Effective ranges in strategy games

[xThomas]

Hi, I've got a thought. You guys know how theres (sort-of) an effective range and then a maximum range, wherein the effective range denotes the range you can reliably hit, while maximum is closer to you firing wildly and hoping it hits? (Example: At 200 yards Archer can pick out the enemy. At 400 yards Archer fires at the enemy with a group, trusting that massed fire will take out the enemy rather than accuracy) Do you know of games that do it well? I don't mean just the tactic itself, but the interface for this too. Especially in an RTS game, where I might screw it up all too easily.


It's an idea i've never seen in the rts and tbs games I do have because I haven't gotten a new one in years.

So strategy games that successfully incorporate the concept of effective ranges, maximum ranges, and a clean smooth interface - I just want to know if they exist and how they were, I'm wanting to try some new stuff in games.

 

[Maniacal]

Dunno how well, but I recall something to that effect in Medieval 2: Total War with the Stainless Steel mod and a submod to icnrease it even more (dunno if its still like that).

 

[Peck of Arabia]

I seem to remember the Cossacks franchise and it's later release American Conquest being very realistic in this sense. American conquest even factored in morale, so if you held your fire until the effective range then released a barrage, this would start to create panic effect sent troops fleeing.

Trouble was it was they were also pretty realistic in troop numbers- killing that many units, and losing that many of your own was exhausting, and left you feeling... morally dubious

 

[GoodGame]

It's an idea i've never seen in the rts and tbs games I do have because I haven't gotten a new one in years.

So strategy games that successfully incorporate the concept of effective ranges, maximum ranges, and a clean smooth interface - I just want to know if they exist and how they were, I'm wanting to try some new stuff in games.

Military tactical games with an interest in being simulator like usually try for this. Games made by Gary Grisby (the old SSI Inc.) come to mind. Also, I think this game does (TacOPs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TacOps).

In a way, any FPSish game with probabilistic bullet strike does this as well, in that the weapon is more effective at hitting it's target at a certain range (after taking into account the firing stance and firer's movement).

It's simple to have like a log curve in which the chance to hit drops off rapidly beyond a specified effective range, but a chance to hit continues out to the maximum range. Come to think of it, I believe the original D&D's incorporated that into archery die rolls.

 

[cardgame]

I'll second Peck's endorsement of Cossacks.

 

[OrsonM]

Yes. It's sort of a thing. Between providing suppression fire and, you know the killing type of fire.

The problem is that it actually makes RTS games boring, as it was already mentioned before. Dawn of War 2 applies a model that uses suppression fire (as well as cover), but it slows down combat too much. By the end of the day it feels like padding. It doesn't help that DoW2 is a terrible game too.

I think Wargame: European Escalation also allows for units to fire at a realistic range, but I haven't played that game yet.