DragonFly - VBForums Real-Time Strategy Game

[Electroman]

This thread is for people to discuss, give ideas and anything else related to the DragonFly Project. (BTW DragonFly is just a temp. name until the Storyline is developed then we can think of a new one).

DragonFly will be a Real-Time Strategy Game similar to the original C&C games but we'll be adding extra features to add to the quality of the game. The focus I'm after (unless its changed by ideas that come in) is to have it set in current day technology with a few futuristic stuff to add some spice (i.e. laser guns ect.). Although it'll be based on current day the names of tanks and things alike will not be real .

Team:
Leader - Electroman
Coding - Electroman/....
Level Design - ..../..../....
Graphics - ..../....
Storyline - ....
Ideas & Features - Anyone who wants to contribute


Even though above specific people have been allocated certain tasks they won't be the only people doing those tasks. For example the Storyline will probably be made up from all the members of the team giving ideas but it will come down to one person to put all those together to make the actual Storyline.

Just to note the coding on this project won't be starting for a while as we'll be making sure we have a full design idea of what the games gonna be like have have to do before its started.

So to start this off if anyone can post any ideas they have that they think should be included, also if you want to be added to the team you can either send me a PM or just reply to this thread.

[Electroman]

Heres some simple ideas to start us off....

Ideas:

• During Gameplay theres a transition between Day & Night, the darkness will effect the visibility of units, more so the infanty rather than tanks though.
• A Weather System will be used so rain can be modelled too.
• Types of Terrain: Desert, Green, Snow-Covered, ect... (Feel free to add to this list).
• Isometric view? Anyone have thoughts on this?
• Prebuild Stage, option of allowing few minutes before the game to build your base without the worry of enemy attacking.
• Resources: I'm thinking they should have to collect something along the lines of Tiberian but obviously another name would be needed.
• Really large base support should be there but we should make it so that builds can be turned off and made dormant to reduce the demand of resources.
• I'm wanting to in some way implement a way that a base can be caught off guard. For example if there is an airfield then the piolts would have to run to the planes before they can start taking off and these should be able to be killed by the enmy to prevent planes taking off.

[manavo11]

When the coding does start it will be in...

[Asgorath]

Oh no not another RTS please

[Electroman]

Posted by manavo11
When the coding does start it will be in...

... C++.

Posted by Asgorath
Oh no not another RTS please

Well I've always wanted to do a RTS the way I liked to play them. Like RTS's out in shops don't do certain things I would want them to do so the way I see it is I may aswell make one myself. BTW it seems to be all types of game that are getting over published at the moment though . Suppose adventure games may be the only exception to that but for those you need a really good story line and I don't have the time to work on somethign of that scale .

[Halsafar]

I'd love to help, my c++ skills have hit fair heights.
I can code like a mo fo wthout rest...and I do have a TON of time on my hands where all I do is perfect my game engine.

I LOVE THE C&C series, and I love RTS games just so long they are GOOD....Warcraft, Starcraft, C&C.

I would like to request the use of Dx7.
If that is not possible, then I'd still like to help, but I can't do any of the Dx related Initializing because my video card don't support Dx9 so I don't know it.

But i can write unit templates, make a level editors or other various tools, design ai's, write an event manager...the list goes on, pretty much anything which doesn't need vast Dx9 Knowledge.

[Electroman]

Posted by Halsafar
I'd love to help, my c++ skills have hit fair heights.
I can code like a mo fo wthout rest...and I do have a TON of time on my hands where all I do is perfect my game engine.

I LOVE THE C&C series, and I love RTS games just so long they are GOOD....Warcraft, Starcraft, C&C.

I would like to request the use of Dx7.
If that is not possible, then I'd still like to help, but I can't do any of the Dx related Initializing because my video card don't support Dx9 so I don't know it.

But i can write unit templates, make a level editors or other various tools, design ai's, write an event manager...the list goes on, pretty much anything which doesn't need vast Dx9 Knowledge.

k, as I said we're probably a fair distance from the Coding Phase at the moment but I'll put you down for when the time comes. As for the version of Dx it'll have to be Dx9.

I knew there was something I'd missed off the list of Team Members that I'd meant to put on when I wrote it at first: Tools Coders, suppose I kinda mixed all the Coding work into one group so hey. Saying that you can probably ignore the numbers of spaces I left next to each task, they are just a rough guide anyway .

Anyone have any ideas as far as teams go? Like C&C had NOD Vs GDI, I'm not fussed if the Good Vs Bad is kept but to put ideas out there theres also the choice of something like Rebels Vs Army. Also how many sides? two or three? By this I mean like "Main" sides. Theres also things like Civilians that would be classed as a team but I'm not bothered about counting those until we have at least a rough story line.

[Halsafar]

Well we could go wth the obvious
America vs Iraq...

maybe, play out the american revolutions
america vs british/canada's

civil war?

Now, for fiction
You could go as simple for good and evil a Demon race and a Angel race and give angels like dragons and stuff, demons can have like really cool looking monsters.

Or

For something more appealing
Mankind vs AI....robots go crazy and pretty much humans gotta defeat them or be defeated...been done but I don't think in RTS format.

or

heh, a nuclear explosion in the heart of america transforms a bunch of bugs into zerg (big bug) like creatures, and the rest of earth left in termoil from all the current war is quickly being overtaken, when a third race comes in...god like creatures. toss...

[Asgorath]

Originally posted by Electroman
BTW it seems to be all types of game that are getting over published at the moment though . Suppose adventure games may be the only exception to that but for those you need a really good story line and I don't have the time to work on somethign of that scale .

I prefer RPGs , RTS are so boring except for warcraf III of course.

[Electroman]

Posted by Asgorath
I prefer RPGs , RTS are so boring except for warcraf III of course.

Another genre that is heavy on story line . Yea I like the odd RPG, used to play Morrowind loads.

[Electroman]

Posted by Halsafar
Well we could go wth the obvious
America vs Iraq...

maybe, play out the american revolutions
america vs british/canada's

civil war?

Now, for fiction
You could go as simple for good and evil a Demon race and a Angel race and give angels like dragons and stuff, demons can have like really cool looking monsters.

Or

For something more appealing
Mankind vs AI....robots go crazy and pretty much humans gotta defeat them or be defeated...been done but I don't think in RTS format.

or

heh, a nuclear explosion in the heart of america transforms a bunch of bugs into zerg (big bug) like creatures, and the rest of earth left in termoil from all the current war is quickly being overtaken, when a third race comes in...god like creatures. toss...

America Vs Iraq has far too many issues so I'll leave that one.

Not sure about the revolutions but even though that would be going back to predated Technology . I'd like to stick to current day and a little into the future.

Angles & Demons doesn't sond too bad but if we went for that the Demons should have the Dragons no?

I really like the Mankind Vs AI Robots one. The storyline could start something along the line of:
There is a AI Warfare research lab that is goes wrong and the Main computer takes over the bases controls. Its then able to produce loads of these different AI Units and launch an attack on mankind. The aim of the game will then be to fight all those missions to reach this base and destroy the original research lab.
Notice buildings will be used for both sides in case that brief storyline made it sound like there wouldn't be bases .

As for your last suggestion too Starcraft like I think . Mind if you want I'll send you a copy of a Games Design Doc I made for a FPS/RTS which is rather a lot like Starcraft, too complex to code as a non commercal project though .

[Asgorath]

I'm still playing Morrowind trully the best rpg ever...

Well if add you some rpg elements to the project it will a killer game

Unfortunetly my c++ is a bit rusty...

[Electroman]

Posted by Asgorath
I'm still playing Morrowind trully the best rpg ever...

Well if add you some rpg elements to the project it will a killer game

Unfortunetly my c++ is a bit rusty...

Any ideas how we could add a RPG element to it? One guess would be if all the units had interchangable parts, by this I mean weapons can be changed over (on an individual level) and armour can be treated the same for units. Apart from that I can't think of anything else cos I don't think theres any easy way to add a RPG storyline structure to a RTS without loosing the RTS feel.

BTW I'm not wanting to over complicate the gameplay of the game cos thats one thing I didn't like of the AoE games cos you have to bare in mind that Archers Vs Pikemen isn't the same as Swordsmen Vs Pikemen. For example in the C&C games a Infantry solider could with stand a couple shots froma tank, now if that was real you'd say no way. Mind I'm not trying to say we should copy that exactly but the warfare part I think should be just based on hitpoints. Anyone have any preferance wheather "some" aspects of who's fighting who should effect it?


I was also thinking about the piolts runnign to the planes before they can take off and I thought that the AI team wouldn't have that trouble, anyone got some ideas on what kind of disadvantage they could have to even that out?

[psychotomus]

id be interested in helping.

I always wanted to code a RTS.


How about like GOD vs Satan vs Robots. 3 races.

You start off with Jesus on a cross then he mutats as you upgrade him and all walking people are born in a carriege.

and the robots have cloning labs which clone units out of test tubes.

and im just sick.

[Ecniv]

I really like the Mankind Vs AI Robots one. The storyline could start something along the line of:
There is a AI Warfare research lab that is goes wrong and the Main computer takes over the bases controls. Its then able to produce loads of these different AI Units and launch an attack on mankind. The aim of the game will then be to fight all those missions to reach this base and destroy the original research lab.
Notice buildings will be used for both sides in case that brief storyline made it sound like there wouldn't be bases

Sounds like terminator - Skynet is active...
Or AI/I Robot mixed.


The humans would lose though - superior AI with access to chess comps and simulations of actions...


Be like the Bond character.. make up a war that doesn't exist, but hints at real life...

Or perhaps a Mercs type game where you have to go around the world accepting offers for work, operations etc... This would include demolition, sniping, assassination, coup, etc...

Then you can open the gameplay depending which jobs are accepted/completed. Also, each country would have its own special forces trying to stop you or assist you (if its a rebellion)...

Too many options huh

[Electroman]

yea I noticed it seems quite a lot like Terminator but thats not too bad a thing . (Mind I've not seen Terminator 3 or I Robot )

The player would win .

I like the idea with accepting missions to basically do anything for some money or stuff like that. I just had a thought which we could add that by adding a third team which would be like rebels and when playing as them the mission selectiion screen would just have a list of contacts or something like that so they would give you a mission and some money for doing it. These would be things like "Go assasinate this guy." and they could basically be attacking both sides depending hows paying. Obviously the robots aren't goign to contact the Rebels and would just kill them but you could still have people benifit from killing someone on the mankind side.


I'm starting to think this will be a really good game .

[spazblinchy]

Im kinda bollocks at c++, but im a guru at vb.net with dx. Can we make this a vb and a c++ project.(If your talking about c++.net)