mturley
commented
7 years ago I like the idea of a third party, natives could maybe be hostile by default... but what if there was a card that allowed you to take a diplomatic approach with the natives and get them on your side in combat...?
I also think that in terms of cinematic multi-stage battles, there could be some really interesting stuff in determining how these stages progress, what thresholds determine moving from one stage to another, and whether it is a linear cause-effect progression or more of an area control/conquest/ king-of-the-hill kind of game where the player can gain control of adjacent areas to what they already control. Obviously we risk getting more confusing the more we get into things like this where there is a map/graph you can't see, but I think if you narrate it effectively it could be really cool.
Also, different cinematic games could be developed as episodic content, with some kind of story built in. When you progress from one stage to another, the events in between can be played out in the form of little "cutscenes", or basically radio play scenes. That could be fun. And with different episodes/missions playing out differently, this could be a really cool way to add replayability and an avenue for future content to be added to the game.
:D
Ships start on opposite sides of the planet, and can only send planetary troops for the first two turns. In order for planetary troops to find each other, they have to clear a landing area which will be AI natives they have to fight off on the planet. Each player faces the same natives, but the exact natives fought by the two players could be different each game for some variety. A player who has beaten the natives damages the opponents, while a player who has not must continue fighting their natives until they beat them in order to start damaging the opponent.
Since this game is digital, adding neutral AI elements is an interesting way we can go that a normal game could not do.