It's been a while since I've played this. It's coming along very nicely, but it feels super hard! I couldn't beat it in 3 tries, and I'm generally pretty decent at RTS/RTT games.
Some nitpicks:
100% needs control group binds.
I can't tell if I'm using the units correctly/for their intended purposes, since it feels like my kangaroos sometimes just get shredded without doing much of anything.
It took me a while to figure out how to get the tanks to change from AP to HE. I wonder if that's why they didn't feel very impactful vs infantry.
Having units stop dead in their tracks when they lose sight of an enemy unit is annoying.
Great work so far though, I'll be looking forward to future submissions as always! I forgot to record the first two attempts, but here's the 3rd.
Thanks for playing! Your video gave me tons of valuable feedback. It's definitely super useful.
I agree the line of sight tool is lacking at the moment, it's due for an upgrade.
Micro-terrain has been a known issue for a while, the next map I make is going to be way flatter.
The trees are just cosmetic, what matters is the area of the forest. The reason why they're so sparse is to prevent performance problems because the map is huge.
Some units need to completely stop before attacking (tank destroyers and infantry). Also they're going to aim way slower if they're suppressed (indicated by the white flag next to their label, and under their unit card at the bottom middle). That's part of why that single enemy tank destroyer was wrecking you.
I like the concept and the aesthetic of the game. I would suggest just straight up copying a lot of the controls from total war, no one is going to complain about that. Things like rotating the camera with q/e, unit control groups and unit control cards.
Would be nice to gradually introduce new unit types, you have a bit too much to manage at first here. I'll talk about more general stuff though: Collision seems like an issue. Units bunch up together a lot. I had 4 tank destroyers that I ordered to attack 1 enemy tank destroyer, they all stacked together, got hit first and they all got stunned and soloed by the 1 enemy tank destroyer and that felt really awkward. They also went up really close, it's kind of difficult to tell how far units can fire, it would be nice to have some sort of range indicator or some indicator that they don't have line of sight on the target. I also had no idea that the green units are allies at first, it makes sense once you see enemy units but if you haven't seen any yet its kind of confusing.
I know good unit collision is a difficult issue to handle in 3d strategy games but I think it really improves the feel a lot so it's something I would focus on. It's more obvious for melee combat where you want to take up space and block others from getting there but it's still relevant for ranged combat because it's a natural way to prevent bigger armies from steamrolling everything by making it more difficult to have them all in a position to fire.
I would suggest just straight up copying a lot of the controls from total war, no one is going to complain about that. Things like rotating the camera with q/e, unit control groups and unit control cards.
This is a good idea, I'll add an alternate control scheme for total-war fans when I start working on the options menu. My game is inspired by the wargame series so the main controls scheme is designed by that.
Would be nice to gradually introduce new unit types, you have a bit too much to manage at first here.
I agree, I'm going to make the next map easier.
Units bunch up together a lot. I had 4 tank destroyers that I ordered to attack 1 enemy tank destroyer, they all stacked together, got hit first and they all got stunned and soloed by the 1 enemy tank destroyer and that felt really awkward.
I think this is because the explosion that happens when a vehicle dies is a little too strong, I'll tone it down.
They also went up really close, it's kind of difficult to tell how far units can fire, it would be nice to have some sort of range indicator or some indicator that they don't have line of sight on the target.
There's one, you must have missed it.
I know good unit collision is a difficult issue to handle in 3d strategy games but I think it really improves the feel a lot so it's something I would focus on. It's more obvious for melee combat where you want to take up space and block others from getting there but it's still relevant for ranged combat because it's a natural way to prevent bigger armies from steamrolling everything by making it more difficult to have them all in a position to fire.
Eventually I'd like to turn on unit collisions, but it creates problems with the pathfinding so I'm working on tasks that are more rewarding first.
I’d need to sit down with it for a few hours to get used to the controls but this is looking really good, like WW2: Total War. I was trying to pull off flanking maneuvers and stuff but I’m not very good at micro at the best of times and wasn’t pausing much because of how far End is from WASD.
There was one part where I was ambitiously trying to have two infantry squads hold still and apply suppressing fire while two others advanced but it seems their range was too short to pull it off, even though the LOS makes it seem like it should work from much further? I tried pressing T and then clicking to have troops fire on a position from a distance but it didn’t seem to work.
Definitely need numkey groupings, especially if you can assign them during the briefing section and especially if they can be assigned independently. I think a lot of my panicked micro problems could be fixed with that.
I’d prefer just having Q+E be rotation keys instead of needing to hold down a modifier. The F1 readout also shows space opening the pause menu, this didn’t work for me but having it be another way to freeze would be great.
Unit barks are sorely needed.
I think the first mission is a bit overwhelming for a newbie, too many troop types to manage from the very beginning. For a tutorial level I’d start with only infantry, and then introduce the other units one at a time, including trucks as a separate thing.
I could see people complaining that your troops die too fast, especially with the disadvantage of assaulting enemies waiting in ambush without softening them up first with artillery. If you want a simple difficulty setting I’d just make the player’s troops tougher and ballsier and keep the current way as the intended/hard difficulty.
This looks seriously good, keep it up! I’d need some more time to get used to it but add a basic campaign map like the one from the original Medieval: Total War and I’d play this for weeks at a time.
I’d need to sit down with it for a few hours to get used to the controls but this is looking really good, like WW2: Total War.
Thanks!
There was one part where I was ambitiously trying to have two infantry squads hold still and apply suppressing fire while two others advanced but it seems their range was too short to pull it off, even though the LOS makes it seem like it should work from much further? I tried pressing T and then clicking to have troops fire on a position from a distance but it didn’t seem to work.
Applying suppression to maneuver is a valid strategy, but at the moment it's difficult to pull off due to artillery and planes not being present. Also infantry weapons can't do the "fire position" command. The reason rifle range is so short is because it's balanced versus tank cannon range and ultimately the size of the map. I'd like to make maps much bigger but there's several technical and performance restrictions. I'll solve them eventually.
Definitely need numkey groupings, especially if you can assign them during the briefing section and especially if they can be assigned independently. I think a lot of my panicked micro problems could be fixed with that.
Several people have called for this as well, I'll make it a priority so it's in for the next demo day.
I’d prefer just having Q+E be rotation keys instead of needing to hold down a modifier. The F1 readout also shows space opening the pause menu, this didn’t work for me but having it be another way to freeze would be great.
I'll add rebindable keys eventually. The current scheme is inspired by the wargame series, which is this game's main inspiration.
Unit barks are sorely needed
This is being worked on. If you have suggestions for lines there's a form available:
I think the first mission is a bit overwhelming for a newbie, too many troop types to manage from the very beginning. For a tutorial level I’d start with only infantry, and then introduce the other units one at a time, including trucks as a separate thing.
I agree.
I could see people complaining that your troops die too fast, especially with the disadvantage of assaulting enemies waiting in ambush without softening them up first with artillery. If you want a simple difficulty setting I’d just make the player’s troops tougher and ballsier and keep the current way as the intended/hard difficulty.
I'm happy with how fast units die right now, the problem is that artillery doesn't exist yet and the countdown timer forces you to rush instead of taking it slow.
Ideally to attack a forest held by the enemy, you would first scout with recon, suppress targets with artillery, attack with cheap infantry that are supported by your tanks much further behind.
This looks seriously good, keep it up! I’d need some more time to get used to it but add a basic campaign map like the one from the original Medieval: Total War and I’d play this for weeks at a time.
A totalwar-style campaign map is being planned but I'm not certain when I'll be able to start adding it since I'm still working on the moment-to-moment gameplay.
I failed your first mission. Obviously I was doing something wrong but it's not obvious as to what I was doing wrong when it's your first play through.
Thanks for playing! The controls cheat sheet would have helped you a lot, there's a command to move your units faster by using the road. There's a few ways to rotate the camera as well.
Comments
It's been a while since I've played this. It's coming along very nicely, but it feels super hard! I couldn't beat it in 3 tries, and I'm generally pretty decent at RTS/RTT games.
Some nitpicks:
Great work so far though, I'll be looking forward to future submissions as always! I forgot to record the first two attempts, but here's the 3rd.
Thanks for playing!
Yep, it's going to be a priority.
They change ammo type automatically based on the target. I'm going to add the option to lock certain ammo types and switch manually too.
ahoy, we played La Fleur De L'Est on stream
it was the first game in the stream
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2190638910
hopefully it will be of some use to you
Thanks for playing! Your video gave me tons of valuable feedback. It's definitely super useful.
I agree the line of sight tool is lacking at the moment, it's due for an upgrade.
Micro-terrain has been a known issue for a while, the next map I make is going to be way flatter.
The trees are just cosmetic, what matters is the area of the forest. The reason why they're so sparse is to prevent performance problems because the map is huge.
Some units need to completely stop before attacking (tank destroyers and infantry). Also they're going to aim way slower if they're suppressed (indicated by the white flag next to their label, and under their unit card at the bottom middle). That's part of why that single enemy tank destroyer was wrecking you.
I like the concept and the aesthetic of the game. I would suggest just straight up copying a lot of the controls from total war, no one is going to complain about that. Things like rotating the camera with q/e, unit control groups and unit control cards.
Would be nice to gradually introduce new unit types, you have a bit too much to manage at first here. I'll talk about more general stuff though: Collision seems like an issue. Units bunch up together a lot. I had 4 tank destroyers that I ordered to attack 1 enemy tank destroyer, they all stacked together, got hit first and they all got stunned and soloed by the 1 enemy tank destroyer and that felt really awkward. They also went up really close, it's kind of difficult to tell how far units can fire, it would be nice to have some sort of range indicator or some indicator that they don't have line of sight on the target. I also had no idea that the green units are allies at first, it makes sense once you see enemy units but if you haven't seen any yet its kind of confusing.
I know good unit collision is a difficult issue to handle in 3d strategy games but I think it really improves the feel a lot so it's something I would focus on. It's more obvious for melee combat where you want to take up space and block others from getting there but it's still relevant for ranged combat because it's a natural way to prevent bigger armies from steamrolling everything by making it more difficult to have them all in a position to fire.
Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks!
This is a good idea, I'll add an alternate control scheme for total-war fans when I start working on the options menu. My game is inspired by the wargame series so the main controls scheme is designed by that.
I agree, I'm going to make the next map easier.
I think this is because the explosion that happens when a vehicle dies is a little too strong, I'll tone it down.
There's one, you must have missed it.
Eventually I'd like to turn on unit collisions, but it creates problems with the pathfinding so I'm working on tasks that are more rewarding first.
I’d need to sit down with it for a few hours to get used to the controls but this is looking really good, like WW2: Total War. I was trying to pull off flanking maneuvers and stuff but I’m not very good at micro at the best of times and wasn’t pausing much because of how far End is from WASD.
There was one part where I was ambitiously trying to have two infantry squads hold still and apply suppressing fire while two others advanced but it seems their range was too short to pull it off, even though the LOS makes it seem like it should work from much further? I tried pressing T and then clicking to have troops fire on a position from a distance but it didn’t seem to work.
Definitely need numkey groupings, especially if you can assign them during the briefing section and especially if they can be assigned independently. I think a lot of my panicked micro problems could be fixed with that.
I’d prefer just having Q+E be rotation keys instead of needing to hold down a modifier. The F1 readout also shows space opening the pause menu, this didn’t work for me but having it be another way to freeze would be great.
Unit barks are sorely needed.
I think the first mission is a bit overwhelming for a newbie, too many troop types to manage from the very beginning. For a tutorial level I’d start with only infantry, and then introduce the other units one at a time, including trucks as a separate thing.
I could see people complaining that your troops die too fast, especially with the disadvantage of assaulting enemies waiting in ambush without softening them up first with artillery. If you want a simple difficulty setting I’d just make the player’s troops tougher and ballsier and keep the current way as the intended/hard difficulty.
This looks seriously good, keep it up! I’d need some more time to get used to it but add a basic campaign map like the one from the original Medieval: Total War and I’d play this for weeks at a time.
Thanks!
Applying suppression to maneuver is a valid strategy, but at the moment it's difficult to pull off due to artillery and planes not being present. Also infantry weapons can't do the "fire position" command. The reason rifle range is so short is because it's balanced versus tank cannon range and ultimately the size of the map. I'd like to make maps much bigger but there's several technical and performance restrictions. I'll solve them eventually.
Several people have called for this as well, I'll make it a priority so it's in for the next demo day.
I'll add rebindable keys eventually. The current scheme is inspired by the wargame series, which is this game's main inspiration.
This is being worked on. If you have suggestions for lines there's a form available:
https://forms.gle/qAwsmYJD8AK9npAa7
I agree.
I'm happy with how fast units die right now, the problem is that artillery doesn't exist yet and the countdown timer forces you to rush instead of taking it slow.
Ideally to attack a forest held by the enemy, you would first scout with recon, suppress targets with artillery, attack with cheap infantry that are supported by your tanks much further behind.
A totalwar-style campaign map is being planned but I'm not certain when I'll be able to start adding it since I'm still working on the moment-to-moment gameplay.
Thanks for the feedback!
I failed your first mission. Obviously I was doing something wrong but it's not obvious as to what I was doing wrong when it's your first play through.
Video:
Thanks for playing! The controls cheat sheet would have helped you a lot, there's a command to move your units faster by using the road. There's a few ways to rotate the camera as well.