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I have been programming small PC games for a while now, I've decided that since I need to get back into the swing of things, I'll drop the details of a game I've recently began designing and ask one question a day to be answered by the residents of DakkaDakka! Out of each day's answers, I will select the best (possibly more than one per question) and put it directly into the game. The game, so far, is a top-down, 2d, real time strategy featuring moderately post modern humans (soldiers) as protagonists.

Just a few rules when posting here:
Only post artwork if it was done by you, do not give me anything you just found on the internet.
Be respectful of other ideas, however open discussion is welcome.
I am open to suggestions for a question that has already been answered, however try not to make this a regular occurrence.
Don't be upset if your idea hasn't been picked, there's always tomorrow.
I will try to post updated pictures and playable samples once the game is reaching completeness.
New questions will be asked the first time I get onto Dakka each day that I can, this should be fairly consistent, usually around noon EST, unless I have school when it will likely be around 6AM
Have fun with this concept!

Question #1: Who should our antagonist be? (keep it simple, ie. Aliens, Rebels, Evil Empire, etc...)

You should make them be sort of like the Flood/Glowies; a sort of parasite that attaches to it's victims and takes control over them. Gives you more variety; infected humans, infected giant aliens, infected smaller aliens.

Slarg has a cool idea, but perhaps there could be secondary antagonists who are stranded and are raider-like?

Ninja-pirate-robot-alien-dinosaur-cowboy-zombie-vampires of course!

corpsesarefun wrote:Ninja-pirate-robot-alien-dinosaur-cowboy-zombie-vampires of course!

But only if they sparkle.

Indeed, the sparkling must be both gratuitous and horrific.

I added a WIP picture to the OP, all standard gameplay systems are working as of now.

Edit: Just lost all of the work from today, left with my bare-bones engine, no graphics, no nothing, I guess I'll be starting fresh in the morning.
Note to self: SAVE BACKUPS!

Interesting.

I'd say... a faction of humans and aliens co-existing. With the protagonist being either humans or aliens who aren't up for that (essentialy racists).

Well, I'm just about back up to snuff with where I was yesterday when I lost everything, improved on a couple of things since then (cool new death animation)

Congrats to Slarg232, I have decided to go with your initial idea.

Question #2: What should the setting be?

Squidmanlolz wrote:Question #2: What should the setting be?

Here's the first idea off the top of my mind:

- Sometime between 2080 and 2200 at least.. I'll just go with 2137.
- First colony outside our own solar system on either a habitable or a terraformed world in the Alpha Centauri system.
- Fairly typical.. colonised world, aliens awake/return to home planet/notice humans on a flyby or what have you.
- Aliens have a reason to fight us.. ancestral home, resources, ancient technology buried undearneath the surface or perhaps to prevent humans from awakening/summoning through action an even greater threat.
- Earth is a abysmal, dying world and this new colony is the new hope for our race.

Fairly basic, fill in the blanks as you please.

Squidmanlolz wrote:Well, I'm just about back up to snuff with where I was yesterday when I lost everything, improved on a couple of things since then (cool new death animation)

Congrats to Slarg232, I have decided to go with your initial idea.

Question #2: What should the setting be?

Sweet

Ok, this is what I had for a game I was working on, but I ain't going to be making no games, so here it is:

- Year is 2521.
- Humanity had started to colonize worlds by itself, with no help from other technology.
- We meet up with a counsel of races, a la Mass Effect, and they put us into a sort of waiting list to get a member on the council.
- During this time, one of the more Warlike Races decides that they would like to challenge us to a "game" of Hjjoarik, or Contest of Skill. We agree, not knowing that we are agreeing to get into an actual War.
- We get attacked by said aliens, and not realizing it's part of the "Game", Glass their planet.
- This sends them into a rage, and justice is demanded. Justice is met, and Terra is Glassed as well.
- Due to us being "Extremely Dangerous", we are sterilized as a species, save a handful so as to allow the Human Race to continue on until "Re-evaluation" can be completed.

Fast forward to 2645
- Humanity is now homeless, and though we are not at our former glory, we have perfected our Cloning technology, allowing us to prosper despite the sterilization.
- Due to the fact that Sterilization and our home planet being Glassed has not affected us in the slightest, the Council hates us.
- No Re-evalutation ever occured.
- Humans are sent on the ass end of the universe to do the jobs no one wants to do.

That is brilliant Slarg. Hats off to the man I say.

Option 1:
As 'Herzog Zwei' for the megadrive is the original RTS, perhaps you fight giant Werner Herzogs, with the bodies of Ants (or possibly iguanas )


Option 2:
The year is 1984

A young lad who has a passing resemblance to Jeff bridges goes out to play Robotron 2084 at 'Carnie's Grotto' his seedy local arcade.

Robotron is busy so... He explores..

After finding a hidden wing in the local arcade he unearths The Forbidden Game.

It is very dusty and appears to be coal powered, he inserts a single shilling, darn thing doesnt take quarters! His grandad's lucky shilling as it happens, given to him in a touching scene at the start of the movie. But something goes wrong. He's sucked INTO the game!

Anyhooo....

The enemy are Licentious women of easy virtue who must be taught the values of a good christian household. Through the medium of Guns. And a stern unflinching backhand.

Option 3:
You are a crack team of investment bankers. You must destroy the whiney liberal forces of Occupy Wallstreet whilst simultaneously destroying any toxic assets left in your folio. They live in foul tents smelling faintly of marijuana. Their special units are 'celebrities who dont know what they're talking about' and 'upper middle class parents'.

Darkvoidof40k wrote:That is brilliant Slarg. Hats off to the man I say.

Meh, it's decent. I honestly hate how much I yoinked from Mass Effect with it, personally.

And halo with the glassing

I do like it though. Don't think I've got the brainpower left after work today to beat that.

Mhm let's see.... Not gonna name places or species but:

Earth got destroyed by a meteor in 2047 just after the first autonomous colony ships left. Hearing about it before any of the ships reach their destination, they all change course for the same planet to form a new earth.

No self aware species are found on the surface.

All is going well up to 2128 when pollution from the human settlements starts reaching ever deeper into the planet where it comes in contact with an underground species.

Soon after factories and other major polluters start going silent. The main cities of humans being relatively clean are untouched.

2130 new species start popping up with increasing frequency, some of these appear humanoid and all of them display greater intelligence then any other species found before.

2131 new fauna becomes agressive and a major city is lost within days. Human casualties seem low at first but survivors start becoming hyper-agressive in the months following the attack. First mutations are witnessed.

In the following months more and more cities come under fire....

And pretty much go from there?

Mhm.. I sense a lot of cliche in this.

I thought Reach was glassed, not Earth.

Haven't played those games if FOREVER, though, so yeah....

All really good answers, everyone.
I've got to give it to Soladrin, very nice, linear story. Kept things simple.

Question #3:
What should the human special infantry units be?

Squidmanlolz wrote:All really good answers, everyone.
I've got to give it to Soladrin, very nice, linear story. Kept things simple.

Question #3:
What should the human special infantry units be?

Unicorn cavalry.

Coolyo294 wrote:

Squidmanlolz wrote:All really good answers, everyone.
I've got to give it to Soladrin, very nice, linear story. Kept things simple.

Question #3:
What should the human special infantry units be?

Unicorn cavalry.

Unis.....


Sabres has my vote.

Well, we haven't really specified what kind of tech they are at so it's kind of hard to say. Are we going for balistic or energy weapons? Powered armor? Mechs?

Soladrin wrote:Well, we haven't really specified what kind of tech they are at so it's kind of hard to say. Are we going for balistic or energy weapons? Powered armor? Mechs?

I say a mix, a la Marines from Alien crossed with some of the stuff you see in Fallout.

There has to be a clear line IMO. If you just go around randomly picking stuff from different settings it'll just seem like a mess.

I'd say Starcraft levels of Terran tech, minus the pyschic stuff.
So ballistic weapons at it's finest, and maybe the odd energy super weapon that can't be scaled down (yet).

As for the special unit in question. How many units/unit types will there be featured for the race? This one question has a lot of variables that can greatly alter it.

Hell, even things like base building or not. Upgrading or not. "We" could opt for build done with a few basic units which will advance along upgrade trees to actually make a unit into what you want. Instead of building it from the get go.

Soladrin wrote:So ballistic weapons at it's finest, and maybe the odd energy super weapon that can't be scaled down (yet).

So the CoG?

Given the main conflict takes place around 2131 a la Soladrin's setting, the game, as is, has the humans using essentially modern, projectile-based weapons (assault rifles). Technology would probably be as advanced as it is in the Halo franchise, perhaps slightly more or less depending how you guys want to take it. Personally, I like the idea of having flamethrower units, the enemies being infection-based a la slarg232's suggestion.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Soladrin wrote:As for the special unit in question. How many units/unit types will there be featured for the race? This one question has a lot of variables that can greatly alter it.
.

The special unit will be "priced" resources wise, depend on how it performs during testing, no matter how they test, they will probably be more expensive than standard troops who are mediocre against the enemy, as is.

So, firebats?

Due to the lack of suggestions, I'm going to turn this one into a poll, top three answers or so will be put into the game.
Check the OP for the poll

Well i would suggest:
"Engineer" unit that starts with regular weapons and weak anti tank/building attack.
Later on give them access to flamer, demolition and AT upgrades/kits (possibly only one at same time?)

Could the Heavy weapons and snipers be used as unit upgrades for the regular infantry?

Antagonist?

Separatists and Aliens are the best bets.

As for special infantry, a stealth/dps ninja kinda thing is always good, but I'm thinking a cyborg who's really slow and really strong and rare is you best bet.

im2randomghgh wrote:Antagonist?

Separatists and Aliens are the best bets.

As for special infantry, a stealth/dps ninja kinda thing is always good, but I'm thinking a cyborg who's really slow and really strong and rare is you best bet.

The antagonist question has already been answered, thanks for the rest of your input though.

I would say that instead of making it a 'special unit' per say, you make them heavies. A separate unit could be the elites/veterans with SMGs.

Also, what is the game called, and where will I be able to play it? I would call it "Xenomorph Conquest: Shattered World"