jwallstone
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Strategic Castle Siege
Version: Beta 0.50
Presenting... my first map! It's at a point that's somewhat presentable, so I thought I'd put it out and see what people thought. I'd really appreciate any testers. Please let me know of any suggestions, bugs, or anything else. I want to thank to everyone at the forums for their help and for creating a welcoming community.
Description
The map is an AOS-type game, but I'm attempting to make a map that has a new approach. What I find typically missing from the genre is a sense of real strategy, rather than just hero development and PvP kills. The map is intended to be fundamentally grounded in strategic choices and teamwork.
The object of the game is to break through the enemy team's defenses and destroy the opposing team's Castle building. Doing so requires building up and strengthening the team's troops first, and strategic coordination and teamwork in attacks. Some of the key strategic features:
Capture Points
These are buildings located throughout the map that can be captured by a team to confer benefits to the team. Capture points are a key component of a winning strategy. There are roughly three categories: Resource Producers, Army Enhancers, and Defensive Structures. Capture Points can be captured by moving a Hero close to one when no enemy units are nearby. After a certain duration (different for different types), the Capture Point will be claimed. Captures can be interrupted during this duration by an enemy Hero moving near it. Capturing a building already owned by the enemy team typically requires a longer duration, and can be interrupted even if your team has units nearby. The types of Capture Points are described in detail under the spoiler.
Missions and Squads
Missions are locations on that map that the player has designated as a point of strategic interest, represented by a flag. Squads are groups of troops that fight together. As Missions are planted on the map, Squads will automatically be formed from the team's troops and assigned to Missions. The player has the ability to finely control how Missions are assigned, including setting priorities and queueing a group of missions to be completed together. Squads can also be commandeered by the the player's Hero, turning it into a personal guard that moves with and obeys any point orders given to the Hero.
Heroes and Experience
Heroes do not gain any experience from killing troops or other Heroes. Instead, all experience is gained through the control of Altars of Knowledge, one the most important types of Capture Points. This is to discourage the singular focus on kills (and discourages perverse actions like killing one's own troops or hero to deny experience), and to instead shift the focus to strategic control of and battles for key areas on the map. Hero deaths have no penalty except a short delay before revival, during which the Hero will not be gaining experience. Death is designed to have minimal penalties to reward taking risks for bold strategies.
Resources
Altars of Knowledge are typically located in the lanes that most troops attack through, rewarding lane pushes. The more powerful and scarce Capture Points are typically located away from lanes, presenting a strategic choice to go after them with the risk of losing Altars of Knowledge. Gold is gained through the control of Gold Mines and is used to buy items. Crystals (lumber replacement) are a team resource (anyone can spend it, but the whole team shares a single pool), are gained through Crystal Altars, and are used to purchase powerful permanent upgrades for your team, or to cast Ultimate Spells (not yet done) that can drastically change the course of battle.
Factions
At the beginning of the game, the team's human players vote on a Faction. The choice of Faction determines all of the team's buildings and spawned troops. Different factions are designed to engender different optimal strategies. Troops are improved primarily through Capture Points and Upgrades. One of the most important Capture Points is the Ancient Monolith, which boosts spawn quantities and is the only way to begin spawning high tier troops and siege engines, which are critical for breaching castle defenses. Upgrades are permanent, but cost Crystals, while Capture Points can be taken away by the enemy team. Each team also will periodically spawn a very powerful Champion unit that is similar to a hero and provides significant power on the battlefield. Timing major pushes with the spawning of Champions is often a good strategy. Specific descriptions are after the spoiler.
Sieging
Castles are designed to be nearly impenetrable without critical units that provide sieging support. Every faction has Siege Engines, and some have additional units that can provide sieging support, either with Siege attacks or spells or abilities. Siege Engines are not initially spawnable (except for Humans); a Monolith must be captured to begin spawning them. Siege engines are typically powerful and have a long range, but must be protected carefully to survive across the map. Siege engines can quickly destroy enemy towers, but note that all buildings, including towers, will respawn after a period of time. This encourages coordinated hard-hitting attacks, rather than allowing players to rely on attrition alone.
Areas for improvement
This is still very much a work in progress, so I greatly appreciate any testing, suggestions, and bug reports from people. Please try it out and let me know what you think!
- The name - Not sure about the map name. It's a basic descriptive name that I chose to get started, but suggestions are welcome.
- Heroes - One of the most obviously lacking parts is a dearth of Heroes. Only 6 have been made to date, but more are in the works. Suggestions are welcome.
- Terrain - I put together a nominal terrain to get it going, but this probably needs work and will be revised. Waypoints need to be activated.
- Factions - 4 is plenty for now, but I have ideas for a few more (Demons, Nature, Night Elves)
- Troop spawn customization - right now, troops spawn according to predetermined quantities. I'm thinking about implementing a system to let the player control what troops spawn, basically allocating Supply between the different troop types to determine spawn quantities.
- BALANCE! This is a big one still, and something I'd appreciate lots of feedback on.
- AI - I've written a decent AI for now, but there's more to be done here.
- Items - Not too many items so far, but it hasn't been a major focus for me.
- General strategy - thoughts on elements that add or detract from strategic play?
- Coding - some behind the scenes coding improvements
Thanks a lot! And here's the map for download:
Version: Beta 0.50
Presenting... my first map! It's at a point that's somewhat presentable, so I thought I'd put it out and see what people thought. I'd really appreciate any testers. Please let me know of any suggestions, bugs, or anything else. I want to thank to everyone at the forums for their help and for creating a welcoming community.
Description
The map is an AOS-type game, but I'm attempting to make a map that has a new approach. What I find typically missing from the genre is a sense of real strategy, rather than just hero development and PvP kills. The map is intended to be fundamentally grounded in strategic choices and teamwork.
The object of the game is to break through the enemy team's defenses and destroy the opposing team's Castle building. Doing so requires building up and strengthening the team's troops first, and strategic coordination and teamwork in attacks. Some of the key strategic features:
Capture Points
These are buildings located throughout the map that can be captured by a team to confer benefits to the team. Capture points are a key component of a winning strategy. There are roughly three categories: Resource Producers, Army Enhancers, and Defensive Structures. Capture Points can be captured by moving a Hero close to one when no enemy units are nearby. After a certain duration (different for different types), the Capture Point will be claimed. Captures can be interrupted during this duration by an enemy Hero moving near it. Capturing a building already owned by the enemy team typically requires a longer duration, and can be interrupted even if your team has units nearby. The types of Capture Points are described in detail under the spoiler.
Ancient Monolith - The Ancient Monolith is the key Capture Point type, providing a boost in spawn quantities, giving access to higher tier units, and enabling the spawning of Siege Engines for the team. Monoliths are important strategic points and should be well guarded.
Runestone - Increases the level of all troop Abilities, improving the power of most troops. Abilites are non-magical (no mana), innate unit abilities.
Magic Vault - Increases the level of all troop Spells, improving the power of spellcasters. Spells are magical (mana required) abilities.
Fountain of Vitality - Increases the hit point regeneration rate of all troops
Arcane Nexus - Increases the mana regeneration rate of all troops
Horn of Swiftness - Boosts the movement speed of all troops. This is more powerful than it sounds, as it effectively shifts the battle front in each lane toward the opponent, naturally giving control of more Capture Points.
Gold Mine - Generates gold periodically for each Hero.
Crystal Altar - Generates crystals for the team's collective crystal pool.
Altar of Knowledge - Periodically gives all living Heroes experience.
Sentry Tower - Provides wide vision of an area on the battlefield.
Protector Tower - Provides powerful defense of an area with an AOE attack.
Fury Tower - Provides powerful defense of key points with an AOE line attack.
Hidden - There are a few hidden Capture Points that provide powerful benefits. (Designed, but not yet placed)
Runestone - Increases the level of all troop Abilities, improving the power of most troops. Abilites are non-magical (no mana), innate unit abilities.
Magic Vault - Increases the level of all troop Spells, improving the power of spellcasters. Spells are magical (mana required) abilities.
Fountain of Vitality - Increases the hit point regeneration rate of all troops
Arcane Nexus - Increases the mana regeneration rate of all troops
Horn of Swiftness - Boosts the movement speed of all troops. This is more powerful than it sounds, as it effectively shifts the battle front in each lane toward the opponent, naturally giving control of more Capture Points.
Gold Mine - Generates gold periodically for each Hero.
Crystal Altar - Generates crystals for the team's collective crystal pool.
Altar of Knowledge - Periodically gives all living Heroes experience.
Sentry Tower - Provides wide vision of an area on the battlefield.
Protector Tower - Provides powerful defense of an area with an AOE attack.
Fury Tower - Provides powerful defense of key points with an AOE line attack.
Hidden - There are a few hidden Capture Points that provide powerful benefits. (Designed, but not yet placed)
Missions and Squads
Missions are locations on that map that the player has designated as a point of strategic interest, represented by a flag. Squads are groups of troops that fight together. As Missions are planted on the map, Squads will automatically be formed from the team's troops and assigned to Missions. The player has the ability to finely control how Missions are assigned, including setting priorities and queueing a group of missions to be completed together. Squads can also be commandeered by the the player's Hero, turning it into a personal guard that moves with and obeys any point orders given to the Hero.
Heroes and Experience
Heroes do not gain any experience from killing troops or other Heroes. Instead, all experience is gained through the control of Altars of Knowledge, one the most important types of Capture Points. This is to discourage the singular focus on kills (and discourages perverse actions like killing one's own troops or hero to deny experience), and to instead shift the focus to strategic control of and battles for key areas on the map. Hero deaths have no penalty except a short delay before revival, during which the Hero will not be gaining experience. Death is designed to have minimal penalties to reward taking risks for bold strategies.
Resources
Altars of Knowledge are typically located in the lanes that most troops attack through, rewarding lane pushes. The more powerful and scarce Capture Points are typically located away from lanes, presenting a strategic choice to go after them with the risk of losing Altars of Knowledge. Gold is gained through the control of Gold Mines and is used to buy items. Crystals (lumber replacement) are a team resource (anyone can spend it, but the whole team shares a single pool), are gained through Crystal Altars, and are used to purchase powerful permanent upgrades for your team, or to cast Ultimate Spells (not yet done) that can drastically change the course of battle.
Factions
At the beginning of the game, the team's human players vote on a Faction. The choice of Faction determines all of the team's buildings and spawned troops. Different factions are designed to engender different optimal strategies. Troops are improved primarily through Capture Points and Upgrades. One of the most important Capture Points is the Ancient Monolith, which boosts spawn quantities and is the only way to begin spawning high tier troops and siege engines, which are critical for breaching castle defenses. Upgrades are permanent, but cost Crystals, while Capture Points can be taken away by the enemy team. Each team also will periodically spawn a very powerful Champion unit that is similar to a hero and provides significant power on the battlefield. Timing major pushes with the spawning of Champions is often a good strategy. Specific descriptions are after the spoiler.
Humans
This is well-rounded faction that is a good choice to start with. The unit mix is versatile and provides for a variety of effective strategies. The Human faction has the strongest buildings, and is the only one that already spawns Siege Engines even without captured Monoliths, providing good sieging ability from the start. The human Champion excels at healing and troop support, and is quite sturdy.
Orcs
The Orcs specializes in heavy, hard-hitting melee units. Any Orcish unit dominates its peers from other factions in single combat, but total spawn quantities are lower. The Orcs also boast the most powerful siege engine. Orc troops typically have powerful abilities, but its spellcasters are less effective and focus on troop support. The Orcish Champion is the toughest in the game.
Undead
The Undead hordes can quickly overwhelm any enemy force. While individual units are very weak, the Undead spawn high quantities and turn enemy units to its advantage, either by summoning more undead from fallen corpses, or by the direct posession of souls. The Undead siege engine and buildings tend to be weak. The Champion of the Undead can quickly turn the tide of battle with powerful spells to make use of the fallen.
High Elves
The High Elves specialize in the arcane arts, possessing magical powers greater than any other faction. Its casters can quickly decimate enemies and dominate skirmishes on the map. To compensate for low quantities of front-line melee units, Elven mages breathe magical life to golems of stone and metal to do battle. The High Elves have weak siege engines, but their golems can aid in demolishing buildings and their Champion spellcaster is a force to be reckoned with.
This is well-rounded faction that is a good choice to start with. The unit mix is versatile and provides for a variety of effective strategies. The Human faction has the strongest buildings, and is the only one that already spawns Siege Engines even without captured Monoliths, providing good sieging ability from the start. The human Champion excels at healing and troop support, and is quite sturdy.
Orcs
The Orcs specializes in heavy, hard-hitting melee units. Any Orcish unit dominates its peers from other factions in single combat, but total spawn quantities are lower. The Orcs also boast the most powerful siege engine. Orc troops typically have powerful abilities, but its spellcasters are less effective and focus on troop support. The Orcish Champion is the toughest in the game.
Undead
The Undead hordes can quickly overwhelm any enemy force. While individual units are very weak, the Undead spawn high quantities and turn enemy units to its advantage, either by summoning more undead from fallen corpses, or by the direct posession of souls. The Undead siege engine and buildings tend to be weak. The Champion of the Undead can quickly turn the tide of battle with powerful spells to make use of the fallen.
High Elves
The High Elves specialize in the arcane arts, possessing magical powers greater than any other faction. Its casters can quickly decimate enemies and dominate skirmishes on the map. To compensate for low quantities of front-line melee units, Elven mages breathe magical life to golems of stone and metal to do battle. The High Elves have weak siege engines, but their golems can aid in demolishing buildings and their Champion spellcaster is a force to be reckoned with.
Sieging
Castles are designed to be nearly impenetrable without critical units that provide sieging support. Every faction has Siege Engines, and some have additional units that can provide sieging support, either with Siege attacks or spells or abilities. Siege Engines are not initially spawnable (except for Humans); a Monolith must be captured to begin spawning them. Siege engines are typically powerful and have a long range, but must be protected carefully to survive across the map. Siege engines can quickly destroy enemy towers, but note that all buildings, including towers, will respawn after a period of time. This encourages coordinated hard-hitting attacks, rather than allowing players to rely on attrition alone.
Areas for improvement
This is still very much a work in progress, so I greatly appreciate any testing, suggestions, and bug reports from people. Please try it out and let me know what you think!
- The name - Not sure about the map name. It's a basic descriptive name that I chose to get started, but suggestions are welcome.
- Heroes - One of the most obviously lacking parts is a dearth of Heroes. Only 6 have been made to date, but more are in the works. Suggestions are welcome.
- Terrain - I put together a nominal terrain to get it going, but this probably needs work and will be revised. Waypoints need to be activated.
- Factions - 4 is plenty for now, but I have ideas for a few more (Demons, Nature, Night Elves)
- Troop spawn customization - right now, troops spawn according to predetermined quantities. I'm thinking about implementing a system to let the player control what troops spawn, basically allocating Supply between the different troop types to determine spawn quantities.
- BALANCE! This is a big one still, and something I'd appreciate lots of feedback on.
- AI - I've written a decent AI for now, but there's more to be done here.
- Items - Not too many items so far, but it hasn't been a major focus for me.
- General strategy - thoughts on elements that add or detract from strategic play?
- Coding - some behind the scenes coding improvements
Thanks a lot! And here's the map for download:
