WCGenerals Beta Launch - Come and try it out!

[Ron B]

Two quick questions this morning...

1 - Assets: do I get a one-time payout, or a recurring payout for an asset I control, and on what schedule? Is it just the game interval I've set from the time I conquered the asset?

2 - Carriers can repair fighters, yes? I've tried a couple of times and get a blank white box. I should have enough funds available, I can repair capships, but not fighters for some reason.

Hi,

1. For now, you get a one time payout when only you take over the asset. I am working on a continuous supply of credits from assets using the merchants. Will be applied soon. A quick way to get credits currently is to send small fighters or scouts to remote systems and take over asteroid fields which will give up without much of a fight and give some credits.

2. Still have to implement carrier repairing fighters. Will be implemented soon. You can repair any ship below strength 8 and only up to 8 at the shipyard.

Thanks for playing and will get the updates done as soon as I can.

Ron

 

[capi3101]

Definitely a lot tougher now to take over systems. Was dismayed to lose a carrier while trying to take over an Ag world...I guess that's what escorts and battleships are for, right?

 

[WLawrence]

While we're wishing... fog of war would be nice. I know where my opponent starts, and can branch from there and track his every move.

 

[capi3101]

While we're wishing... fog of war would be nice. I know where my opponent starts, and can branch from there and track his every move.

I was going to suggest the same thing - it would add a substantial strategic element to the game.

 

[Ron B]

Definitely a lot tougher now to take over systems. Was dismayed to lose a carrier while trying to take over an Ag world...I guess that's what escorts and battleships are for, right?

Haha, happened to me too while testing. Without some heavy battleship, cruiser components its difficult. A trio of heavy bombers can also do the job.

Capi, do give me feedback on ship to ship combat, do the scores make sense within a variable range.

Ron

 

[Ron B]

While we're wishing... fog of war would be nice. I know where my opponent starts, and can branch from there and track his every move.

FOW is definitely on my todo list but want to get the game mechanics right first. Strangely i feel the multitide of systems act like a pseudo FOW.

WLawrence, since you are actively playing, do suggest ideas to make it more interesting, i dont want the game to be too one dimensional.

Ron

 

[Ron B]

I was going to suggest the same thing - it would add a substantial strategic element to the game.

Hi Capi,

Just wanted to run an idea by you. I am considering keeping a lower limit to ship destuction i.e.strength 1 instead of 0. This way even if you come back after a while your fleet will be more or less intact (but harmless) instead of being wiped out completely. Then you can start rebuilding. What do you think?

 

[capi3101]

Haha, happened to me too while testing. Without some heavy battleship, cruiser components its difficult. A trio of heavy bombers can also do the job.

Capi, do give me feedback on ship to ship combat, do the scores make sense within a variable range.

Ron

To be honest, combat confuses me.

I'm still trying to figure out what the difference is between Heavy Attack and Light Attack; if it's based solely on the Panzer General model it has something to do with whether or not the unit is "entrenched", right? And then the unit's "combat strength" plays into things as well, though I'm not sure how. My general strategy has been "attack target with a unit that has higher attack ratings than the target's defense rating and watch it go boom", and then get annoyed when my stuff gets heavily damaged while theirs hardly gets damaged at all, or be surprised when my unit isn't damaged while there's suffers massive overkill. Seriously, that happened the other day.

The one that really confounds me is when I'm attacking shipyards and my units suffer damage. Don't shipyards have attack ratings of zero?

There's definitely some re-balancing of the units that needs to take place (as an example, there's little difference between the Fralthi-I and the Rigakh, except the Fralthi has the higher Heavy Attack rating while the Rigakh is more expensive - so why would you ever want to buy a Rigakh?). At the moment, I'm finding fighters and particularly bombers to be of very limited use overall. Maybe they'd be helpful if you were doing a zergling rush or something of that nature; I haven't tried that as a strategy as yet.

Hi Capi,

Just wanted to run an idea by you. I am considering keeping a lower limit to ship destuction i.e.strength 1 instead of 0. This way even if you come back after a while your fleet will be more or less intact (but harmless) instead of being wiped out completely. Then you can start rebuilding. What do you think?

I'd give this idea a qualified "maybe". I think that not being able to actually blow up the target was one of the things people hated about Prophecy...and at the moment there really isn't much else to do in the game besides try and wipe out the other players.

Perhaps it'd work if you set it up so that the damage limit is in place only when A) the player is not online and/or B) only in effect for certain assets. That way a player could lose units if they were being stupid (like say assaulting a planet with a weak unit such as a Ralaxath). It might also work as an option that could be toggled on or off by whoever sets up the game (i.e. "normal" versus "hardcore" gameplay modes).

I do think the idea has merit but I'd have to give it some more thought.

 

[WLawrence]

FOW is definitely on my todo list but want to get the game mechanics right first. Strangely i feel the multitide of systems act like a pseudo FOW.

WLawrence, since you are actively playing, do suggest ideas to make it more interesting, i dont want the game to be too one dimensional.

Ron

I think the game is really close to playable. You've done excellent work. In my mind, there are two CRITICAL items, and some less critical stuff.

Critical:
1 - Credits - Get merchants up and running, allow for a scheduled, per turn injection based on assets controlled, or just allow a lump sum to be dumped in every player's account every few turns. Right now, you splurge on a fleet and watch it slowly fall apart. Conquering anything yields fewer resources than it costs. For example, there's no way conquering New Constantinople costs fewer than 500 credits in damage/destruction. This is a huge blocking issue on the game right now. A legit game-stopper, for me.

2 - Fighters - I feel like the fighter aspect of the game is very underserved. Carriers can't repair them yet, they don't move far enough, and they lack punch. Fighter combat was such a huge part of the WC universe, I'd love to see it beefed up. Here are a pair of asks I think would be very neat:
A - Carriers can repair fighters. This would instantly make both Carriers and Fighters useful/relevant
B - Increased moving distance for fighters. Let them really be a screen for your fleet, and a threat to attack at long distance.

Assorted other things:
FOW would be great. Yes, it is difficult to keep track of everything due to the number of systems, but it's really easy for me to click on a system I'm about to jump into and know I'm heading into a trap.

I would also love some FAQ love about the various ships/types of attacks. Why, for example, do Waterloo Cruisers absolutely stink at planetary bombardment? Why is a Gilgamesh destroyer superior in that task to the Waterloo, and arguably the Mythology (in my experience, at least)?

Variable turn length - I know we've discussed this already, but I would love the ability to speed up or slow down the turn interval mid-game. Let me adjust based on at work, off work, weekend, etc. Or offer a flat out turn-based mode of play.

I'll try to think of more, but those are the big asks right now.

 

[Ron B]

I think the game is really close to playable. You've done excellent work. In my mind, there are two CRITICAL items, and some less critical stuff.

Critical:
1 - Credits - Get merchants up and running, allow for a scheduled, per turn injection based on assets controlled, or just allow a lump sum to be dumped in every player's account every few turns. Right now, you splurge on a fleet and watch it slowly fall apart. Conquering anything yields fewer resources than it costs. For example, there's no way conquering New Constantinople costs fewer than 500 credits in damage/destruction. This is a huge blocking issue on the game right now. A legit game-stopper, for me.

2 - Fighters - I feel like the fighter aspect of the game is very underserved. Carriers can't repair them yet, they don't move far enough, and they lack punch. Fighter combat was such a huge part of the WC universe, I'd love to see it beefed up. Here are a pair of asks I think would be very neat:
A - Carriers can repair fighters. This would instantly make both Carriers and Fighters useful/relevant
B - Increased moving distance for fighters. Let them really be a screen for your fleet, and a threat to attack at long distance.

Assorted other things:
FOW would be great. Yes, it is difficult to keep track of everything due to the number of systems, but it's really easy for me to click on a system I'm about to jump into and know I'm heading into a trap.

I would also love some FAQ love about the various ships/types of attacks. Why, for example, do Waterloo Cruisers absolutely stink at planetary bombardment? Why is a Gilgamesh destroyer superior in that task to the Waterloo, and arguably the Mythology (in my experience, at least)?

Variable turn length - I know we've discussed this already, but I would love the ability to speed up or slow down the turn interval mid-game. Let me adjust based on at work, off work, weekend, etc. Or offer a flat out turn-based mode of play.

I'll try to think of more, but those are the big asks right now.

Thank you for the awesome feedback. All the points are noted and doable. Will update you when the next set of changes gets online.

Thanks again.

Ron

 

[WLawrence]

It might also be interesting (if possible) to give Carriers some additional capabilities. Maybe they could deploy fighters? Or would there be a way for fighters to "dock."

Reactive movement or a "sentry mode," especially given the turn structure, would also be interesting. If you get within range of one of my ships, and that ship has not attacked in the current turn, it'll attack you as you approach. That way, I could possibly set escorts around crucial ships/assets.

 

[Ron B]

Hi,

In case anyone was wondering where i had dissappeared to, I was taking a long hard look at the game playability factor. The game dynamics are working fine but there is no fun factor or punch to it. Afterall a game must have a gamification element.

So i went back to the drawing board and have started on the following update
- Players start with a nice back story and unique profiles such as raider, merchant, fleet, militia etc.
- Players start with a very small fleet which they need ti grow
- Multiple sources of credit and freebies when capturing installations.
- Game wide comm between players and in game updates and announcements.
- More failure points like engine malfunctions and crew mutinies.

Would love your views on the above.

Ron

 

[Iceblade]

Maybe make the profile affect certain factors. For instance, crew mutinies are rare with fleets, but common with raiders. And then have something placement it out like maintenance/crew costs being much higher for fleets compared to raiders.

 

[capi3101]

You might tie malfs and mutinies in with the ship's overall health - sort of a "morale" factor that worsens as the ship takes damage. For example, you've got a battleship that's down to Strength=2 and you order it to attack. That crew ain't going to be happy with you at all...

I agree that the game is missing something. I'd offer "defined objectives" as an element to include at some point - you know, stuff like "wipe out the bad guys" or "make sure that X ship makes it to Y system at all costs". The original Star Control (SC1, not SC2 or the crapwad that is SC3) might be useful as a source of inspiration for potential campaign goals (if you don't get dizzy playing the thing).

 

[Ron B]

You might tie malfs and mutinies in with the ship's overall health - sort of a "morale" factor that worsens as the ship takes damage. For example, you've got a battleship that's down to Strength=2 and you order it to attack. That crew ain't going to be happy with you at all...

I agree that the game is missing something. I'd offer "defined objectives" as an element to include at some point - you know, stuff like "wipe out the bad guys" or "make sure that X ship makes it to Y system at all costs". The original Star Control (SC1, not SC2 or the crapwad that is SC3) might be useful as a source of inspiration for potential campaign goals (if you don't get dizzy playing the thing).

Hi Capi,

Can you help me come up with a few set profiles for players.
Eg. Raiders, backstory, what ships to start off with, possible goal set etc.
5-10 for each faction.

 

[capi3101]

Sure, I'd be willing to help out. I'll need to give it some thought but I'll try to have something for you later today.

 

[Ron B]

Sure, I'd be willing to help out. I'll need to give it some thought but I'll try to have something for you later today.

Thanks, you're the best!

Ron

 

[Ron B]

Maybe make the profile affect certain factors. For instance, crew mutinies are rare with fleets, but common with raiders. And then have something placement it out like maintenance/crew costs being much higher for fleets compared to raiders.

Yup, sounds right. Thanks

Ron

 

[WLawrence]

Hi,

In case anyone was wondering where i had dissappeared to, I was taking a long hard look at the game playability factor. The game dynamics are working fine but there is no fun factor or punch to it. Afterall a game must have a gamification element.

So i went back to the drawing board and have started on the following update
- Players start with a nice back story and unique profiles such as raider, merchant, fleet, militia etc.
- Players start with a very small fleet which they need ti grow
- Multiple sources of credit and freebies when capturing installations.
- Game wide comm between players and in game updates and announcements.
- More failure points like engine malfunctions and crew mutinies.

Would love your views on the above.

Ron

- I'd love to see the starting credits/fleet customizable. Give me the option to grab a buddy, build a pair of uber fleets and just go to war, or start with nothing and build up an empire.
- Might also be cool if a game could have multiple systems as a starting point.
- Elite units / Aces / Experience? It would be really cool if success in combat made a unit more valuable.

 

[Ron B]

- I'd love to see the starting credits/fleet customizable. Give me the option to grab a buddy, build a pair of uber fleets and just go to war, or start with nothing and build up an empire.
- Might also be cool if a game could have multiple systems as a starting point.
- Elite units / Aces / Experience? It would be really cool if success in combat made a unit more valuable.

Hi,

Yes. Am planning on starting off gamers with next to nothing and they must build an empire. Selection on what type of role raider, fleet, pirate etc at the beggining will give different experiences. Capi is gonna give me these profile configs. Experience is already built into the system, just not activated it yet.

Thanks for your continued feedback and support.

Ron