Since the core of a game's longevity is its competitive side, we should probably add things to make the game more competitive.
Ideas like proper RTS-style buildings (Walls, Reactors, Upgrade Items, Barracks, Regenerators) would make nice additions, but they may not fit into the universal style, so needs discussion.
Adding new weapons is another option, but to make this truly competitive we'd need to overhaul the collisions system - shooting is currently too easy for more interesting duels. The shotgun is nice, as the spread introduces risk vs reward, but the rifle is currently too accurate at rapid fire for a competitive edge to emerge. Other items, like the flamethrower, would work really well if they were pickups and dropable - do dropable weapons interest anyone? It limited scope of use but obvious power in that area is something we should try and achieve elsewhere too.
A third option is making the maps more versatile, and giving player and situation specific advantages, like high ground seeing lower ground but not vice versa. This kind of gameplay makes people think, and can set up ambushes perfectly. A lighting engine would help this a lot - hide turrets in a dark shadow, instead of the omniscience that the minimap and screen currently provide. Like on Mojam, where you cannot see beyond the wall to start with, Line-of-sight would work really well in Catacomb-Snatch, with catacombs and all.
A fourth option is perks - each player has more customization, and so we see a rock-paper-scissors strategy emerge. Starcraft does this very well - each race is equal in most respects, but each can hit home in their scenarios. Perks like this, which are somewhat esoteric maybe, ('Vampire - you can turn into a bat to cross gaps' anyone?) would add strategy to the core game. However, this risks changing what makes this game fun, and must not be done half-heartedly.
Conclusion:
Catacomb-Snatch, being a top-down game, is very much RTS in gameplay at a skilled level - you do little shooting, instead building up an automated empire. Being a top-down shooter means that the shooter aspect is inherently easy due to the fine control of a mouse, especially with the rifle's bullet hose and laser accuracy. Because of this, we must add the other half to competition, since we are nearly at our current skill threshold - we should add strategic elements to the game that require meta-game - thinking beyond the current situation. For example, a novice chess player might reactively play, whereas a grandmaster has been through this already hundreds of times, and knows exactly where to go next. We need to add elements that will add depth and variety, instead of level 3 turrets everywhere.
This is a rushed edit of an accidental early-submission (damned github hotkeys), so I'll try and improve it in a while. We need discussion on this, in permanent form.
Since the core of a game's longevity is its competitive side, we should probably add things to make the game more competitive.
Ideas like proper RTS-style buildings (Walls, Reactors, Upgrade Items, Barracks, Regenerators) would make nice additions, but they may not fit into the universal style, so needs discussion.
Adding new weapons is another option, but to make this truly competitive we'd need to overhaul the collisions system - shooting is currently too easy for more interesting duels. The shotgun is nice, as the spread introduces risk vs reward, but the rifle is currently too accurate at rapid fire for a competitive edge to emerge. Other items, like the flamethrower, would work really well if they were pickups and dropable - do dropable weapons interest anyone? It limited scope of use but obvious power in that area is something we should try and achieve elsewhere too.
A third option is making the maps more versatile, and giving player and situation specific advantages, like high ground seeing lower ground but not vice versa. This kind of gameplay makes people think, and can set up ambushes perfectly. A lighting engine would help this a lot - hide turrets in a dark shadow, instead of the omniscience that the minimap and screen currently provide. Like on Mojam, where you cannot see beyond the wall to start with, Line-of-sight would work really well in Catacomb-Snatch, with catacombs and all.
A fourth option is perks - each player has more customization, and so we see a rock-paper-scissors strategy emerge. Starcraft does this very well - each race is equal in most respects, but each can hit home in their scenarios. Perks like this, which are somewhat esoteric maybe, ('Vampire - you can turn into a bat to cross gaps' anyone?) would add strategy to the core game. However, this risks changing what makes this game fun, and must not be done half-heartedly.
Conclusion: Catacomb-Snatch, being a top-down game, is very much RTS in gameplay at a skilled level - you do little shooting, instead building up an automated empire. Being a top-down shooter means that the shooter aspect is inherently easy due to the fine control of a mouse, especially with the rifle's bullet hose and laser accuracy. Because of this, we must add the other half to competition, since we are nearly at our current skill threshold - we should add strategic elements to the game that require meta-game - thinking beyond the current situation. For example, a novice chess player might reactively play, whereas a grandmaster has been through this already hundreds of times, and knows exactly where to go next. We need to add elements that will add depth and variety, instead of level 3 turrets everywhere.
This is a rushed edit of an accidental early-submission (damned github hotkeys), so I'll try and improve it in a while. We need discussion on this, in permanent form.