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Environmental Interactions


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One of my favorite things to see in RTSs is interaction between the player and environment. I know players will be able to hunt and train certain animals, but I was wondering if there are plans to take the interactions further. Listed are a few features I have seen in games and liked or would like to see:

Terrain type modifies unit movement speed - Land units move slower in shallow water than they do on land.

Hazardous animals - If I send my villager to chop some wood and along the way he crosses paths with a bear, the bear should attack/chase the villager, instead of standing still while the villager walks past.

Scared animals - If a villager approaches a pack of gazelle, they should flee a few feet, making them hard to catch by hand. Units that flee would need to be hunted with ranged units/weapons. A small detail, but one that makes the world seem more realistic and interesting.

Hazardous terrain - Whirlpools, quicksand, and things of that nature. If done correctly, can make the environment feel alive and remind the player that they are in dangerous territory, not just a pretty sandbox. Shouldn't be used excessively, otherwise it could detract from the gameplay experience.

I have a ton of ideas about player-environment interaction, but these are the ones I think would contribute the most to 0 A.D. Please let us know what you have planned. :)

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Certain animals (such as goats and cows) can be domesticated and herded by nearby cavalry, which can then be corraled if the player wishes. Other animals (including dangerous ones) can be hunted.

I suppose "hunting dangerous animals" will involve animals fighting back...or else they wouldn't be "dangerous" but it's kinda vague.

Units will gain a small bonus to their Line of Sight and Attack Range when attacking from higher ground. Some buildings also have an Elevation Bonus that provides a similar bonus to garrisoned units.

I'm not sure about the speed but it's confirmed there are LOS and Range bonus. speed modification is highly likely but not confirmed

Will there be natural disasters?

No, at least certainly not as part of standard gameplay.

Not sure if dangerous terrain counts as natural disasters (natural hazards? close? kinda? lol)...anyway, I don't like the land swallowing up my units though it certainly does provide more strategic depth.

Hope it helps :)

buggy

*above info may not be 100% correct as I only joined this site few days ago and not on the team.

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Thanks buggy123, and welcome to the forums! :) By dangerous animals I meant animals that hunted humans when they got too close, not just fought back. Also, I don't consider a whirlpool a natural disaster. ;) I just think it would be cool to have a few hazards around the level, not tornadoes or plagues (though that would be interesting to see). In my opinion a large part of warfare involves not only overcoming your opponent, but also nature itself, and I would love to see games come closer to reflecting that.

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hmm well...if your units are stuck in a patch of swamp and move super slow you're going to be devastated by archers and ranged fire. So it IS dangerous.

oh and thanks MrChoclateBear (though I prefer gummy xD) one more thing...these are professional soldiers, I don't think they're gonna be mauled by animals...(unless they go by themselves and swarmed by a pack of wolves or something lol)

Edited by buggy123
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Buggy123, nice point about the swamps. About the animals, I wasn't saying animals should win battles against soldiers, just that animals should react to the presence of villagers and soldiers, be it attacking or running away when they get too close.

Just thinking about gummy bears make me :), because they are so delicious. TMI?

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