A vehicle game idea
by Darquewing · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 03/08/2006 (8:55 pm) · 10 replies
Hello. I'm a new member and newly joined Torque owner.
I have been working on a sci-fi game idea, and was hoping to get some feedback on it. Any help gets a hearty thanks from me.
I've been working on a game I currently call M.E.T.A.L.
( Machines Engineered for Tactically Aggressive Land-warfare )
It's a "persistent-player" third-person vehicle sim. Some of the features I'm looking at are:
- 4 different vehicle types. They are Wheeled, Tank, Hovercraft, and Helo's.
- 3 frames per type( Light, Medium, Heavy frames )
-customizeable weapon and equipment load-outs based on mount point locations and type ( Light, Medium, Heavy mounts )
- Built in Unit tools ( and special unit extras )
- Custom pilot decal, custom unit decal
Here's a rundown of how the game would work.
A customer could download the demo to play as an anonymous player. Only base vehicles, no cash earned.
Subscribers get a pilot account and an initial outlay of cash to start with. ( Initial vehicle, etc. ) They can then build their own or start with a package. Now they can log on to game servers and at the end of each mission make money also, possible salvage rights to destroyed items in the match. No matter what though, people keep there own stuff, but it may be badly damaged. Even losing side gets money but probably just enough to scrape by with functional repairs.
This can be spent on repairs, new vehicles, upgrades, new weapons, etc. Also old stuff can be resold. Each player hs two vehicle bays and a max amount of equipment space based on mass.
Units can be created by players and are auto sized based on # of pilots in unit.
Ex) METALsquad: <6 pilots, gets 1 extra vehicle bay,
can hold max 20,000 tons extra equipment, upkeep 1,000 creds/month
METALcompany: 12-24 pilots, gets 3 extra vehicle bays, max 60,000 tons extra equipment,
upkeep 5,000 creds/month
METAL Brigade: 48+ pilots, gets 8 extra vehicle slots, max 120,000 tons extra equipment,
upkeep 15,000 creds/month
OK founders can set ranks, who can use what unit equipment, etc...
To pay upkeeps and keep reserve unit cash on hand, a dues system can be set to take a percentage from members winnings in missions, or salvage can be given in place.
So to sum up, the game is persistent to the players and units, but it's easy to hop on and off like regular multiplayer games.
Also since its a subscription, new updates and content will be done monthly, in hopes to make the game more long-term.
This is again a basic description. I have more notes if anything needs clarification, but I didn't want to go overboard yet.
Again, any comments are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Darquewing
I have been working on a sci-fi game idea, and was hoping to get some feedback on it. Any help gets a hearty thanks from me.
I've been working on a game I currently call M.E.T.A.L.
( Machines Engineered for Tactically Aggressive Land-warfare )
It's a "persistent-player" third-person vehicle sim. Some of the features I'm looking at are:
- 4 different vehicle types. They are Wheeled, Tank, Hovercraft, and Helo's.
- 3 frames per type( Light, Medium, Heavy frames )
-customizeable weapon and equipment load-outs based on mount point locations and type ( Light, Medium, Heavy mounts )
- Built in Unit tools ( and special unit extras )
- Custom pilot decal, custom unit decal
Here's a rundown of how the game would work.
A customer could download the demo to play as an anonymous player. Only base vehicles, no cash earned.
Subscribers get a pilot account and an initial outlay of cash to start with. ( Initial vehicle, etc. ) They can then build their own or start with a package. Now they can log on to game servers and at the end of each mission make money also, possible salvage rights to destroyed items in the match. No matter what though, people keep there own stuff, but it may be badly damaged. Even losing side gets money but probably just enough to scrape by with functional repairs.
This can be spent on repairs, new vehicles, upgrades, new weapons, etc. Also old stuff can be resold. Each player hs two vehicle bays and a max amount of equipment space based on mass.
Units can be created by players and are auto sized based on # of pilots in unit.
Ex) METALsquad: <6 pilots, gets 1 extra vehicle bay,
can hold max 20,000 tons extra equipment, upkeep 1,000 creds/month
METALcompany: 12-24 pilots, gets 3 extra vehicle bays, max 60,000 tons extra equipment,
upkeep 5,000 creds/month
METAL Brigade: 48+ pilots, gets 8 extra vehicle slots, max 120,000 tons extra equipment,
upkeep 15,000 creds/month
OK founders can set ranks, who can use what unit equipment, etc...
To pay upkeeps and keep reserve unit cash on hand, a dues system can be set to take a percentage from members winnings in missions, or salvage can be given in place.
So to sum up, the game is persistent to the players and units, but it's easy to hop on and off like regular multiplayer games.
Also since its a subscription, new updates and content will be done monthly, in hopes to make the game more long-term.
This is again a basic description. I have more notes if anything needs clarification, but I didn't want to go overboard yet.
Again, any comments are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Darquewing
#2
First thing I thought of was that balancing the risk vs. rewards (ie tweaking gameplay) is going to be tricky, especially with damaged equipment. That makes it more fun in my opinion, but some serious thought will need to go into it, as metrics for a persistent game world vs. single player are very different.
How detailed are you going to get with vehicle parts? Each part will take time to model and tweak.
Are you planning on allowing trading? This is something also that will take a good chunk of time, as will designing and balancing a player economy.
The damage system will also need special consideration. If individual parts will be damaged and lost, lots of things to track. It also gives you the ability to disable parts of vehicles on the fly, like you would see in a MechWarrior game. I might be driving around and have no weapons left, have very limited movement but one powerful cannon working.
Will this be the type of game that encourages suicide runs? (Kamikaze) Consider the potential for griefing and what you will do to counter it. A casual player could take the starter vehicle and kamikaze a dedicated player, totalling the dedicated player's vehicle and ruining a good player's night!
Cool idea, and cool name too. I had a buddy in Asheron's Call named Darkwing Duck. Ah the memories!!
03/09/2006 (11:13 am)
Darque-First thing I thought of was that balancing the risk vs. rewards (ie tweaking gameplay) is going to be tricky, especially with damaged equipment. That makes it more fun in my opinion, but some serious thought will need to go into it, as metrics for a persistent game world vs. single player are very different.
How detailed are you going to get with vehicle parts? Each part will take time to model and tweak.
Are you planning on allowing trading? This is something also that will take a good chunk of time, as will designing and balancing a player economy.
The damage system will also need special consideration. If individual parts will be damaged and lost, lots of things to track. It also gives you the ability to disable parts of vehicles on the fly, like you would see in a MechWarrior game. I might be driving around and have no weapons left, have very limited movement but one powerful cannon working.
Will this be the type of game that encourages suicide runs? (Kamikaze) Consider the potential for griefing and what you will do to counter it. A casual player could take the starter vehicle and kamikaze a dedicated player, totalling the dedicated player's vehicle and ruining a good player's night!
Cool idea, and cool name too. I had a buddy in Asheron's Call named Darkwing Duck. Ah the memories!!
#3
Demo players will be able to play one vehicle per type. ( Maybe just 3 out of 4 types ) Either light, medium or heavy for that type. hich one exactly will be determined in beta.
Also, that vehicle will be a "standard" load-out for the frame. No custom jobbies...
To Dave:
The balancing will be an issue later on. The first issue is getting through alpha :) People's equipment won't be destroyed outright, but can become inoperable. Salvage is merely a random smattering of copies of destroyed items from the losers side.
Player trading could occur within a unit at first ( equipment in moved in and out of unit area ). Also sold back to the NPC shops at reasonable prices ( based on damage upgrades, etc ), but direct trading would not be until a possible expansion or such. I'll be doing the DB programming and will leave areas to allow for add-ins.
Parts will be of two areas, internal and external. Some will affect gameplay but are not modeled ( well maybe later ). Examples are ECM suites, engine/tranny upgrades, improved radar, etc. External are weapons, wheels, turrets, treads, hover skirts, props, armor extras, etc. Weapons will be built to fit any frame of any type. To help allow for this a "mount vector" will be used to show which way weapons will stick off the mount point. After that size templates will be used ( ie a large mount point can only fit a weapon that fits in the large box, or smaller ). It will limit frame design somewhat, but I think can be done efficiently. ( I've got two place holder vehicles designed like this so far. Not detailed but the basic shape will still apply.
As for the weapons destroyed, lets add something extra: You've got that powerful cannon, but since you bought it on the cheap, it's reliability rating is low, so it may or may not jam up on you after each fire. Or the other way, the only reason that cannon is still there is because the durability rating on it was very good.
Suicide runs, or BF jeeps as I like to call them, won't take effect. Demo players will play on casual servers which will be company run. No cash or damage reports there. Also subscribers could use this as a testing ground for new vehicles designs and such. ( so demo'ers will see what they can do when they subscribe ). A new subscriber with a small vehicle will probably not want to suicide a determined player in a modded out design.
Can you wipe a 100-ton Marauder II in Mechwarrior by ramming it with a 35-tonner? Well maybe, but the Marauder was probably close to dead anyhow. Same idea here.
Thanks about the name I've used Darquewing for about 8 years now. Hopefully M.E.T.A.L. sounds cool too.
-Jason Brooks
03/09/2006 (3:58 pm)
To Will: Demo players will be able to play one vehicle per type. ( Maybe just 3 out of 4 types ) Either light, medium or heavy for that type. hich one exactly will be determined in beta.
Also, that vehicle will be a "standard" load-out for the frame. No custom jobbies...
To Dave:
The balancing will be an issue later on. The first issue is getting through alpha :) People's equipment won't be destroyed outright, but can become inoperable. Salvage is merely a random smattering of copies of destroyed items from the losers side.
Player trading could occur within a unit at first ( equipment in moved in and out of unit area ). Also sold back to the NPC shops at reasonable prices ( based on damage upgrades, etc ), but direct trading would not be until a possible expansion or such. I'll be doing the DB programming and will leave areas to allow for add-ins.
Parts will be of two areas, internal and external. Some will affect gameplay but are not modeled ( well maybe later ). Examples are ECM suites, engine/tranny upgrades, improved radar, etc. External are weapons, wheels, turrets, treads, hover skirts, props, armor extras, etc. Weapons will be built to fit any frame of any type. To help allow for this a "mount vector" will be used to show which way weapons will stick off the mount point. After that size templates will be used ( ie a large mount point can only fit a weapon that fits in the large box, or smaller ). It will limit frame design somewhat, but I think can be done efficiently. ( I've got two place holder vehicles designed like this so far. Not detailed but the basic shape will still apply.
As for the weapons destroyed, lets add something extra: You've got that powerful cannon, but since you bought it on the cheap, it's reliability rating is low, so it may or may not jam up on you after each fire. Or the other way, the only reason that cannon is still there is because the durability rating on it was very good.
Suicide runs, or BF jeeps as I like to call them, won't take effect. Demo players will play on casual servers which will be company run. No cash or damage reports there. Also subscribers could use this as a testing ground for new vehicles designs and such. ( so demo'ers will see what they can do when they subscribe ). A new subscriber with a small vehicle will probably not want to suicide a determined player in a modded out design.
Can you wipe a 100-ton Marauder II in Mechwarrior by ramming it with a 35-tonner? Well maybe, but the Marauder was probably close to dead anyhow. Same idea here.
Thanks about the name I've used Darquewing for about 8 years now. Hopefully M.E.T.A.L. sounds cool too.
-Jason Brooks
#4
Exciting idea!
03/10/2006 (7:43 am)
I'd forgotten all about Mech Warrior and building mechs, balancing weight, speed, armor and firepower. /me goes to find that game agian. ;)Exciting idea!
#6
03/10/2006 (2:56 pm)
Completely off topic (except for Darquewing's post), but I once killed a *pair* of 75-Ton Marauders with a single 20-ton Locust by way of a full-speed charge, and a lucky (unlucky) domino effect fall. The Locust took a pair of PPC shots, without any critical hits, but was pretty much going down whatever hit it next, so I went for broke, and charged. Got a lucky critical blowing off the first Marauder's left leg. It fell into the second Marauder, which promptly fell off a level 4 elevation onto its head, killing the pilot. The first Marauder took falling damage to its center torso (rolled a 2), and again a lucky critical hit roll resulted in 2 hits, both of which went to the gyro. That left my opponent with a Jenner against a completely crippled, Locust, a Shadow Cat, and a WarHammer. Weirdest set of fluke rolls I've ever seen in a single game of BattleTech. 
#7
Sounds interesting, I like the focus on tactical details. Quite similar to what I'm working on myself (and the name is uncanny too): http://www.dark-wind.com
03/10/2006 (4:05 pm)
Darquewing:Sounds interesting, I like the focus on tactical details. Quite similar to what I'm working on myself (and the name is uncanny too): http://www.dark-wind.com
#8
Good rools Theo! And I wish I could find some table top BT players here.
Eric, I promis when you get the chance to play this game, even M4 will feel slow and simple... I hope =>
Sam, I like the idea you have. Reminds me a lot of Car Wars. Since our ideas are a bit like, but implementations quite different. Maybe we could share notes sometime... Once I get more going on M.E.T.A.L. That way I have something to share.
Thanks for all the kind words. Gettin' me pumped to work harder!
03/10/2006 (7:11 pm)
It will probably get tweaked a lot whenever beta comes around, will. No worries there. I'm just getting the building blocks starightened out right now.Good rools Theo! And I wish I could find some table top BT players here.
Eric, I promis when you get the chance to play this game, even M4 will feel slow and simple... I hope =>
Sam, I like the idea you have. Reminds me a lot of Car Wars. Since our ideas are a bit like, but implementations quite different. Maybe we could share notes sometime... Once I get more going on M.E.T.A.L. That way I have something to share.
Thanks for all the kind words. Gettin' me pumped to work harder!
#9
will there be AI for when there arent many players on?
03/11/2006 (4:54 am)
Are their missions or objective(gameytpes) to this game or is it all just death-match-ish? will there be AI for when there arent many players on?
#10
Other types would be raid, attack/defend, convoy( one team escort, other attackers, kind of like raid, but the target is moving ).
Some types will be all about destroying the enemy, but more will be about some other other objective.
AI... hmm. Well, I'm not the best at it, so if I get lucky and find someone who is then we'll have it. If not, we may still, but won't be the best in the world. It's a part I haven't looked at as much yet, but will put more thought into it after the vehicles actually work. I would like to keep AI out of the persistent part. AI could run on testbeds, or private servers, but probably not public "contract" servers, where persistent data is.
On another note, I am also thinking about setting it so that for every 4 pilots from the same unit participate in a mission together ( ala 50% of mission at least ), a contract bonus will go directly to the unit. Per rata the time 4 managed to stay on. Then it goes up per each additional 4. This would, hopefully, encourage some real teamwork from units ( or at least having them play together ).
03/11/2006 (5:45 am)
It will all be team based. Since this is mission oriented, the closest thing to DM will be set piece battles, where the idea is to destroy or route the other team.Other types would be raid, attack/defend, convoy( one team escort, other attackers, kind of like raid, but the target is moving ).
Some types will be all about destroying the enemy, but more will be about some other other objective.
AI... hmm. Well, I'm not the best at it, so if I get lucky and find someone who is then we'll have it. If not, we may still, but won't be the best in the world. It's a part I haven't looked at as much yet, but will put more thought into it after the vehicles actually work. I would like to keep AI out of the persistent part. AI could run on testbeds, or private servers, but probably not public "contract" servers, where persistent data is.
On another note, I am also thinking about setting it so that for every 4 pilots from the same unit participate in a mission together ( ala 50% of mission at least ), a contract bonus will go directly to the unit. Per rata the time 4 managed to stay on. Then it goes up per each additional 4. This would, hopefully, encourage some real teamwork from units ( or at least having them play together ).
Torque Owner will