{"assets":[{"original":"http:\/\/www.ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/supplyfront-ss-550x390.png","local":"\/data\/posts\/2013\/10\/c2834155bcd26a9979788a0312c60dae.png"}],"author_link":"author\/iforce2d\/","author_name":"iforce2d","cat":"MiniLD","categories":["MiniLD"],"comments":[],"epoch":1381403220,"event":"","likes":12,"metadata":{"p_key":"81290","p_author":"iforce2d","p_authorkey":"0","p_urlkey":"290407","p_title":"7dRTS continued","p_cat":"MiniLD","p_event":"LD27","p_time":"1381403220","p_likes":"12","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":null,"us_name":null,"us_username":null,"event_start":"1377216000","event_key":"18","event_name":"LD27"},"source_url":"2013\/10\/10\/7drts-continued\/","text":"

I really enjoyed working on my 7dRTS entry in July, and I kept updating it for another 5 weeks or so after that. It has become a supply-lines oriented strategy in which you need to balance the advance of your combat units with the advance of their supporting supply-lines.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Terrain is randomly generated.\n\u2013 You start with 20 units which are quite similar apart from the range at which they can attack, and you cannot make any more so it\u2019s a bit like chess in that regard.\n\u2013 The only resource is hitpoints that accumulate at supply-points, and those hitpoints can be transferred to any units within range to heal them.\n\u2013 You start with one supply-point which has hitpoints being pumped into it continuously, so you don\u2019t need to gather any resources or manage an economy. But you do need to manage the movement of that supply across the map by setting up supply-points and supply-lines between them.\n\u2013 Supply-trucks will travel along the supply-lines and can be attacked by the enemy, and supply-points can be captured if an enemy unit comes inside them while none of your combat units are there.\n\u2013 Combat units will slowly lose hitpoints by moving, so they need to be backed up by supply-points to be kept fresh.\n\u2013 All units can move anywhere (land or water), but changing elevation incurs a speed penalty, and crossing into and out of water takes a long time.\n\u2013 The time taken to cross into or out of water is greatly reduced within supply-points, so they also function as ports.\n\u2013 Line-of-sight visibility calculations means that using terrain features is important.<\/p>\n

\"supplyfront-ss\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This idea started out as an attempt to make an RTS game with no resources at all, because I find resource gathering and eco management to be a boring chore that gets in the way of the more interesting spatial activity of moving combat units. However, the game did not have much depth with only combat units. The supply-lines were a way to reintroduce a type of economy, but make it an entity on the map with significant spatial influence instead of just a number in the corner of the screen. I also think it makes for more realistic scenarios because the supply has to actually travel to get somewhere, instead of teleporting around instantaneously which leads to comical situations like a factory continuing to produce units even when it is completely surrounded by the enemy.<\/p>\n

I think the interaction of the supply-lines, terrain features and line-of-sight visibility could give some interesting gameplay.<\/p>\n

*** Sorry, there is no multiplayer, just a rudimentary AI enemy ***<\/p>\n

Video with info, download link in description:\n