Anyone remember Battles of Norghan?

[aran]

A while ago i stirred up light controversy and angered some people by suggesting that the FOF interface isn't good enough for me. I then decided to try to code my own football sim and started a dynasty thread. After a few months of tossing around design ideas and talking on and off with a few people who wanted to help me, i decided that the project was simply too much for me to tackle at this point in my life.

Even though the football sim idea has fallen through, i'm still actively looking for a simulation to code. For a while i was kicking around the idea of coding an AFL simulation. I just couldn't convince myself it was worthwhile, and so i dropped the project all together for a bit.

Tonight i was thinking of the game Battles of Norghan, and how it was a fairly interesting concept that ended up falling flat (to me). It was stuck somewhere between a sim and a TBS. Gameplay seemed to be hopelessly unbalanced. I began to think of ways to make BoN's idea into a sim that involved more personell management.

Bloodbowl also inspired me. I saw how f'ing cool that game looked, and thought that i'd like to do something similar.

After mulling over several ideas i had, i've decided that i'm going to build a sport from the bottom up, based on the "two teams brawl until one fullfills winning conditions" idea. The game will simulate the sport, putting the player in control of personel management and match-to-match strategy. The game will be internet based, though coding a natively running version may be a future consideration.

Here are some thoughts for the sport itself:

The Sport

Positions

• Tank - Meant to take damage more than deal it. Front line fighter. These characters are NOT allowed to cast spells or use ranged weapons. They use a "taunt" skill to keep the enemy's aggression focused on them, and not their less armored teammates.


• Ranger (this is not your traditional "ranger", it's short for "Ranged Combatant") - Either an offensive spellcaster or a ranged weapon user.


• Healer - just as the name says. They heal their allies and cast buffs. They are also responsible for casting counterspells. They are not allowed to attack enemies, though they can block blows and arrows with shields or dodge.


• Tactician - In charge of on-the-field maneuvering of personel. Can execute special abilities (like, for instance, a flanking maneuver, a pincer attack, a bait) whose success depends on his intelligence and the involved team-members' teamwork. This position is not on the field. It's essentially like an offensive coordinator.

Rules

Basics

Each team is allowed to field 9 players, consisting of no more than 5 of any one position. Leagues specify the maximum team size. There are no substitutions once the match has commenced. Starters must be declared prior to the game, the home team first. The field of play is a circle 100 yds in diameter, with a center line drawn directly through the center point of the circle. The game lasts until pre-specified victory conditions are met.

Play

Prior to the start of the game, each team arrays itself on its side of the playing field. When both teams are ready, play commences.

Usually the combatants won't just rush at each other and brawl immediately. Most often, the tanks on each side will taunt the opposing team in an attempt to make them initiate foolish action. Tacticians relay orders to their players and the players, depending on several personality factors, make their first plays of the match. Tanks beat on each other, healers heal the tanks, rangers fire all types of missiles at the other side, erect walls of fire, etc.

Winning

Each match has different conditions which need to be met for victory to be attained. Usually leagues will have a set of winning conditions which they feel offer the teams involved the highest level of competition. In friendly matches, The victory condition may be that once a character hits 50% health, he is out of the match. In the league championship, the victory condition may be the obliteration of the entire opposing team.

Aftermath

Once again, most of this is up to the league. Characters don't die forever when they are killed in battle (usually). Ressurection is possible--it does cost funds, though.

Salaries

Players can be signed to contracts whose length varies from one match, to seven seasons. Length of contract restrictions are imposed by individual leagues. A salary cap is standard.

Weaponry and Magic

Weaponry is provided by the league. There are several types of weapons, and one standard model of each is used league-wide. Each has a different ratio of power to agility.

• 1- and 2-handed Mace


• 1- and 2-handed Sword


• 1- and 2-handed Axe


• Polearm


• Knife


• Spear


• Bow


• Crossbow

Mages and Healers have a wide selection of spells, availible to any who can use them. A mage can only specialize in one element, and cannot cast spells from any other element.

The Elements:

• Wind


• Water


• Fire


• Earth


• Virtue


• Vice

A Mage who specializes in Virtue is considered a healer, and must play that position and no other.

Game Implementation Ideas

Character Stats

Each character is generated with the following stats: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma. These stats are unchangeable and serve as a basis for the character's other, changeable, stats.

Changeable stats include: Leadership, Work Ethic, Ego, Team Work, Awareness (one value for each position), Fitness, Dodging, and skill with a variety of weapons.

...

That's all i have for now. I hope my idea isn't completely worthless.

Feedback is greatly appreciated.

[Airhog]

you need to add some sort of goal. Rather than just having them beating each other up. Like a flag or something

[Glengoyne]

I say go for it. I do agree that there should be some goal beyond beating the other team to a pulp. That way, there are multiple paths to victory. Meaning that there might be less of a chance that a single strategy would dominate the game....Like Archery did to BoN.

Also, I don't think folks disagreed with you because you suggested that the FOF interface needed work. I tend to agree with you to a degree, but I also like the way LOTS of information is communicated at one time in the existing interface. The reason people were angered with you wasn't your opinion, but your attitude. An air of Confidence will suit a programmer well over their career. An attitude better described as cockiness, or a "Know it All" attitude, doesn't engender confidence in management, nor comraderie among peers.

[aran]

I think i'm going to drop this idea as well. I realized this morning that making up a sport is probably not the best way to do things. It would probably lead me to make the sport simulation-friendly. I'd rather do a project where the sport i'm modelling is established, so i have years of statistics and working rules to use to temper the simulation and ensure that i'm actually doing a reasonable job coding it.

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

Also, I don't think folks disagreed with you because you suggested that the FOF interface needed work. I tend to agree with you to a degree, but I also like the way LOTS of information is communicated at one time in the existing interface. The reason people were angered with you wasn't your opinion, but your attitude. An air of Confidence will suit a programmer well over their career. An attitude better described as cockiness, or a "Know it All" attitude, doesn't engender confidence in management, nor comraderie among peers.

Yeah. You're right. I've really been more careful of that recently. What happened back then was an exception, not the norm.

[Bubba Wheels]

Hmm, reminds me of 'Base-ket Ball."

[Julio Riddols]

why not make a baseketball sim?