Going to make a SW Turn Based Naval Combat Game

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-02 04:20pm

For all of us who wanted Rebellion just for the space battles, but were
pissed that the rest of the game sucked major donkey dick....

I'm going to try and make it a pen-and-paper wargame FIRST, before
I try learning how to program it in......

So what features would you like me to incorporate into the game?

ISD Roll Rates?

Transporters? (just kidding!)

I'll have to go and get some naval wargames so I know how to model the
stuff right......(shep runs off)

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-02 04:22pm

Damn lack of an EDIT button....

Anyway, I decided to simply make a completely new game, because
looking at all the existing PC Wargames out there, I found that SW
in order to be faithfully recreated, needed a LOT more than what
was out there.....

I hope to get this game system to work with ST and also with just
about anything, including the Babylon 5 universe and the Honorverse....

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-02 04:27pm

I'm aiming for a TOAW look for the game, with 2D graphics, and I was thinking of learning Visual Basic for this project/game/hobby, and I saw
this package at COMPUSA, called DarkBASIC, and it looked....decent...

What would be the best thing for an absolute n00bie to learn in order
to produce a 2D game?

Laughing Mechanicus · Post by **Laughing Mechanicus** » 2002-11-02 06:06pm

When you say "absolute n00bie" what exactly do you mean, any experience with game creation or even game modding or just completely new to it all?

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2002-11-02 06:39pm

I'm in behind Shep.

Where can someone completely new to programming find what he said?

Soontir C'boath · Post by **Soontir C'boath** » 2002-11-02 06:56pm

Oh maaaaaaaaaaaan. That would be cool. I got sick and tired of the Imperial II fire 2 shots every 4 seconds rofl.

Cyaround,
Jason

Crazy_Vasey · Post by **Crazy_Vasey** » 2002-11-02 07:03pm

This is a fairly hefty project to try and take on with no experience at all. I'd recommend something like Java using their 2D graphics API, Java is pretty easy to code in and quite powerful. Normally I'd recommend C++ for games but really, this project won't need that and it would make the development a long and torturous experience for you starting with 0 experience.

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2002-11-02 07:15pm

Make it play faster than SFB and with a little more detail than battletech or renegade legion...

Make it so that you can actually complete a scenario oin one evening.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2002-11-02 09:08pm

A real good naval game to get would be Wooden Ships and Iron Men, though I think the company's out of business now. I would also look at air combat wargames, since in some ways the fighters are like WWII/Korea age fighters, just with the ability to attack ships from 360 degrees instead of 180.

Definitely add the ability to adjust the speed of the game. My friend and I are constantly arguing about what speed to run LAN games at, since I prefer more time to think than he does.

Good luck with the programming, I have enough trouble getting Excel to turn out a decent workbook.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-02 10:17pm

Aaron Ash wrote:When you say "absolute n00bie" what exactly do you mean, any experience with game creation or even game modding or just completely new to it all?

When I was a kid I used to program stuff in BASIC from this magazine
on my old tandy, so I'm not a total noobie to programming

...

I've made mods for XCOM which involved hex editing, etc

But if you mean building a computer game from the ground Up, yes, then
I'm a noobie

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-02 10:24pm

EmperorMing wrote:Make it play faster than SFB and with a little more detail than battletech or renegade legion...

Make it so that you can actually complete a scenario oin one evening.

I know what you mean. I don't like spending the entire night playing
one little scenario.

I was thinking of doing multiple versions, each with differeing detail levels
from simple to GROGNARDLY.

For example, Simple version has the ISD's firepower expressed
as 110/50 frontal meaning 110 laser and 50 ions....

Complicated version allows you to assign individual TL turrets to a target

It all depends on how much dice rolling you want to spend per turn...

Post by **weemadando** » 2002-11-03 06:49am

Can I recommend modding Janes Fleet Command?

Or possibly doing a Harpoon mod? Just for starters.

Lex · Post by **Lex** » 2002-11-03 07:02am

very good idea...but make sure that u can use the tractor beams...i missed that in rebellion!

Dooey Jo · Post by **Dooey Jo** » 2002-11-03 09:03am

If you don't have much programming experience, you can always try a game creation program. This particlular one is quite good, it has it's own programming language which is similar to javascript.

Post by **Vympel** » 2002-11-03 09:06am

Lex wrote:very good idea...but make sure that u can use the tractor beams...i missed that in rebellion!

Missed that in Rebellion? How do you mean? You miss using them, or Rebellion missed them? In the later case,

Tractor beams were in Rebellion ...

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-03 07:25pm

I have gotten these to work in DARKBASIC....

omegaLancer · Post by **omegaLancer** » 2002-11-03 07:33pm

If you are making a turn base game. there may be an easy way to do it without a lot of programing.. There is a Electronic War game design program called war engine, it basically allow you to create any kind of turn base war game, with a simple set of graphic and alternating weapons and units. It come with several pre made games. one being a space war game called Warspace..

it made by Sharpnel Games. a Demo of it can be downloaded from http://www.shrapnelgames.com/

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-03 07:35pm

omegaLancer wrote:If you are making a turn base game. there may be an easy way to do it without a lot of programing.. There is a Electronic War game design program called war engine, it basically allow you to create any kind of turn base war game, with a simple set of graphic and alternating weapons and units. It come with several pre made games. one being a space war game called Warspace..

it made by Sharpnel Games. a Demo of it can be downloaded from http://www.shrapnelgames.com/

Tried that a long time ago.....saw that it didn't have the necessary format
needed for SW....I want this to be as accurate as possible, and War Engine
doesn't cut it......

pellaeons_scion · Post by **pellaeons_scion** » 2002-11-03 09:01pm

I thought about doing that myself. But as I dont have a programming bone in my body I will have to wait til some one else with coding nouse decides to make one.

Would be fun though. Though RTS or sim style games are fun, I think a turn based 2d system would make for an entertaining sw game

good Luck MK!

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2002-11-04 01:45am

The big question would be; how are you going to do an AI for solo sessions...

Typhonis 1 · Post by **Typhonis 1** » 2002-11-04 01:59am

Hmm one idea would be hull points and shield points for the various units and a way to customize certain ships with points..like in BFG if you do a paper and pen game

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2002-11-04 04:51am

Do a mod first. Then tackle it from the ground up.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-04 09:54am

EmperorMing wrote:The big question would be; how are you going to do an AI for solo sessions...

That is still very, VERY VERY far off in the future.....

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-04 09:56am

EmperorMing wrote:Do a mod first. Then tackle it from the ground up.

Mod doesn't work.....Too much stuff unique to SW, such as repulsorlits...

It would be interesting if your ISD got a +2 bonus in speed or manuverability
due to it's use of it's repulsorlifts near a major gravitational body (like a planet)

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-04 09:58am

G1 will be a hybrid computer/human based wargame, with the computer
used to calculate those things that are very boring to humans, like multiple
dice rolls for individual TL turret headings, while the humans handle
the part of moving around micromachines on a hex grid and measuring
ranges with a piece of string....

AIM or another instant messaging program would work....

"Move ISD to hexgrid 1202"

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Going to make a SW Turn Based Naval Combat Game

Going to make a SW Turn Based Naval Combat Game

Re: Going to make a SW Turn Based Naval Combat Game

Which programming language is best?

First Screens From the game......

War engine

Re: War engine

My plans for GENERATION ONE