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Author Topic: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!  (Read 1770 times)

PTTG??

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Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« on: March 27, 2008, 03:06:00 pm »

Empire Mode: nothing much, just a little, tiny idea. Just add a new mode for empire management, perhaps in a yearly turn-based system, where the player can order around armies and give general orders to fortresses. Also good here would be establishing trade routes and building roads and walls. The end goal for all this would be to create a fortress, have your adventurer retire there, then muster up an army and attack an enemy settlement. Then, go back to adventurer mode and participate in the battle! The point is, this way, the player can play as an Adventurer, they can play as a Fortress, and they can play as an Empire or Civ. It makes more sense for the leadership of an empire to command the army rather than the generalized will of some specific fortress. Also, this way some one could jump right into this kind of world leadership gameplay style without having to build a massive fortress first or become king of the dwarves as an adventurer.anyway, you could do that if it's not too much trouble. You could whip that right up and add it to the next release, right?

[ March 27, 2008: Message edited by: PTTG?? ]

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Fishersalwaysdie

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2008, 03:28:00 pm »

quote:
Originally posted by PTTG??:
<STRONG>You could whip that right up and add it to the next release, right?
[ March 27, 2008: Message edited by: PTTG?? ]</STRONG>

I really doubt it although it is a good idea.
Adventurer->Group of settlers->Empire->Who knows?
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Draco18s

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2008, 03:41:00 pm »

quote:
Originally posted by PTTG??:
<STRONG>You could whip that right up and add it to the next release, right?</STRONG>

Doubtful.

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PTTG??

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2008, 03:50:00 pm »

quote:
Originally posted by Draco18s:
<STRONG>

Doubtful.</STRONG>


I suspect that it might take a little while to add an entire new segment of game play, quite possibly using a new engine and new resources to do things that are to date speculative ideas for features in a game that will be in development for quite a long time. just a little while.

But on the other hand, I wouldn't put it past Toady One to slap together a simple version in five minutes (not really).

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Drunken

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2008, 05:30:00 pm »

There is another factor to consider, even though this isn't as trivial as mentioned it could be done.
The whole mechanic of all your actions gradually changing the world you play in relies on the player not having too much power. If you got the empire equivalent of 'omg I just flooded the world' or similar bug/disasters you would lose all your rich history, all your legends, all your adventurers and fortresses.
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numerobis

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #5 on: March 27, 2008, 07:37:00 pm »

I love how seriously people are taking PTTG's suggestion of this being simple  :)

[ March 27, 2008: Message edited by: benoit.hudson ]

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PTTG??

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #6 on: March 27, 2008, 07:58:00 pm »

Actually, Drunken has s good point. If this was to be implemented -and let me state for the record here that I know that could take DAYS- it would make sense for the player to control one empire at a time, or have some other limit, like only controlling the military or economy. Or, enable empires to crash and burn, and let new empires arise from off the map edge like immigrants.
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Cthulhu

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #7 on: March 27, 2008, 08:04:00 pm »

Knowing DF, it won't even need to spawn a new empire, one will rise from the ashes.  I keep waiting for the mayor of my town to start asking if he's human.
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Draco18s

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2008, 01:21:00 am »

quote:
Originally posted by Muffles:
<STRONG>Knowing DF, it won't even need to spawn a new empire, one will rise from the ashes.  I keep waiting for the mayor of my town to start asking if he's human.</STRONG>

He doesn't need to ask, he just opens up his profile and checks!

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Othob Rithol

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2008, 02:03:00 am »

quote:
Originally posted by PTTG??:
<STRONG>...-and let me state for the record here that I know that could take DAYS-...</STRONG>

Try WEEKS or MONTHS.

It takes DAYS to hammer out a few bugs, or develop a new feature. What you are talking about is an entirely new MODE.

I do like the idea, however: it'd make a good bloat or power-goal.

Stromko

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #10 on: March 29, 2008, 04:01:00 am »

I really have to wonder if the claims that it'd be easy to implement is just an attempt at trolling or a joke. If you take a gander at http://bay12games.com/dwarves/dev_now.html,  you'd see that components necessary to 'empire' mode are taking weeks to implement.

That's not really the point I want to make though, the key issue I see here isn't how long 'empire mode' would actually take to implement, it's that it is already in development. Toady is working on the army arc as we speak.

Be it months or years from now, there'll be a time when every adventurer has a whole back story and history that is 'real' within the world's history. It will also have leaders that actually do something. Once that is done, all that's necessary is a choice to pick a civilization leader as your adventurer, and there you go, you're the ruler of an empire without requiring starting out with one settlement, and without having to earn the title as an adventurer.

Consider also Dwarf Fortress' track record of moddability, and it should then be feasible to get it to generate just about any kind of empire you'd like. It might not generate like you'd want every time, but you could make lots of worlds and pick one that looks good to you.

I do think you'd be kind of cheating yourself by not making the climb as an adventurer or as a settler. Without the journey the payoff is a lot weaker in my opinion. But, options are good, and after you'd already made the slog to the top once or twice you're not missing out so much by skipping to the mode you want to play.

[ March 29, 2008: Message edited by: Stromko ]

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PTTG??

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2008, 06:52:00 pm »

quote:
Originally posted by Stromko:
<STRONG>I do think you'd be kind of cheating yourself by not making the climb as an adventurer or as a settler. Without the journey the payoff is a lot weaker in my opinion. But, options are good, and after you'd already made the slog to the top once or twice you're not missing out so much by skipping to the mode you want to play.</STRONG>

I see what you're saying, but consider that an empire mode would have a totally different form of game play from the other two, just as they both are different from each other. What my suggestion is is that if/when the time comes that the player will have control over civ-wide decisions, instead of making it required to play through a totally different style of game first, you can start however you choose.

And don't worry; I know it wont take Toady One days to add anything like this; He could have it done in minutes. (In all honesty, that's a joke.)

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Capntastic

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Re: Empire Mode? That's easy to do!
« Reply #12 on: March 29, 2008, 07:09:00 pm »

The bottom line in any suggestion like this is:  "It may be easy to do; but is it easy to do as well as befits Toady's track record?"- if he implements something, you know it will integrate with the rest of the game and be up to the standards we have come to expect.   This is why most 'minor' suggestions concerning gameplay additions are actually quite tough to work in, I believe.   Because Toady doesn't sell out.
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