Add "Real-Time" option

[afwbkbc]

Please add "Real-Time" checkbox in game lobby, available upon creation of new game.
If enabled, mostly everything will work the same.
The only difference - turns are replaced by 'micro-turns' with fixed switching intervals. I.e. 10ms per turn. Everything will be scaled accordingly, i.e. ship with speed of 100 IU / turn will move 1 or 0.1 IU per microturn (game speed may be made configurable). Player with 100 Industry per turn will have 1 or 0.5 or 0.1 industry per microturn.
So game will always move on, slowly. It will become a RTS, so 1) will be more fun 2) games will finish faster, no need to spend days on single game anymore. Now it's common for turn to take 15 minutrs in late game.

[MatGB]

We're not trying to make an RTS, why would we want to remake the game and mess up the balance by making it something it's not meant to be?

Rebalancing this as an 'option' would be horrible, so I'm strongly opposed.

[afwbkbc]

Nothing will be unbalanced because everything will be scaled equally.
I.e. 100 Industry per turn would equate to 10 Industry per second, 50 Research per turn - 5 Research per second, and so on.
Basically we can take every 'per-turn' value (industry per turn, speed per turn, etc) and multiply by same static amount (i.e. 0.1 or 0.05) to get 'per-10ms' value.
Everything will remain the same if compared to each other.

[Vezzra]

RTS and TBS are two very different concepts, and have to be designed very differently. The most obvious and important issue being how much time players have to consider their decisions and moves. The game has to account for that and provide the player with the means and tools to manage it efficiently, the game mechanics need to adjust to what can reasonable be done. What may be fun in a RTS might not be in a TBS and vice versa. The entire dynamic of such games is different.

So no, you can't just turn a TBS into a RTS or the other way round. And FO is deliberately and specifically being designed as a TBS, the creators of this game never wanted to make a (yet another) RTS. If you want to play a RTS, there are plenty out there to choose from.

It would be technically impossible anyway. We de facto had to redesign and remimplement the entire thing from scratch, the engine hasn't been implemented with RTS in mind. Having played FO you must have noticed how long it takes to execute one turn. Now imagine that happening every 10ms, or just even every 1 or 10 sec. The game would be completely unplayable...

[Vezzra]

I once again want to recommend Aurora4x to you. Judging by the ideas you post, this might just be for you. Of course I might be mistaken, but you should really give it a try...

[afwbkbc]

Yep, engine definetely needs fixing.

[Gargamel]

This is very similar to saying "The problem with motorcycles is that they are too tippy. Maybe if we add some more wheels, and cover it over so you can stay dry in the rain, it will be a lot better!".

See also, Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

[Bromstarzan]

The TurnBased-concept of FO is what I like the most. It is executed very nicely.
I do like some RTS-games too, but it would be a shame to take FO into this branch (and I don't think it is going to happen )

Just my 2 cents.
Cheers,
Broms

[rony albert]

I think this option is much needed at this time!
HyperthymesiaDiseases

[Oberlus]

I think the result of implementing this wouldn't be a RTS game but an slower TBS game that also becomes stressful at some point:

Lets assume micro-turns of 0.1 seconds, 0.01 scalation (so that regular turn takes 10 seconds and 100 microturns) and an impressive adaptation of current code to make it run smoothly on normal PCs.
Then you'll have to wait for 10 seconds to see the result of turns that previously would need 1 second (when you are not micromanaging anything, just waiting for something to happen), and you'll have to run like crazy if many things happen at the same time (planets under attack, colony ships waiting for you to click on "colonise planet", combat fleets away from where they are needed). The way to play the game will also change a lot.

If the aim is to make faster multiplayer games then it could be simpler, cheaper and equally effective to set at start maximum time for each turn. But I wouldn't be joining such games (nor the micro-turn based games), as I wouldn't play mail chess with a friend if he is not going to wait for me to resolve my turn (that ain't chess).