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SMAC vs Empire Deluxe
So, I've been playing a little Empire Deluxe recently, and I'm really impressed with it, for such an old game. It's got the simplest graphics ever, and it's really nothing but a war game. It's great. And I keep thinking how cool it would be if the battle dynamics of SMAC were like the battle dynamics of Empire Deluxe:
--the defender almost always has an advantage, meaning that an invader has to be certain of having a LARGE number of troops in order to make an effective invasion, which seems more realistic to me. (Obviously SMAC has limits on large armies, because it can't really handle tons of units very well, but the armies in Empire Deluxe really feel like armies--the conflicts involve tons and tons of troops attacking tons and tons of troops.)
--naval power is fearsome. Naval bombardments can decimate armies near the shore, and naval units are among the strongest in the game, being able to sustain the most hits, and therefore the most likely to be able to retreat and repair themselves.
--air power is excellent for surveillance and scouting, but not that good for combat. Unlike SMAC, in which the air units are unrealistically decisive, in Empire Deluxe the air units won't help the battles much. They're mainly good for attacking transports. And any unit can attack an air unit, which makes it risky to leave your air force out in the open. This emphasizes the ground war. I know, I know: Empire Deluxe is a World War II sim essentially, and SMAC is futuristic, and air power has grown to matter much more than it used to. But still, it makes the air power exist as a support tool, not a battle tool.
Just my two cents.
--the defender almost always has an advantage, meaning that an invader has to be certain of having a LARGE number of troops in order to make an effective invasion, which seems more realistic to me. (Obviously SMAC has limits on large armies, because it can't really handle tons of units very well, but the armies in Empire Deluxe really feel like armies--the conflicts involve tons and tons of troops attacking tons and tons of troops.)
--naval power is fearsome. Naval bombardments can decimate armies near the shore, and naval units are among the strongest in the game, being able to sustain the most hits, and therefore the most likely to be able to retreat and repair themselves.
--air power is excellent for surveillance and scouting, but not that good for combat. Unlike SMAC, in which the air units are unrealistically decisive, in Empire Deluxe the air units won't help the battles much. They're mainly good for attacking transports. And any unit can attack an air unit, which makes it risky to leave your air force out in the open. This emphasizes the ground war. I know, I know: Empire Deluxe is a World War II sim essentially, and SMAC is futuristic, and air power has grown to matter much more than it used to. But still, it makes the air power exist as a support tool, not a battle tool.
Just my two cents.
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