Different modes

[Devenox]

Hi

I'm new here and read already a lot (but far from all). So far I think it's only possible to play conquest/skirmish, right?

What I would like to see is some more modes, I wrote some ideas down, bacisly much is 'taken' from the AoE series.

1. REGICIDE

A mode much like 'Age of Kings', where the player have one special or unique unit, like a king or queen for example. Once that unit is killed

the game ends. So basicly if you are loosing in absolute power (less resources, less upgrades, etc. than your enemy) you still make a chance

by killing his king/queen

2. WONDERS

Once a wonder is build, the enemy team have a certain amount of time (pe. 25 minutes) to destroy the building, otherwise they loose.

Wonders should be EXTREMELY expensive and take a lot of time to build. (to balance the game)

Makes it a VERY interesting mode if two wonders are build at the same time (you will have to defend your own, but also attack the enemy wonder)

3. RELICS

Varying of the amount of players, there are some relics across the map that cannot be destroyed. Since I saw the temple (currently) didn't have a function yet it can be used for the following:

You are able to make priests (which should be quite expensive, weak and slow), than only priests would be able to take the relics from the ground.

After the have taken the relic the go back to their temple where the relic is put, getting the player an amount of recourses every pe 5 seconds (thanks to the relic).

Let's say we play with 2, then there should be 2+1=3 relics in the total game, or with 4 players 4+1=5. There should always be one more relic than players because than people will

attack the one with 2 relics quicker (but bacisly he is the stronger one, because he earns two times the amount of free resources for the 2players example)

So aside conquest, I would recommend these other 3 modes, I realy like the relics mode

Anyway I created a poll so we can see what the community likes the most!

EDIT: thinking about a 'hardcore' mode, combining the above 3 modes in one game.

Would be extremely difficult to control, but a lot of fun for hardcore RTS gamers (like me)

You can loose by two different causes (getting your king/queen killed, not been able to destroy the enemy his wonder).

So you can't focus on only collecting relics or gathering resources for a wonder. You must manage all these different things

and prevent your enemy from killing your unique unit.

EDIT2: Please if you vote, comment to this thread, say why you like or not like a certain mode.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Devenox

[dinosoep]

I like regicide a lot because it could make for some great gameplay. But then again, where is the fun in having to find 1 player on a whole large map? nearly impossible. I would replace the unit with a building you start with.

Wonders would not really be very useful because by the time you can afford it I don't think you want to wait another 25 minutes, the time could be way shorter with the health of the building also way lower.

The relics idea doesn't really seem to fit in the time/game and hardcore mode could be a bit chaotic. Nice thinking though

[quantumstate]

I like regicide a lot because it could make for some great gameplay. But then again, where is the fun in having to find 1 player on a whole large map? nearly impossible. I would replace the unit with a building you start with.

I think a king is more interesting since you can move your king so you aren't stuck in one place on the map. If implemented sensibly then the king will be made visible once the player is in a losing situation, AoK had a treason technology for this. Also most players will resign when they are beaten anyway.

I think it would be good to add these modes to the game, I think that the primary mode should be conquest but these are good for variety every so often.

[Devenox]

@dinosoep

I think a moveable unit would be better in my opinion because often people are stuck where they in the beginning of the game start. Makes it hard to attack people on the other side of the map if you play with more than 4 players.With a king/queen, you can temp move him to where your military is.

I appreciate your feedback, it would be indeed better that enemies know where your king is (like a flag on a building, if he is hiding inside)

Relics is one way to put it, the trainroute in age of empires 3 is almost the same, building that gives your free resources when the train arrives.

I thought relics would be more dynamic than the trainsystem. Since the relics can be moved, but also the place (temple) where you hide them.

I will never be sure where they are in the beginning. That gives players a reason to explore in the beginning of the game. (now there is no reason to explore the first minutes)

@quantumstate

Indeed, in general conquest must be the default mode, otherwise the complexity of other modes could 'scare' starting gamers.

[dinosoep]

The reason I proposed a building is because I hate having to explore the whole map just for that one unit.

If you however made it visible for all players on the map it would be even better.

These gameplay types would indeed be great for multiplayers as in other rts's I'm getting bored at the usual rush/attack/(win or lose)

[Mythos_Ruler]

Some game modes we have hard and soft plans for:

• Conquest (Default): Territories, Settlement Phases, etc.
• Conquest Death Match: The "default" game, but with very very high starting resources and all techs researched.
• Legacy/Old School: "Free form" play similar to Age of Empires. No territories or limits of any kind, except for pop cap, obviously.
• Herocide: Like "Regicide" but with a Hero.

[Arthur_D]

Also most players will resign when they are beaten anyway.

I laugh in your general direction! I'm no quitter!

[quantumstate]

I laugh in your general direction! I'm no quitter!

I believe it would be 'resigning with dignity in the face of the inevitable'

[Seru]

what wrong with conquest only?

[Corbo]

I like the Wonders if they are very long to build, costly in resources and workforce, and specially if you can build them step by step (and see them at different progression states). However, it would be hard to define wonders for every civilisation, like for the Celts or the Iberians.

For Regicide and Relics, it could work with spy units, people that would stay invisible to the opponents as long as they don't attack. They would flag the building in which a king or relic is hidden when in their sight range. They have a small chance to be spotted by opponents own spies while they move, or with an increasing chance if they are in a group or if the opponents spies are in a group (at one on one, they don't spot each other as long as they stay still). They should be rather weak in combat, yet able to attack an undefended relic or ambush a small party with a surprise bonus. Spies can even have a broader purpose, like giving visibility to opponents garrisons...

[jdm]

The special unit in the Regicide/Herocide modes could provide a significant bonus to nearby allied units, giving the player an incentive to have the unit be out near the front lines of combat.

[Arthur_D]

I believe it would be 'resigning with dignity in the face of the inevitable'

Resigning is the opposite of dignity IMO.

Battle to the last woman!

[Enrique]

I like the regicide Idea, and it has been already discussed/planned

Variation on the game modes is always a good thing IMO, so I'm going to add some ideas. Here are my two cents:

- Siege mode. Two teams. Offensive team starts with a lot of manpower, not-so-many siege units and normal resources while defensive team starts fortified with buildings walls, nice strategic situation and high resources but very little manpower. Small maps with very little amount of resources, for quick matches.

-Territories. This idea comes from company of heroes (I think RoN also had something similar). It may be difficult to implement because it differs a lot from the basic gameplay style but I think it could be fun!

You receive resources/manpower over time by capturing and keeping territories. Each territory has a specific place to build a structure that will put that territory under your control. All territories must be connected to your starting territory (head quarters) in order to generate resources. Those are the basics. To make it more interesting:

Depending on how much time you have controlled a territory you will be able to build more buildings on a territory.

Because of the resources are gained through territories, you are not able to train female workers, and standard units will not gather as much resources as in normal modes.

-Some kind of King of the hill can also be fun. In my opinion it should aim to a quick match type of game. Don't get me wrong, I love long battles and struggle on the battlefield and suffer when I'm being beaten slowly, but the discussed/planned modes seems to be for long matches and I thought that some quick modes will add variation to the game modes... and some fun! .

[Argantonius]

I like the Wonders if they are very long to build, costly in resources and workforce, and specially if you can build them step by step (and see them at different progression states). However, it would be hard to define wonders for every civilisation, like for the Celts or the Iberians.

For the Iberians google something on the Cancho Roano temple complex it's probably the best you can aim for there.

Not sure about the Celts. Maybe some sacred tree/forest or am I getting that confused with the Germanics lol.

[BCM]

About the "King-mode":

searching it manualy wouldn't be fun (and if it is in a building, you even can't).

So I suggest one more new unit: spion

if an enemy king is close enough to your spion, the king should be marked (for example with a flag) - even if it is in a building, mark the building.

Spions should be (almost) invisible to the opponents. They can ... (sorry, don't know good english word) ... "mask", put on opponents clothes.

There should be thought about, WHEN/HOW the are detected. Maybe only if an opponent military unit is VERY close to a spion.

Other mods ...

Something like different (military) "tasks", like conquer a hill, or conquer a canyon seems nothing other like a part from a mission-set, where the mission will continue and finaly kill your opponent - so nothing new.

And unmilitary targets, like creating a special building, or beeing first reaching a special point is probably not fitting to 0ad - that's kind of other games.

[Guest afeder]

Not sure about the Celts. Maybe some sacred tree/forest or am I getting that confused with the Germanics lol.

Maybe a castro?

[Argantonius]

Maybe a castro?

Gotta refine your sarcasm good sir - I don't know exactly what do you want to tell me.

Isn't there a Stonehenge model already btw? Maybe just polish that and darn accuracy. Or use it for the "King of the Hill" scenarios (I personally prefer something like the "Ruins" in the very first AoE rather than having random wonders show up in the middle of nowhere like in AoK).

[Guest afeder]

Gotta refine your sarcasm good sir - I don't know exactly what do you want to tell me.

Isn't there a Stonehenge model already btw? Maybe just polish that and darn accuracy. Or use it for the "King of the Hill" scenarios (I personally prefer something like the "Ruins" in the very first AoE rather than having random wonders show up in the middle of nowhere like in AoK).

Not sarcasm. Castros (hill forts) supposedly was the only architecture of note the Celts had. Stonehenge was pre-Celtic.

[Argantonius]

Not sarcasm. Castros (hill forts) supposedly was the only architecture of note the Celts had. Stonehenge was pre-Celtic.

The reason I assumed that there was sarcasm involved was because the word "Castro" is currently used in the game to name the Iberian fortress building, something that some, me included, have argued against.

[Guest afeder]

Ah. I wasn't aware.

[Seru]

THere is few good modes or victory conditions.

Sir this is not AoE or RoN

[feneur]

Sir this is not AoE or RoN

It's still ok to be inspired from them though, so I hope no one is discouraged from suggesting something just because it or something similar has appeared in another game before (One may of course disagree with that as well, I just don't want anyone to think that the official view is that anything from an already existing game is out of the picture. At least when it comes to things like game modes )

[Mythos_Ruler]

A cool game mode I just thought up could be a "Hard Core" game mode:

• No bottom GUI or Minimap.
• All research, training, building, etc. done with hotkeys.

[fcxSanya]

A cool game mode I just thought up could be a "Hard Core" game mode:

• No bottom GUI or Minimap.
• All research, training, building, etc. done with hotkeys.

Lets rename it into "Hard Code" and do all things via console.

[Mythos_Ruler]

Lets rename it into "Hard Code" and do all things via console.

Not sure what you mean.