Combat system

Post by **Balthagor** » Jun 07 2002

For those intersted in the Combat model used in Supreme Ruler 2010, be sure to check out our latest Developer Diary posted by Gamespy (http://www.gamespy.com/devdiary/may02/sr20105/) and if you have further questions, please ask.

tkobo · Post by **tkobo** » Jun 16 2002

Okay,unless im wrong combat seems to be no more than choices made on menus with unit stats deciding the outcome.

IE I pick one of my units,click on it and open its menu,give it an order to attack another unit and sit back as the stats of the 2 units decide the outcome of the battle.

What am i missing ?Am i missing something ?
I hope so because this seems rather "dry".

There is no tactical map right ?There is no indiviual control of the pieces of a unit right? By this i mean if a unit consists of 16 tanks ,I cant give each tank a different order.I can only issue one order for the entire unit of 16,correct?

Man, I'd almost kill for a tactical map opening up at the point of combat and having the battle fought out using a close combat(the game) or shogun style system.

The spy question got me wondering about this.

I mean diplomacy will be done by menu clicking right ?
Economic actions will be done by menu clicking right ?
Social functions will be done by menu clicking right ?

If spys and combat are also done my menu clicking then the game will really be a case of open menus-issue orders -see what happens.
open menus-issue orders-see what happens.
rinse and repeat~

While this may be a realistic version of how it would work in real life for the leader of a region, wont it be kinda boring for a game in the long run?

Post by **George Geczy** » Jun 16 2002

Hmmm... well, the level of unit control we allow is a mid-point between tactical and strategic orders. True, we don't allow you to control individual tanks one at a time (Close Combat is there for that), but the battalion-level we use is still pretty good for a tactical level of control. A major battle could involve dozens, even hundreds of battalions, so there is still a lot of tactical options.

The reason we use a right-click menu is that there are a number of different possible orders we support - ie recon, capture, escort, etc. We may switch to a system where a left-click will default to a certain order, so you don't have to pop up the detail menu if you don't want to, this may improve the flow of battles a bit.

However, the military aspect here is not intended as an RTS - it has far more in common with Panzer General and Civilization than it does Empire Earth or Command&Conquer.

-- George.

Post by **Balthagor** » Jun 17 2002

Another thing that we offer that I have not seen in any other games, is that we can stack an unlimited number of units in the same hex and can even have one of your units on a bridge with an enemy ship under the bridge. Right clicking allows you to select which unit you are dealing with at the moment.

tkobo · Post by **tkobo** » Jun 17 2002

On 2002-06-17 16:18, Balthagor wrote:
Another thing that we offer that I have not seen in any other games, is that we can stack an unlimited number of units in the same hex and can even have one of your units on a bridge with an enemy ship under the bridge. Right clicking allows you to select which unit you are dealing with at the moment.

Now that is something I havent seen before and very interesting also.
Can 2 land units of opposing sides occupy the same hex/stack without being in combat?

Post by **Balthagor** » Jun 18 2002

Ah, an easy question... no. If a unit enters you units zone of control and you are at war with that player, you unit will either attack or disengage/retreat depending on it's stance and another few options. Allied units can be attacked if you force your unit to... 'course, probably won't be your ally for long

XeroMan · Post by **XeroMan** » Sep 07 2002

As combat systems go that give you some margin of control, there are several precedents.
In the game Legion ( http://www.slitherine.co.uk/ ) you assign very basic orders & formation to your squads and place them (as a block) on the tactical map. Then the battle plays out without ANY input from the player.
This might provide a reference point to build from. You have a battalion of 50 tanks...you place the battalion as a whole on the map, give it a formation and orders, and then let it resolve itself. Nice thing about this system is that you can see the individual units fighting, but as a programmer you don't have to worry about player input during the battle. It can be aggravating, (Legion certainly is!) but it at least gives you a visual representation of the units engaged...

Post by **Balthagor** » Sep 09 2002

What you're describing does sound like what we already intend.

XeroMan · Post by **XeroMan** » Sep 10 2002

Great minds think alike...

And fools never differ!