So, this is what I do at work all day, btw. Whore TW, and play at designing a game. This is just from TODAY, btw.
Game Mechanics –
Shuttles –
Able switch between layers of the game (space/ground) at will without any assistance (mass drivers). Used as transports for personnel and for cargo between planets, ships, bases, etc. over solar distances as well as within an atmosphere.
When in space they are capable of faster accelerations and better maneuvering than the smallest starships, but with far less endurance than a ship. As a general rule, shuttles can cross an entire solar system one-way without refueling.
When integrated into the ground game, shuttles can fly like any other atmospheric craft albeit with drastically reduced performance (due to atmospheric drag, weight, lack of maneuvering and lifting surfaces, etc). As a general rule, shuttles can outperform purely atmospheric transports but require far more in the way of fuel, making them less efficient.
Starfighters –
Able to switch between layers of the game (space/ground) at will, without any assistance (mass driver) like shuttles. Unlike shuttles, they do not have enough endurance to be used as personal transport across solar distances.
When in space, they are capable of extremely high accelerations and unparalleled maneuverability. This performance comes at the price of fuel endurance. Optimum usage of fighters is for space superiority, interception, and massed strikes against proper ships. Like starships, starfighters can be controlled in a limited fashion by AI so that a lack of players does not cripple their ability to be used when needed. Further, Player pilots can lead multiple AI controlled fighters into combat using the same script-tree command system used to control ships under AI command.
When integrated into the ground game, starfighters can fly and fight like atmospheric fighters, but with vastly degraded performance (due to atmospheric drag, weight, lack of maneuvering and lift surfaces, etc). As a general rule, no starfighter can outperform an atmofighter in terms of performance in atmosphere.
Ships –
Smaller (“Escort” level) ships able to switch between layers of the game (space/ground) at will but require assistance to reenter space (mass driver). Larger (“capital” level) ships can only enter the ground game by crashing.
In space, ships are the primary unit used for travel and for combat. They can go for many weeks without resupply or refueling (when not in combat) as well as travel from system to system via FTL jump.
When integrated into the ground game, (“Escort” level) ships function in a number of ways depending on the design and fit of each ship. Some ships, if landed in water, can function like a naval unit, others can function as a massive zeppelin, others as immobile bases, etc.
Ships, when their player commanders are offline or not assigned, can be controlled in a limited fashion by game AI. When a player captain logs out, he is taken to a screen where he can delegate orders to his ship to follow until he or a designated subordinate player returns using a simple script-tree menu. Possible options include maintaining orbit, setting a simple patrol area, engage at will, follow another ship, or even taking orders from a designated flagship (flagship allowed to issue commands via AI script-tree menu in real time).
Crashing is a mechanism that allows for destroyed ships to have a continuing effect on the game, by performing a special type of integration with the ground game. When a ship crashes, it causes a zone damage level change based on its size to occur to the zone that it has crashed into. In addition to this, a variant map is loaded that has a “landing” area where the ship model is placed in one of several possible areas that have simply been cleared of buildings and given an area of generic rubble on which to place the ship’s hull.
The ship model is an extremely damaged variant of the crashed ship, with various sections missing and others damaged, etc. Randomly selected areas of the ship will not take additional damage from the crash event (including cargo bays) allowing not only for the possible survival of some of the crew characters (only those logged in at time of event, others are listed as killed and their respawn token placed on designated homeworld) but for the survival of valuable and salvageable items as well. Because of this, crashed ships will become focal points for the ground game, as players move to rescue or kill survivors, steal or reclaim salvageable materiel and vehicles, download data from the ship’s computers, activate any surviving weapons or communications systems, or even detonate the ship’s self destruct (regardless of ship size, treated as a nuclear detonation for purposes of zone damage level).
Boarding is a specialized, limited version of ground combat that takes place within the ship in question. Attackers gain entry via a shuttle or direct docking with their mothership, and attempt to fight their way into the target ship and gain control. The defenders try and hold the ship until help arrives or the attackers run out of respawns (either case is unlikely, making defeat inevitable in most cases of boarding). Available respawns are calculated based on the ship’s crew and marine numbers – every slot on the ship not taken up by a casualty is added to the number of available respawns. Players and NPC’s respawn in selected locations at the commanding officer’s discretion – this allows for a more strategic use of resources, and prevents one side from bleeding the other by camping an area and killing automatic respawns of NPC’s or players. In these situations, all players and NPC’s by default spawn with a weak sidearm but must find or capture heavier weapons and ammunition which are considered as another resource. In the event the attack runs out of respawns, the defenders are given the option to attempt to capture whatever is docked with their ship. If it is a shuttle, it is automatically captured. If it is an actual ship, the scenario begins in reverse, but with the same resources available as at the end of the previous scenario. One option available to the defending team in these situations is self-destructing the ship, which can be done
Yes, yes, bored nerd, I know. Point is, I think about game design all the time. It keeps me busy when I havent had a helpdesk call in three hours.
