The weight of a turn should be the factor here.
Instead of 2 turns. We want to have Assault to be 1 turn.
So, I need to translate the ammount of turns that a player wins, into a penalty.
It isn't a simple cut in half.
I figured that the effectivness of an unit would be 50% on movement and 50% on the attack if it where to try both at the same time.
The Assault makes use of a full move. Thus the damage would be -100% as penalty. But only if the AP cost would be that of 1 action.
The player still pays a full ammount of AP.
For this reason, the penalty should be half.
I conclude here, the penalty on the damage would be -50%.
This is with a maximum movement of the unit.
And I assume the use of the maximum attack distance too.
The unit costs are also linked to how fast an unit can move and how far it can shoot. The more effective an assault is, the more expensive the unit is by normal means.
So, I can't win anything here?
What I can do is that an unit attacking at a shorter distance will receive less penalty.
Or when moving less than it is capable of.
This is somewhat the same as my "history" version.
I want to prevent, making a table per unit design.
So, I don't know what to do here.
All I know is that when an unit makes use of its maximum capabilities, the penalty should be -50%.
And to have less penalty, it can work in a way. Since if you have an unit with a movement speed of 1. It would have -50% damage if it moves and attacks.
But reducing the movement speed to 0 automatically means borrowing the 50% from there and the penalty is 0%.
A maximum movement speed of 2; would have -50% damage on a movement of 2, -25% damage on a movement of 1 and again 0% if it doesn't move.
The penalties would be different for every movement speed...
As said before.
I want to prevent, making a table per unit design.
The same effect can happen with the attack distance. A shorter distance would allow for a lower penalty. Because it is simply simpler to hit something at a shorter distance while moving.
***
What can I do here?
Simply keep the -50% as a one and only penalty option?
Or find a way to have penalties reduced when slowing down or firing from a shorter distance?
-50% is (5/6)^4.
I could say, the basic penalty is 4.
But if an unit attacks at a shorter distance or moves slower, this penalty goes down. A melee attack would have no penalty...
Just like in the History version.
However, what if an unit is already a melee unit to begin with?
While a defence building can't move either.
It would be logically to both have to receive no penalty.
The defence building simply due to the fact it cannot perform an assault.
But the melee unit can perform an assault.
Here we got another paradox, that I need to solve with logic...
Oh... I think I know. But to work it out, it is rather late now.
A quick note for myself. The basis is the H/D ratio.
0 movement speed doesn't count as an assault.
0 attack range is in reality still a basis of 2.
If 1 attack range is the -50%.
Then 0 attack range for that same unit would mean 0,5 * -50% = -25%.
A true melee unit would always receive -50% damage when performing an assault with a maximum movement speed.
Gona sleep now...
I think I have to start all over again. Scrapping; Actions, Action related attributes, and penalties.
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Both my proto-type game and public variant have the options:
- Attack
- Move
For all units.
This option costs 1 AP.
After this, the unit/structure is exhausted.
If it wants to perform another action. It would cost 1 AP AND the old AP for that round. Thus the new total is 3 AP.
This second action happens in 2 turns (A round can have several turns, depending on how fast AP depletes for the player)
The action Assault would happen in just 1 turn.
It is more effective.
But what if I don't use actions?
What if the option is just a 1 time choice per round?
Then performing both options should mean that both are only used for a part.
An exmaple would be, the weapon does half the damage and the movement is half the distance.
I think, I have to go with that logic for now?
***
Now back to multiple AP and turns per round.
The difference between, a move and then attack (or vice versa), or, assault. Is really a matter of the turns.
In a sense, the AP pay is equal, no matter how you look at it. So there is no need for a partly movement and partly attack.
But the ammount of turns is certainly less.
How much would this weight upon the choice to perform an assault?
And what should the benefit be?
***
History
The weight previously was a penalty on the damage.
It was depending on the attack range and movement speed. If one of the two was 0. The penalty would be 0.
The benefit was that the enemy could be attacked after getting into range. Or you would get out of the attack range after attacking.
The counter was a return fire that would receive +1 penalty. Or afterwards an assault, or a 2 turn move then attack. A heavily exhausted squad could not do this.