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Although I don't have the computer or art skills needed to make a functioning mood, I nevertheless enjoy brainstorming ideas for fun. Sometimes, I post the ideas that I brainstorm so that others can pick out parts that they might find useful.

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RTS Faction Specialization Reimagined

Quadhelix Blog 1 comment

Fans of Command & Conquer: Generals should be intimately familiar with the idea of faction or subfaction specialization: the "Tank General" has the best tanks, the "Air Force General" has the best airplanes and helicopters, the "Stealth General" is the best at hiding things, etc. However, this form of specialization seems a bit one-dimensional - e.g., everything about the Tank General's tanks is better and everything about his not-tanks is worse.

A more interested approach would be to have different factions/subfactions specialize in different aspects of the different branches of specialization. Thus, one faction might be the "Air Force Faction" in the sense of having the widest variety of aircraft and thus the most versatile air force, while another faction is the "Air Force Faction" in the sense of having their aircraft available earlier in the game than anyone else. Similarly, yet another faction could be the "Air Force Faction" in the sense that its aircraft are the most powerful and cost effective.

So you might have a faction setup that looks something like the following (discounting roles that are relatively the same across all three factions - e.g., Humvee/Technical/Gatling Tank at Tier 1):

  • Faction A: Has light scout/gunship helicopters available from the War Factory at Tier 1, two different types of Main Battle Tank at Tier 2 (e.g., one specialized for taking on low-tier units and one for dealing with high-tech units), and a potent stealth bomber at Tier 3
  • Faction B: Has a cheap light main battle tank that is available at Tier 1, powerful helicopter gunships available from the Tier 2 helipad/airfield, and a number of different specialized stealth units at Tier 3 (e.g., Nod's Stealth Tank and Specter Artillery)
  • Faction C: Has stealth rocket buggies at Tier 1, the overall best main battle tank in the game at Tier 2, and a relatively diverse air force (e.g., dedicated air superiority fighters, ground attack aircraft, and tactical anti-structure bombers) spread out over Tier 2 and Tier 3.

Of course, these are just examples of possible layouts, but they give an illustration of what factions conceptualized under this paradigm might look like.

Or, rather than completely randomizing it, there could be limited grouping - something like this:

  • Faction A': Has a light helicopter gunship available from the war factory at Tier 1, two different types of Main Battle Tank at Tier 2 (e.g., one specialized for taking on low-tier units and one for dealing with high-tech units), and a relatively diverse air force (e.g., dedicated air superiority fighters, ground attack aircraft, and tactical anti-structure bombers) spread out over Tier 2 and Tier 3
  • Faction B': Has a cheap light main battle tank available at Tier 1, powerful helicopter gunships available from the Tier 2 helipad/airfield, and a potent stealth bomber at Tier 3
  • Faction C': Has stealth rocket buggies at Tier 1, the overall best main battle tank in the game at Tier 2, and a number of different specialized stealth units at Tier 3 (e.g., Nod's Stealth Tank and Specter Artillery)

Or something like that. Of course, depending on how one characterizes things, Faction A' could be labelled a "specialization" faction, Faction B' an "elite forces" faction, and Faction C' as a general stealth faction.

However, it probably wouldn't make sense to, e.g., have a faction that gets a weak tank, light gunship, and stealth raider at Tier 1 and then nothing later in the match, because such a faction would likely be overpowered in the early game and then peter out as the game progressed. Similarly, a faction that has the best main battle tank, best air unit, and best stealth unit, but all at Tier 2 or later, would have the problem that they would be very weak in the early game, but overpowered in the late game. Of course, the real problem might not be the arrangement itself, but only my lack of imagination on how to make it work.

Concept: EvaWars - Tactical 4X

Quadhelix Blog

Inspired by the Global Conquest Mode in Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath, the basic concept of "EvaWars" would be a 4X game that incorporates "character-focused" tactical combat - something akin to MechCommander or XCOM: Enemy Unknown. A modified version of the Neon Genesis Evangelion setting seemed the most appropriate model to explain or illustrate the concept.

The strategic level issues are largely similar to the Civilization games, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, etc. in that the players build cities/bases in order to develop their economy, conduct research, and produce military units. As in those games, players can mobilize troops, vehicles, and aircraft to attack enemy forces or defend against enemy attacks.

The twist comes from the inclusion of Evangelions (or Evangelion-esque mechs), which are almost completely invulnerable to conventional attacks but are limited by the requirement for a compatible pilot. When deploying Evas against enemy forces or facing enemy Evangelions, players take control of their forces in a tactical battle mission (as in Kane Wrath's Global Conquest). Although the only thing that can successfully engage an Eva in direct combat is another Eva, conventional forces can disable enemy Evas the (mobile) reactors/microwave transmitters supplying it with power. In an Eva vs. Eva battle, destroying the reactors/transmitters isn't as useful because Evas can use enemy transmitters.

As with MechCommander, individual Evas can be customized with different equipment. Similarly, unlike the Evangelion show, pilots are not matched to specific Evas, so a pilot can be swapped into a better unit when new research makes the production of better Evas possible or when an operation calls for the use of a different Eva.

Given that the game would involve multiple types/classes of Eva, one possible mechanic would be for pilot's abilities to synergize differently with each type of Eva. For example, if a pilot has a "Berserker" ability, that might give the pilot a bonus in "hand-to-hand" when using a Grappler-type Eva, but increase hit change and ammo usage (due to better spray and pray) when using a Gunner-type Eva.

Nod Concept Tech Tree

Quadhelix Blog

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Infrastructure

The basic idea of Nod's infrastructure is that, rather than placing a Construction Yard on the battlefield, Nod builds its structures "off-map" and then places them within range of Outposts on the map. Nod's starting Outpost would likely be special in the sense of being better armored, in order to avoid early game decapitation.

As for power, Nod may follow the GLA path of not requiring power for its structures, or it might simply produce power from the same "off-map" place where it builds its structures.

Tech Branches
The basic gist of this proposal for Nod's tech tree was inspired by the naming scheme for Nod's units in one of the older drafts of the Xenoforce Reborn mod. There, each infantry type (e.g. "Loyalist" rifle squads, "Acolyte" missile troops, etc.) had a vehicle "named" for it (e.g., "Loyalist Buggies," "Acolyte Bikes") on the theory that each infantry type represented a different sect/"school of doctrine" and the vehicles were made and manned by that same sect. However, this naming scheme didn't have any significant gameplay effect beyond flagging the similarity of the two unit types - e.g., Loyalists and Loyalist Buggies both have machine guns and little armor, Acolytes and Acolyte Bikes both have anti-tank/anti-aircraft missiles, etc.

This proposed tech tree for Nod expands on the idea from Xenoforce Reborn by making each infantry type a distinct branch in Nod's tech tree and pairing it with a specific vehicle. Thus, for example, Nod's "basic" infantry squad, the Confessor Cabal, nevertheless requires a prerequisite structure before Cabals can be trained from the Hand of Nod. Similarly, however, that same prerequisite structure might also unlock, e.g., Reckoner APCs to ferry those Confessors about the battlefield.

In order for this to work, Nod units would probably have to start fairly generalized but become more specialized (through upgrades) as the Nod player fills out the tech tree. For example, if a Nod player unlocks Confessor Cabals first, those Confessor Cabals would consist of three Confessors carrying assault rifles with under-slung grenade launchers and an additional squad member armed with an anti-materiel particle beam rifle. As this player completes additional branches to the tech tree, however, his/her Confessors would become more and more specialized.

For example, when the player unlocks dedicated [Grenadiers], Confessors lose their under-slung grenade launchers but gain 2-3 additional squad members with assault rifles. Similarly, when the player unlocks Nod's dedicated Militia Squads, the Confessors lose their assault rifles, but gain gyrojet-based Gatling rifles, which do less damage but allow them to lay down an uninterrupted stream of suppressive fire at extremely long range. Finally, when the player unlocks Awakened anti-vehicle cyborgs, the final Confessor's anti-materiel particle beam rifles is replaced with a medical kit - healing all infantry (and infantry squads) in the Confessor Cabal's morale aura. Thus, as a Nod player fills out his/her tech tree, Confessor Cabals shift from an underwhelming "jack of all trades" attack unit to highly effective support unit, effective at buffing friendly infantry and debuffing enemy infantry.

Higher tier units, such as Avatar WarMechs, might undergo a different progression - rather than going from "general" to "specialized," they might instead/also go from "weak" to "strong" in order facilitate their deployment earlier in the match. Thus, Avatars might start out with a pair of relatively weak lasers with moderate range and an infantry-boosting morale aura. When the player unlocks, e.g., [Attack Bikes and Missile Buggies?], one of the Avatar's lasers might get a significant range bonus. Then, when the player also unlocks Scorpion Tanks, the short-range laser might be replaced with an EMP-based beam and the long-range laser's firepower doubled.

GDI Concept Tech Tree

Quadhelix Blog 1 comment

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Tiers 1 & 2

This proposal for GDI's tech tree was inspired by the observation that, although the Tech Tree in Command & Conquer: Generals technically allows players to build their Air Field before their War Factory (as they both have the same prerequisite), such an act appears strategically unsound. The principle problem is that each Air Field can support only four planes, and there is only one type of helicopter available (the Comanche for the US and the Helix for China). Consequently, a player that builds the Air Field first is going to have the problem of a homogenous force. Nevertheless, the American forces in the game have the option use the Air Field, rather than the War Factory, to unlock the Strategy Center; this planted the idea in my head for a version of GDI that could go "Airfield" first and still remain strategically viable.

The initial idea to allow GDI to build its Airfield before the War Factory was an upgrade that would allow the Airfield to produce certain ground units. Using C&C3 units as an example, the Airfield might be able to produce Pitbulls and Harvesters, but APCs and Predator Tanks would have to be built from the War Factory. This idea eventually metamorphosed into its current form - GDI has two structures that act as War Factories, one of which (the Tech Depot) produces light vehicles and helicopters, the other of which (the Armor Plant) produces tanks and mechs.

One issue is that the system has to provide a relatively complete set of Tier 1 units at Tier 1 (i.e., each type of War Factory has to be able to produce a complete set of Tier 1 units); at the same time, the system should avoid redundancies (that is, only one type of War Factory should be able to produce a complete set of Tier 1 units). To resolve this dilemma, building a particular War Factory type unlocks a specific technology branch. Building a "Tech Depot" first unlocks the "Tech Branch," meaning GDI's Tier 1 units are things like Pitbulls with sonic missiles (built from the Tech Depot) and its Tier 2 units are things are things like ECM Tanks and Mobile Repair Transports (built from the Armor Plant). Building an "Armor Plant" first unlocks the "Armor Branch," meaning that GDI's Tier 1 units are thinks like the Wolverine (built from the Armor Plant) and its Tier 2 units are things Titan Mechs and Sonic Tanks (built from the Tech Depot).

Tier 3
The basis of this idea is that GDI has three different structures that act as Technology Center, but is limited to building one of those three structures. The basic theme of these "Tech Centers" is that, whichever branch GDI follows, GDI is the best at what it does. The three possible Tier 3 branches are Heavy Vehicles, Mobile Infantry, and Covert Ops.

The "Heavy Vehicle Branch" is embodied in/unlocked by the Heavy Engineering Facility, which is inspired by the Reclamation Hub. The basic idea is that the units produced here (e.g., Mammoth Tanks and Mastodon Mechs) are something of a halfway point between C&C 3's Tier 3 units and the Epic Units from Kane's Wrath - they, themselves, are not subject to a build limit, but the structure that produces them is.

The "Mobile Infantry Branch" is unlocked by the Space Command Uplink (renamed the Orbital Command?). This branch unlocks Zone Trooper heavy infantry and specialized dropships for those Zone Troopers. The Space Command Uplink also charges the Shockwave Artillery support power and the Ion Cannon Strike superweapon.

The "Covert Ops Branch" is unlocked by the Intelligence Center. The basic idea of this branch is that the units it unlocks are the best stealth units - e.g., stealth rifle troops that don't decloak when they fire and stealth strike fighters with long-range anti-radiation missiles. The Intelligence Center also charges a number of intelligence oriented support powers (e.g., a "Satellite Scan" that reveals all structures on the map; HUMINT, which reveals all infantry units in a particular area, as well their orders).

Rock-Paper- Scissors

Quadhelix Blog

I've talked a lot about this idea before but, because so many of my ideas are based upon it, I'm going to repost the concept for reference:

A lot of the balance in Command & Conquer games revolves around the idea of units being balanced more toward anti-infantry roles or anti vehicle roles. For example, Nod Rocket Troops in Tiberian Sun are good against just about anything made out of metal, but fairly weak against other soldiers. However, that sort of balance system is hard to diversify - if a faction lacks, e.g., infantry that are good against infantry, then the faction is unduly vulnerable to anti-vehicle infantry; if a faction has, e.g., two types of tank, then one of them is likely to be redundant.

One one to solve the problem is to break each role (e.g., "anti-vehicle infantry," "anti-infantry infantry," etc.) into multiple subroles and then mix and match. So, basic infantry -- e.g., Rifle Squads -- remain viable throughout the game because they directly counter some higher-tier infantry. Moreover, each side might give its basic infantry some anti-vehicle role - one side might give them RPG-style rockets that are good against light vehicles but useless against tanks, while another side might give them Javelin-style anti-tank rockets as a squad-level weapon.

Roles
Anti-infantry Infantry:

  • "Squads": Large groups of relatively weak infantry; the large squad-size means that the squad as a whole has more HP than any other infantry type.
  • "Snipers": Small groups or individual soldiers that do relatively high (Sniper-type) damage; despite the name, Sniper-type infantry do not necessarily rely on range - a heavily armored infantryman with a shotgun would qualify.
  • "Grenadiers": Small groups or individual soldiers that do weak splash (Grenade-type) damage.
    .
    Squads' numbers (and high total HP) allow them to beat Snipers, Snipers' firepower allows them to beat Grenadiers, and Grenadiers' splash damage allows them to beat Squads.
    .

Anti-vehicle vehicles:

  • "Armored Cars," which have powerful Rocket-damage based attacks (even if they are armed with cannon, we can just say "Rocket Damage" means "HEAT warhead").
  • "Tanks," which have very, very high resistance to Rocket-damage attacks but special vulnerability to side and rear attacks (+50% and +100% instead of, e.g., +10% and +20%).
  • "Tank Destroyers," whose Cannon-damage based attacks always hit the rear armor. A "Tank Destroyer" could be something like a Shatterer, whose sonic attack passes through the tank, or it could be something like the Kornet-D, whose missiles hit the top of the target (top-attacks would be treated as rear attacks).
    .
    Tank Destroyers' guarantee of hitting the target's rear armor makes them very effective against Tanks, whose rear armor is especially vulnerable. Tanks' resistance to Rocket damage makes them practically immune to Armored Cars. Finally, Armored Cars' high firepower, combined with their strong rear armor, makes them deadly against Tank Destroyers.

The different classes of vehicle and infantry also allow for new types of anti-vehicle infantry and anti-infantry vehicles. For example, Missile Troops could use top-attack Cannon-damage weapons, making them strong against Tanks, while Rocket Troops' Rocket damage makes them better against Armored Cars and Tank Destroyers.