Hey guys,

I'm working on a small squad based wargame for the iphone and would love your input...

Being an iphone game I want to keep it pretty small and lean for quick gameplay.

In your opinion what is the top 5 most important features or tactics that make for interesting and strategic squad based combat?

e.g. flanking, ambushes, smoke, morale etc etc

If you had to pick 5 things that the player needs to use well to win the game, which are the most important and interesting ones do you think?

It's a debate I've been having with my friends that I'd love to hear what you guys think! Cheers

1) Morale

2) Terrain (and it's effects on movement/fire)

3) Training/Experience

4) Command & Control Efficiency (could be part of 3)

5) Equipment (Overall Advantages & Disadvantages as a whole, per unit)

There's five.  I'm forgetting things, but we're keeping this simple, right?  For instance, the equipment can be sorted out and valued to varying degrees, so there's a lot more covered in each category that can be expanded upon if (depending on how far you want to go).

Objectives should be part of that too, but isn't generally part of the core system but dictated in each scenario/mission.

1. Cover/Concealment

2. LOS

3. FOW/Recon

4. Suppression

 Add these 4 to the list.

Good luck!

In no particular order

1) Terrain

2) Line of sight / fog of war (to make use of terrain, ambushes, etc)

3) morale / suppression

4) flanking to encourage good tactics

5) variety in scenarios / objectives / maps

Given the scale and limitations of the iOS and, more importantly, the phone, I might recommend you have a look at Axis and Allies Miniatures.

With the exception of recon/FoW (probably more a function of it being a board game than anything) it hits all the points mentioned here and with which I agree.

I was struck -- having started playing it just yesterday though I've owned it for a couple years now -- at how nicely it hits a variety of sweet spots.

It's got a nice selection of terrain, an excellent cover system, a decent combat system (necessarily abstract, but still reasonable), and, since the 1939-45 expansion, pretty pieces (at least for armor)...all done up in a low-density package,  which, I suspect, will be important to your endeavor.

If I could add one item to the lists above, though, it would be HISTORICAL.  Unless you're buying the 40K license and are going to give me Blood Angels, I'd just as soon play something that looks like history as not.

Best of luck,

Jim

"Cyrano"

:/7)

Is it real time, turns or wego?

The morale model in Close Combat is still legendary.

I'm experimenting with real-time vs wego just trying to figure out what works best when you are on your phone and out and about.

Yeah I loved that close combat experience. But worry that if you get too bogged down with morale it doesn't suit the fast paced casual style of an iphone game.

Why aren't they doing what I tell them!!@@#!!

Originally Posted By Cyrano (20 FEB 2012 7:12pm)

Given the scale and limitations of the iOS and, more importantly, the phone, I might recommend you have a look at Axis and Allies Miniatures.

Thanks Cyrano! I'll check it out...

I agree, in the absence of a some really strong IP something historical is best. 

Originally Posted By ads7 (20 FEB 2012 6:14pm)

Hey guys,

 

I'm working on a small squad based wargame for the iphone and would love your input...

 

Being an iphone game I want to keep it pretty small and lean for quick gameplay.

 

In your opinion what is the top 5 most important features or tactics that make for interesting and strategic squad based combat?

 

e.g. flanking, ambushes, smoke, morale etc etc

 

If you had to pick 5 things that the player needs to use well to win the game, which are the most important and interesting ones do you think?

 

It's a debate I've been having with my friends that I'd love to hear what you guys think! Cheers

 

Well the very first thing would be an AI that uses Tactics. Especially covering its flanks and being prepared for a one sided down the side of the map rush. (Combat Mission never was very good at stopping these tactics).

It should maintain a defensive posture and not rush out like screaming Banzai attackers just because it loses one objective square or hex when defending. It should always know when it's winning or losing and compensate accordingly from that.

Combined arms attacks and covering fire should do the most damage and gain the most ground. Rushing in without infantry support with tanks should be murder on the attacker if the enemy has any decent anti-tank guns. Rushing in with infantry without tank an artillery support should do the same. Total massacre and demotion of officer who did such a silly thing.

Recon should be more important before a major attack, too many games just allow grunt rushing in for the victory, without proper recon work then the attack should most often fail.

Independent morale checks instead of the whole squad running away just because one guy in the unit was a coward.

AI waiting more often till they see the whites of their eyes. Suprises make for more fun than easily knowing where the enemy is.

Originally Posted By Wolverine101 (21 FEB 2012 4:50pm)

 

Well the very first thing would be an AI that uses Tactics. Especially covering its flanks and being prepared for a one sided down the side of the map rush. (Combat Mission never was very good at stopping these tactics).

 

Great advice Wolverine! It seems like its a very hard problem to solve, making your game strong against all sorts of exploits and silly tactics. You have to cover off a lot of possibilities in making the AI react to tactics that are out of the ordinary.