I am going to start work on creating a tactical/strategic land battle
simulation game that is accessible to the blind gaming
community. I'm doing this for myself, and if others enjoy it, so
much the better. Here are some initial thoughts and I'd-like-tos
that should give the rest of you an idea of the sort of thing I'm
considering, along with solicitations for ideas how to solve the
major problems.
1. Scalability. I want the player to be able to operate at command
levels from small units (platoons and companies) up through corps and
army command. The game would be played as a series of scenarios
featuring various levels of command, each of which would have
different time and space scaling parameters. With the battle at
Gettysburg as my first intended scenario pack, there could be
scenarios for Meade and Lee as army commanders, Longstreet, Reynolds
and Hancock among others as corps commanders who played significant
parts in the battle, down to regimental scenarios, such as
Chamberlain and the 20th Maine's defense of the Little Roundtop on
the second day, or the battles across the Wheat Field.
2. Command&Control. There are many simulations that allow you to
maneuver units around directly. What I'd like to create is something
where the player issues orders to units, based on information
reported to him/her, and then the game shows the results of the
imperfect execution of the orders based on the unit's morale and
effectiveness. (green units, even with high spirit are less
effective than veteran units.) Different levels of complexity or
skill levels could incorporate different amounts of variation from
the expected order execution.
3. Fog of War. Information given to the commanders should be of
varying quality dependent upon the measures he/she takes to gather
it. At Gettysburg, Lee had less than his accustomed high quality
intelligence about Meade's dispositions because JEB Stuart's cavalry
was off joy-riding rather than performing their
screening/intelligence function. There should be a premium on
gathering tactical intelligence, and the commander who fails to do
this should be punished when he/she guesses wrong. The skill levels
modify how imperfect intelligence is.
4. Terrain effects. Here is my first significant conceptual problem
and I'd welcome input. How does one convey terrain information
audibly on a large scale? This is not simply putting a player into a
three-dimensional soundscape, this is conveying details of a large
map to the player so he/she may maneuver units around on it. How do
I convey the shape of Meade's defensive line to the Confederate
player? How do I convey the terrain that leads up to the line on
Cemetery Ridge?
5. Scenario generation. I'd like to make it possible for players to
contribute scenarios, complete with user-created maps, forces
etc. My primary interest is Civil War, but others might be more
interested in ancient battles or more modern ones.
Before anyone gets overly excited, my programming skills are fifteen
years out of date, and I never did any Windows programming. I
haven't the faintest idea where to begin to learn all that stuff. I
have the desire to learn and the will to put some time into this
project, since I expect no one else will do it. I'd appreciate
suggestions for resources/offers of encouragement/much patience.
Christopher Bartlett
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