UFOAI 15 years later.

[miles]

Thanks guys for the wonderful experience. An open version of the XCom game concept is a great gift to the world. I congradulate you on your implementation of this dream. It is a lot of fun to play.

Ever since I first played XCom1, I have dreamed of someday extending it. Now, I can. Well at least in my imagination. I dream that when I retire, I will have time to dust off my archaic programming skills and take the UFOAI source for a drive. Maybe after 15 years, I could add:

1) Multiple players. That is, each player has their own world.
- Each player can invade the others worlds.
- Each player defends their world from the other players.

You could drive the conflict by forbidding peacable trade and resurrecting 'Elerium'. That is, really good toys are only possible with N different non-constructable materials. At least one of the critical materials are missing on the Homeworld.

2) Diverse Empires. Perhaps preset Empire configurations. Or maybe configurable via a point system ALA MOO2 (Master of Orion 2). When you begin a game, you select your:
- Tech level.
- Initial military forces.
- Economic basis.
- Initial Races.
- Available critical materials.
- Special advantages/disadvantages

So, some example Empires might be:

Terran:
- Initially mid tech.
- Small initial military force.
- Economy based in money.
- Initial race is Human.
- Only missing Elerium.
- Average researchers, average producers average fighters.

UFO Aliens:
- Initially high tech
- No initial military force.
- Economy based in Genetic Diversity (We're not mindless killing machines, we are simple capitalists exploiting a natural resource...)
- Several initial races.
- Only missing Tungsten
- Good researchers, poor producers, Mix of fighters.

Predatorians:
- Initially low tech
- Everybody is a trained warrior.
- Economy based on the skulls of worthy opponents. (We do you much honor...)
- Hunk-O-Tough initial race.
- Only missing Unobtainium.
- Poor researchers, Poor producers, Excellent fighters.

And so forth. Since it is my fork of the code, I don't have to worry too much about play balance. If I want an easy game I play a strong empire against weak opponents. If I want a hard game I play a weak empire against strong opponents.

This game design would benefit from:
- Exclusive forks in the research tree (You can have EITHER High Speed Cloning OR Super Dense Magnetic Fields...)
- Being able to build forward bases/mining facilities/production facilities on each other's worlds.
- After sufficient research and dissassembly you can build each others equipment, ships, races...

I figure it would only take me 5 years to do most of this. But, it then it would take at least a decade to code the AI for single player game against multiple opponents.


What would you want to accomplish with the UFOAI source and 15 years? What future do you envision for this game?

Miles

[BTAxis]

http://ufoai.ninex.info/wiki/index.php/Gameplay_Proposals
and
http://ufoai.ninex.info/wiki/index.php/Proposals

[eleazar]

1) Multiple players. That is, each player has their own world.
- Each player can invade the others worlds.

I don't think the whole an X-com type game would be playable without the ability to adjust the passage of time in the Geoscape.  It would have to evolve into some sort of RTS, which would be a rather odd form for the broad strategy aspect of a game that goes turn based for battles.

[miles]

http://ufoai.ninex.info/wiki/index.php/Gameplay_Proposals
and
http://ufoai.ninex.info/wiki/index.php/Proposals

Thank you. I completely missed that part of the forums.

It looks like you have the next year or so of development scoped out.

Miles

[miles]

I don't think the whole an X-com type game would be playable without the ability to adjust the passage of time in the Geoscape.  It would have to evolve into some sort of RTS, which would be a rather odd form for the broad strategy aspect of a game that goes turn based for battles.

True. I had limited my dreams to a single player future. In single player, you don't care how your management of time annoys the AI opponents.

Another problem is, a future UFOAI game that supported multiple worlds and AI opponents would have a LOT of combat opportunities. After a while, even the most ardent X-Com lover would tire of the constant turn-based combat resolutions.

I am hoping that the far future of this code includes a variety of options for combat resolutions. You can always add more as the code matures. When presented with a combat opportunity you might select:
- Standard 3D turn-based combat.
- AI handles both sides and I watch it play out. This is essential the 'Dominions' style of combat resolution.
- Possible alternate combat method 1: Put pieces on a 2D grid and play it out 'Master of Magic' style.
- Possible alternate combat method 2: Real-Time Funkengroovin.
- Totally abstract everything away and tell me how it turns out.

I like the idea of alternate combat methods. I know it violates the fundamental tennants of X-Com faith, but a little variety might extend the delight. And XCom 3 dallied with the idea of alternate combat methods so it can't be all bad.

If the game is single-player, it doesn't matter how fast (or slow) it takes for combat resolution.

Similarily, eventually this code might support variable levels of abstraction on the Geoscape screen. So, at game setup you might select between something like:
- Adjust a few sliders (Master of Orion 1 style) and the appropriate equipment, craft and soldier production all happen automagically.
- Use the current levels of abstraction for the Geoscape.
- Borrow code from the FreeCiv project and turn the Geoscape into a Civ style map with X-Com tweaks.

But, as you point out, in any of these futures, allowing multiple human opponents to coordinate enjoyable play is a puzzlement.

Miles

[sirg]

It sounds like Starcraft from miles 

[miles]

It sounds like Starcraft from miles 

Well, it is more an observation that an appealing GPL project will live forever. It is a gift to eternity.

Put it another way: All appealing GPL projects will eventually make their way to any possible GPL platform.

The current set of UFOAI capabilities are tuned for a single, specific type of experience. It is a good experience. It is good game design.

In the far future, the UFOAI capabilities will probably be much more mutable. I expect that the evolution will be somewhat along the lines of:
1) Localization to many popular languages.
2) Easily Mod-able research tree and effects.
3) Localization of graphics and story elements to suit different cultures.
4) Modification of Input and output methods to suit a variety of platforms. It's the same game on a cell phone/tablet/Rockbox/Tricoder/Holodeck. Just smaller/bigger/immersive/whatever.
5) Modification of tactical abstractions to make the strategic story accessible to new audiences.

So, in my speculations I was jumping ahead to that 5th stage. At that stage, many strategy games start looking similar. They all have the same strategic underpinings. They all feature:
- Combat Resolution.
- Resource aquisition.
- A research tree.
- Asset production.
- Asset deployment.

They mostly differ in the containing/constraining meta-story. And in the level and types of tactical abstraction.

XCom was somewhat unique in that it featured 'interrogation of prisoners', but recent Civs have added an abstraction for this as well.

In the long run, GPL strategy game projects will probably all accrete each others tactical abstractions. That is, they will expand their audience by allowing the meta-story to be told via a variety of methods.

So, yes. There may be a future UFOAI with an option for an RTS (Starcraft) resource aquisition abstraction. Though, this is a painful stretch for the meta-story. Still it would be a fun option for the initial invasion stages of the Alien home. Way before RTS abstractions, I expect we will see:
- Many alternate combat resolution abstractions.
- Alternate resource aquisition abstraction and deployment options. A FreeCiv overlay on the Geoscape seems like an obvious thing. The strategic elements of both projects are very similar.

Miles