Game Designer Needed, I can program Vassal

Want a simultaneous turn-based game, but don’t feel like spending time designing it.

2 ideas off top of my head.

Idea 1: Strategic. Square tiles. Attack/Defend square. Attribute-based (attack strength, defense strength, terrain bonuses, etc). When 2 armies move into same tile, they both attack each other, no defense bonus. The turn ends with both armies still on same tile. Next turn, both armies can decide to retreat to any adjacent tile. The army that stays will have attack bonus killing retreating enemies. And so on.

Idea 2: Tactical. Move, Aim, Run, Reload. Walls, aim area, field of vision, etc.

I want a dedicated game designer. I’ll provide the Vassal programming. I want a game I will enjoy. I enjoy strategy/tactics, no dice-rolling (but Idea 1 can allow for some dice maths).

If you need to check my Vassal programming ability, let me know. I’ll finish rewriting Pandemic module to get it 100% automated (it’s currently all dumb board game pieces). Gimme 2 days to rewrite this. I’m afraid I’m stepping into a not-so-active community, so am holding out on rewriting Pandemic. Gimme a holler!

Hey guys! No response to this?

I’ve been thinking. Civilization 5 is a good place to start. I’ve always had trouble with using horses for “harass and retreat”. Horses need to gain experience and promotions for quite a while before they gain the trait of “move after attack”. Only then can my horses safely harass the enemy and retreat safely.

[size=150]Avoiding Potential Ability for Slower Unit to Sidestep Faster Unit Forever[/size]

A swordsman with speed 1 can keep “dancing around” (sidestepping 1 hex in some haphazard pattern) to avoid a horse with speed 2. That is the current problem with simultaneous turn-based time-keeping.

To fix that, each unit that has a movement speed greater than 1 hex will “move again”. Say a horse unit has movement speed of 2 hexes. I can instruct it to move 1 hex during the planning phase. Swordsman tries to sidestep by moving 1 hex in a direction as unpredictable as possible. During the execution phase, both the horse and swordsman move 1 hex. Thus, the horse has 1 movement point remaining, and the swordsman has 0. Then comes another planning phase. The horse unit can be instructed to move 1 hex again, thus catching up with the swordsman. When all units have 0 movement points remaining, replenish their movement points to their max.

In code logic:

[]All units expend movement points[/]
[]Units have max movement points equal to their movement speed[/]
[]Movement points are replenished to max when all units have 0 movement points remaining[/]

[size=150]Realistic Chasing of Slow Units with Fast Units[/size]

Say a horse and swordsman are 1 hex apart. That is, the horse moving 2 hexes will occupy the hex the swordsman is in. Say my horse unit has a movement speed of 2 hexes. I can instruct my horse unit to move 1 hex towards an enemy swordsman unit. Say the swordsman is anticipating my horse to charge to him, and so he plans to run backwards 1 hex. During the execution phase, both horse and swordsman move in the same direction, so they now still have 1 hex between them.

During the next planning phase, only the horse can move. I instruct the horse to move towards the swordsman. After this execution phase, there will then be 0 hexes between horse and swordsman.

2 planning phases later, the horse will have successfully caught up with the swordsman.

Sounds like the horse is slower than in traditional turn-based time-keeping? That’s because traditional turn-based time-keeping had to limit the speed of the horse to 2, due to the time-keeping limitations. In reality, the horse should be 5! 60km/h is 5 times greater than 12km/h.

And there you have it. A terribly realistic simulation of movement speed in war games!

[size=150]Ability to Withdraw From Fight (Live to Fight Again)[/size]

Now the horse has caught up with the swordsman, and is in the same hex as the swordsman.

The horse is instructed to stay put, which is to fight the swordsman. The swordsman is instructed to retreat another hex. During the execution phase, the horse deals damage to the swordsman, but receives no damage in return, since the swordsman is retreating and not fighting.

[size=150]Executing a True “Harass and Retreat” with Fast Units[/size]

Say the horse and swordsman are now right next to each other. The swordsman is cornered. There is a pikeman behind the swordsman. During the planning phase, the swordsman is instructed to move into the pikeman’s hex. The pikeman is instructed to move into the swordsman’s hex. The horse is instructed to move into the pikeman’s hex. Note that because the pikeman belongs to an enemy nation, the horse’s player did not know that the pikeman and swordsman have swapped hexes.

During the execution phase, the horse finds itself in the pikeman’s hex.

Now, the horse is instructed to retreat 1 hex. The pikeman and swordsman stand ground.

During the execution phase, the pikeman deals damage to the horse without taking damage itself.

Without the pikeman as backup, the swordsman would have taken heavy losses or even perished from the horse’s attacks. So, this time-keeping method allows combined arms tactics plus formation tactics.

The horse is also able to retreat after harassing the swordsman. With its superior speed, it can run back to base to heal up.

[size=150]Really Need Help on this Project[/size]

I just wanna play this soon. If somebody steals this idea, I’d be delighted. If a group of folks wanna work with me on this to complete the project within 2 weeks, I’d be delighted too.

Please. Somebody. Anybody. Help?

If there a more collaborators here, then I’ll work with VassalEngine. If not, I’ll be trying to work on FreeCiv instead… here.

But honestly, is it better for me to take this simultaneous turn-based idea to FreeCiv instead of doing it in VassalEngine?

Ok, I’ve properly rewritten my Simultaneous Turn-based Time-keeping idea at here.

Game developers, if you intend to sell a game like this, contact me! I’ll code for you for free! Somebody, anybody, think about this? Won’t this revolutionize turn-based games?

Joel, if you wanna do this with me, think about how Vassal will be the first and foremost in bringing true tactics in turn-based games? Brent? People?

Thus spake viewofheaven:

Ok, I’ve properly rewritten my Simultaneous Turn-based Time-keeping idea
at here[1].

Game developers, if you intend to sell a game like this, contact me!
I’ll code for you for free! Somebody, anybody, think about this? Won’t
this revolutionize turn-based games?

Joel, if you wanna do this with me, think about how Vassal will be the
first and foremost in bringing true tactics in turn-based games? Brent?
People?

[1] forums.wesnoth.org/viewtopic.php … 85#p511085

I noticed that you added your feature request to the bug tracker at SF,
where nobody will ever see it. The SF bug tracker is there only as a
backup. The one we use is here: vassalengine.org/tracker/


J.

Oh, then file away the thread at here?