Unit suggestions

What would you like to see in Freeciv? Do you have a good idea what should be improved or how?
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XYZ
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Unit suggestions

Post by XYZ »

Another unit suggestion:

1. Zeppelins: Although they were not much older than planes they properties differed for a few decades from airplanes. They could travel much longer and carry more weight before planes
could do.

Therefore I could imagine a unit that doesn't need refueling unlike a plane and that could maybe carry one unit or lightly bomb cities. But I would put his strengh more
on the scouting properties since they weren't an easy target contrary to common believe and were used mainly for recon purposes.
Technologically I would put them in the tech tree slighty before airplanes.

2. Split the properties of chopters to attack and transport. The current chopter only fullfills both tasks badly. A cheap transport helicopter and an expensive but effective
antitank chopter would complement each other in my opinion.


If all those suggestions sound too crazy maybe its material for the theoretical "scenario ruleset" that could focus more on the 19./20.th century with a related division of labour of bombers
suggested here: http://forum.freeciv.org/f/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=822
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GriffonSpade
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Re: Unit suggestions

Post by GriffonSpade »

The entirety of the WW1/Electric+ Eras are only sparsely unitted. Drones(Surveillance and Strike both), various tank options(WWI; WWII light, medium, panzer, hellcat style fast-TD, german-style flat/hiding TD, Modern Battle Tank)[We only really have WW2 heavy], various artillery options(WW1 Artillery, WW2 SPG)[Current Howitzer is actually some kind of future artillery tank], anti-air(Flak Guns, SAM, Mobile SAM...Semi-Mobile SAM), Modern Paratroopers [Rather than WW2 Paratroopers] and WW1 Infantry[No distinction is made between Steam Era/Civil War riflemen and WW1 era infantry], even PT Boats (Patrol Torpedo), which could work like water versions of fighters or bombers to protect your cities and coasts. We're also missing separate jet and stealth fighters and bombers.

Also, don't forget the cheap throwaway recon copters! (Though they could still probably carry, say, a spy or diplomat on board)

And also future-tech units, like flying carriers, power armored marines, stealth commandoes. Then a bunch of ancient and medieval units like Trebuchet, Longbowmen, etc.

So what's the holdup? Art. Art that looks good. Art with free use license. If only we had as many expert sprite artists as we have expert coders.
XYZ
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Re: Unit suggestions

Post by XYZ »

So what's the holdup? Art. Art that looks good. Art with free use license. If only we had as many expert sprite artists as we have expert coders.
Can this problem be solved differently? Paying for art? Converting pictures into icons? Ask if someone capable who does it for free? Do it as a group. Woud at least like to see a crossbowman as medieval development of the archer.
bard
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Re: Unit suggestions

Post by bard »

XYZ wrote:
So what's the holdup? Art. Art that looks good. Art with free use license. If only we had as many expert sprite artists as we have expert coders.
Can this problem be solved differently? Paying for art? Converting pictures into icons? Ask if someone capable who does it for free? Do it as a group. Woud at least like to see a crossbowman as medieval development of the archer.
I have recently found this site with fanmade units for civ2 that looks amaizing:
http://sleague.civfanatics.com/index.ph ... gory:Units
http://sleague.civfanatics.com/index.ph ... r_II_Units

And I have noticed that some units included into freeciv were made by them (you can see the units in those packs, and their names in freeciv credits), so there might be possibilities that other units have suitable licenses too.
Most units were made by Fairline, do you know if it is worth to try to contact him?
pak
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Re: on the lack of art

Post by pak »

Well, what do you want? The gameplay, or the visuals?

I have my own very simple unit tiles, based loosely on standard military symbols; as such it's not difficult to add a new box/squiggle thing every time I add a new unit, however silly (rocket powered explosive suicide transports, for example). I even have added a bunch of dummy unit images - just rectangles with alphanumeric codes - with defined tags along the lines of "u.dummyA9" - that I might use temporarily.

Mind you, to start with I was never a fan of the "realistic picture" units, I'd prefer abstract symbols in any case.
cazfi
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Re: on the lack of art

Post by cazfi »

pak wrote:I'd prefer abstract symbols in any case.
Have you checked out chess tileset?
XYZ
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Re: Unit suggestions

Post by XYZ »

Well, what do you want? The gameplay, or the visuals?
Both don't contradict. Art makes things more appealing. Compare a building largely built out of prefabricated concrete slabs to a Belle-epoque house...
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JTN
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Re: on the lack of art

Post by JTN »

cazfi wrote:
pak wrote:I'd prefer abstract symbols in any case.
Have you checked out chess tileset?
Or stratege?
pak
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Re: on the lack of art

Post by pak »

> Have you checked out chess /or stratege?

The main problem with using an existing tileset is whether they have a selection of unit graphics
which aren't currently in use. I wouldn't want to confuse my new mechanized giraffe cavalry unit
with some musketeers, just because I had to re-use a graphic.

As it happen I like my 2D unit graphics, and they work for me. But those stratege ones do look nice -
But adding a line&pixel png for a new thing in my units is a lot easier than adding compatible graphics
to something as natty as stratege.

Perhaps all unit graphic sets should have `spare' tiles mandated - even with simple rectangles+letters -
for people who want new units but aren't artists.
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JTN
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Re: on the lack of art

Post by JTN »

I've vaguely pondered adding a feature where you define a new unit sprite in a tileset as based on an existing one, but with a coloured tint applied at runtime, to make it easier for ruleset developers to experiment without having to come up with distinct art. (So your giraffe cavalry could start as an orange elephant or something with minimal effort.)
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