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Old 04-07-2018, 08:54 PM   #21
ecz
 
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Join Date: Jan 2018
Default Re: Any Melee/Wizard computer games?

I'm not a great fan of computer games at any level but I think that it should not be too difficult create a "bot" to decide moves and actions of a group of enemies using the simple AD Melee/AD Wizard rules and three dice.

who of you knows Churchill (GMT) can understand what I mean:

Basically:
exist three possible levels of casualties the enemies can accept before the group breaks and flees - low 33% or more, average 50% or more, high 75% or more;
This is set before combat begins.

exist three different stances for the enemies (also set before combat begins)
-defensive, average, aggressive; each one has three different tables for orders (see below) plus one dedicated to figures with ranged weapons or spells.
Each enemy group also have a Morale ( ranging from 9 to 13 ) useful to decide if the stance changes during combat.

Each turn, after Initiative is assigned, a different command is given for each Enemy figure (based upon the stance in use) rolling three dice in one of the tables for the current stance in the moment they act or move:
-Move Orders for Unengaged figures,
-Combat Orders for Engaged figures (shifting instructions included)
-Combat Orders for units using Missile/Thrown weapons or spells;
-Combat Orders for wounded figures.

results indicate the action the Enemy Figures try offering a priority list in case there are more options available.

In the initiative Phase the morale could be checked in some cases to see if the group changes stance or if a Figure changes his personal attitude (see below).

This should cover 95% of what normally happens in a combat. Of course the Human player can always modify something in the best interest of the Enemies if the order given is clearly wrong or crazy.

In any case the action of each enemy in turn is decided using only an extra DR in the appropriate table.
higher numbers are always for more aggressive actions, so any single Enemy Figure could have a special DRM ranging from -2 to +2 to simulate an attitude tending to cowardice or to fighting without fear
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Last edited by ecz; 04-07-2018 at 08:59 PM.
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Old 04-22-2018, 08:09 PM   #22
Prootwaddle
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Any Melee/Wizard computer games?

My father actually programmed a simple simulation of Melee, using a TSR-80, back in the early 1980s. Unfortunately, I believe the program files are long gone. Undoubtedly there are\were more elegant simulations out there, seeing as it was one of the first things he programmed.
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Old 05-11-2018, 11:11 AM   #23
Seraphim_72
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Default Re: Any Melee/Wizard computer games?

Quote:
Originally Posted by meteoricshipyards View Post
Yes. Been trying to recreate it from old paper listing (and translate it to Java)

Tom A.

Tom, if you would like some help at all, my Java isn't great, but I have been meaning to sharpen my skills for a while. I am local, Lakeville, so if you would want the help we could get together and chat.

-Charles
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Old 05-12-2018, 01:31 AM   #24
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: Any Melee/Wizard computer games?

I'm tempted to make a computer game featuring TFT as a combat system, but I'm not clear how welcome or not that effort would be by SJG. I tried asking but I haven't heard back.
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Old 06-10-2018, 12:29 PM   #25
wsterdan
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Default Re: Any Melee/Wizard computer games?

While my boss back in the early 1980s wrote a short BASIC program that ran on his Radio Shack programmable calculator, it only handled combat resolution (I think I still have a printout of the code involved). We began writing a simple version of the game in GraFORTH but never got past the layout and displaying a few of the characters. We were working in isolation in the high Arctic back then, and development stopped when the Arctic Exploration came to an end.

Commercially, I think the closest thing I ever encountered was a Science Fiction version of the game called "Galactic Gladiators" written by Tom Reamy and the follow-up "BIG" game, "Galactic Adventures" (think: TFT meets Traveller).

The basic combat and play structure appeared "strongly inspired" by Melee, while the aliens were very well-done and strongly inspired by Jack Vance's writings (even the small graphics in the manual reminded one of Melee-styled chits).

Especially appealing was the open-endedness in setting up the combat situations/layouts and the ability to create custom aliens.

I think the game can be played online if you search for it.

Personally, I would love a computer version, and actually started working on something similar to a melee-styled combat system for a web-based game on my website (some friends and I used to play Melee/Wizard a lot, but we're all in different cities or countries these days). Melee's combat system is, to me, the very best combat system ever devised, simple yet elegant. I even used it as a basis for a simplified house rule system for playing Starfleet Battles.

-- Walt Sterdan

P.S. Tom Reamy might be someone to talk to if there was any thought to adding a science fiction expansion to TFT (please! and super-hero expansion!); if anyone official wants to talk to him, I have his email address available.

Last edited by wsterdan; 06-10-2018 at 12:33 PM.
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Old 08-03-2019, 01:22 PM   #26
dbm
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lancashire, UK
Default Re: Any Melee/Wizard computer games?

(Apologies for thread necromancy, been looking into TFT for the first time)

For a game I’ll wager was inspired by Wizard has anyone played Chaos by Julian Gollop? Hex based, you play a wizard who summons monster allies, which might be illusionary...

It was originally released for the Sinclair Spectrum, and has been recreated for modern systems on both Steam and iOS.

It’s a great game, I think lots of TFT fans would enjoy it.
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Old 08-04-2019, 03:20 AM   #27
DarkPumpkin
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Cidri (exact location withheld)
Default Re: Any Melee/Wizard computer games?

It's always been a source of wonder to me that computer games followed so soon on from wargames and early RPGs as to have pretty much developed in parallel. It would have been so interesting if there had been a couple of centuries of RPG development before electronics came on the scene.
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Old 08-04-2019, 04:16 AM   #28
ParadoxGames
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: New Jersey
Default Re: Any Melee/Wizard computer games?

Quote:
Originally Posted by tomc View Post
I'm thinking something like Twine would be a good fit for homegrown programmed adventures. It produces an html file that runs in your browser.
Shadekeep created the DEMORTE app specifically for writing TFT programmed adventures. You can find it here:

http://shadekeep.com/dmorte/dmorte.html
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Old 08-04-2019, 03:15 PM   #29
Mallen the dark
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Carrollton, Newnan area of Ga
Default Re: Any Melee/Wizard computer games?

Quote:
Originally Posted by JLV View Post
I must admit, I have a positive predilection for "dead tree" versions of things myself.
Your showing our age. I too am "over the hill".
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Old 08-04-2019, 09:34 PM   #30
Original_Carl
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: Any Melee/Wizard computer games?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ak_aramis View Post
your phone can probably run an emulator faster than the original could run.
Ha. Sorry to go way off topic here, but I just read that the Super Cray 2 (ca. 1985) has as much about computing computing power as an iPad.

So yeah. Whole different world now, and I miss my C64.

:-)
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