Brad Wardell's views about technology, politics, religion, world affairs, and all sorts of politically incorrect topics.
Published on July 22, 2008 By Draginol In Demigod Journals

In classic strategy games such as Total Annihilation and in Supreme Commander the player not only had their usual units but also had a commander -- a very powerful central unit that was particularly lethal and capable of doing many different things.

Demigod, in many respects, is the logical progression of this game mechanic.  In Demigod, players choose a hero to be their Demigod in a quest to becoming increasingly powerful.

In individual games that take place in arenas that, in my opinion, are a strategy gamer's panacea (even classic maps like Painted Desert in TA can't hold a candle to some of the cool arenas in Demigod), the Demigod will rise in level as he (or she) gains experience allowing for increasingly powerful abilities.

What is also cool is that outside these individual skirmishes these Demigods grow in power. This has some very important ramifications.  Besides making the single player experience much more interesting, it introduces a much better on-line experience.

Let me put it like this: Demigod is aiming to solve some of the most basic problems in on-line gaming: Because your Demigod gets better in a persistent universe, experienced players have an incentive to keep with their hero and its stats rather than "smurfing". 

Moreover, it creates a great deal of interesting match-making possibilities. Why not allow the option of someone who is really good at the game with a high level Demigod face off against 3 or 4 opponents online?  In Total Annihilation, I regularly would play against 4 or 5 players versus me and that was on a "level" playing field.  Of course, players can still opt to the traditional on-line skirmishes where everything starts on the same playing field. But with Demigod, players will have more options.

I am sure I'm not the only guy who remembers the beginning of Fellowship of the Ring (the movie) where Sauron is trashing Elven and human butt and thinking "ooh, I'd so like to be able to do that!"  In Demigod you are the Sauron.


Comments (Page 1)
4 Pages1 2 3  Last
on Jul 22, 2008

So when's the beta exactly?    hehe
on Jul 22, 2008
I am more than confused now... wasn't the plan to have only aesthetical things persistent in online-play?

I mean having a stronger demigod than your opponent from the beginning on is just like you would start a game of supreme commander with a finished land factory while your opponent starts with nothing and certainly nothing that sounds like much fun. If it is only in some kind of metaverse gamemode and there are others where all start on a even players field.

I am fine with it and I am all for having options for custom games like handicap, starting level on a per player base etc. but when I play a ranked match I want to be as strong as my opponent not weaker or stronger... players who play more are already better and if they start with an advantage it's certainly nothing which will keep casual players playing ranked games. (unless you reach your maximum persistent bonus very fast)

I don't get the part about smurfing either, as I expected you would use the 1 Account per CD-Key system which has proven to be very good in Supreme Commander as people are more hesistant to flame or do ugly things if they have only their one account and can't hide behind smurfs - a weaker demigod wouldn't stop people from trolling the channels or custom games with generic smurf "Sk1||ör #1337"



on Jul 22, 2008

TheBigOne: We're not looking at eliminating any multiplayer gaming options, the point here is that we will have additional ones.  The on-line ranking system will be very similar to what is in SC where it's player skill versus player skill (i.e. no persistent Demigods in that option).

The idea is to give people an additional option.  The best analogy I can think of is that it's like being able to bring a single player campaign into a multiplayer universe.

on Jul 22, 2008
now that sounds alot nicer already

we discussed about already in IRC , that something like the boneyards for TA or galactic wars for Supcom would work very well with some persistence to the Demigods.

Thanks for the quick clarification.

PS: just see I have a wrong line break in previous post.
PPS: I see a few good reasons to be not able to edit posts after someone else posted after it but wouldn't it be enough to just display when the last edit was? not being able to edit posts removes the possibility of updating guides, mod lists, link lists etc.
on Jul 22, 2008
That will be pretty cool. Taunt people to take your pimped out demigod on and you see how many peons you can take at once. Great idea.
on Jul 22, 2008
As long as it is unranked-only I don't see a problem.
on Jul 22, 2008

now that sounds alot nicer already we discussed about already in IRC , that something like the boneyards for TA..

You nailed it precisely.  Just like with Boneyards, you could play a straight old fashioned 1 on 1 or 2 on 2 or whatever skirmish but with Demigod you'll also be able to play together where your Demigod IS the race (effectively) and you're trying to help your Demigod ascend while keeping other Demigods from doing the same thing.

on Jul 22, 2008
This sounds excellent! I love that it will not affect rankings, so that it will just stay as a fun mode Time to watch 1 high level Assassin fighting 9 low level Generals and their minions =P
on Jul 22, 2008
That opens up so much possibilities and can be awesome if you do the cap on units correctly, having a 2or3 vs 1 would be impossible if you are alone and an army of 3x the size is coming for you
Other than that, love the idea!
on Jul 22, 2008

(even classic maps like Painted Desert in TA can't hold a candle to some of the cool arenas in Demigod)

I'll hold you to that. I wanna try this. Will it have full-functionality single-player, or will I have to go online?

on Jul 22, 2008
A pseudopersistent universe is news to me. I take it you have some pretty nonstandard gameplay modes planned for Multiplayer then? It sounds interesting . Is it possible for people to cheat the system and help their friend's Demigod grind its way up?
on Jul 22, 2008
What?.. I don't get really get this:

"What is also cool is that outside these individual skirmishes these Demigods grow in power. This has some very important ramifications. Besides making the single player experience much more interesting, it introduces a much better on-line experience.

Let me put it like this: Demigod is aiming to solve some of the most basic problems in on-line gaming: Because your Demigod gets better in a persistent universe, experienced players have an incentive to keep with their hero and its stats rather than "smurfing". "

It sounds like you're "level up" as you do in an RPG and it'll be persistent.

I thought you start as level 1 or whatever at the beginning of a match and then level?

Otherwise.. the playing field isn't even like Guild Wars or Counter Strike. That kills a lot of the competitiveness when grinding can even REMOTELY (even 1%) effect the outcome over skill.

IT's cool if it's just making your demigods weapon glow, different armor colors, stuff like that. But if it effects gameplay.. it sounds really really bad, unless I'm missing something.
And I don't want to be "encouraged to play single player" to unlock something. I HATE single player, and games that basically force me to play it to unlock things for multiplayer annoy me to no end. Since when have any games forced people who bought it for single player to play multiplayer.(Don't say WoW or something. Those are MMO's, it's the only option, and that's what people buy them for.)
on Jul 23, 2008
innociv, he said it's just an option, and it will not be used in ranked play.
on Jul 23, 2008
Oh if it's NOT used in ranked play that sounds fine. The post was confusing to me and i read it the other way around.
If it was what was used in ranked play that'd be a problem except that it could split up the community..

Sounds like it could be either great or "okay" then. But i'd think of it as being a waste of time detracting from other things that could make the gameplay better, instead of adding all sorts of progression things

So I guess like Infinity Online or Rakion..


And I'm curious.. Why would people choose to have persistent leveling and such instead of having an even playing field where you can get everything, and it depends on how fast you level dota style rather than how much you grinded MMO style?
I think people that would choose the later would do so because they just want to win with levels instead of winning with skill and tactics. :/

But I guess that works out since your hardcore gamers want an even playing field like Dota, CS, guildwars(ranked), while your kids i think would rather the winning with levels lineage2, CS wc3 mod, what have you(non-ranked).


But maybe it'll turn out something different than the picture I have in my head right now.
on Jul 23, 2008

I can see how they can utilise the RPG elements in ranked where the playing fields are even. You could simply just grant the player a limited amount of "points" to spend on powers, abilities, items and whatnot.

Kind of like the create-a-hero system used in EA's Battle for Middle Earth 2 (except hopefully alot more balanced and exploit-free ).

4 Pages1 2 3  Last