RTS Game Design Document

[dbest]

Hey all,

I've had an idea for a RTS game, which has been fleshed out in the following game design document.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13936847/WFW_DD_v3.1.pdf

I would be interested in getting some feedback on the design of the game.

[dave3460]

i think its very well thought out .

uses a load of great ideas . hope it all works out well

Dave

[dbest]

Thanks Dave.
Am hoping for the same...considering that the idea has been refined over a 2 year period.

[Jackolantern]

Very nice! I actually like that there is really just one resource. At the risk of sounding slow, I have not been into RTS games much before because I just can't balance the complex resource micro-management and combat at the same time. Combat really is the centerpiece of RTS games, so if you expand on that and reduce the resource-management down to a fairly basic level, I think you could have a very high-action, fun game. In fact, that is kind of what the first Dawn of War did, and it was immensely successful with the model (although they focused on a King of the Hill combat style system).

Have you considered making this a browser-based game first? As a 2D browser-based game using Javascript and possibly HTML5 canvas, it would take about 1/10 or less of the resources and time to make, multiplayer would be extremely easy to add, and it could serve as a living prototype for going on to make the full 3D RTS. This could create a more fine-tuned final product.

[hallsofvallhalla]

Nice document

I am working on the RTS tutorials. Hope to have some new videos up soon.

[dbest]

Jackolantern, thanks for your nice words and advice. The thought of turning it in a bbg did cross my mind a couple of times, but I didn't pursue it.

hallsofvallhalla - thanks. I did watch the first 2 videos. Will follow up on the rest. Keep up the great work.

[metacatdud]

If you want it RTS (REAL) in the browser Node.JS is you only hope. Will be wise decision though.
To have your game, here is a full tested recipe

-Node.JS
--Socket.io (node plugin - for REALTIME server-client communication )
--MySQL (the node module not other module - I didn't test other (except mongo DB, but this is another thing to learn))
-Raphael.JS (this guy is waked. There are some demos of what can that library of his can do. Uooh and it can do alot, believe me. This will bring your graphics to live - Site here - raphaeljs.com)

-HTML5: to enbed raphael beautiful, beautiful SVG's
-- OPTIONAL you can install express (node plugin) and work with Jade (express plugin) instead of pure html. There is a lot to learn on this one too, but it will increase your performance considerably
-jQuery: to transfer socket.io information to the design easy. You could do it without jQuery too.

And that's it.And yes you can have a real time. Google's V8 engine is very powerfull and the IO eventing machine called Node.JS is very capable.
To start developing i strongly recomand you to install VMWare, in it install ubuntu 11.10 and in this one install the node.

And if you really , really want the progress bar to blow your monitor away from your desk because the fast loading, then you should have NGNX to serve you the static content. If your current PC affords to carry a virtual machine i really recommend to set your develop ground with configuration above.

Good luck and believe me, Node.JS = tomorrow. I was skeptic too untill i give it a drive test, it's impressive you will see. The learning curve is not that hard either, it's javascript god damn it

[dbest]

Thanks metacatdud....

I did read a bit about node.js, but never ventured into it. Thanks for the advice and the recipe..

Am hoping to make it a PC game, so let's see..

[dbest]

The game design document was shared with someone at a famous game development company and it was kinda shred to bits.
Looks like the dream is dead...

[Jackolantern]

Why did you show it to them? They would never make it (game companies do not take, and definitely don't buy, game design docs from outsiders). I would bet money they ripped it to shreds based on the idea of AAA RTS games, something we are not making. No one has really charged AAA game studios with being amazingly creative this last decade.