Post by Ladorak on Apr 9, 2009 23:03:36 GMT -5
I may as well go over this now as the war will be coming up within a few weeks here, and I'd like to get everyone acclimated before the battles start so that we're all ready to roll.
I plan to implement a unique battlefield system that relies equally on player decisions as well as chance. This should make it as realistic as possible when it comes to constructing battles both on land and on the sea. First and foremost, I'll lay out a general background of the battle and provide troop strength, commanding generals, and the situation that each army is in. Some will have specific goals to accomplish, others will have more liberal and interpretive goals that will be left up to player discretion. Also, some armies might start at a disadvantage or an advantage over the other, but that'll be to mix things up.
So then comes the next stage after that is read. The choosing of who gets to play the generals in case of the land battles, or choosing what ships one wants to command in case of the naval battles. Anyone can play a general or pick whatever ship one wants (unless one has an actual character that is a general already, or one is in command of a ship as per their character bio) and after that is all sorted out, the contest begins!
Whichever side has initiative (that will be randomly determined each time) gets to go first. They can immediately choose to pass their turn though if they don't wish to go first, but that will surrender initiative to the other side. So the commanding general that has initiative can do several things. They can choose to move their troops (or ships) in a movement phase. Troops can only move so much per turn, and sometimes you won't be able to reach your enemy right away. After movement phase is over (if there was any) then it enters the action phase. I'll be serving as moderator for most of these battles, and each general will be PMing me their move choices to keep it fair so that the other side can't make unfair (and unrealistic) reactions.
So in the action phase a general can choose to order units (played by other players) to engage in an attack, charge them with bayonets, shoot artillery long range or short range (provided a friendly unit isn't in the way), or in the case of ships order maybe a squadron or your entire line to engage the enemy either by attempting to break the enemy's line or by sailing in a straight line of battle and exchanging broadsides. You can do as MANY actions as you want, (but only one per unit) but once you end your turn that's it.
Combat factors in several things. How strong is your unit compared to the one you're attacking? Generally you SHOULD engage a weaker unit with a stronger one as superior numbers almost always has the advantage unless the opponent has an excellent defensive position (and a lot of massed artillery XD). So that goes into a chart with numbers on it, and then a few calculations are made, and some dice are rolled (similar to D and D) and if you have a very strong advantage, the odds will be in your favor, whereas if you have a weaker advantage (say your opponent is about as strong as you are) then chance will be more of a determining factor.
Outcomes can vary. Sometimes the opponent will be routed and flee (depending on their morale), stand their ground and a stand up fight will ensue, whereas combat will have to be sustained until a unit either breaks or is withdrawn from combat. The last option would be that the attacking force is repulsed and takes casualties.
Casualties will be assessed from how long a unit is engaged, and how accurate fire currently is. The first side to achieve all of their objectives wins the fight. If no one side achieves all of them but one comes close, that side can claim victory. This victory will effect the overall campaign, as will the defeat of the opponent. Let's say Kostritz invades Rosferia but gets stopped and loses a battle somewhere inside Rosferia. Depending on casualties that army took, Kostritz may withdraw from Rosferia altogether or try to come up with a different strategy to continue reaching whatever their goal is, be it to take Cosnair, or a certain fort or destroy a certain army or even defend a certain place, whatever really.
The ONLY way to end a war itself is one of two ways. Either capture the enemy's capital city, or inflict so many defeats that they're forced to sue for peace because their armed forces are in shambles and they have to focus on rebuilding. Sometimes a nation may drop out of the conflict because it has it's own problems or because circumstances change for it and it no longer wishes to fight, in which case that will be determined by me. Other nations may ally with Rosferia if Rosferia does well, and that will really even the odds.
Naval combat of course is different from land. Players can have their ships fire at rigging to disable an enemy vessel, or into the hull to kill the other shipbeasts. Boarding is also possible as well, but make SURE you have more marines than the enemy does, or that you've killed more of the enemy so that you'd outnumber them for a boarding attack to work. Generally, ships did NOT sink in this era of combat (so it's not like the movies), as they would typically surrender before they could sink, but every so often ships will blow up with a lucky hit to the magazine or if a fire is set on board. Sometimes damage will be so severe that the ship will sink, but that won't typically happen as said because it would have to be hit so many times that most of the crew would be dead by that point and most Captains would surrender rather than slaughter their crew. If a ship surrenders, then naturally it passes into the navy of the other side for service with that country.
So that's essentially how combat is going to break down. Losses will be assessed after each battle, and at the end of every year assessments will be made on who made the most effective general, what side is winning overall, etc. I'm thinking of maybe awarding prizes to those who have the most victories under their belt, but not even sure what they would consist of at this rate. I'm really looking forward to this stuff, and if anyone has any questions, go ahead and ask, I'll clarify more later once war breaks out, this is just a general overview right now.
Also if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to make 'em.
I plan to implement a unique battlefield system that relies equally on player decisions as well as chance. This should make it as realistic as possible when it comes to constructing battles both on land and on the sea. First and foremost, I'll lay out a general background of the battle and provide troop strength, commanding generals, and the situation that each army is in. Some will have specific goals to accomplish, others will have more liberal and interpretive goals that will be left up to player discretion. Also, some armies might start at a disadvantage or an advantage over the other, but that'll be to mix things up.
So then comes the next stage after that is read. The choosing of who gets to play the generals in case of the land battles, or choosing what ships one wants to command in case of the naval battles. Anyone can play a general or pick whatever ship one wants (unless one has an actual character that is a general already, or one is in command of a ship as per their character bio) and after that is all sorted out, the contest begins!
Whichever side has initiative (that will be randomly determined each time) gets to go first. They can immediately choose to pass their turn though if they don't wish to go first, but that will surrender initiative to the other side. So the commanding general that has initiative can do several things. They can choose to move their troops (or ships) in a movement phase. Troops can only move so much per turn, and sometimes you won't be able to reach your enemy right away. After movement phase is over (if there was any) then it enters the action phase. I'll be serving as moderator for most of these battles, and each general will be PMing me their move choices to keep it fair so that the other side can't make unfair (and unrealistic) reactions.
So in the action phase a general can choose to order units (played by other players) to engage in an attack, charge them with bayonets, shoot artillery long range or short range (provided a friendly unit isn't in the way), or in the case of ships order maybe a squadron or your entire line to engage the enemy either by attempting to break the enemy's line or by sailing in a straight line of battle and exchanging broadsides. You can do as MANY actions as you want, (but only one per unit) but once you end your turn that's it.
Combat factors in several things. How strong is your unit compared to the one you're attacking? Generally you SHOULD engage a weaker unit with a stronger one as superior numbers almost always has the advantage unless the opponent has an excellent defensive position (and a lot of massed artillery XD). So that goes into a chart with numbers on it, and then a few calculations are made, and some dice are rolled (similar to D and D) and if you have a very strong advantage, the odds will be in your favor, whereas if you have a weaker advantage (say your opponent is about as strong as you are) then chance will be more of a determining factor.
Outcomes can vary. Sometimes the opponent will be routed and flee (depending on their morale), stand their ground and a stand up fight will ensue, whereas combat will have to be sustained until a unit either breaks or is withdrawn from combat. The last option would be that the attacking force is repulsed and takes casualties.
Casualties will be assessed from how long a unit is engaged, and how accurate fire currently is. The first side to achieve all of their objectives wins the fight. If no one side achieves all of them but one comes close, that side can claim victory. This victory will effect the overall campaign, as will the defeat of the opponent. Let's say Kostritz invades Rosferia but gets stopped and loses a battle somewhere inside Rosferia. Depending on casualties that army took, Kostritz may withdraw from Rosferia altogether or try to come up with a different strategy to continue reaching whatever their goal is, be it to take Cosnair, or a certain fort or destroy a certain army or even defend a certain place, whatever really.
The ONLY way to end a war itself is one of two ways. Either capture the enemy's capital city, or inflict so many defeats that they're forced to sue for peace because their armed forces are in shambles and they have to focus on rebuilding. Sometimes a nation may drop out of the conflict because it has it's own problems or because circumstances change for it and it no longer wishes to fight, in which case that will be determined by me. Other nations may ally with Rosferia if Rosferia does well, and that will really even the odds.
Naval combat of course is different from land. Players can have their ships fire at rigging to disable an enemy vessel, or into the hull to kill the other shipbeasts. Boarding is also possible as well, but make SURE you have more marines than the enemy does, or that you've killed more of the enemy so that you'd outnumber them for a boarding attack to work. Generally, ships did NOT sink in this era of combat (so it's not like the movies), as they would typically surrender before they could sink, but every so often ships will blow up with a lucky hit to the magazine or if a fire is set on board. Sometimes damage will be so severe that the ship will sink, but that won't typically happen as said because it would have to be hit so many times that most of the crew would be dead by that point and most Captains would surrender rather than slaughter their crew. If a ship surrenders, then naturally it passes into the navy of the other side for service with that country.
So that's essentially how combat is going to break down. Losses will be assessed after each battle, and at the end of every year assessments will be made on who made the most effective general, what side is winning overall, etc. I'm thinking of maybe awarding prizes to those who have the most victories under their belt, but not even sure what they would consist of at this rate. I'm really looking forward to this stuff, and if anyone has any questions, go ahead and ask, I'll clarify more later once war breaks out, this is just a general overview right now.
Also if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to make 'em.