Hi, friends. We have already talked earlier about commanders in Soldiers: Arena. About what they are and what their advantages on the battlefield are. Today we will tell you more specifics about the very concept of the commanders, but do not forget, that concept means possible changes.

Commanders? I am the only commander here!

I have three words for you (or rather two words and one phrase): tactics, role-playing component, teamplay. The idea of creating a tactical game with a focus on teamwork was born long ago. Even in the Men of War multiplayer were laid a lot of its components. But the format of the session, game modes, and some overcomplexity of the gameplay didn’t allow the tactical part to unfold completely. The base of the tactical component was excellent, but we wanted to enrich it, add a role-playing element and team interaction. And over time, we stopped on the commanders concept, which, coupled with the development tree, could help to achieve our goals. Let's consider the issue in more detail. The commander is a specialization of the user within the gaming session. Basic specializations are represented by an infantryman, artilleryman and tankman. In addition to the basic, there are commanders with deeper specialization, which become available with the development of the player. For example, for an artilleryman they are: the howitzers commander, the SPGs commander and the anti-tank commander. We want 3-4 ready commanders for each type of troops before the OBT release. The unit tree (we are sure, everything is clear about it in general, and more specific we shall speak about it in future) is common for all commanders within the nation. But each commander has his own "preferences" and restrictions on the use of units. The number of units that you can take into battle is limited and often it is less than the number of units available for hire. So sometimes you have to choose - whether to take a couple more cannons or insure yourself with engineering teams. And some units are simply not available for use by certain commanders. So, for example, a tankman can take into battle a lot of tanks, several infantry squads and none of artillery units at all. The commander of heavy tanks has an even deeper specialization and operates a large number of heavy tanks than the basic commander, but has less light and medium tanks, which makes him well protected and indispensable for breakthroughs of the front line, but generally slow and disclosing his best sides close to the middle of the game. Each commander has its own characteristics and even some game mechanics inaccessible to others. For example, the support sapper commander has twice as many engineers and they dig trenches and strengthen buildings much more quickly, and his medics can evacuate not only their own, but also allied wounded. The howitzers under the control of the appropriate commander will be able to use the special firing mode with a gunlayer. Engineer troops of the tank commander will be able to evacuate to the rear any vehicles left without crew, both allied and enemy. Special commanders do a good job for which they are intended and do worse anything else. In the game there are both balanced commanders who do a good job with most tasks, and highly specialized, which are strong in something one. But you can be sure that there are no such commanders in Soldiers: Arena, who dominate all.

Is it necessary? It was ok for me before!

Tactical part. By introducing commanders into the game, we want to create a kind of "faction within the faction" and significantly increase the number of possible tactical solutions within the session. We don’t want the game limited to waiting for the last minutes of the fight, when you can order the best cannons and tanks and finally fight. No, Soldiers: Arena must be tense every minute of the fight. Some specializations dominate only in the beginning and middle of the game, others have no such aim as domination at all, but rather help allies. We want the player to invent more and more options for victory based on the situation on the battlefield and the composition of the teams, rather than waiting for his Königstiger for the whole game. The role-playing component. It is often perceived as leveling and customization, but first of all it is about acting the role. And in Soldiers: Arena, with the introduction of commanders, the importance of following these roles and their number have grown dramatically. Even now during the tests we see how rarely two players choosing the same units even while choosing the same commander. Some constantly rushing with the tanks at the beginning of the game and tries to tear off a bigger piece of the enemy land and give the allies opportunity to strengthen there. Some on the contrary bites into the ground and builds walls around their positions. Some using their maneuverability is constantly looking for unprotected enemy areas. Having the opportunity to choose different commanders and different troops to them, you will be able to find the role that suits best to you. And when it is bored - switch to another commander and another role. Teamplay. When you have no hammer for every in-game nail - you have to play your role and wait for the same from the allies. We want to create a non-linear game balance in Soldiers: Arena and stimulate the teamplay, create the need to complement the ally’s minuses with your pluses. You can have many howitzers and cannons, but they cost nothing without proper cover. And killing enemies couldn’t always grant you win, especially if you did not cover the ally at the right moment and now he have no infantry to capture the territory. This is not all that we would like to tell on the topic, and we will continue later, but for now watch the video with the work of the new suspension and rest some. Good luck! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmqPIwISNRs&feature=youtu.be

[ 2017-04-20 18:32:42 CET ] [ Original post ]