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[happymonster]

Hi guys,

I'm looking at making a X-Com / Laser Squad style game next (though without the alien invasion theme). As part of that I'm going to collect some ideas, features, design suggestions etc..

Do you have any suggestions, or ideas you want to contribute? I'm not promising they will be implemented, but it would be good to collect as many ideas as possible.

Current suggestions (both my own and others) :

"One thing that would be great is to allow infinite-undos. In X-Com, I would just save all the time anyway, so you may as well make that automatic and just let the player back up however many steps they wish."

Line of sight / Line of fire
Hidden movement
Opportunity fire
Smoke / Fire visual effects and gameplay (i.e. damage) effects
Destructable terrain
Multiple levels (buildings, terrain)
Different sizes of units (1 x 1, 2 x 2 tiles in size)
Different fire types (auto, snap, aim)
Vehicles
Auto-Defences (guns, robots, etc..)
Area effect weapons (grenades, rockets)
Equipment selection, armour types
Different enemy types
Multiplayer (upto 4 or more players on one map)
Teleporters
Remote controls (doors, guns, etc..)
Different Terrain types
Keycodes / Doors
'Monster' Generators
Lighting systems
Wrap around maps
Elevators
Force Fields
Movable platforms / walls
Areas of water where only some creatures can cross, live in (a bit like in laser squad in the Paradise Valley Mission)
Bridges (you can capture or destroy)
Sentry guns
Canyons, cliffs, and other impossible spaces

"Vault over fence.
Climb onto roof.
Drop pack (Less encumbered so more AP or less costly AP).
All of the JA2 interface enhancements.
Alien invasion theme."

"Build your bases and defend them
Upgrade your equipment by doing research on looted items and corpses
Commoners afraid running everywhere and blocking your view/aim
Melee fight possible with technological melee weapon (like the (laser or chainsaw, can't rememver) sword like in xcom 3)"

"-Ability to crack open doors/windows (peek)  
-Ability to barricade doors/windows
-Yell suggestions to civilians (Duck! Come Here! Run Away!)  
-A net gun.  Like, seriously.  They make ones that look like flashlights now.  I demand my Xcom squad has net guns.  
-Some sort of Black Market, where I can buy certain supplies.  The stock fluctuates and stuff, and occasionally somebody finds something rare and wants to sell it.  
-Deployable motion tracker system: set that baby down and if something moves you will know about i-I SEE YOU THERE CRYSALID COME OUT WITH YOUR CLAWS UP
-nuclear failsafes
-the need for nuclear failsafes
-outsource-able research: more expensive, but at least I don't have to feed scientists"

"I think the most important thing about X-COM was the named individuals.
It worked in X-COM because the characters were un-detailed enough that you could just extrapolate from their performance in combat, and build up these personalities over the course of the game.

I can still remember most of the people from my team, and what they did.n hospital."

"Themed missions: Protect the president, escort the scientist, hunt Chryssalid terrorist in the sewers. Stuff like that to break up monotony from the usual mop up the alien crash site battles."


Thank you,
Richard

[stevesan]

One thing that would be great is to allow infinite-undos. In X-Com, I would just save all the time anyway, so you may as well make that automatic and just let the player back up however many steps they wish.

[happymonster]

Thanks, I've added your suggestion to the list and added a few of my own to try to get the ball rolling.

[surt]

Vault over fence.
Climb onto roof.
Drop pack (Less encumbered so more AP or less costly AP).
All of the JA2 interface enhancements.
Alien invasion theme.

[happymonster]

What is the JA2 interface enhancements?

[Deidril]

Build your bases and defend them
Upgrade your equipment by doing research on looted items and corpses
Commoners afraid running everywhere and blocking your view/aim
Melee fight possible with technological melee weapon (like the (laser or chainsaw, can't rememver) sword like in xcom 3)

[happymonster]

Added! Thanks..

[xrabohrok]

Oh! Oh! Someone mentioned X-Com! I MUST SAY SOMETHING

-Ability to crack open doors/windows (peek) 
-Ability to barricade doors/windows
-Yell suggestions to civilians (Duck! Come Here! Run Away!) 
-A net gun.  Like, seriously.  They make ones that look like flashlights now.  I demand my Xcom squad has net guns. 
-Some sort of Black Market, where I can buy certain supplies.  The stock fluctuates and stuff, and occasionally somebody finds something rare and wants to sell it. 
-Deployable motion tracker system: set that baby down and if something moves you will know about i-I SEE YOU THERE CRYSALID COME OUT WITH YOUR CLAWS UP
-nuclear failsafes
-the need for nuclear failsafes
-outsource-able research: more expensive, but at least I don't have to feed scientists

[Petethegoat]

I think the most important thing about X-COM was the named individuals.
It worked in X-COM because the characters were un-detailed enough that you could just extrapolate from their performance in combat, and build up these personalities over the course of the game.

I can still remember most of the people from my team, and what they did.n hospital.

[happymonster]

Added! Any more ideas?

[happymonster]

Had more ideas:

Elevators
Force Fields
Movable platforms / walls

[Fegon]

Themed missions: Protect the president, escort the scientist, hunt Chryssalid terrorist in the sewers. Stuff like that to break up monotony from the usual mop up the alien crash site battles.

[happymonster]

Good ideas! I'll also add:

- Areas of water where only some creatures can cross, live in (a bit like in laser squad in the Paradise Valley Mission)
- Bridges (you can capture or destroy)
- Sentry guns
- Canyons, cliffs, and other impossible spaces

[Scribblehead]

Are you just throwing up ideas or are you seriously considering starting such a project....i've been meaning to do a proof of concept (controlled test environment with a limited amount of 3d models and features available, or faked features.)

To summarize the biggest problem i had with XCOM in the end was like Fegon mentioned, themed missions....and lots of them, missions where you need to grab a certain scientist etc. could be extremely interesting.
I'm all for a 'Theme Hospital' or 'Evil Genius' type of basebuilding/management where you actively play a role in hiring not just scientists or engineers, but the right ones.
Also complete control over the size of rooms and a chance to zoom in on those alien autopsies would be grand indeed!

I've accumulated tons of material for this kind of project, and my brain is really itching to get it going - only problem is how to wrap my head around 3d tiling math

[rivon]

Tiling in 3D is the same. Unless you have variable-height terrain, but well, you're the creator so you can use flat floors.

[Scribblehead]

Well yes, a terrain that varies in height is the only option - somewhat close to the one in 'Jeanne D'arc'.



or i guess the final fantasy (Nintendo Ds series) or even 'Dragon Ball: Origins'...

But problem with tiles (3d or 2d) is this, or highlighted i should rather say here http://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/15526/making-walls-in-tile-based-games-what-am-i-missing - i'm not quite sure which would be the best metod, since it'd be nice to highlight tiles that the player could potentially select and move to. But they'd be obscured by walls then in almost all the examples :S

Either way, sorry for hijacking