Those of you brave enough to browse my scrappy notes may have noticed that I was brainstorming a resource system for my futuristic RTS concept. I am still adamant that the more logical option, despite being a HUGE fan of T.A and Supreme Commander, is the single, not dual (energy/metal) resource system. The main reason for this is that it fits in with my ideas for linking the expansion of ones empire very directly to resource income in order to promote (but not insist upon) continuing growth.
This single resource which could be regarded as ‘energy’ or ‘finances’ etc, then links into two main areas of the game; research and production. Research is centered around the classical turn-based Space Empires-esq ‘tech tree’ system. Production is of course, anything to do with the actual building, maintenance, repair or reclamation of items within ones empire.
As much as I love T.A, I want to get away from its reliance on good eco-management skills and make RTS even more action packed and strategy/movement centered. The building of energy-metal converters and so on is a fine concept but it does detract slightly from the core notion of warfare and expansion of empire.
A general on the battlefield may be concerned with feeding, housing and entertaining troops, but that is a secondary concern to his or her main directive – to win the battle. These tasks would probably be designated further down the chain of command. I wish to simulate this using very simple core concepts. In my mind one can only achieve this with a single resource system, tied directly to the expansion of empire. In this way one is able to control and influence resource management in a less intensive and more strategic manner.
The ‘base’ unit is a core component. The base is a ‘generic’ unit which can be laid in almost any position on the map (according to strategic or economic significance of the terrain) and modified heavily just as mobile units can be – using re/attachable modules (researched/upgraded via the tech tree.) Immediately after placement the generic base unit gathers/harvests resources according to its ‘rate’ and ‘area’ of income. I’m not going to get too much into the mechanics of these base units now but just assume that there are many variables and ways to modify the base unit, as well as to connect them closely or at a distance from the main base/empire to control efficiency, security etc.
So resources begin flowing in. One might begin building defensive units to protect ones empire or patrol the borders of claimed territory. One could also invest in research, such as better engineering suites of bases (in order to ramp up production of resources) or in unit weaponry (to prepare an assault on ones opponent). Both choices would drain global resources. I have deeply considered resource storage. Initially I was in two minds about how to manage the problem (i.e more resources are coming in than available storage, therefore resources are wasted).
My first thought was to think ‘traditionally’ – about storage units, whether as an inherent function of a given unit or via the attachable modules I have proposed (possible upgraded via the tech tree). However I believe a nice way to automate this process in the style of this futuristic RTS concept is to simply integrate it into the game mechanics. The way I have tried to achieve this is through bases which, just as units, actually ‘grow’ and gain power or veterancy over time.
When I say grow, this is in part actual physical growth in the size of the base (a neat way to visualize the relative status of a given base without resorting to UI menus etc.) As it grows it stores more resources accordingly to prevent waste. It also means that over time your base units, if protected, actually spread out slowly like a creeper plant and gather more and more resources for your empire. Their efficiency is gradually improved, as is the efficiency of any attached modules (one may create a fortress of it, or a mass production centre according to need). However this also has a catch, you suddenly place a lot of proverbial eggs into one big basket, so to speak. It makes your nice fat swollen base-fortress a tempting target! What a huge resource blow that would be, to have your #1 production base bombed suddenly out of existence! You’d lose storage capability as well as resource income. So a natural balance is created.
There is also another layer to this, which again I shan’t go into too much detail about here. Your bases can be ‘connected’, via a sort of resource pipeline (think oil, electricity or broadband connections!). This serves several vital functions:
- Distribution of resources during economic growth to all the empire.
- Provides a ‘backup’ of excess resources gathered at a specific (high-value) location.
- Injects enormous depth, realism and strategic potential into the game (i.e cutting off supply lines).
- Adds tactical choice and complexity but in a clear intuitive visual form.
For example, rather than continually expand a certain base, you could choose to redirect the resources back to other bases that may be less productive, which are connected via these ‘pipelines’. Rather than one base grow to 200% of its original size, for example, you have 3 or 4 that each expand just a little bit. Or you could swell a single base to great size, creating a vast fortress or shipyard at the borders of your enemies territory. Being able to drag-and-drop these supply lines from one base to another (at a high initial production cost of course) would be quick and simple. One might draw a line or curved path (see my draw tool concept) to avoid certain areas or let the AI choose the most efficient (straightest?) connection path. Multiple supply lines could be laid and bases interconnected to streamline efficiency through the empire. Protection of these supply lines would be key. They would need to be vulnerable to attack but the very fact that they are basically ‘long thin lines’ which can be broken at any single point along them, clearly adds a nice element of risk to laying them in the first place.
Very distant bases can be connected, but the ‘pipeline’ costs would of course be greater and risk of attacks along them higher. In terms of resources and production I think the idea fits well with my higher emphasis on strategy and action, with economic concerns secondary to yet without excluding, the other. It ties them together intuitively. As players we’d spend less time furiously shift-clicking or queuing up intricate lines of wind farms, solar collectors, metal extractors or energy-metal converters, constantly trying to balance the two (all whilst fending off an assault of tanks and artillery from the west!).
Clearly there are questions raised about technical implementation and the gameplay implications of this concept and I intend to address specifics when I have more time and if there is sufficient interest. Please feel free to post comments or leave some (constructive!) criticisms. As I slowly unravel my RTS concept throughout these posts I hope that the pieces of the puzzle will begin to reveal the bigger picture. My next post will probably be regarding the units themselves and how I intend to break from classical (and I think absurd) notions of hit-points and what I call ‘non-deconstructible’ units!
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Filed under: Posts by Luke, RTS Concept , base, depth, energy, metal, production, resources, rts, strategy, supcom, supply lines, supreme commander, TA, units
The single resource model is certainly interesting, it makes the resource part simpler and indeed puts the focus on warfare. Actually, games like Command & Conquer have a single resource (money) and it works well.
I think the supply lines are good too, that way the enemy does have the ability to cut off certain important resource – centered bases. The supply lines should be like railroads, so you can use it for fast transport of units between bases.
Also, I think it would be great to have a limited number of resource points (metal spots, mass spots, whatever you want to call them) of which you can reclaim the resource when you build a base on top of it. The actual production depends on the size of the deposit, and the tech level of the mining components on the base.
The idea of an expandable base is good too, then you can have a central component and you can add parts to it, like turrets, production areas, staging areas, take-off areas, inter-base teleports, shielding, armor, or even artistic parts just to make it look pretty.
Hey Stan! Thanks for reading, actually just today I come up with some more specifics about the resource system and how it relates to automating tasks and expanding your empire etc. I have also thought more about how the terrain provides the distributed resources in a way which is balanced and intuitively ‘progressive’. However there is no reason why one couldn’t have a limited number of high resource/mass/energy points also, but I’m still doing some calculations as to how this might integrate smoothly. I’d still like to focus more on the wider strategic dis/advantages of terrain, not purely on the immediate economic value of it which traditional RTS ‘resource points’ tend to encourage.