Call for random game ideas

[Vic]

Hi everybody,

I am working on patch v1.17 and am adding some optional settings for random games.

So far i have the following options for the advanced random game masterfile:

1. Seasons. The seasons are 4 rounds Clear, 2 rounds mud (movement penalty 50% for mech and 100% for air), 4 rounds winter (offensive penalty of 50% for all land forces), 2 rounds mud and then allover again.

2. Rebellions. Each town has an about 2% chance each round to suffer a rebellion. If it does so a unit of another regime (randomly determined) appears in the vicinity of the town in question.

3. Factory Building. At cost of 32PP (8 turns needed to break even) you can let your engineers build a factory. However the factories can only be build if there are at least 2 non factory hexes between it and any other factories. This rule is there to avoid clustering the factories to much and keep incentive there for conquering land. (this option will also help unluckily placed players to adjust more easily)

If anybody has other ideas to add to these optional settings for random games. shoot! because this is the moment to get them in.

Kind regards,
Vic

[Daniel_machinegun]

I really like (1)!!! and (2). I don't like the third (3)


Despite I was unlucky in one game. This idea does not fix "bad luck" (because it's too expensive). This new factory will add production? ¿or will just move production? Anyway, building new factories can be seen as "investment".

This new factory building can be an interesting add to the game. But would not fix these types of bad luck in Iron Age games.

Better will be Engineers building Shipyards-Port. As a way to TRANSFER PRODUCTION (not adding up). This mean

3) Shipyard connected by road. Allow your inland city to build Ships, that is delivered on the Shipyard.

Is this possible?

This option should not be enabled on some scenarios because does kill the balance intended for the scenario.

PS: this game is great! Playing Iron Age is like playing Civilization all over again. AT is 10 games in one.

[Bombur]

How will it impact in my fantastic new random map master file that will include hundreds of new units? How could I add the new features to it?

[Daniel_machinegun]

ORIGINAL: Bombur

How will it impact in my fantastic new random map master file that will include hundreds of new units? How could I add the new features to it?

nothing because the option will be off.

[Jeffrey H.]

1. Do the seasons affect Naval units ?
 
2. If the city is taken from a neutral stance then no rebellions occur ? Rebellions % chance modified by presence of friendly unts/HQ's ?. Status or  warning message that rebellion has occured ?
 
3. Factory hex will allow a player to recieve new production ships on a coast line that otherwise would not have a city ? Seems to me a port should be able to do this. Or as item 3 comment from Daniel above.
 
 

[Grymme]

I have some new and old ideas to dust of. In just making things up here so you have to take the good with the bad.
 
- Different bonuses to AI regimes. You could have
1) production bonus air/land/and or naval units set at 10% , 25% och 50%. (better control over AI difficulty and steering their unit building)
2) Reinforcements each turn based on number of hexes controlled (1 inf/5 hexes or something. To encourage grabbing useless land/islands)
3) Combat bonus to AI
 
- Showing % of map explored.
 
- Building channels.
 
- Making scouts stronger eating less supply and with bigger asw (and maybe adding them in rebellion).
 
- Oil (or other resource hexes) (If regime has less than x oil resources x sft types get x readiness loss). In other respects treated as normal production.
 
- Buying espionage events by PP. reveal contents of x enemy controlled hexes per x PP.
 
- Ships could get "damaged" by readiness loss inflicted in combat.
 
- Allowing each regime to activate "elite" (a la SS/siberian) people in a production place for a certain PP-cost.
 
- Can rebellion be made to have memory of other regime ownership, or maybe be linked to damage to city?
 
- Allowing each starting regime to have an certain amount of units/citys ready purchased at the start (fast startup).
 
 

[Grymme]

- New terrain (desert, beaches and artic climate)
 
 

[DasTactic]

Sounds interesting, Vic.

Additions/changes I would love to see for random maps are:

1. When selecting 'Optimise for AI' have a slider with how much production the villages produce from 0 to 1000. Peoples Republic can have 500 by default.

2. When taking over a city, have the production automatically start as supplies linked to Supreme HQ (or some other default combo that can be changed in-game).

3. Ability to build canals. (300 EP cost?)

4. Having a range of scenario templates for the random map generator. Eg. Inland Sea where the ocean takes up the middle of the map; Islands where the land mass is a collection of small islands; Continents where the land mass is split into two or three large islands.

[SSFSX17]

Seasons are good! Especially good is that they would now affect air! Of course, they should be modifiable through rulevars.

Rebellions should be influenced by morale, and a town's desire to rebel should be visible through the scripting engine.

The costs of factory building should be left to other masterfile mods. However, support for it in the rulevars would be nice - i.e., set the minimum spacing, etc.

All in all, it's good to hear that you're still working on the game and are still able to add significant features. At this rate, we'll eventually get Peoples Tactics 3!

[pat0467]

Hi all i'm a newcomer from Belgium
Thx for this great game and the wonderful work from Vic and the players !


Nice option Vic
For 2:
- A player can send instructor who make "Guerilleros" unit in another regime land

For 3:
- Make new landtype --> ressource
- Can adjust the ressource level by random map (the only newest thing to really add).
- Make Factory buildable only on ressource



I hope to see:
- Helicopter (air unit who can land nearly anywhere and going on carrier)
- Radar, Awac and more use of hide-recon in game
- Some new unit for WaW: V1-V2 rocket; Jet Fighter; Mountain Infantry; 
- Beach hex for amphibious assault

For me firstly add more formation type with a weight limit...
Something like:
- Add Army HQ --> 9 pp --> Weight X Division
- Add Corps HQ --> 3pp --> Weight X Division
- Add Division HQ --> 1 PP --> Weight limit X Brigade or X regiment or x Weight
- Add Division --> 9pp --> Weight limit 9000
- Add Brigade --> 3pp --> Weight limit 3000
- Add Regiment --> 1pp --> Weight limit 1000

And add a small nato symbol on ugraphic unit (i can do that lol).

Thx all :)



Sorry for my bad english

[Arditi]

  Great stuff Vic!  I am excited![:)]
    How about:
 
      1)A random partisan(does not require supply for a number of turns) appears in you neighbors territory and his yours.  Perhaps to buy with pp's?
 
      2)Frozen water in northern areas to impede ships.
 
      3)I like your random weather idea.
    
      4)Nukes/ICBMs.
 
      5)Canal crossing areas
 
      6)Ultra for shrouded games...which makes a part of your enemies shrouded area clear depending on the level of Ultra reached...costs pps?
 
      I look forward to seeing the other ideas.
        Best Regards., Arditi[:)]

[Arditi]

Yes, more varied terrain!  Desert, etc.

[Delyn Locksmiths]

What about lifting the shroud completley once say 85% of the map has been explored. To save having to poke into every little corner of the map.

[Bombur]

Since you´re going to allow players to build factories, I would suggest that techs could be pre requistes for structure building. So it would be possible to create increasingly productive factories by researching factory 1 (500 points), factory 2 (8000), factory 3 (11000) and so on. Such a resource, if implemented, would allow also the discovery and development of natural resources (for instance, when you could develop offshore platforms to explore oil from undersea deposits). It would allow the simulation of very long "global domination" campaigns where the sides will compete for natural resources.

[Tac2i]

1) Never create one hex island capital. Capital should always be located on land mass with at least one or two other towns. In every Stone/Iron Age game I'm playing at least one player has started with a one hex island capital.
2) Allow some form of alliances with PP/technology/supply buying/selling/trading (at least add to AT 2.0)

Re Seasons:
1) The movement penalty for land units only applies to non-road hexes?
2) Extend clear season from 4 to 6 or 8 rounds or make it player selectable.
3) 100% penalty for air during mud, i.e. no movement at all? I think each air unit should have some random chance of being unable to fly during mud and winter but if able to fly perhaps only suffer 50% reduction.

Don't like the random rebellion feature. If included, it would be better to make it apply only to cities you have captured from another player and would only revert to the original owner, if still in the game, otherwise to the nearest other power.

[Bombur]

ORIGINAL: Arditi

Yes, more varied terrain!  Desert, etc.

I second that one....

[seille]

For factories i see a little imbalance coming since "richer" players can place tons of factories and use them later
against the enemies busy with replacing losses only.
Building factories could be interesting in some cases, but for the iron age problem it would be better to place a
location between the inland city (Capitol) and the coast.
I think this should be a port.
 
This means if a port is in the neighbour hex of a city that city CAN PRODUCE SHIPS.
Same effect like a sea hex. This would be a help. And it should be possible to code this.
Highly realistic. BUT. Don´t allow to build chains of ports. There must be one other hex between single ports.
So if a city is 2 hexes away from the coast there is no way to let it produce ships.
 
Seasons might be a nice addition for some players, but i hate to be forced to stop my destruction and give the
opponent time to rest and replace the losses. But my personal taste.
 
Rebbellion i don´t like especially when this can happen to guarded cities. For unguarded it would be ok.
 
What i would like to see for those multiplayer random games is a real alliance
as Webizen suggested, but this is probably VERY hard to code. I want to enter the terrain of my Ally
and i want to send him forces and so on. Shared vision. Or when i leave the game give him the command of my remaining troops and cities
instead of simply removing them from the map.
But that wish has nothing to do with random games, more with multiplayer setups general.

[Daniel_machinegun]

Yes, maybe desert would work, making the maps more attractive visually but What characteristics has it?

I would like to focus on GAMEPLAY rather than just funny things.

Avoid things that do not increase gameplay
Avoid things that enhance micromanagement.

I vote "no" for pat0467 idea 3. It add micromanagement and no gameplay.

PS: micromanagement is a virus that make the player to focus in too little things taking attention away from the Big Picture.

I vote "yes" to ICBM
I vote "no" for canals because it is the same as building a River. It is not realistic (a canal building must take a decade), nor add gameplay.

New idea:
An option, enemy conquered cities should not transfer all their PP to you. Because when you conquer, you do not use their factories or their stocks, One use different bullets and Tanks than the other. Factories must be rebuilt, and organization must be set in place.
Gameplay: this decrease the pain caused by a loss, and allow better Russian front games.

New idea2:
Engineer must be able to build trenches, no PP cost, as in People's Tactics. Just put your workers to make holes waiting for the Fascist invaders.

[SSFSX17]

Daniel_machinegun:

New Idea 1 is already possible using different kinds of peoplegroups who give different amounts of productions when owned by different regimes.

New Idea 2 - do you mean the simple directional trenches? I found that they involved too much micromanagement compared to simply having "fortification" and "fortress" buildings as in AT.

[Grymme]

ORIGINAL: pat0467

For me firstly add more formation type with a weight limit...
Something like:
- Add Army HQ --> 9 pp --> Weight X Division
- Add Corps HQ --> 3pp --> Weight X Division
- Add Division HQ --> 1 PP --> Weight limit X Brigade or X regiment or x Weight
- Add Division --> 9pp --> Weight limit 9000
- Add Brigade --> 3pp --> Weight limit 3000
- Add Regiment --> 1pp --> Weight limit 1000

And add a small nato symbol on ugraphic unit (i can do that lol).

This idea i really like. Something called "realistic HQ managment restriction option". It would really add to grognard feel and help the AI overcome its big stack complex.

Other ideas
- Para lvlII-IV (can carry more supply and asserts ASW).
- Nebelwerfer/katuschka
- Paratrooper in citys option on/off
- Counterbatteryfire option on/off
Generally speaking it would be very nice to have a lot of different options provided directly in the start meny instead of by editing.

- Engineers in city could turn up production by 10% to 110%.
- Engineers can increase entrenchment of other units in same hex.
- Naval air, rail etc. (extended tech tree)
- Paying PP:s to start random rebellion in chosen enemy regimes territory.
- special recoon air.