[Freeciv-Dev] some features of "Global Conquest" (GC) - (was Project Goals)

[saywhat@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

  Perhaps the most obvious difference between Freeciv and GC is
the combat model.  GC's is much more detailed and rewards
tactical planning.  GC's combat model allows for simultaneous
attacks by multiple units, shore bombardment, air bombardment,
flanking attacks (side and rear attacks do more damage), and much
more. 

  But GC also offers an innovative (at least it was in 1992)
blending of RTS and turn-based gameplay.  The game is divided
into turns but, within each turn, the game plays out in 8
"rounds" of real time. 

  This system allows all players to enter their orders at the
same time.  Then, once all the players have finished entering
their orders, the execution phase begins.  During the execution
phase the players can't do anything except watch. 

  The practical effect of this system is that, in a close race
to an objective, it doesn't matter who clicks where first.
As far as the units are concerned, *all orders are entered at the
same time*. 

  (Note that air units are the exception to this.  They execute
missions during the orders phase.  But air units cannot do many
things (e.g. claim cities or resources) that other units can do.) 

  The execution phase proceeds through 8 "rounds".  In each
round, all units try to carry out their orders.  Which unit "goes
first" in each round is determined by things like readiness, unit
speed, terrain, etc. (call it initiative if you like).  As a last
resort, if two units have equal initiative, the program randomly
chooses which unit "does its thing" first. 

  Possible unit actions include: wait, move, shoot, reload,
repair, regroup (i.e. re-establish unit cohesion after combat),
dig in, dig out, load itself onto a transport, unload itself from
a transport, etc.).  After the 8 rounds are finished, a new turn
begins (with a new orders phase). 

  Here is an example of how the game system works: 

  There is an unowned oil resource at square 24,37.  The first
country that puts one of its units on that square will add that
oil square's production bonus to its nearest city. 

  Four units (2 each from 2 opposing armies - call them red and
blue) are heading for that oil square.  Two units (one from each
side) are already only one square away.  The red unit is at 25,37
and the blue unit is at 23,38. 

  The red unit at 25,37 was just one round away from moving
onto the resource square when the blue unit entered square 23,38.
At that point movement stopped and the shooting started. 

  If nothing else intervenes, then those two units will
continue to shoot at each other until one of them dies.  After
that the surviving unit will be immobile for many rounds while it
regroups (it has to regroup (after combat) before it can execute
orders again). 

  Neither unit has reached square 24,37 yet.  So that means
that the oil resource square is still unclaimed.  And, unless
other units show up, that square will remain unclaimed for at
least a few more turns. 

  Soon the other units approach - one from each side.  Each is
still a couple of squares away.  What happens next will be
largely determined by what orders each player gives to those two
nearby units during the next orders phase. 

  The results will depend not only on those orders but also on
the types of units involved (infantry or armor), the routes they
are ordered to take, the types of terrain that they are ordered
to travel on, and how much strength they started this engagement
with. 

  Several results are possible.  Here's just one: 

  While the second red unit is still out of range of the other
units, the second blue unit moves onto 23,37.  The second blue
unit is now closer to the red unit (at 25,37) than the other blue
unit (at 23,38). 

   Because of that, the second blue unit starts taking the fire
from the red unit.  The first blue unit (at 23,38) continues to
fire at the red unit but is no longer taking return fire from it. 

  The combined fire from both blue units soon kills the red
unit at 25,37.  Both blue units have taken damage but both have
survived.  They begin regrouping.  The other red unit arrives at
27,36 as the 8th round of that turn ends. 

  During the next orders phase, the red player sizes up the
situation.  He can see both blue units (at 23,37 and 23,38) but
his unit at 26,37 is not yet within their firing range.  He's got
several choices: 

a) He could order his red unit to 25,40 and probably finish
 off the first blue unit (while staying out of the firing
 range of the second).  That will probably take 8 rounds
 minimum so he can re-assess the situation during the next
 orders phase. 

b) He could order his red unit to 25,38.  He'll get there
 quicker and still be shooting at the weakened unit at 23,38
 (because its closer).  On the downside, his unit will also
 be taking fire from the blue unit at 23,37.  So after the
 blue unit at 23,38 dies, the red unit will still be locked
 in battle with the blue unit at 23,37.  Does he have enough
 strength left to kill both blue units before he is killed? 

c) The red player could order his unit to retreat. 

  Note that, at this point, the oil resource square is still
unclaimed. 

****** 

  GC has lots more features worth describing.  In the interest
of brevity, I will only list some of them.  Possible movement
orders include "sneak", "blitz", and "pursue".  Possible air
missions include "Dogfight", "Bomb", "Paradrop", and "Kamikaze". 

  I suspect that many of these features have been incorporated
into numerous RTS games since 1992.  In fact, GC itself is a
descendant of two older RTS games that Bunten created - "Command
HQ" and "Modem Wars".  But the feature of GC that relates most to
the "Project goals" thread is how Bunten took the simultaneous
nature of a multi-player RTS game and made it turn-based. 

HTH 

-Eddie