What I would like is for the player to actually make some command decisions as a squadron leader / CAG / carrier commander. Blair was CAG on the Victory and commanded the Intrepid for half of WCIV--let's have the player able to assign the individual pilots' missions to accomplish the objectives, and then choose a wingman (or two or three) and lead the charge. It's Wing COMMANDER, after all.
Realistic wishlist of features for a new WC game
- Thread starter YCDTD
- Start date
Blast from the past. Some reflections after playing WC3 again.
I want enemies to flee the battlefield again if they get badly damaged and to eject before their craft are destroyed. In WC3 it seems like when I destroy a fighter it's the explosion that ejects them! I also want to be able to escape as well if I have accomplished the primary mission objectives but am too badly damaged to continue.
Avionics. Bigger fighters should have more powerful sensors that allows their missile weapons a better chance of ignoring decoys or enemy ECM at longer ranges or even to engage multiple opponents at once.
More loadout choice: Do you want to take that torpedo on your HF-66 or would 6 extra missiles better suit the mission? I love the idea of decloaking in front of a corvette and dropping a mine or two at point blank range! The Kilrathi never utilized their stealth fighters properly after taking out The Tiger's Claw! Speaking of mines...
...they should be much more effective - weaker than torps, but more powerful than the dumbfires (one mine should take out anything smaller than a Destroyer).
SARH missiles (did the Swarmer Pods from WCP already do this?)
Better missile balance: dumbfires should be much faster and more powerful than tracking missiles, Heat-seekers should be more difficult to evade than Imrecs etc.
Anyone have other ideas from playing some more recent space sims?
I want enemies to flee the battlefield again if they get badly damaged and to eject before their craft are destroyed. In WC3 it seems like when I destroy a fighter it's the explosion that ejects them! I also want to be able to escape as well if I have accomplished the primary mission objectives but am too badly damaged to continue.
Avionics. Bigger fighters should have more powerful sensors that allows their missile weapons a better chance of ignoring decoys or enemy ECM at longer ranges or even to engage multiple opponents at once.
More loadout choice: Do you want to take that torpedo on your HF-66 or would 6 extra missiles better suit the mission? I love the idea of decloaking in front of a corvette and dropping a mine or two at point blank range! The Kilrathi never utilized their stealth fighters properly after taking out The Tiger's Claw! Speaking of mines...
...they should be much more effective - weaker than torps, but more powerful than the dumbfires (one mine should take out anything smaller than a Destroyer).
SARH missiles (did the Swarmer Pods from WCP already do this?)
Better missile balance: dumbfires should be much faster and more powerful than tracking missiles, Heat-seekers should be more difficult to evade than Imrecs etc.
Anyone have other ideas from playing some more recent space sims?
Thunderbolt
Rear Admiral
I always thought the mission design in WC3 and 4 was a bit underdeveloped. What I mean is it would be nice if certain actions you performed had more influence on missions.
WC Saga had one enjoyable mission (Freya 2) where you have do defend a jump point from a Kilrathi incursion. But at a previous nav point you had to save a light carrier battlegroup from destruction. If you save the battlegroup they support you a missile strike and a bomber squad which makes it easier to defend the jump point. Otherwise if you lose the battlegroup the next objective becomes even more difficult.
Thats one example - I think WC5 started to do this a bit more.
WC Saga had one enjoyable mission (Freya 2) where you have do defend a jump point from a Kilrathi incursion. But at a previous nav point you had to save a light carrier battlegroup from destruction. If you save the battlegroup they support you a missile strike and a bomber squad which makes it easier to defend the jump point. Otherwise if you lose the battlegroup the next objective becomes even more difficult.
Thats one example - I think WC5 started to do this a bit more.
Bandit LOAF
Long Live the Confederation!
Pacific Strike is a good one to look at for both that sort of design and to understand why no one really bothers with it elsewhere. The game made a huge effort to be fully dynamic: it tracks the Japanese fleet based on your previous missions and depending on what carriers, battleships, etc. survive every further mission will have different enemies. It's a LOT of scripting and effort... and unfortunately while it's wonderful it's pretty much imperceptible to the average player going through the game. So instead you have designs that focus on one or two really visible set pieces or decisions changing things later... it's easier and impresses the end user.
Jdawg
Rear Admiral
Ive been playing a lot of jrpgs lately, like the persona series, and the legend of heroes. One thing i would like to add to the wc universe from these games is the life social aspect. What that means is you have a lot of characters that want to interact with you but you only have so much time in a day, so it becomes a game in a game to keep friendships up along with training. So for example do you hang out with a co pilot to increase a bond or do you train to unlock a new gun for a ship, you can only choose one or the other bc of time.
L.I.F.
Vice Admiral
There is a clear need for a Wing Commander expansion for Sims 4, taking place in a carrier as you manage your daily life in it.
And now that I think about it, I'm barely joking, it could work very well even without playing the space shooter part.
Jdawg
Rear Admiral
Yeah at first this gameplay mechanic is distracting, bc as gamers your mind is programmed to want to do everything, but now you got to decide what is the best use of your in game time.
