Anyone ever played a classic Avalon Hill boardgame called 'TITAN'? Recommended.
It included a tactical combat system played on a small hexgrid of inclement terrain, and had a number of elegant features that I think Elemental combat could benefit from. Specifically:
Okay, that's enough for now. This is going to be an incredible game, and full kudos to Stardock for making it happen. We worship you, mighty ones!
...Haderak
That does sound like a much more exciting combat system. I like how you can tie up in melee, and having the orders execute all at the same time rather than one unit at a time.
Wait, are you saying that once you hit the end turn button YOUR troops make their move, or the enemies troops do so as well?
It's like the boardgame... "Diplomacy", I believe.
Basically, take RISK, but make it only Europe instead of the whole world. Remove the concept of turns. You have three stages:
"Discussion"
"Give Orders"
"Execution"
Discussion, you talk with all the other players and talk about who you want to gang up on and rape (in theory). You basically make an oral "promise" to do something. Something which you aren't required to do at all.
Then, you write your move (you only get one) on a piece of paper, which is given to a judge facedown.
After everyone has written their orders, the orders are revealed and executed all at the same time.
Since what you promise to do and what you actually do has no bearing, backstabs are super frequent and it's very hectic. But it's also designed for 4 or more people.
Take away the "Discussion" step, and make it 1v1. Now you have to plan your entire turn at once, and you have to predict the outcome of your attacks, as well as what your opponent will do. It adds depth to the game, without adding difficulty.
If the morale system was improved, it would prevent "Stonewalling". If morale shifted quickly, the team with the lower morale would be forced to act.
I think Haderak has a good idea here.
What I'd like to see is an impulse (badoom boom) system, where your combat speed dictates who goes first, as well as how many times you get to act in a 'turn'.
This would incidentally make a 3.7 combat speed mean a little more (currently 3 or 4 is all that matters). Example:
Phase 1 Speed 5+ characters/enemies act, in descending order of combat speed
Phase 2 Speed 4+ characters/enemies act, in descending order of combat speed
Phase 3 Speed 3+ characters/enemies act, in descending order of combat speed
Phase 4 Speed 2+ characters/enemies act in descending order of combat speed
Phase 5 All characters/enemies act, in descending order of combat speed
You get the idea here. You may want to do this as 'highest speed character goes, then highest speed enemy, then next highest speed character, next highest speed enemy, etc. so that a whole party of fast characters doesn't execute a bunch of attacks on a given phase before the monsters get their chance. Also, you might find it preferable to change up the 'phase chart', so that slow characters/enemies get a chance to act earlier. Example:
Speed:______1______2_______3_______4_______5
Phase 1_____________________x_______x_______x
Phase 2_____________x_______________x_______x
Phase 3_____x_______________x_______________x
Phase 4_____________x_______________x_______x
Phase 5_____________________x_______x_______x
GUI wise, characters not able to move in a given phase (or those you have already moved that phase) could be 'grayed out', so you don't have to wonder who can move on which phase.
One disadvantage to this system (using the current action points) is that if you move on a given phase, you won't be attacking on said phase. Perhaps a 'charge' option might be in order in this case (at varying degrees of effectiveness, depending on your weapon). And an 'attack while moving' option, at reduced effeciveness, could be implemented as well. Parked/non-moving units could have a 'set vs. charge' or 'defend' option, giving them a bonus when being charged or attacked by 'attacking while moving' units.
I do like the current action points system that Elemental uses (an action takes 'x' speed points to do). The 'all side A executes all actions before side B goes' thing probably gives the initiating (moving) player a little too much advantage, though. I've been taking advantage of staying just outside of the movement range of the enemy, so that I can get all my attacks in first (i.e. staying 3 squares away from them, and letting them come to me).
And for the most part the enemy does get to counterattack for every melee attack I make (I strike, he retaliates, I strike, he retaliates), but once the enemy is out of counteractions (i.e. has counterattacked two or three times), the rest of my characters get 'free' attacks on that enemy. Dunno if this was a patch thing, or if it was always there, but it seems like a good compromise. It'd be nice, though, if characters with bows could counterattack in melee somehow (at reduced attack strength) - once an enemy gets to melee range he gets two or three 'free' attacks in, with no counterattack. This might have been a 'balance' decision (since bow characters get 'free' attacks at range), but it seems a little hokey to me.
I am enjoying the game so far. I am looking forward to seeing some improvements in gameplay (through patches), though. A 'stack manager' would be nice, but that's a topic for another thread.
I second the original poster's post entirely.
Yes, I understand how it works, but unless the speed of the units is ridiculously low, you're gonna be sending your troops to empty tiles most of the time. I haven't played this game, so maybe I'm wrong and it works well, but I'd rather have a unit-based turn system, instead of the side-based method we have now.
Love this idea!!!!! Simple, elegant, strategic, balanced and understandable.
You couldn't have the movement being simultaneous I think.
Each player would still have to take turns doing movement and declaring their attacks, then all attacks from that players units are resolved. However any automatic counterattacks could obviously be resolved at the same time, then the action switches to the other player.
Some interesting ideas here.
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