posted 07-07-07 03:03 AM CT (US)
The basic idea will be the defense of Thermopylae, or Hot Gates, against the endless hordes of Xerxes I. The player controls only King Leonidas, and that unit in turn commands his 300 Spartan hoplites (which will most likely by a more manageable number such as 30, and represented by huskarls in the game). Leonidas must not lose a single one of his men, or the player will lose.
Leonidas will have a number of commands that will influence the actions of his men, which willmost likely be taunt commanded. The decisions made by King Leonidas decide whether or not his men live, and whether or not the player loses.
"Regroup!"
When Leonidas commands his men to regroup, they will rally to wherever he is standing.
"Shields Up!"
After each wave of Persians, the enemy will fire a volley of arrows into the Spartans. These will effectively destroy every Spartan hoplite, unless they cover themselves with their shields. Once again, Leonidas makes the decisions, so if he does not give the command 'Shields Up,' he and his men will be slaughtered. To simulate the shields being raised, every Spartan will be 'tasked to nowhere' giving the impression of the shields moving to a defensive position. The enemy they are fighting will lose AP, such that their attack drops to 1. Spartans can only auto heal in 'Shields Up,' while Leonidas automatically auto heals.
This command will also be implemented when the Persians use gunpowder. Another strategic use of this would be when fighting certain enemies who tire easily. While the Spartan shields are up, the enemy will use all of his strength, and when the Spartans go back into an aggressive stance, they will be able to defeat them with ease. Leonidas can move with his shield still up, and the enemy will not have a profound effect on him. He cannot do this forever, because the hoplites will eventually perish.
"Recover!"
Brings your men back into an aggressive stance from a 'Shields Up' position. Good timing is required with this, because if you do not recover in time, you will become fatally surrounded and have no chance of survival. You may recover at any time.
An exception to this rule is Leonidas. Since he is in the control of the player, and he can move during 'Shields Up.'
"Arcadians Attack!"
This command will launch the Arcadians into combat. This may only be used after the first day of fighting is over.
"Forward!"
This is another strategic move in which every one of your men pushes forward for 5 seconds, and then carries on with whatever they were doing.
"Pull Back!"
This is the same as 'Forward,' only your hoplites will pull back for 5 seconds, and then resume fighting. This is useful for drawing enemies into the line of fire of your Greek allies, who will hurl spears at the enemy when within range. This command can be used as many times as necessary to move your hoplites.
"To the Cliffs!"
This will bring all your men to the cliff's edge, bringing the enemy with them. While near the cliffs, the Persians, who are accustomed to fighting on open plains, will be afraid and start making more mistakes.
This is a good move to use against War Elephants. However, if there are too many Persians, this move will backfire and the Persians will be drawn to the Hot Gates rather than the cliffs and will quickly finish off your Greek allies.
"Hold!"
This command prevents your enemies from attacking and losing a strategic position. They will hold their position, but will also be vulnerable, for a few seconds.
"High Ground!"
This command tells your hoplites to scramble to reach the nearest high ground no matter where they are on the map. Every hoplite receives an attack boost for 25 seconds if enough of them make it to high ground. This wears off after 25 seconds.
You will face all of Xerxes' endless hordes, and your enemies will range in difficulty and size. As a general rule, every class of Persian soldier will tire, some faster than others. Knowing how to exploit their weaknesses will be key in the game.
Slaves
Xerxes will send his slaves into combat first. They fight against their will and will tire after little to no combat. Leonidas can let his men do what they want against them, for they pose no serious threat.
Men-at-Arms
This is the basic foot soldier of the Persian army. They will tire easily, so when you notice you you or your soldiers being surrounded, using the 'Shields Up' command will make the man-at-arms lose HP and attack as he futilely tries to stab through the thick hoplite shields. Once the hoplites 'Recover,' the men-at-arms will fall in seconds.
Immortals
The personal guard to King Xerxes himself, the Persian warrior elite. They will be slow, and will pack quite the punch. To defeat them, careful 'Pull Back' and 'Shields Up' commands will be needed with deadly timing. The tire slowly, so do not expect them to back down easily.
War Elephants
These beasts will be clumsy, so driving them to the cliff's edge will be the way to defeat them.
Heavy Cavalry Archers
They will be quick and so will their arrows. To defeat them, a Phalanx formation is recommended, along with 'Shields Up.' Also, being near your Greek allies will help.
Grenadiers
They will hurl grenades filled with explosives at your men. 'Shields Up' is required to defend against their gunpowder attack. To defeat them, their commander must be killed, which will require micromanagement on the player's part.
Commanders
Each wave of Persians will be led by a commander. He will stand out, and will stay behind the battle unless provoked. If he can be killed, his forces will lose morale and lose strength and will to fight. Some commanders can be killed, some are very difficult to kill, others can not be killed without risking much of Leonidas' HP. It is up to the player whether or not they decide to challenge them.
The Spartans do not fight alone. Also defending the Hot Gates are their Greek allies. Leonidas does not command them, but they are essential to your victory.
Spearmen
The spearmen will be posted behind the Spartans. When facing enemies such as Cavalry Archers and Elephants, they will be a big help.
Skirmishers
They are your only ranged units. They will hurl spears at the enemy when they come within the skirmisher's line of sight. Using 'Pull Back' will draw the enemy within range of them.
Arcadians
Infantry units wielding short swords. They are not the best warriors at your disposal, but they will do their part. They will not enter battle until commanded by Leonidas.
Other features will include:
Morale System
When your Spartan hoplites see their King Leonidas killing many Persians, they will receive morale boosts (+ HP and Attack). Additionally, if your Greek allies maintain a high kill ratio, they too will have boosts in morale.
Spartan Priests
After every day of fighting, your men will be tired and worn. Back at your camp, you will be healed by Priests. The Priests will also foretell your futures by performing sacrifices and reading other signs. The messages they bring will affect morale, and the messages will be different according to the results of the day. If the Greeks lost many men, or if the men are badly wounded (healing took too long), they will bring you ill news of what is to come.
Cutscenes
These will be lengthy and spread throughout the scenario, appearing before the battle, after each day of fighting. They will not be the same every time you play the game, because different results during the fighting will give you different cutscenes after the day is over.
'Unlocking' Your Spartans
If you achieve certain difficult feats in the game, you will be able to 'unlock' certain Spartans and will be able to control them along with Leonidas, and they will gain all of his attributes such as auto heal and ability to move during 'Shields Up.' 'Unlocking' your Spartans will be necessary to take out the more powerful enemy commanders.
You will be able to 'Unlock' a total of two additional Spartan hoplites.
Screenshots (From Version 1.1)
^In these screenshots, you can see the strategic use of 'High Ground' and 'Shields Up' against the rhino. Also, drawing the enemies into their own line of fire is an easy way to kill many of them.
Elephants; fight these next to the cliffs.
Hold the Hot Gates for three days, and the player will win. Once the fighting is done, a cutscene will follow. This will show the betrayal of the medeizing traitor Ephialtes leading the Immortals to the path that empties behind the Spartans. A heroic last stand will be shown, and the scenario will be over.
Playtesting Files:
The Hot Gates 1.1
Sound Pack 1.1 (Broken up into two files)
PLAYTESTERS
1. Rebel Troop
2. matthias3690
3. General_Short
4.
5.
That's it in a nutshell.
Now I need some input, and some suggestions as to how this all can be made possible.
-BIHSting
I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead and everyday was as long as a life-age of the earth. But it was not the end. I've been sent back until my task is done...
... I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide.
Leonidas will have a number of commands that will influence the actions of his men, which will
When Leonidas commands his men to regroup, they will rally to wherever he is standing.
After each wave of Persians, the enemy will fire a volley of arrows into the Spartans. These will effectively destroy every Spartan hoplite, unless they cover themselves with their shields. Once again, Leonidas makes the decisions, so if he does not give the command 'Shields Up,' he and his men will be slaughtered. To simulate the shields being raised, every Spartan will be 'tasked to nowhere' giving the impression of the shields moving to a defensive position. The enemy they are fighting will lose AP, such that their attack drops to 1. Spartans can only auto heal in 'Shields Up,' while Leonidas automatically auto heals.
This command will also be implemented when the Persians use gunpowder. Another strategic use of this would be when fighting certain enemies who tire easily. While the Spartan shields are up, the enemy will use all of his strength, and when the Spartans go back into an aggressive stance, they will be able to defeat them with ease. Leonidas can move with his shield still up, and the enemy will not have a profound effect on him. He cannot do this forever, because the hoplites will eventually perish.
Brings your men back into an aggressive stance from a 'Shields Up' position. Good timing is required with this, because if you do not recover in time, you will become fatally surrounded and have no chance of survival. You may recover at any time.
An exception to this rule is Leonidas. Since he is in the control of the player, and he can move during 'Shields Up.'
This command will launch the Arcadians into combat. This may only be used after the first day of fighting is over.
This is another strategic move in which every one of your men pushes forward for 5 seconds, and then carries on with whatever they were doing.
This is the same as 'Forward,' only your hoplites will pull back for 5 seconds, and then resume fighting. This is useful for drawing enemies into the line of fire of your Greek allies, who will hurl spears at the enemy when within range. This command can be used as many times as necessary to move your hoplites.
This will bring all your men to the cliff's edge, bringing the enemy with them. While near the cliffs, the Persians, who are accustomed to fighting on open plains, will be afraid and start making more mistakes.
This is a good move to use against War Elephants. However, if there are too many Persians, this move will backfire and the Persians will be drawn to the Hot Gates rather than the cliffs and will quickly finish off your Greek allies.
This command prevents your enemies from attacking and losing a strategic position. They will hold their position, but will also be vulnerable, for a few seconds.
This command tells your hoplites to scramble to reach the nearest high ground no matter where they are on the map. Every hoplite receives an attack boost for 25 seconds if enough of them make it to high ground. This wears off after 25 seconds.
You will face all of Xerxes' endless hordes, and your enemies will range in difficulty and size. As a general rule, every class of Persian soldier will tire, some faster than others. Knowing how to exploit their weaknesses will be key in the game.
Xerxes will send his slaves into combat first. They fight against their will and will tire after little to no combat. Leonidas can let his men do what they want against them, for they pose no serious threat.
This is the basic foot soldier of the Persian army. They will tire easily, so when you notice you you or your soldiers being surrounded, using the 'Shields Up' command will make the man-at-arms lose HP and attack as he futilely tries to stab through the thick hoplite shields. Once the hoplites 'Recover,' the men-at-arms will fall in seconds.
The personal guard to King Xerxes himself, the Persian warrior elite. They will be slow, and will pack quite the punch. To defeat them, careful 'Pull Back' and 'Shields Up' commands will be needed with deadly timing. The tire slowly, so do not expect them to back down easily.
These beasts will be clumsy, so driving them to the cliff's edge will be the way to defeat them.
They will be quick and so will their arrows. To defeat them, a Phalanx formation is recommended, along with 'Shields Up.' Also, being near your Greek allies will help.
They will hurl grenades filled with explosives at your men. 'Shields Up' is required to defend against their gunpowder attack. To defeat them, their commander must be killed, which will require micromanagement on the player's part.
Each wave of Persians will be led by a commander. He will stand out, and will stay behind the battle unless provoked. If he can be killed, his forces will lose morale and lose strength and will to fight. Some commanders can be killed, some are very difficult to kill, others can not be killed without risking much of Leonidas' HP. It is up to the player whether or not they decide to challenge them.
The Spartans do not fight alone. Also defending the Hot Gates are their Greek allies. Leonidas does not command them, but they are essential to your victory.
The spearmen will be posted behind the Spartans. When facing enemies such as Cavalry Archers and Elephants, they will be a big help.
They are your only ranged units. They will hurl spears at the enemy when they come within the skirmisher's line of sight. Using 'Pull Back' will draw the enemy within range of them.
Infantry units wielding short swords. They are not the best warriors at your disposal, but they will do their part. They will not enter battle until commanded by Leonidas.
Other features will include:
When your Spartan hoplites see their King Leonidas killing many Persians, they will receive morale boosts (+ HP and Attack). Additionally, if your Greek allies maintain a high kill ratio, they too will have boosts in morale.
After every day of fighting, your men will be tired and worn. Back at your camp, you will be healed by Priests. The Priests will also foretell your futures by performing sacrifices and reading other signs. The messages they bring will affect morale, and the messages will be different according to the results of the day. If the Greeks lost many men, or if the men are badly wounded (healing took too long), they will bring you ill news of what is to come.
These will be lengthy and spread throughout the scenario, appearing before the battle, after each day of fighting. They will not be the same every time you play the game, because different results during the fighting will give you different cutscenes after the day is over.
If you achieve certain difficult feats in the game, you will be able to 'unlock' certain Spartans and will be able to control them along with Leonidas, and they will gain all of his attributes such as auto heal and ability to move during 'Shields Up.' 'Unlocking' your Spartans will be necessary to take out the more powerful enemy commanders.
You will be able to 'Unlock' a total of two additional Spartan hoplites.
^In these screenshots, you can see the strategic use of 'High Ground' and 'Shields Up' against the rhino. Also, drawing the enemies into their own line of fire is an easy way to kill many of them.
Elephants; fight these next to the cliffs.
Hold the Hot Gates for three days, and the player will win. Once the fighting is done, a cutscene will follow. This will show the betrayal of the medeizing traitor Ephialtes leading the Immortals to the path that empties behind the Spartans. A heroic last stand will be shown, and the scenario will be over.
1. Rebel Troop
2. matthias3690
3. General_Short
4.
5.
That's it in a nutshell.
Now I need some input, and some suggestions as to how this all can be made possible.I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead and everyday was as long as a life-age of the earth. But it was not the end. I've been sent back until my task is done...
... I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide.
[This message has been edited by BIHSting (edited 10-13-2007 @ 01:19 AM).]
But seriously, I think I can make it work.
