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[AltarofScience]

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[GoodGame]

They're basically objective locations that double as resource locations. That's not really new.

OTOH, maybe you are asking for a kind of dynamic micromanagement of tiles like say Alpha Centauri had?

 

[PhilBowles]

Not sure what objectives means. Its not like you have to build on them to win the mission or something.

Think of Company of Heroes/Dawn of War resource points - fixed sites you capture to obtain ammo/energy/manpower and can build on to increase the output of this resource, or Shogun 2's multiplayer map buildings (capture to obtain effects such as increased ammo for archers, increased morale etc.)

As far as actually building this kind of 'objective building', that too is showcased in games like CoH (medic facilities that heal troops, for example, or the German veterancy buildings that improve soldiers' level), or Wargame: European Escalation (fuel depots and repaor facilities).

And most RTSes, both modern and traditional, include buildings that unlock upgrades for certain units, which amounts to much the same thing - Academies in Cossacks, Engineering Bays and equivalents in Starcraft and many other games' counterparts only act to unlock these kinds of upgrades, be it +1 attack or amour for infantry units, speed boosts for a specific unit type such as Banelings or Zealots, siege mode for siege tanks, or new psionic powers/equivalents for High Templars or Infestors.

In the new Starcraft expansion (in the latest incarnation of the beta), you don't even need to pay for an upgrade to use the Armory as an 'upgrade building' - build one, and you automatically get the Hellbat ability for your Hellions. For more esoteric benefits, a Zerg Creep Tumour (Starcraft/Starcraft II) is a structure which generates terrain that benefits your units.

I think the AC reference refers to the terraforming of tiles - this worked basically like building improvements on a tile in Civ games, but with more options.

 

[PhilBowles]

I don't think ANYONE has tried to claim that it was basically the same as the armor and damage ups in Starcraft.

Nor did I - this was a follow-up point to the ones I made outliniing examples of objective/resource buildings, one focusing on the types of upgrade you suggested rather than the building location idea.

The issue is more that there simply isn't any real novelty in anything you're proposing as you've described it - you're either suggesting creating particular points on the map to construct what amount to the existing types of RTS upgrade building (how does your proposal really differ from, say, requiring a special hill spot to build a Protoss Fleet Beacon that lets you unlock certain upgrades? It's closer still to an Infestation Pit that already has to be built on a special "spot" - i.e. somewhere with creep - and which provides you with the ability to learn new spells for your Infestors) - which doesn't seem worthwhile to code and would reduce flexibility in building placement - or something very close to the Shogun 2 objective buildings, only that you have to build rather than capture.

The weather effects in Total War games could use a bit more variety, but why would it not simply be preferable to go down that route if what you want is simply for the environment to play a greater role in games? Weather has certain effects on your units across the map as a whole. Most games based on a traditional wargame engine already make extensive use of terrain effects - elevation from hills, being able to hide in woods, bridges that make movement across water faster but form a bottleneck and an easily-defensible point. Again, the Total War series is a good example, although not an RTS.

 

[coanda]

Lords of Magic had some mechanics along these lines. Old game, but a great one for it's time.