Space Combat Game

Working Title, Cope With It

 

TOC

1. Basic Introduction

            1.1 Terminology

2. Game Information

            2.1 Environments

            2.2 Vehicles Classifications

            2.3 Weapons Classifications

            2.4 Mission Types

 

1. Basic Introduction

            This design document will attempt to outline main points of “Space Combat Game”, a 1st/3rd person space combat simulator themed loosely around mecha anime titles such as RoboTech or Gundam. The game will feature large scale battles where players fill the roles of fighter pilots, combat suit pilots, battle ship commanders, and fleet admirals. Battle takes place in objective based matches on either a planet’s surface or in  space, and are team based. Single player game may be an option but current concentration is on the multiplayer aspect.

 

1.1 Terminology

Weight Measurement: Weight is defined by “tons” or “tonnage” Real life correspondence to a game “ton” is relatively approximate to a real life, metric ton, or 1,000 kilograms. The average fighter weighs in at 5 tons, the average combat suit weighs in at 4-7 tons, standard battle cruisers are defined as 50 tons to 1,000 tons, capital class ships at 1,000+ tons.

 

Size measurement: Size is defined in metrics, meters or kilometers. Distance is also defined in metrics; a standard “sector” is approximately 100km by 100km

 

 

2.1 Environments

 

Space – The space environment is split into clean sectors, dirty sectors, and matter nebulas. Clean sectors are defined as having 0 to 10 tons of debris per 10km/sector. Dirty sectors are classified as 10 to 25 tons of debris per 10km/sector, and matter nebulas as 25 tons of debris per 10km/sector. Fighters and power armor should be able to maneuver easily through clean and dirty sectors and only with moderate difficulty in matter nebulas. Cruisers can move through clean sectors with no problem, mild difficulty in dirty sectors and high difficulty in matter nebulas. Capital ships can slip through clean sectors without issue, dirty sectors provide problematic, and moving through a matter nebula will almost always result in structural damage.

 

Planet-side – Combat on a planet’s suface traditionally is defined in two types, Urban or Wilderness Urban combat is normally city assaults, massive base raids, and any area comprised of multitudes of man made structures. Power armor and small fighters excel here. Wilderness combat is any non urban terrain, wide open areas, massive amounts of similar terrain.

 

 

2.2 “Vehicles”

 

Vehicles are classified into 4 types, fighters, combat suits, cruisers, and capital ships.

 

Fighters

Tonnage: 5-10 tons

Size:  5-20m

Crew Capacity: 1-3 (players)

Armament: Generally, smaller craft will have 2 small weapon hard points and 1 medium weapon hard point. Larger ships (above 10 tons) will have multiple medium weapon hard points and possibly a large hard point.

 

Combat Suits

Tonnage: 4-20 tons

Size: 7-40m

Crew Capacity: 1-5 (players)

Armament: Smaller suits will have one medium hard point, 1 small hard point. They sacrifice firepower for maneuverability. Medium suits will normally have 1 medium/large hard point and a pair of lesser hard points. Large suits, more resembling walking gun platforms, can have several large mount points.

 

Cruisers

Tonnage: 50 to 1,000 tons

Size: 75m – 300m

Crew Capacity: 3-10 (players)

Armament: Small cruisers are generally equipped with several large mounting points and a super large mounting point. Larger cruisers will have multiple super-large mount points as well as possibly dozens of smaller weapon systems

 

Capital Ships

Tonnage: 1,000+ tons

Size: 400m – 1km

Crew Capacity 3-20 players

Armament: Capital ships designated as “Carriers” will have a fair number of super-large mount points as well as dozens of smaller weapons systems and serve as launch points for fighters and combat suits. Capital Ships designated as Hunter-Killers may have a massive mounting point as well as various mixtures of smaller weapons mountings.

 

2.3 Weapons Classifications

 

Weapons are divided into 5 classes, small, medium, large, super-large, and massive Each weapon can take one or more weapon slots on vehicles, some weapon types are restricted to certain classes of vehicles due to size or design.

 

Small

Light laser batteries, small volley missile projectors, hand held rifles for smaller combat suits, etc.

 

Medium

Multi-laser batteries, 10+ missile projectors, large hand held rifles, small bomb armament

 

Large

Anti-ship batteries, anti-ship missile projectors, 50+ missile projectors, heavy energy weapons, bombing armament

 

Super-Large

Heavy Anti-Ship batteries, 100+ missile projectors, small planetary bombardment weaponry, anti-station weaponry, heavy bombing armament

 

Massive

Total Destruction Weaponry, Sector Bombardment missile projectors, heavy planetary bombardment weaponry

 

2.4 Mission Types

Standard Search and Destroy – The enemy has a large cruiser or capital ship in the area, obliterate defenses and destroy the command ship.

 

Escort – A unit, transport, ship, or convoy needs to reach a destination, protect it until it gets there.

 

Base Assault – Planetary assault mission, disable or destroy a planetary installation using any means necessary.

 

“Steal the Bacon” – Fast missions, grab the object in the middle of the sector and return it to your sector pronto.