I am a really big fan of base building in RTS games, which is why I never liked Starcraft. Bases in Starcraft feel like they have such little rhyme or reason. They are messy and ugly. I always build a ton of bases in games like Tiberian Sun, that, while gameplay wise, are a waste of time and money, feel fun to build and fun to defend and destroy. I think a really cool strategy game idea would be a logistics themed game. One where building more realistic bases all over a map is a strategy so that they can supply and support each other. Maybe you start out with a FOB and you need to expand into guerilla held territory, but you need to build COPs and Logistics centers to keep your troops supplied and protected.
I always hated in Starcraft how clicks per second is a means to measure how effective some one is at the game. I really want to see a game where tactics and unit composition matter, where a platoon of mechanized infantry face off against like a BTR platoon and, using strategy, you pull through. Have each squad with a realistic composition of like a Squad leader, 2 team leaders, a radio man, 2 squad weapons, a crew served weapon, 2 anti tank units, a combat life saver, and 2 rifle men. I think something with that depth, but with a more coherant interface than like Shockforce, and with pausable real time combat would be awesome. Like Arma but an RTS.
What games would you want to see?
i really like the idea of civilization… but its so freakin scripted it feels like im playin someone elses story.
totk is almost a masterpiece, i would not hate more of that kind of game play/world experience.
Something new that isn’t some remake of a game.
More minecraft open source clones. or a modded community version of mc that works without microsoft. The game belongs to the community and I think we should take it back from the corporation.
More? Aren’t there already like 10 or more?
Most of them are cash grabs or cheap knock offs. I want more voxel games that are built with passion that can stop microsofts monopoly. An alternative I think would be cool is the community modding microsoft out of minecraft with special accounts that do not rely on microsoft. Luanti aka Minetest looks promising as an alternative.
Beekeeping simulator!
3D minesweeper
There’s Mines3D on android, although the graphics are still 2d and it’s a pain to play.
Like a sim game or Planet Sweeper?
Nah, just minesweeper. But instead of north south east west, there’s also behind and in front. And all the corners.
I haven’t played it yet, but if you have a VR headset then Minesweeper Peak VR seems to be exactly what you’re looking for.
There’s also Mine3D which plays in your browser and is a rotatable cube of mines.
I feel like a rogue-like version of the civilization genre could work.
What I mean is:
- short games that you can finish in one evening without rushing
- random events and stuff that drastically change your builds without being able to do the same strat all the time
The latter is needed because the former means you would play many more games. So they have to feel different.
To make games shorter you would probably have to remove any tactical combat. Maybe just say “attack here” and the game automatically sends troops for you, battle it out and shows you the result, in a few seconds. Maybe you can see the battle itself but not play it. Not having to move units on the map should also make the IA play faster and thus reduce waiting time between turns significantly.
To compensate for the lack of depth in combat, city building, building your economy, and random events would have to be made more interesting. Without introducing micro-management that would make the games more tedious and thus take longer.
To make games feel different with randomness, a fantasy setting seems ideal, like in age of wonders. Tons of fun stuff can happen when magic is involved. Focus on telling a story.
Basically I love the fantasy 4X genre but I find the games too long for the wrong reasons (too much micro-management and tedium). Bringing in ideas from the modern rogue-like genre could help fix those issues.
Bring back versus puzzle games. Puyo Puyo is more or less the only surviving IP today, and even that is only barely on life support now that Sega has banished it to Apple Arcade exclusivity.
The whole damn genre lies in ruins now and I miss it so much. Someone, anyone, make a new game please.
check out Supreme Commander, it’s a game from the erra of good RTSes, and I think has some of the features you’re taking about, e.g. beforehand of multiple bases, automation… you can do things like produce x units, send them to this area, have them start doing this patrol, etc. You can pause the game, to make these orders too. My favorite gimmick though, is that the map is zoomable, from a classic here’s your dudes and tanks view, up into a strategic view with icons representing everything. This also opens up the ability to have units be different sizes. vehicles are appropriately larger than infantry, and you can have giant mechs to which other units are literally ants.
SupCom will never displace TA.
Check out mindustry! Although it doesn’t quite have that tactical itch as Arma, it is 100% based around logistics and building up unit production. There is a multiplayer PvP mode, as well as 2 PvE campaigns
Doesn’t have a release date yet but you might like Empire Eternal, kinda like new Empire Earth.
holy shit, fucking MICROPROSE is still around!? LETSGOOOOOOOO
Fucking wishlisted
I think a really cool strategy game idea would be a logistics themed game
Have you tried Factorio? The demo is free, basically the full game just with an 8 hour time limit. for reference I have over 1k hours in it.
The demo is free, basically the full game just with an 8 hour time limit
I wonder if that was the scientifically curated time to get people hooked and addicted. By the way, is that limit of 8 hours total playtime, or like 8 hours per session?
I believe it’s 8 hours within a save. But you can just start a new game.
I want a city builder with a Civ-like timeline. You start off building huts and farms and keep on going until you get space elevators and fusion power. I want to see roads go from footpaths to trails for horse drawn carriages to full on highways. I also like the idea that you could choose your starting period so it could be used as a standard city builder too.
I didn’t realize before, but now I want this too! Fantastic idea.
Look I just don’t want Xdefiant to die.
I want a new, modern Battle for Middle Earth 2 with better balance, modern graphics, and maybe different modes like quick vs longer form games. Definitely some reform like making it more difficult to build walls, but the walls stand up better to infantry and you really need siege engines.
The game was not balanced competitively (men so OP) but holy damn the battles felt epic and building your own forts and castles to defend was amazing.
Little side-tangent, but @trslim@pawb.social if you like base-building RTSes, you should check out Earth 2150 if you have not already. It’s old, but it’s imo one of the best out there.
- There are 3 factions, each with their own campaign, and very different styles of units, and during the campaign you have a home base that you build, and from which you can build and send out units to your in-progress missions (i.e. build a tank in your homebase, load it into a helicopter, send the helicopter to your in-mission base’s landing zone, and unload tank for use… and vice-versa for keeping units that you build in the mission zone, etc).
- Eurasian Dynasty is very traditional tanks and helicopters, and ballistic weapons
- United Civil States is bipedal walkers and sleek hovering aircraft, and uses energy weapons
- Lunar Corporation is space-y hovercraft with arcing, electric weapons and AOE pulse weapons
- There’s tunnel-building and tunnel warfare, which is so damn cool…
- There’s unit customization, like choosing the types of weapons for the tanks, building giant bipedal walkers with 3 different weapon systems, etc
- There are aircraft and boats, not just ground units
- You are using the resources you farm in the mission locations to construct a giant colony ship to escape from Earth, which is a great mechanic to give you a reason to actually extract resources other than just to build more units
Now I have to go reinstall it… xD
There are also Earth 2140 and Earth 2160, but I never fell in love with those 2 (Earth 2160 isn’t bad, and has a cool alien faction that is basically a roaming mothership that builds units, rather than a traditional ‘base’).
