BATTLE FOR WESNOTH BASED ON A DIFFERENT CODE (FREE)

[SteelP]

Hi everyone

Some years ago, a turn-based 2d game named Steel Panthers went open source, and so a lot of mods were designed to change or improve the original game. At first, it was a World War Two strategic game, but now there are mods that change it to a 1946-2020 style game (with helicopters, missiles, ...), or to an american civil war game.

So, I thought about making a mod (or camo) like Battle For Wesnoth, with elfs, orcs, trolls, dwarfs ...

It has some interesting improvements over this game, like archers firing far away their enemies, battles with thousands of troops, artillery like trebuchets, catapults, ... simulated 3d terrain (it has something like 13 levels of elevation, from -6 to +6, I think), ...
I would prefer it to be more realistic, with more serious portraits (not manga-style)

What do you think about making (at the same time this really interesting game of yours is being improved, perhaps with some of the ideas from the steel panthers game) this new one?



Does anyone like the idea? (I hope you don't see this as an "attack" at you, I know the most important part in your game is your source code, but perhaps some people like or where searching for what I'm proposing)


Best wishes from Spain

[Kamahawk]

Archers with range ARE possible with the curent engine, they just arn't in use.

Please avoid USEING ALL CAPS WHEN YOU TALK in the futer.

[Christophe33]

I don't know the steel panther game, so I can't judge on how good it is. The elevation system is interesting if well handled.
Here is a few question
Is the code multiplatform?
One of the interest of BfW is that it can be played in all the major operating system.
For the graphic, it's all a question of taste. The main problem into porting BfW into this code is probably the graphic. Can you use BfW graphic of unit directly (or with minimal changed) or not.
Also, does the system allows for unit to gain levels?
Most wargames don't allow much evolution in a given unit.

[Guest]

Ok, is not open source, but as far as I understand, mods are allowed

Screenshots:



As you see, you control groups of infantry from 1 to +-13 men, and so, it's more "realistic" than moving a simple soldier.

It would be needed a Zoom-In so the soldiers are seen better (it's a tank-oriented game, so the infantry is not so "detailed") and units are easier to identify (and look cooler).


Web pages:
For downloading the games:
http://linetap.com/www/drg/SPCamo.htm

For more info:
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/spcamo/


Excuse me Kamahawk about the Caps, I'll try not to do it again .

[Christophe33]

I checked the link and it is a DOS/windows game...so not multiplatform...and not open source. So the interest into making a BfW in this system is rather limited.

[Guest]

Ok, this game does not have "levels", but has experience, with 50, you are green, cannon fodder, at 75 you are veteran, which are difficult to kill and has greater chances of killing the enemy (dexterity), and at 100, you get to elite... no comments.
Perhaps a level system could be made, but I don't thing it would be better.

Ah, it has also a very interesting thing: morale. (good for elf players, at least)

The battlefield also has craters, smoke, fires on trees....

[Dave]

I'm afraid I don't understand this proposal. You're talking about taking a Battle for Wesnoth-like world and putting it into this game engine that is rather different to Wesnoth's -- the main similarity being that both are hex-based engines.

Apparently this game engine has a rather different battle system than Wesnoth's, based on ranged attacks, levels of elevation, and aims for far more 'realism' than Wesnoth attempts to. So, once you have made all these changes, what exactly will be left of Wesnoth?

You will have a fantasy turn based strategy game. All the principles behind Wesnoth such as KISS, intentional lack of realism, etc etc will be out the window, and it will play nothing like Wesnoth.

Wesnoth does not have any particularly original creatures or fantasy elements, so I don't see how there will be anything distinctly Wesnothian about it.

That's not to say it wouldn't be an interesting project, and I wish you all the best with it if you choose to pursue it.

David

[quartex]

LibrarianBrent, please try to be more polite in the future, some of us have fragile egos . The author was expressing an intrest about making his own Wesnoth with a new engine, and so I wouldn't consider it spam. Just becuase some people may disagree with his intention, or not think it a good idea, it is still a valid post. (Being an ideas forum about wesnoth, this is an appropriate place for the post) If the author is serious about creating a wesnoth-type universe, i'd suggest he try to create his own fantasy scenario using that engine, and not try to copy/recreate wesnoth. It's not that copying wesnoth pre-say is bad, but that it will probably result in an inferior version of wesnoth, whereas I think it will be a lot cooler and and interesting if he tries to create a fantasy world of his own, perhaps using some of the ideas he likes in Wesnoth.

[Kamahawk]

The spam coment was refering to the fact that this was posted twice in separate places.

[Sangel]

It was still impolite.

[quartex]

Thanks Kamahawk. I hadn't realized that. I would have commented earlier, but I hadn't had a chance to read the ideas forums for a day or so.

[Kamahawk]

It was still impolite.

I never said it wasn't.

[Dave]

Okay moved this thread to the general game development forum. I don't think it's really about Wesnoth, although people from our community might be interested in it. People who want to discuss it can talk about it in the off-topic, non-Wesnoth related part of the forum.

David

[SteelP]

Well, I havenŽt seen this section of the forum, you are right, this is the right place.
I put it in "Ideas" and "Art" because 1 I didn't saw this section and 2 We will need a lot of images and ideas to create the different units.
Sorry if you thought I was "spamming", but you must understand the reasons why I posted it.


Well, the game would not be Wesnoth, but it could use the units from Wesnoth (or similar) which have been balanced by continuous testing.
Other reason for using these units is that there are a lot of copyrighted units from games or films...
The game style is really different, as you first "buy" the units you want to fight with and then you fight (on campaings, you use allways the same units and you also can buy new ones, like in this game the "recall" option), but there are a lot of improvements over Wesnoth tactically, such as those real ranged attacks (archers and artillery), levels of terrain, forests, buildings,... that can be destroyed (so assaults on castles could be fought).


Ok, does anyone like the idea and would be interested? perhaps we could make a yahoo group for discussing ideas

[Dave]

Well, the game would not be Wesnoth, but it could use the units from Wesnoth (or similar) which have been balanced by continuous testing.

But if the rules of your game are different, then the units are no longer going to be balanced.

Other reason for using these units is that there are a lot of copyrighted units from games or films...

You are of course welcome to use any of the units of Wesnoth so long as you comply with the terms of the GNU GPL which they are licensed under.

David