I am finally going to attempt to put my game building ideas to the test by attempting to create my own game. For many years I dreamed about what could be done to make games better but I never considered actually trying to put something together on my own, until now...?As a gamer with zero knowledge within the game design field, I've explored a free game designing software through Unity and the Unity player. With this software in mind I hope to achieve an awesome free to play game with purchasing; similar to a browser game. Unfortunately, my creativity on a graphic level is terrifyingly horrific so my designs and graphics will not be my primary concern. I hope to achieve greater game-play value than graphical value.

I am a huge fan of strategy style gaming. With that said, my concept will revolve around a strategy/war game. My ideas originate from various games including; Civilization 5 (PC), Genghis Khan 2 (SNES), Romance of the Three Kingdoms 3 or 4 (SNES), Rise of Nations (PC), Age of Empires 2 (PC) and Strategy Browser Games like Tiberium Alliances for example.


Here's a general list of what I'd like to include;
1. Technology Tree with 8 ages worth beginning in the Ancient age and ending in the Futuristic age
2. Approximately 130 units from slinger to stealth, nano-tech and artificial intelligence
3. Approximately 43 buildings each with own unique traits and purposes
4. 10 different resources acquired by different means
5. Government / Religion / Social Policy Systems with extensive rewards and different missions proposed by each
6. Extensive Quests / Missions System
7. Extensive Team Play and Coordination System
8. In-depth espionage
9. Simple yet in-depth combat system
10. World exploration / Scouting
11. Chat System
12. Item System


Here's more information on exactly what I mean...
1. The tech tree will consist of many technologies each relating to a certain aspect of the game. Technology will be labelled by Military, Scientific, Economic, Religion, Government and Civic. Each technology will play a certain role in the game and have it's own particular advantages.

2. With having approximately 130 total units should enable players to critically think about which units to recruit. The idea is to enhance variety and choice by eliminating a single most powerful unit choice in each era. Units can earn experience either by training or through war. Units can be upgraded based on age and based on experience. Experienced units will gain levels and increase their strength in various ways. Most units are similar to those found in Age of Empires and Civilization PC games. Units are designed so that over the course of the game, unit's advantages and weaknesses will change.

Classical Era:
Swordsman has bonus vs Ranged Infantry
Spearman has bonus vs Cavalry
Skirmisher has bonus vs Cavalry and Ranged Cavalry
Axeman has bonus vs Siege
Bowman has bonus vs Cavalry
Horseman has bonus vs Infantry
Horse Archer has bonus vs Cavalry

Some units like the Skirmisher are multi-purpose units where they have multiple bonuses vs multiple unit types. The few units listed above are only about half of the units in the classical era. Bonuses generally target 1 unit type and usually provide a bonus to a unit's strength rather than it's weakness. Siege Weapons play a unique role in warfare and have unique bonuses.

3. There are several different types of buildings. Buildings like the farm and mine allow a player to generate an income for food and iron. Military buildings like the Barracks and Archery Range allow the recruitment of infantry and archers. Defensive buildings like the City Walls and Castle enable the construction of enhanced defenses and traps. Other buildings like the university will advance the research aspect of the game to help advance progression.

4. Different resources are required for constructions or recruiting certain unit types. Population, Food, Wood, Stone, Iron, Aluminum, Oil, Uranium and Research Points are the different elements that will alter what you can and can't do. Farms and Mines, for example, will require workers. Without a growing population you will suffer production losses. Players who recruit too many units may lose too many people to work.

Gold will be the in-game currency. This will be used to purchase many different resources or elements within the game.

5. The idea behind these aspects of the game is to enhance and expand the strategy behind how players can pursue their game. Socialism may boost the output of workers while feudalism provides a bonus to ranged units. Christianity may provide a bonus to building and unit health while Islam could provide a bonus to construction speed. This aspect hasn't been worked on yet.

6. As it states above, this will provide missions and quests similar to other games except that some of these missions might relate to which religion and government you choose. This will change your game play and reward you differently.

7. I want to allow players to build alliances because this is possibly the most crucial part of any game. I intend to add unique features to this aspect of the game. Alliances can build strongholds where they can store their resources. Strongholds can build unique buildings that allow other aspects of the game to open up and provide unique bonuses that can't be acquired by any other means.

8. Unique Espionage system should allow players to hire and train spies to sabotage and plot against other opponents. The better the spy the better the spy will perform. Some actions might include damage to buildings or destruction of resources. Other actions can disable city defenses, poison the water supply and much more.

9. Unfortunately, the combat system won't be interactive at all... When the game is first built, all the combat will be behind the scenes work based on math and variables. The idea is to make each unit attack the units they are designed to destroy. I'd like to make an interactive battlefield but with the potential number of units in this game, a quick combat system will most likely save players time so that they can continue to play the game instead of watching long battles unfold.

Variables will include;
Attack, Defense, Accuracy, Critical, Evasion, Range, Health and Perks.

Most of these are self explanatory except for the perks... Perks include different benefits that provide everything from unique abilities like counterattacking to increased stats vs specific unit types.

Unit Types include;
Infantry, Infantry Ranged, Cavalry, Cavalry Ranged, Naval, Gunpowder, Armored, Aircraft and Nanotech.

10. I intend to make the world fogged so that players will be required to explore before doing any warfare. After an area has been explored, you'll always see that area. I'd like to add quests and missions to uncover the world map. I'd also like to incorporate bonuses for searching the world.

11. Self explanatory

12. Like some RPG style games you can acquire armor, accessories and weapons by various means. I'd like to incorporate this element into my game so that units have another element that make them strong. Like RPG games, these items, weapons, armors and accessories will be specific to most units. A Swordsman shouldn't necessarily be armed with a bow for example... These items can provid more mixed bonuses that will alter gameplay.


The purpose for posting all of this is to encourage any interested player to post their own ideas they think would be beneficial to my project. I am looking for unique and smart ideas that a newbie could implement into my game. If this game is finished and it hits I will create more out of the box games from the many other ideas I possess. Please keep in mind this is a strategy game and that my abilities are currently limited by lack of experience.

I also wouldn't mind if anyone would like to aid my project in any way. I don't possess the knowledge to write scripts, create sprites, create graphics, create designs, create animations in 2D or 3D and probably much more that I'm missing right now. I am literally creating stick figure graphics so that I can test out my idea when it's ready.

Please post or message me directly.

This thread is why I summoned you to my thread about Ludum Dare. Mostly, I thought you might be interested in the software that I linked to.

I must admit that I have found myself addicted to strategy games in the past. Dune: The Battle for Arrakis, Pirates! Gold, Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV, Warcraft 2, Civilization II, Civilization Revolutions, and on and on.

Your game mechanics sound like an amalgamation of several games and that's not necessarily a bad thing but I think it's missing it's own unique twist. Perhaps it takes place entirely underground - maybe even post-apocalyptic? What about a game that focuses on ruling five neighboring solar systems each with it's own unique resources and specialized units? Or instead of sci-fi themed you could shoot for fantasy. What if the opposing force was demonic or vampires? These are obviously just from a few minutes of brainstorming but you get where I'm coming from. 

Once you understand why your strategizing, then you'll understand what the strategy is.

Adding this thread to favorites because I am interested into where it may lead. I also have no knowledge of the game design field, and my only programming experience is based on a few websites I used to run over 5 years ago. My knowledge is likely archaic and outdated by now.

Always enjoy seeing someone trying to be unique and creative. I've been wanting to write my own book for quite a while now, a fantasy novel where I create my own unique world, but I have to wait for things to slow down and calm down in real life before I'll ever have the time. So I suppose if there is anyway I could be of assistance, it might be in the writing and lore department.

I saw you mention the combat will be based on math and variables. Have you thought about making your own version of a trading card game, but with a twist? Basically you can start from a set of cards based on the ancient age, like you said in your 1st bullet, and work your way up to the futuristic age. How you mix and match your decks of cards between ancient and futuristic weaponry and units will help you progress further and further.

With this, the graphics won't be as intensive. It would be based on card animations and card art design. Now not everyone is a fan of the card game genre and I understand completely, I wasn't until a few months ago. But I see the potential there for an excellent game, much more so than magic the gathering or hearthstone. Take a simple TCG, and make it dynamic. Make it change every week, through quests and progression. Add a story, add a campaign. And of course add PVP to keep people playing after the campaign. The possibilities are endless.

I don't want to play Debbie Downer but for never doing something like this, you seem like you have an awfully ambitious plan.  Why not try a more simple design with easier mechanics and less depth.  It may not be as fun but it is something you can complete from start to finish.

Heck, I don't even know what platform you'll use to build this thing.  Are you thinking Flash?  What engine are you going to use to drive it?  What graphics are you going to use.  The art alone of 130 different units seems daunting.

My humble opinion: Work on one age.  No tech tree, no advancement, just build a building and have those units available.  Work on the big game in stages but start small so you can finish something.

Have a start, have a finish and a complete game.  Then move on the tough stuff.
Good luck!

thephantombrain :
jparks34 :
warmaker :

As much as I would have loved to continue this project, I found that my job consumes too much time to make real progress on it... learning, scripting, fixing errors. My project is stopped at this time and I'm sorry. I didn't think this thread was still open since it's been 2 months.

I had discovered the Unity program which allows us to build our own games right out of their engine. If you've heard of Project Spark on the Xbox One, it's similar. You're able to create your own world, edit sprites and many other aspects. If you're aware of Facebook games from Zynga, they've used Unity to build some of their games. Heard of CastleVille? There's free software (And paid software) that allow you to do this. Sadly, it takes a lot of learning when you're by yourself and I'm limited in my talents, especially creativity, which makes it difficult.

I would have liked to do more on this project so I hope you guys understand that it might be on a long hold. Eventually I'd like to get back to it. Ideas are more than welcome, even if someone else comes along and makes something great from it!

Fireproof : I didn't realize the original post was from 2 months ago or I wouldn't have responded. I saw TPB's post and I guess that bump alerted me to the thread.

I understand not having enough time for something like this. I wish I had more time to be creative. Heck I don't even have time to write reviews on here, something I love doing. It makes me respect indie games and indie developers even more, because I just don't see how they do it. I guess they're obviously in different scenarios in different situations where they don't have to work full time, something that I can't do.

jparks34 : To me, Indie developers is "Get rich quick" where they present a game focusing on a few key aspects to make the game stand out. When they've fired half their staff, they're sitting on millions and a nice beach in California. Some games will start out realistic, like Mafia Wars, then take everything to a ridiculous level. In order to even play Mafia Wars, you need to run scripts. As a true strategy gamer, I don't believe in this way of life.

People using scripts to run their game, first of all, don't even play the game really and secondly, it's cheating. I was hoping I could set an example by building something truth and worthwhile. Unfortunately, I've always been an inventor but not an artist. Perhaps if I found someone months ago who was good at what I lack, we'd compliment each other quite well and have made even a beta version of this project. Every gamer has this dream but it's not cut out for all of us.

For the record, if I ever find enough cash to hire a team of players, I will have many games made and done right..