I do, however, have a few ideas that float around up there, for a strategy game with fantasy setting.
*Mapmaking*
Often, "Skirmish"-battles (Single, or Mutliplayer) takes place on maps from a set amount of them, or in some cases (Anno 1404, for example), they're randomly created for each game. Also, the actual map, or minimap, is often there to help you get around, and get a good overview. I've always wanted a possibility to paint a map, and then play on it, as I love to paint maps, and create worlds.
Therefore, I'm thinking, why not make it possible for gamers to create a map, using some settings (a few choose-able ones, like setting (desert, lush, steppe, savannah, mountain area, coastal, archipelago etc.), season, etc. and then some settings for the actual gameplay, like starting amount of resources, etc.) and then provide the player with an empty map, parchment style (like the ones from Lord of the Rings, for example), a "Randomize" button and a pallet of painting-tools for Mountains, forests, wetlands, coast, archipelagos, rivers, sea, lakes etc.
http://vnmedia.ign.com/lotrovault.ign.com/fms/images/maps/3/1173009244_fullres.jpg
Sort of like this, without (or with less) names.
Then the game renders the map you play on, using the drawn map.
Why would you want this? Well, you can now paint the map, and if you, for example, draw a mountain-chain across the top of the map, and coasts on the other edges and then a huge forest across the rest of it, you'd have a very forest-y map, with natural bounds. All in all, creativity, is the only limit to what the place you play in will be like.
"Wouldn't that create rough edges between the different terrains?" Not necessarily. Have the game create smooth transitions between the terrain-types. Problem solved.
"What about the maps in the game, while playing, then? (Minimaps, etc.)" Have them be that very same map. Perhaps with some markers for sighted enemies, known allied/enemy possession etc. Or have the game mark your castles, and cities, on the map with some symbol, and let the player name them. Easy to find your city.
"And how would it work in multiplayer? I could just create a map that benefits me only, and have a walk in the park." If your enemy could preview the map just as much as you, and simply look at it, before joining, do you think that your enemy would even want to join your game if it was clear that one would have a big advantage over the others? Not so likely, unless he/she wanted a challenge.
"So, let's say KnC went with this. What if I created a perfect map? Or what if I didn't want to play a user-created map?" Save your map, and load it up for any other session, or in a multiplayer game. Or why not upload it to some "Map Database" and have others be able to check it out, download it, play it, rate it, etc. And, who said that this idea would exclude maps already made, by the developers, (and beta-testers? The best user-created maps from the beta could even be shipped with the final product
)*Story and diplomacy*
This one will be short, compared to the Map-making idea.
Political intrigues are much more enjoyable than the usual "Save the day from the evil powers!".
What's good, and what's evil? Is what I do now the best for me, my people and my country? Perhaps a treaty with this strong neighbour would be good, or will they stab me in the back when I'm not suspecting it? Or will I be the one to invade when they're busy with other things?
Interaction on more levels than war is preferred to simply killing my enemies. Why are we fighting them?
I prefer fantasy stories (and worlds) where things make sense. I'd rather have several (all very unique, in culture, design, and overall ways of life) factions of one race, that inhabit the world, than having several races that all try to be different from each other, while being balanced for the game. (In example; These trolls are big, so, they should have a higher armour-score and a higher strength than others, but to not make them overpowered, let's lower their intelligence. Rather make two unique, human factions.)
*Gameplay and citybuilding*
Lastly (for now, I'd guess), While there are great city-management-games, and great military-strategy-games out there, I'd find it great to have a game that did both. That let me place buildings where I wanted them, and spend time on making a beautiful city, as well as providing a good system for fighting too. Most games that try to mix it tend to fall half way through. The Total War-games have great strategic gameplay, but a rather boring building-phase while games like Battle for Middle Earth 2 tries to make a RTS with both good warfare and citybuilding. It doesn't deliver that well though.
City-building like Pharao, Anno, Stronghold or Settlers, mixed with RTS battles like R.U.S.E., Age of Empires and Total War, that's what I'd like to see.
And for those who don't like the city-building, what about some sort of automatic system for the building of things? Click build barracks, choose an area to build it in (an area bigger than the actual size of the building) and the game choose a site that works, inside the marked area. Does that sound good?
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I hope that the post, and ideas, made sense. If not, and you'd like to know what I meant, ask, and I'll do my best to explain. :)|||I think these are quit nice Idears. and I absolutly agree about the map making and the citybuilding/gameplay things.|||Thanks :) I was afraid that the map-idea wouldn't get any support, so I'm glad that I'm not the only one who liked the idea :)
While I'm at it, I might mention some more suggestions :p
I'd prefer that the game didn't use a grid-based system for building, and had some kind of "Snap to nearby building"-effect (to let you build things that really felt like cities) and "create road under building"-effect, allowing you to make archways with, say a 3-story building, with a 2 story high archway, and one story above the street below.
After all, I'd love to be able to build a city that really felt like one.
And some sort of sandbox-mode would be nice, where you could build a city from nothing, without having to worry much about enemies, but with options to call in invasions, AI-players, bandit raids, or enable randomization of those things (with some logic behind. If you enabled randomizing resistance (or whatever it could be called), you could start seeing some bandit raids, which, if left alone, or if it weakened you enough, might call for an invasion. After successfully defending yourself, some more raiding could begin, and after a while, you had an enemy faction settling in your lands, to later attack (unless you attack first ,that is). Liked the sandbox-mode in Stronghold 2, and it's ability to call in invasions, but it was too generic. You knew what to expect, and so on, so it wasn't much challenge, unless you called in a force larger than you could handle.
Anyway, I should get back to my schoolwork
I suppose I'll drop by later with more silly/genius ideas
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