Ship Counting
- HW1 was counting ships by unit per class: - so much per fighter, so much per corvettes etc.
- HWC was counting ships by crew - so much crew per one type of ship, so much per another type.
- HW2 was counting ships by squadrons - so much units in squad, so much squads are per class.
Squad system wasn't used only in HW2 - it was also seen in Haegemonia and Dawn of War. Last one was also Relic's doing, and I liked it more then StarCraft, for example.
One of the things I liked there was squad improvements: like space marine squad could be converted to tank busters, shootah boyz, heavy unit killers and so on. Along this, squads could have a hero: create a mighty unit - something WarCraft3 influenced - and then just add it to the squad as an addition. Or make a sergeant. This way, quite weak squad of imperial guardsmen, for example, could be turned into something you need to be aware of. Like in real life - you have basic squad of 8 men (NATO standard), but it can be enforced by machinegunner, grenade launcher guy etc., increased its number to 12 or more - depending on the tasks to execute.
As we see, we can count ships in HW in three ways - it's quite interesting how HW series inside itself has turned into genre experimental lab - by unit, by SU, by squadrons. And I find advantages in all three ways of counting ships (like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums...) - all three can be combined together making player head explode. Squadrons allows you control less while having the same numbers. Counting per class can limit unit number max count, and counting per unit would create variations of strategies for player (of course, then class limits altogether should be a lot bigger then SU limit).
Squad Construction
What am I aiming to? Well, like in big 4X TBS, there should be a sort of a squad constructor. Can be opened in-game, but better to construct your dream squad - with basic, advanced tactics, with formation selection, with units selected and their behavior, random icon - before the game. Of course, if you setup squadrons with too complicated conditions - too expensive, too research-advanced, too much SU - then you might not even get the chance to get them in-game. So, you would have to balance it yourself. From the game developers it would require only to balance unit themselves, set price and SU for single units, maybe, default basic squads like in HW2.
So, you would be able to create squads of interceptors strengthened with defense fighters. Or Heavy Resolution squad of minelayer corvette, defenders and defense fighter to protect resource spot. Of course, you need to have control of separate units, but this, probably, could be done with solution of fleet tactics - you would be able to set single unit actions, but it won't excluded from the squadron.
Capital ship combination with strike craft would do nicely: ICF + Flak Frigate, or Missile Destroyer + Bomber squadrons and support units of Support Frigate, Repair Corvette/worker, Defense Field Frigate, Defense Fighter etc.
Talking of support units - their behavior needs to have separate triggers so they don't try to kill everyone instead of repairing or protecting units - micromanagement should be reduced. They can be added in Dawn of War way, actually - squad + support unit: not attacking everyone, not guarding, not following, but supporting, doing their staff depending on specialization. And if this support unit is set up as part of a squad, it would be easier to understand what's going on the battlefield - to see not all the ships, but tactical groups.
It reminds me about Impossible Creatures, another one Relic's project, where you could create animal mutants with flaws and advantages of each animal part. Create you perfect squadron, meh!
And as we started talk of "parts" ("to become selves"), capital ships could be constructed in R.E.A.R.M. or Complex or the same 4X TBS way - with setting up armor, ammo etc. Of course, it would require balancing of capital ship class and then with strike crafts.
In the end, instead of getting single fighter that would die in a seconds alone, a player will get his dream squadron capable of attacking and defending itself.
First published here: https://www.moddb.com/members/amddred/blogs/gamedesign-homeworld-rts-unit-systems