 times)
- Better technology (3 or 6 times)
- More resources (3 times)
- More build space on higher ground (3 times)

So, 12 (or 15) mission cards. If you get a certain mission card. A new mission cannot be drawn.
Eventually the last card can be predicted. So, perhaps a limit on how many missions the game holds?

Maybe the trilogy mission of the locals in the city cannot be completed.
Add more cards of any mission?
Limit the missions to 12. Yet there are 24 cards?

Suggestions?