Commanders

Introduction

Commanders is a online strategy game - You will always be playing against other human players.

One of the core features of Commanders will be the Intelligent Combat System (ICS). This feature will give Commanders a unique touch of realism. (read more about the ICS below)

Random Level Generator (RLG)

In most strategy games the landscapes are limited to a few maps and after some time there is one specific tactic for each level that let's you always win the battle.

Commanders does not have predefined maps but the Random Landscape Generator (RLG) that creates a new random landscape for each battle you take part in. This does not mean that before the battle you have no idea how the terrain will look, nor does it mean that you will find trees that have been randomly misplaced into lakes.
What this system really does is that it makes every single battle unique. The RLG keeps people from memorizing the best tactics for each level. It also gives Commanders more tactical depth since you have to decide if you want to take a more balanced unit combination into battle or want to risk taking almost only specified units, knowing that you might have the wrong units for the terrain.

Intelligent Combat System (ICS)

Black Dragons Studios stands for more realism in games, for Commanders this is not any different. That is why we are working on the ICS which gives the battles a new feel and makes them more realistic.

Since you are only a commander you cannot and also don't have to give your units orders such as: 'Crouch down and fire back at the enemy that is shooting at you right now'.The ICS controlls all your units on the battlefield and let's them react depending on the orders you gave them. The ICS will let your units tell you if they see enemy units since you are a normal human commander and can't float above the battlefield to see what your enemy is doing.

On first thought this might sound as if there is notthing left to do for the human player exept watch and see if the own units win, but that is not the case. All important orders and are still made by the commander and in the end its his word that counts, not the one of a simple soldier.

Beheivour modes

In general there are three different ways a unit can be orderd to react to situations: Aggressive, Defencive and Camouflage.
If the unit is ordered to act agressivly it will shoot at enemy units and, depending on the situation, even try to move towards the enemy.
If the unit is in defencive mode it will only shoot at enemy units if they shoot at it in order not to reveal the own position before the commander tells it to or the enemy sees it. The unit does not move away from the enemy and tries to hold its position.
If set to camouflage mode the unit doesn't attack and tries to evade enemy contact by walking away from the enemy and hiding wherever possible.

What about Vehicles?

So far Black Dragons Studios has not planed to include any sort of vehicles in the game. The ICS is adapted to the combat of units that advance by foot and it is therefor unlickly that Commanders will let players send vehicles into combat.
Depending on the feedback we recieve to Commanders Black Dragons Studios might develope an add-on which would include vehicles.
The strategical complexity of Commanders obviously increases with every new unit that is added and even though Black Dragons Studios develope realistic games our goal is not to make the game inaccessible for gamers.