Larian Studios Forums Dragon Commander Dragon Commander - Beta What do you think of options for skirmish games?

I think it would be a very good idea to add options where players could change small things in a skirmish match. Things such as the recruit limit or starting supply ect. If options were to be added to the game what kind of options would you want?

Custom dragons skills!

The optional skirmish mode where the objective is to kill the enemy dragon the most times? Maybe make it a custom mode where there's no recruitment centers only a Citadel or two where you can upgrade your dragon skills. Recruits are also gained when killing a enemy dragon perhaps?

A good deal of that could be easily done with just a custom map.

The only options I'd like to see are server-side check-boxes to prohibit any specific unit or upgrade. This way a skirmish could emulate an early Campaign game by only allowing trooper, gren, and one or 2 others with just a couple upgrades. Or have no bunker-buster games, or w/e the host is feeling

That's too many options. What, are you going to have 60 checkboxes, one for each upgrade? Who would agree to that? If you can find people who will agree, then you don't need options, just a gentleman's agreement to only build certain units.

Two fatal flaw in that objective is that: 1.) you can go back and forth in dragon mode; 2.) the jet pack maneuver gives you the chance to escape from death.

I do like customizing your dragon before the skirmish match, but I think that's the reason why there are three dragons to cater the needs of the player.

Customizing dragon skills before the battle gives you an advantage for a short time because the enemy player does not know the skills you've chosen and vice versa. That's the only benefit I could derive in this.

I do like the idea of fiddling the recruitment in the option. It is already the norm anyways that you have those options in skirmish much like command and conquer.

In Games like Supreme Commander you can easyly set wich units you want inthe game and wich you don´t. I´m not sure if Dragon Commander should have that option, but it couldn´t hurt.

I also don´t see the problem of havin like 50 research points in the skirmish set up so that you can customise your dragon. You want all the passive skills you can get? Ok. Want just to get 2 Master Skills and few small ones? Ok, I don´t see a problem.

Or at least we could have more dragons options with the preset skills.

In that matter, I also think that more agressive dragons, like the Mountain dragon, have the advantage. Why? Exactly because you can just turn into dragon, spam your Pillar of fire, and the Eye of the Patriarch, return to RTS mode staying out of harm´s way. Wait the cooldown and repeat!

And when you are in RTS mode, you can then concentrate on using your shamans/warlocks/zeppelin abilities...

So, custom dragons sounds like a great idea to me.

Not knowing what dragon skills your opponent(s) have is a two way street. It is both an advantage and disadvantage for each player.

On the topic of banning units, Supreme Commander has these options but they are not every unit and upgrade. Instead, they are general things like "No Naval" or "No game enders" (no nukes, artillery, and things of mass destruction). Options similar to these can be implemented easily by preventing the building of certain buildings (If you couldn't build a naval factory then you are not going to have any juggernauts, imp busters, and transports now are you?). some other banning could be no dragon, no [enter building name], and dragon sills everyone is forced to use. I would not expect anything much more complicated than that if such options were added. Now, if specific unit(s) are to be banned then a gentleman agreement sounds like the most practical solution. Then again all these things could be restricted by a gentleman's agreement, but there are always trolls.

All this has got me wondering if this game will release with an editor like OS will.

Hi everyone...
This option stuff should be "not to hard" to implement, as it's far LESS complicated than a multiplayer campaign (where you have ONLY the units/upgrades you bought).

In this "option", we could imagine something like having XXX gold, and choosing which units/comp you buy, both for you and your dragon. Then, go to battle.

Just before, you could choose research in battle or not, etc...

But, for the dragon being customable, I think that's their idea too, but not in early stage of the beta.

I sure hope they are thinking in implementing the dragon customization. It´s one of the coolest aspects of the campaing. I´m notsaying that the pre-set dragons should be gone. I´m just saying that implementing the awesome customization you have in campaign mode would really add some spice in the skirmish.

Also, most of us are supposed to get the "golden dragon" skin for the pre-order. I would really like to use that skin with my own skill, and not with a pre-set that may not by my playstile.

That´s what I think, anyway.

I doubt many played Paraworld (published by Sunflowers), but in that RTSs skirmish mode, you had a point-buy system where you could purchase units and heroes (heroes would be a proxy for dragon skills here). You could buy a few big, high-end units, or a lot of small infantry. You could mix it up and play to your style/try and predict your opponent and bring their counters. Worked quite well.

Yeah, if they copy the Research bonus costs from the Campaign, and give you say, 50 points to purchase upgrades with, then you could have a custom dragon with a bunch of useful skills without being able to stack on all the 20 point killer skills like the Mountain Dragon gets... for... free.
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Actually maybe they should just make that the default instead.

Many options are coming to customize skirmish.
Which ones you will find out soon enough.
Keep the suggestions coming though. We might add a few because of that.

YES!

Made my day!

This great game gets greater every day.

an option to choose your starting position on the map would be nice, if not that then the ability to change slots in the lobby.

Yeah, I played this one, and though of something like that. With gold points = number of different units/research you have

If they switch to a point-buy system, there still should be a difference in Dragon type. Maybe each gets a free passive: Mountain, the combat, gets destruction, the Troop-buffing Dragon gets Scales of Steel, and the in-between Dragon gets Soar for increased Speed. Those passives are available to other Dragons, but they have to spend points on them.