Space combat - guidelines, assets, discussion

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Midonik
Posts: 5325
Joined: Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:27 pm
Location: Poland

Space combat - guidelines, assets, discussion

Post by Midonik »

Space combat is something that is asked of us a lot, and it makes perfect sense. How could we have a sci-fi game without any space battles?
The development of this was postponed as some parts required code changes, but we are slowly working on it. Itd be great to publish a first version with space combat in it next year. No promises.
Core ideas
- separate from planetary (normal) tcs (planets) would randomly spawn on space terrain, but not on other terrains; similarly, the planetary (normal) shouldnt spawn on the space terrain - now possible
planet1-ScreamingBrainStudios.png
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https://opengameart.org/content/tiny-planet-pack

- the space tcs (planets) would be captured by ground armies, carried in transport ships, not by normal ships; ground armies shouldnt be able to interfere with space combat (trnInvalidTargets will do the job)

- I suppose most space vessels would be made in space factories, build by construction fleets, made in the tcs (planets); space tcs (planets) would also make ground armies, transport ships and maybe basic combat vessels

- Id also like to add different types of tc upgrades for space tcs (planets), like church to cathedral upgrade - luckly aoa tested that kind of stuff, it seems to work well

- I think construction fleets should make space factories and fortifications, but not actually space vessels, unlike sws

1. Space units categories
~ Spacecraft categories:
- Squadrons:
(small, spawned by space carriers with vanishing, 3 per image)
Bombers - anti - ship, also anti - buliding can deal nice amount of damage to them given how much they can be spammed and their mobility.
squadron4-by-ramses2099.png
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squadron8-by-chayed.png
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https://opengameart.org/content/space-shooter-pack
Fighters - anti - squadron, mainly to defend from bombers
squadron1-by-ramses2099.png
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squadron3-by-ramses2099.png
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(most above) https://opengameart.org/content/space-ship-2
- Ships:
- Support ships (for non-combat roles)
transport ships
construction fleets
unit_space_hum_ships_builder.png
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other
- Corvette - fastest and weakest vehicle, scouting, patroling, perhaps anti- squadron, but can also armed with anti - line vessels torpedoes
fighter-from_Lamoot.png
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https://opengameart.org/content/top-dow ... ter-sprite
- Frigate - little heavier and slower corrvet. Similar in function, also maybe anti - corrvet in some cases
- Destroyer - anti - smaller ships, maybe anti - squadrons sometimes, it's quite tanky
- Crusier - anti - destroyer mainly
- Battleship - strongest of all line vessels, devastating weapon against all ships.
- Space carriers - spawns squadrons, can carry them and perhaps light ships (delaying vanishing, healing)
Last three create the line vessels category
~ Space buildings
- factories
unit_space_bld_hum_shipyard.png
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unit_space_bld_hum_spaceport.png
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- defenses
2. Planetary armies (used to capture tcs, must be transported, can only fight one another, image - a bunch of down scaled images of planetary units, both ground and planes/a symbol [itd prefer the first option], attack animation - drop pods/dropships)
- Pioneers (scout vehicles, basic infantry) - 2 cost, low health and attack, can capture tcs and attack - basically used for capturing tcs
- Defensive (garrison) army (tanky units, cheap infantry, engineers, fighters) - 2 cost, high health, low attack, cant capture tcs nor attack, used solely for defending your tcs - you can still move them around your tcs with transport ships if you wish to
- Assault army (offensively effective vehicles and infantries, some fighters and ground support aircrafts) - 3 cost, health between pioneers and defensive army, high attack, can capture tcs and attack - primarly used to fight for and to capture enemy tcs
- Elite army (most elite ground and air units) - 5 cost, highest stats all around, can attack and capture tcs - when no cost is too high

FOR PUBLISH WE MINIMALLY NEED A CONSTRUCTION FLEET, A TRANSPORT SHIP, A CORVETTE, A PRODUCTION BUILDING AND A PLANETARY ARMY PER RACE

Techs
- tc upgrades - they are more of a cool addition than a neccesity, but they could protect ground armies from ships, allow the tcs to do some damage to ships, buff armies inside, debuff enmies around, or boost production. Probably should differ between races

We have many images for planets (either made by forumers or free assets), need team colour, occupancy display...
We have 1 space background, second needs adjustments - made by DDD
We have images for two factories and a construction fleet, thx to GeneralWaddaling (attached)


PROBLEM
One negative thing that stands out to me is that space tcs can spawn right next to each other. That would enable armies to move between them without using a transport ship, which doesn't make much sense. It would also allow the player with such tcs to significantly more quickly capture them compared to players that wouldn't have tcs right now to each other. It might be hard to make a code based solution around that, I guess primally using preset tc maps for space maps is an option tho.


SOLUTION
however if we set on a TC that is must not be beside another it can be a solution.
cons - doesnt prevent planets spawning few tiles away from one another, might not work with multiple types of tcs (planets)


stratego's ideas for terrain

- you could make many planet types so they will vary-

- also i suggest a planet "atmospheere" in player color (so neutral will be gray)

- also occupied planet could be something on planet maybe?

- also space tile could be totally black and some decorations could be

a) "far stars" in various colors like in one of my favourite games Masters of Orion: https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/ ... n2_068.png

b) big fog like clouds (multiple tiles)

c) far galaxies (multiple tiles)

d) black holes (also multiple tiles) - these could even be not decorations but "units" and having an aura that decrease speed or something. - or rather use terrain related effects


Some free assets we can use:
some spaceships and satellites here:
https://craftpix.net/freebies/free-sci- ... e-objects/
Image

some 3d models to be converted to png-s if we like them
https://fertile-soil-productions.itch.i ... collection
Image
https://niko-3d-models.itch.io/free-sc- ... ships-pack
Image
https://psionicgames.itch.io/low-poly-space-ship-pack
Image

151px - need reize
https://opengameart.org/content/animate ... -spaceship
Image
https://opengameart.org/content/animate ... omb-rocket
Image

256px - need reize
https://opengameart.org/content/isometr ... -sprites-2
https://opengameart.org/content/isometr ... -sprites-3

960px
https://opengameart.org/content/spaceship-trader-vessel

3d
https://opengameart.org/content/spacesh ... del3-blend
https://opengameart.org/content/spacesh ... del1-blend
https://opengameart.org/content/spacesh ... del2-blend


spacestations
https://v-ktor.itch.io/space-stations
Image
squadron8-by-chayed.png
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nice background assets (stars pulsars fogs and so on)
https://opengameart.org/content/galagia ... kgruond-ui
Image
Attachments
needs less stars
needs less stars
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space.png
space.png (706 Bytes) Viewed 854 times
not necessarily free - from sws
not necessarily free - from sws
bld_tc_space.png (16.94 KiB) Viewed 854 times
Construction_Fleet.png
Construction_Fleet.png (939 Bytes) Viewed 854 times
wrong turn, needs occupancy display
wrong turn, needs occupancy display
Fighter_Starbase.png (989 Bytes) Viewed 854 times
wrong turn, needs occupancy display
wrong turn, needs occupancy display
Shipyard.png (1.19 KiB) Viewed 854 times
Support new AoS variant, Age of Galaxy: http://ageofstrategy.net/viewforum.php? ... 608408ebc8
All help will be welcome.
kingofgalaxies
Posts: 190
Joined: Mon May 09, 2016 3:13 pm

Re: Space combat - guidelines, assets, discussion

Post by kingofgalaxies »

Very nice!

Devs, take your time.. No rush. This seems like a huge project, and everything should work at least in a basic form upon release.
Also, there's still a lot to do even in the normal version of AoG... :)
Stratego (dev)
Site Admin
Posts: 15734
Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:28 pm

Re: Space combat - guidelines, assets, discussion

Post by Stratego (dev) »

mockup version uos 5.
only for humans so far.
Midonik
Posts: 5325
Joined: Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:27 pm
Location: Poland

Re: Space combat - guidelines, assets, discussion

Post by Midonik »

Urgent
To get the version out we need nicer ships images. Help is greatly appreciated.
Go on Discord if you want to see the current ships (I'm not attaching all these pngs lol).
Support new AoS variant, Age of Galaxy: http://ageofstrategy.net/viewforum.php? ... 608408ebc8
All help will be welcome.
Stratego (dev)
Site Admin
Posts: 15734
Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:28 pm

Re: Space combat - guidelines, assets, discussion

Post by Stratego (dev) »

i am about to put in the next biggert ship class the Cruisers.
here are new images:


(the insectoid cruiser is the old destroyer (destroyer got new image))
Attachments
unit_hum_space_ship_cruiser.png
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unit_ins_space_ship_cruiser.png
unit_ins_space_ship_cruiser.png (1.64 KiB) Viewed 757 times
unit_ins_space_ship_destroyer.png
unit_ins_space_ship_destroyer.png (1.73 KiB) Viewed 757 times
Stratego (dev)
Site Admin
Posts: 15734
Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:28 pm

Re: Space combat - guidelines, assets, discussion

Post by Stratego (dev) »

new corvette design
Attachments
unit_hum_space_ship_corvette.png
unit_hum_space_ship_corvette.png (653 Bytes) Viewed 744 times
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