A cool idea for the game would be infantry units. For example, "designing" them by selecting armor for better health, different weapons for... killing stuff, and "frilly" stuff on uniforms for more morale (It's the 1800's...). They could be trained in balanced numbers of 5-10 and the stuff given to them would raise/lower price. Basically cannon fodder to take fire off ships, and possibly capture enemy stuff (if they make it.). Also they could be positioned where you want them kind of like tanks, and maybe some new cover things? Also infantry entrenchments to shoot at lighter stuff and other infantry in the defense tab is another idea. Another thing would be faster units of like cuirassiers to counter infantry in casew the hulking cannons are too slow. I don't know if this has been talked about before, but seems like a cool idea to me. :)
Infantry 'construction' could be made similar to Gratuitous Space Battles or SPAZ editor.
(since it behaves more like adding stat modifiers in specific slots [squares and hexagons for weapons and systems] and different hulls or infantry in this case have different numbers of squares and hexes)
Yeah, like picking options and them having the color of your country. It would also allow the choice to make cannon fodder, professional killing machines, or somewhere in between depending on money and purpose.
And to what I said about morale, it could be similar to the Total War games. If they get too scared or depleted they will simply run and ignore orders.
I feel that there should be a randomize factor on whether something will run over troops or not. In other words the landship might run over some of your guys, but not all of them.
When something that could crush them gets near troops could have a chance to go into a 'hunker' mode which makes them immune to treads/feet but unable to move or attack (with the chance of infantry doing this much lower for tracks).
Troops will stay in hunker mode until the tracks/feet aren't on top of them.
Hm... That's an idea, but what if the walker/threaded landships just goes back and forth? I know I'm pushing, but you could create an anti-infantry just made out of a motor, some threads, a command center. Just have him run over them endlessly.
Now I suggest trenches. When you get into a fight with infantry, it starts out in trenches that are safe from pretty much everything. But then, you can order the infantry to just charge and go capture a building/landships/downed airship. Of course, when that happens it also means they are vulnerable.
Indeed: trenches are something you can build right now by modifying the landscape, and it's something I want to expand on when I get to larger quantities of infantry, etc.
Currently, treads and landship feet will kill all enemy troops and magically avoid killing any friendlies.
I was more thinking of a specific type of building like a pillbox (look it up on google), but I guess this could work too. I mean otherwise one single walker could stomp an entire battalion located in a trench, although that could be a thing too ^^
One option for the crushing of infantry by ground/air ships would be to use "layers."
Each unit would randomly be given a layer number (1, 2, or 3). For example, ground units (both friendly and hostile) on layer 1 could be crushed by landships that are also on layer 1. Ground units with differing layers from the other landships would be unaffected, but could still board the landship.
Another option is to have a "brace" command for ground troops. Braced troops would not be able to move or fire until the command is changed, but they would not get crushed by landships stomping past them either.
I like the idea of having the feet/tracks just kill everything indiscriminately and giving the infantry the ability to hunker (even if it is just them clipping into the terrain block they stand on with some special animation for a few seconds).
You could give infantry a randomly assigned 'luck' stat as soon as they leave an airship that dictates how many tics/times a foot can land or be on a soldier before they start to take damage from it.
What about the supplies they use? Maybe allow ships to drop supply crates at marked locations. This would Drain the ships supply but allow the infantry to keep fighting. Infantry could possibly be able to scavenge ammo from downed/destroyed airships and land ships if their ammo stock survived or if there were any guards on board.
I could just imagine desolate battlefields with destroyed airships everywhere and all you could see is a small infantry squad rummaging through the crashes for those extra few rounds to keep the fight going. If infantry are able to survive a situation like this I would instantly give them a name and the best equipment I have :P
@Firebird11 Hunker mode... or just plain dive out of the way, as in they do a little dive animation to the left or right and then layer on top of the landship because they are "beside" it.
I'd think that infantry should be introduced the same way a crew can abandon a ship. you can design an infantry transport ship, just like marines, but they can only be dropped on the ground and attack ground defences. A cool idea would be for them to make small bunkers, maybe even have a cannon.
why not the having resupply ships? They drop ammo infantry, to rearm the bunkers.
Just like shore invasions, but instead of the sea there's the sky, instead of ships we have airships and instead of bunkers we have... bunkers?
Can't wait to recreate D-Day, even if technically I already can.
How about having specialized commanders that can be recruited from cities with advantages and disadvantages and experience levels affecting them + having unique skills and items with them.
Infantry is an intriguing dimension for the game (can't wait to see how that develops) and commanders sounds exactly what I was talking about in my post here awhile ago so that would be AWESOME if they work out that way!
Warrant Officer
A cool idea for the game would be infantry units. For example, "designing" them by selecting armor for better health, different weapons for... killing stuff, and "frilly" stuff on uniforms for more morale (It's the 1800's...). They could be trained in balanced numbers of 5-10 and the stuff given to them would raise/lower price. Basically cannon fodder to take fire off ships, and possibly capture enemy stuff (if they make it.). Also they could be positioned where you want them kind of like tanks, and maybe some new cover things? Also infantry entrenchments to shoot at lighter stuff and other infantry in the defense tab is another idea. Another thing would be faster units of like cuirassiers to counter infantry in casew the hulking cannons are too slow. I don't know if this has been talked about before, but seems like a cool idea to me. :)
Air Lord, Engineering Corps
Infantry 'construction' could be made similar to Gratuitous Space Battles or SPAZ editor.
(since it behaves more like adding stat modifiers in specific slots [squares and hexagons for weapons and systems] and different hulls or infantry in this case have different numbers of squares and hexes)
Warrant Officer
Yeah, like picking options and them having the color of your country. It would also allow the choice to make cannon fodder, professional killing machines, or somewhere in between depending on money and purpose.
Warrant Officer
And to what I said about morale, it could be similar to the Total War games. If they get too scared or depleted they will simply run and ignore orders.
Air Lord, Engineering Corps
Enemies like Fleshcracker Clanks could have a (-) morale to everyone not on their faction.
Warrant Officer
Yeah, would that only be to infantry? I'm sure those airmen were kind of cocky about their fancy advanced flying contraptions... :3
Lieutenant
I guess the problem with making infantry is that a single threaded tank can just run over all of them unless they build some fortifications...
Air Admiral
I feel that there should be a randomize factor on whether something will run over troops or not. In other words the landship might run over some of your guys, but not all of them.
Air Lord, Engineering Corps
When something that could crush them gets near troops could have a chance to go into a 'hunker' mode which makes them immune to treads/feet but unable to move or attack (with the chance of infantry doing this much lower for tracks).
Troops will stay in hunker mode until the tracks/feet aren't on top of them.
Lieutenant
Hm... That's an idea, but what if the walker/threaded landships just goes back and forth? I know I'm pushing, but you could create an anti-infantry just made out of a motor, some threads, a command center. Just have him run over them endlessly. Now I suggest trenches. When you get into a fight with infantry, it starts out in trenches that are safe from pretty much everything. But then, you can order the infantry to just charge and go capture a building/landships/downed airship. Of course, when that happens it also means they are vulnerable.
Aerial Emperor
Indeed: trenches are something you can build right now by modifying the landscape, and it's something I want to expand on when I get to larger quantities of infantry, etc.
Currently, treads and landship feet will kill all enemy troops and magically avoid killing any friendlies.
Lieutenant
I was more thinking of a specific type of building like a pillbox (look it up on google), but I guess this could work too. I mean otherwise one single walker could stomp an entire battalion located in a trench, although that could be a thing too ^^
Commander
Frilly bits and custom weapons sounds good.
Commander, Engineering Corps
One option for the crushing of infantry by ground/air ships would be to use "layers."
Each unit would randomly be given a layer number (1, 2, or 3). For example, ground units (both friendly and hostile) on layer 1 could be crushed by landships that are also on layer 1. Ground units with differing layers from the other landships would be unaffected, but could still board the landship.
Another option is to have a "brace" command for ground troops. Braced troops would not be able to move or fire until the command is changed, but they would not get crushed by landships stomping past them either.
Air Lord, Engineering Corps
I like the idea of having the feet/tracks just kill everything indiscriminately and giving the infantry the ability to hunker (even if it is just them clipping into the terrain block they stand on with some special animation for a few seconds).
You could give infantry a randomly assigned 'luck' stat as soon as they leave an airship that dictates how many tics/times a foot can land or be on a soldier before they start to take damage from it.
Commander
Ooh ooh! We could have cavalry and pikemen/lancers, riflemen and archers etc.!
Able Airman
What about the supplies they use? Maybe allow ships to drop supply crates at marked locations. This would Drain the ships supply but allow the infantry to keep fighting. Infantry could possibly be able to scavenge ammo from downed/destroyed airships and land ships if their ammo stock survived or if there were any guards on board.
Able Airman
I could just imagine desolate battlefields with destroyed airships everywhere and all you could see is a small infantry squad rummaging through the crashes for those extra few rounds to keep the fight going. If infantry are able to survive a situation like this I would instantly give them a name and the best equipment I have :P
Lieutenant
We could then establish bunkers and buildings within the ruins of the crashed airships... I like it!!!
Commander
@Firebird11 Hunker mode... or just plain dive out of the way, as in they do a little dive animation to the left or right and then layer on top of the landship because they are "beside" it.
Lieutenant
I'd think that infantry should be introduced the same way a crew can abandon a ship. you can design an infantry transport ship, just like marines, but they can only be dropped on the ground and attack ground defences. A cool idea would be for them to make small bunkers, maybe even have a cannon.
why not the having resupply ships? They drop ammo infantry, to rearm the bunkers.
Lieutenant
a quicker way to implement soldiers would be to modifie the current marines.
soldiers can't jump on another flying ship, they can only walk and climb walls. cheaper than marines, and in bigger numbers.
a wonderful way to stop them aren't cannons or big guns, but gatlings and riflemen.
Lieutenant
Just like shore invasions, but instead of the sea there's the sky, instead of ships we have airships and instead of bunkers we have... bunkers? Can't wait to recreate D-Day, even if technically I already can.
Cabin Boy
How about having specialized commanders that can be recruited from cities with advantages and disadvantages and experience levels affecting them + having unique skills and items with them.
Aerial Emperor
Commanders are planned in a future expansion. :D
Commander
Infantry is an intriguing dimension for the game (can't wait to see how that develops) and commanders sounds exactly what I was talking about in my post here awhile ago so that would be AWESOME if they work out that way!