I've had a few threads like this for a number of very similar games, but this is the culmination of them. It's effectively a game with very similar mechanics to X-Com Apocalypse, but brought up to date and in with a variety of new mechanics and ideas. It uses an isometric viewpoint. First I'll outline the two basic gameplay elements:
In a battle scenario, the player is in control of a number (around 6, max 10 probably) of units, each of whom has an inventory that has been pre-picked, individual names and individual stats. The player can select them, tell them where to go, what to shoot, etc. They have access to a variety of weapons, grenades, different armours, and other useful items (medi kits, that kind of thing). It's based in the future, so there is a mix of futuristic weapons and items and more old fashioned guns and such. There'll be three races the units can be, each with perks and drawbacks (mutants, humans, or androids. Just like in X-Com). there is not a traditional health system, instead each individual body part can be damaged, which will effect their aim, speed, etc. Damaged body parts bleed and so lower their health at a rate relative to their damage - I'll probably have an item which can fix up body parts and stop the bleeding.
Here's an image to give you a better idea.
None of the art is final
Out of the battle, the game is more about management. There is an isometric view of the whole city (called the geoscape), where each building can be selected and information viewed. The player will be the leader of one of a variety of organizations which operate in the city, and each own their own buldings and such. At the moment I have not decided exactly what the players role is, but it's likely they'll either be a criminal organization, or an organization responsible for dealing with a crime outbreaks. The geoscape links to the battles in a few ways- the player will be able to transport their troops to any building, and then raid it. Other organizations are capable or raiding player owned buildings, too, which will result in a random battle in the players buiding with the troops present in it. All of these mechanics are very similar to the ones in X-Com Apoc, so if you've already played it you'll hopefully have an idea of what I'm getting it. In this geoscape section, the player can also perform research to create new weapons and armour, and also buy and sell new equipment for their units, and also hire new members of staff.
An image of what this wll be like (ignore the UFO's..)
I'm also considering adding alliances between organizations, but I haven't decided what that would change or do. I may continue to stick with an X-Com style gameplay and have alliances that make the products certain companies sell be cheaper for you, and if you annoy another organization they may stop selling you anything altogether.
Now, the multiplayer aspect of the game is slightly more simple. It's a match based system, so one game is just one battle. There'll be a number of game types, from a team deathmatch type of thing, to a defend-your-base dealio where the defending playing can place turrets and such before match start. Before the match begins, the players will be able to pick out their team of units, and buy equipment for them from a capital they recieve. This'd be interesting, I think, because different people will wind up with different play styles. Some people may have three of four exceedingly well armoued units, whilst others may choose to have 6 or 7 less well off people to control.
I don't have a specific question at the moment, but I'm generally open to any ideas people may have. From equipment ideas, to interesting things to have in battles, interesting game modes for the multiplayer section, that sort of thing!
One thing to ponder is this- A system I loved in X-Com, was that you could slow down or pause the game speed during battles at any time, so you could assess the situation and give orders. This system would obviously not be possible in mulitplayer, so should I come up with an alternative, or just leave it out entirely?
Thanks for reading.
