My Idea for a New RTS/FPS Game
i was thinking about it the other day, i dont know how, it just popped into my head, i think i was thinking how somehow in FPS games a single soldier can shoot a tank with a rocket launcher and destroy it, but in RTS games you need a whole squad of rocket troops to do the same thing...
i was thinking about a game that let you experience a really dynamic FPS and/or RTS... experience
so, i was thinking something like this:
there are (at least) 2 human players, one acts as a general and plays the game much like a RTS, while the other player is the special forces whatever on the ground playing like a FPS, and the player would be able to play as infantry, tank driver or pilot etc.
so the general builds up a base (nothing too fancy, no research structures etc, the game would be more focused on combat and strategy than Sim City) or fortifies an existing base (for defensive missions). after (or even during the time when) the general consolidates his position (builds/fortifies a base) the objectives can start. the RTS player then sends forces out on missions to complete objectives, much like your standard RTS.
while the RTS player builds the base etc, the FPS player can be going on recon missions or resource capture missions or patrols etc, something small that does not require too much attention from the RTS player. then, when the action starts, the FPS player recieves objectives. im unsure atm if i want to enable the player to choose which objectives to do, or just give him a list, either random or static (the same every time its played). i do know i want both players to decide how to cary out each mission. for instance, if they decide they want to destroy the power generators with an air strike, the RTS player has to send a unit to retrieve the FPS player, and bring him back to base so he can get in a plane. similarly, if they decide they want to take it out with ground forces and explosives, they need to decide how to get the FPS player to the objective, either humping it (by foot) or by having the RTS player send the cavalry (tanks, humvees whatever) to pick up the FPS player and continue to the objective. conversly, if the FPS player wants to use an air strike to take out the power plant because there is a ton of armor between him and the objective, the RTS player could say, sorry, no can do, all my jets are tied up on other tasks (like defending ground units) you need to use what you have.
one scene i was thinking of was an assault on some enemy base or outpost or fortification, with artillery, aircraft, explosions, tanks, infantry etc etc.
so the mission starts off you jump out of a troop transport or paradrop to the ground, and you fight with a squad to *rally point A* just some arbitrary point, like you secured the high ground or an artillery position whatever. then, the RTS player takes control of the artillery, and the FPS player goes to escort an engineering squad to repair a damaged helicopter or something, then when that is complete joins the attack on the fortress (lets say). now, though, its infantry vs infantry, except some enemy tanks rock up, so FPS player calls RTS player and asks him to send armor re-inforcements, then the FPS player jumps in a tank and continues to fight and so on.
idn, it works in my mind, its very hard to describe because the game im thinking of is VERY complicated with ALOT going on at once. there would also be dozens of ways to accomplish an objective, with varying degrees of success, also dependant on where your "special forces" i.e. the other human player, is playing. so, if there are two of you, and you decide to put your FPS player in an aircraft, air superiority is (naturally) boosted, but your ground forces may suffer.
also, im thinking the battlefield would change each time in terms of landscape (not major things, but little things like a tank carcass that infantry can use for cover, or a crater or barbed wire that was there before but not now. or mounted weapons or discarded vehicles that are there sometimes but not other times or are in different positions or configurations etc etc. another thing is enemy force composition would change each time you play. so, for instance, after the FPS player escorts the engineers to the down helicopter, he attacked the fortress remember? and enemy tanks rocked up? well, lets say the next time you play, its not tanks but snipers or anti-armor infantry, or aircraft etc. that way you have to be prepared and think quickly to win.
another thing i was thinking to maybe have 2 RTS players, one human and one AI, with a bunch of seperate objectives (and ways for it to cause havoc to your plans, like calling in artillery on a tank formation right before you ambush it with infantry) etc for the AI. so for instance, lets say the FPS player has to breach and enter the fortress, first time the entry is full of infantry and tanks, second time, its been cleared out because a jet was shot down and it crashed into the entry way etc etc
sorry if its confusing, like i said, its a very complicated game, and i dont think it could be a single player game because i dont think we could program an AI intelligent enough to perform in the place of a human, nor would we want to because thats sorta the point, that we have real people interacting on the battlefield.
im more than welcome to discussion about this, (sorta why i posted it here) as well as yays, nays, or offers to help flush out the balance, gameplay, unit types and lore sides of the game (ive never been that creative with plot twists or original stories)
lastly, i realise that this game, at least how i envision it, may not even be possible given today's technology or at least the technology available to the majority of gamers (in terms of performance, im thinking something crossed between the graphics of Crysis or Gears of War, and the rendering power (dont know if thats the right word) of Sins of a Solar Empire or World In Conflict, where there are hundreds or thousands of things going on at once, such as aircraft making bombing runs, artillery shells falling, pieces of dirt and debris flying everywhere, smoke, fire, bullets/lasers, clouds, reflections, etc etc) still, id like to see peoples reactions and ideas for this concept
many thanks in advance, and have fun