[Concept] Over-compensation from SupCom

SupCom is beautiful, but only if you zoom in. The player spends almost all of the game at strategic zoom out, earning the nik "war of the dots". All you see usually is squares, triangles etc. Still, it's the best RTS I know. Amazing work in terms of tactics, viable strategy and depth.

It seems GPG was determined Demigod will be very different. And indeed, you can't miss the beauty of the game ( don't run it on weak graphics, it misses the whole point ). However, strategy suffers. The most obvious indicator is the almost complete absence of the scouting function. It's not important to find out what the other team is up to, because you already know it. All is left to do is gear up and plow ahead.

This is not necessarily a criticism. Not all games need to be about the same things, variety is a virtue. Just a matter of personal taste.

 

Cheers :)

2,112 views 16 replies
Reply #1 Top

This is a very different game and I think this fits it well.  Action RPG have this feel, and that is one componenet they are going for.  Currently, it is fairly easy to see a lot of the field of battle, the creep are your scouting force.  You can see the ai and human demigods, avoid them, and head in a different direction to assualt the stronghold if you like.  You can also attempt to hit mostly human or ai, depending on your strategy.  With Beta 2 we will get a more clear idea how generals play, but I am satisfied with the game mechanics for the most part.  What you have to understand, is unlie SupCom, which is a great game, this is not about building up bases and resources, but getting into the action and leveling you character.  Do you have a suggestion or did I miss it?

Reply #2 Top

I agree. Scouting is really not needed, as they're no real interresting things to behold: Creeps always take the same path, and Demigods are mostly on the same lane.

 

Oh, and Supcom is NOT about basebuilding and resource-managing.

Reply #3 Top

There are already the Observer Wards you can place around the map to give you some extra LoS.  Regulus has that tracking device and Oculus is supposed to be able to send his eyes off to places which sounds like a scouting feature.  One of the original concept Demigods (presuming they are the most likely candidates for downloadable content) had a hawk purched on her shoulder, which just screams out the existance of some kind of intel ability.  Plus, Generals should be able to send out scouting parties of units.

Scouting is much less important, but I believe that it will still be useful and at least some Demigods will have abilities tailored to intel gathering.  This is only Beta 1.

Reply #4 Top

Theirs not much to scout on really. I mean what u really need to know is how your enemy is building their demigod and u cant do that by scouting.

Reply #5 Top

The game isn't out yet..... Wait until beta 2 until big assumptions are made.

Reply #6 Top

I think the primary purpose of scouting is to keep tabs on the enemy locations.  You can know if someone is coming up to spoil your fun before they get in normal visual range, you can know if that bit of fog between you and the health crystal has a Demigod hidden in it, you can know to avoid people if you choose to, or you can know where to find people to kill them if that's what you character is good at.  You can counterattack before the enemy attack even begins if you see them coming, you can know which lanes to mine for the upcoming battles, you can know where to deploy your QoT to best counter the enemy strategy, you can know which Torchbearer form will most benefit you in the upcoming battle, and you can identify weaknesses on the enemy front so you can push through and take poorly defended flags.

Not as useful is far from useless.  Hypothetically.

Reply #7 Top

Playing 1v1 a few times, I learned that the ToRs helped a LOT! Knowing where my enemy was helped me make sure I entered the fight where I wanted to.

Fair fight? Pfft!

Reply #8 Top

scouting will be (likely) the domain of the Generals, especially since they shall have some reign over what the Creeps do.

 

is there an Assassin lurking in the FoW between here and there? is he clobbering those creeps by himself to get a quick level up? well, lets hold back a wave or two then flood him!

Reply #9 Top

Generals can't command the NPC spawned units.

Reply #10 Top

Quoting Teseer, reply 9
Generals can't command the NPC spawned units.
End of Teseer's quote

now they can't? i thought i recently read that they do that on top of their unique units.

Reply #11 Top

I don't know if they can get those normal units (perhaps they can, and not just the leader-types such as the Siege Archer), but I don't think that they can assume control over their army's automated units already in play.

Reply #12 Top

Oh, and Supcom is NOT about basebuilding and resource-managing.
End of quote
But those are the funnest parts of the game!  :D

Reply #13 Top

Generals will have direct control over

1.  Unique minions (ex: Oak's Spirits, Sedna's Yetis)

2.  Generic minions (ex: Minotaur Captains, Monks)

Generals will not have direct control over creeps spawned from portals.

 

Reply #14 Top

I don't know what kind of game you played, but basebuilding and recourse-managing is not very interresting in supreme commander.

 

 

P.S. With SUpcom I mean supcom+FA, not vanilla.

Reply #15 Top

Seeing as how there is no jungling/forest paths in Demigod unlike DOTA, the only reason a fog + scouting would be good for would be to know when the heroes were lane switching to push a lane up or gank your hero.  Even if they were going for a gank, it's not like the death penalty timer puts you out of the action for long, so whoopdeedoo.

 

Supcom was all about tearing your hair out while your units completely botched up their formations.  Pathfinding ftl (unless FA fixed that, in which case I'll buy it and drool profusely).

Reply #16 Top

Formations? 100 strat bombers don't need no formation foo!