[Battle Mode] Conceptualizing

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

If the game could implement Battle for Middle Earth-style battalions, then the game could offer a "Battle Mode", where the player gets XYZ resources (determined by the host) to choose their army composition and then battle it out on a custom map against enemy players doing the same. No building. No resource gathering. Just tactical warfare. Essentially, it would be Rome:Total War style battles with 0 A.D. units. This would complement the game's standard mode, not replace it.

 

What would be needed to make this work I think is a bunch of UI work, UnitAI updates, a BattleAI player, plus battalions of course. The maps you battle out on can either by skirmish maps or random map scripts designed for the purpose. With random map scripts, the host can determine the size of the battlefield, so that's good, and maybe a few other variables (like season, weather, time of day, etc.).

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by wowgetoffyourcellphone

[Lion.Kanzen]

First of all, apart from the obvious things you need to have an arcade mode of total war?

•  focused shot.
• More formations.
• Counters.
• Fatigue or stamina.
• Units at various speeds.
• Before we start forming troops in positions. (prebattle)
• Let them be slightly disorganized in combat.
• Moral.
• Run and charge.

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

2 minutes ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

First of all, apart from the obvious things you need to have an arcade mode of total war?

•  focused shot.
• More formations.
• Counters.
• Fatigue or stamina.
• Units at various speeds.
• Before we start forming troops in positions. (prebattle)
• Let them be slightly disorganized in combat.
• Moral.
• Run and charge.

We don't need to simulate a Total War match completely. Besides battalions, the units would still behave as 0 A.D. units behave. If the game gets fatigue, stamina, moral, all that, then the battle mode can have it. If the base game doesn't get that stuff, then battle mode would go without it too. 

[Lion.Kanzen]

focus shot is in development 

Moral is needed to break formations.

I don't be wrong i like your idea.

How would the health of the battalion work?

[fatherbushido]

@wowgetoffyourcellphone Pehraps you can make the [DE] battle simulation map a skirmishes one? I could test more civs on it then?

If it is dedicated to a given geographical zone, just ignore that

EDIT: we would need some skirmish replacers for champs too

Edited April 26, 2020 by fatherbushido

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

On 4/19/2020 at 1:33 AM, Lion.Kanzen said:

How would the health of the battalion work?

The individual soldiers in the battalion would have their own health bars just like now. They would just be locked into battalions and move and act like in Battle for Middle Earth 1 and 2.

 

7 hours ago, fatherbushido said:

@wowgetoffyourcellphone Pehraps you can make the [DE] battle simulation map a skirmishes one? I could test more civs on it then?

If it is dedicated to a given geographical zone, just ignore that

To test this particular map with all civs, I'd need to make some more "generic" skirmisher replacers, based on battlefield role instead of class (heavy infantry, light infantry, etc.). Not impossible, but some work.

Quote

EDIT: we would need some skirmish replacers for champs too

Yeah, I can do that now!  

[Thorfinn the Shallow Minded]

I guess to put this out there, the idea of a mode seems decent, but I think it's worth asking what this would really offer that a game like Rome Total War doesn't.  

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

18 minutes ago, Thorfinn the Shallow Minded said:

I guess to put this out there, the idea of a mode seems decent, but I think it's worth asking what this would really offer that a game like Rome Total War doesn't.  

It offers RTS-like control in a battlefield setting.

[Thorfinn the Shallow Minded]

1 hour ago, wowgetoffyourcellphone said:

It offers RTS-like control in a battlefield setting.

I don't really see how that gives too dramatic of a difference unless my understanding of RTS-like control is different from yours.  Sorry if I am coming off as a skeptic; I think that an idea like this has potential, and if I could think of a suggestion to make it more engaging and not just make it feel, if you pardon this sounding harsh, like a Total War clone.  

 

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

12 hours ago, Thorfinn the Shallow Minded said:

I don't really see how that gives too dramatic of a difference unless my understanding of RTS-like control is different from yours.  Sorry if I am coming off as a skeptic; I think that an idea like this has potential, and if I could think of a suggestion to make it more engaging and not just make it feel, if you pardon this sounding harsh, like a Total War clone.  

 

It wouldn't feel like you're commanding a TW clone at all. No more than the base game feels like you're playing an Age of Empires clone.

Edited April 27, 2020 by wowgetoffyourcellphone