i have already the starcraft-beta, but it consists only of a multiplayer-agent.. there is no stuff included like the editor. the videos around (i think) are made by blizzard employees with deep knowledge of the editor-mechanics.

but the thing is: i dont know if modding an existing rts helps if you want to change _controlling_ mechanics. for example: i have developped a mechanic called autoselecting.. this is how it works:
- you select a group and move to battle
- in battle you want to do quick movement micro (with your melee for example)
- select unit a, hold down SHIFT rightclick to move unit a
- next unit to a gets autoselected, rightlick to move unit b
- next unit to b gets autoselected, rightclick to move unit c

so you do 4 clicks instead of 6 and your mouse cursor targets at area you want to move instead of shuffeling forth and back like crazy.
this is just one of the simplier technique which isnt so simple to mod because its nothing that can be done by altering some behavior scripts. maybe im wrong.. if you know that someting like this is possible.

@unity3d: unity3d looks nice and you can quickly develop a fps or 3rd person platformer, but if you want to implement a (2d) rts game with 3d graphics.. it just gets messy because the whole shiny editor thing helps nothing. there is only one (amateur) rts-project out there mady with unity.. and it died after unit selection and movement.

so main problem still exists: prototyping rts-mechanics.
maybe modding is best approach but me and my team never really done that before.

hey isnt this problem worth a post in your blog? )
cheers!

Well, the best thing that comes to mind would be the Starcraft 2 Editor. I haven’t tried it myself, but you do really radical stuff with it, using only the editor. Maybe you can try and get your hands on a beta-key which I THINK you get if you pre-order the game.

There are many youtube-videos on different things people have made with it, as well as some demos from the devs.

You can find one here:
http://arcadeberg.com/causerie/blizzards-new-editor/

Other than that, I don’t know what’s fast and what’s not. I think you can mod C&C: Generals, but I don’t know if you can change the core mechanics at all.

If you want to create something from scratch, I recommend Unity3D which you can use for free and get at unity3d.com.

Lemme know how it goes!

Regards,
Arcade

have you any suggestions to solve this problem?
cheers!

But indeed, the vision is one of the biggest problem with this, and playing on “over-view” would help with this.

And in truth, IF the AI were to present itself adequate, then it might work.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I can envision a chain-of-command idea, where you are at the general-level, and you have computer controlled commanders beneath you. Pre-game could involve ordered priority lists (I found FFXII clever in this regard) per commander. Units would be assigned to squads dynamically as they are built… again based on task and priority.

I think, ideally, this would free up your vision (which is always the challenge for me) to focus on the battlefield broadly. I think you could preserve micro as a game element as well by allowing the general to take over for a commander on the fly… but if the macro is solid and the AI is sufficient, the necessity of micro might be minimalized (perhaps even just a matter of “fun” rather than being strictly and markedly advantageous).

Try instead to start from zero and add complexity when you have the core mechanics down. It’s very easy to make a game more complex but you need your system of control first.

For instance: if you have 5 units that control perfectly, give them two different weapons to choose from and the possibility of adding a shield. Instant exponential complexity of strategy.

I’m thinking that the best result would probably come from starting all over again from the beginning, instead of changing what we have.

But as I said, I have no idea how.