"Height" advantage in FreeOrion Tactical Combat

[Aquitaine]

There has always been some argument, and I think tzlaine belongs to this camp, that the tactical combat engine should be fairly simple - that the high-level strategy of the game should be emphasized at the expense of the lower-level tactical stuff.

At the moment, this isn't really how it's being designed, although it's also not the reverse -- a complex tactical engine at the expense of strategic elements.

I think some (not all) of the ideas in this thread are a little too over the top for what we will end up with, but exploring those ideas, their effects, and their requirements is not going to endanger the project or anything like that. This is just brainstorming.

What we ultimatley end up with will require a lot more discussion and be fairly dependent on what we have the resources to build, but for now, an in-depth tactical engine has been part of our mission for as long as we've had one. That's not to say I don't see the value of a game based more on Empire strategy and less on individual battles -- I spend more time playing EU2/HoI/Crusader Kings than I do playing Total War, myself -- but a tactical engine more thorough than any of the previous MOOs is part of what we've set out to do.

[solidcordon]

blah

[Krikkitone]

Well gravity wells do provide a good 'terrain' option to make combat more interesting. (one that actually fits with space combat)