• Starcraft2 is anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours per match. Once you get up from your computer, it's over. There's a winner and there's a loser/defeated. Then, next game, it's start from scratch again.
• Civilization series is more grand scheme. A game could easily take days and weeks(or months ?) to come to conclusion. But once you get up from your computer, the whole thing is paused. Until you return back to it. And eventually, it's over. And then next game you start, it's back to square one, again.

Though first off, let's break down the elements of Clash of Clans.

Tada, your Village. Needless to say, this screen is about half of your gaming time. Base layout is super important. And it offers great variety. You can focus your defense on your Resources, or on your Townhall. Or on both to a lesser degree. And this is thank to the resource raiding mechanics. On the other hand, Boom Beach, another game by SuperCell, has no concept of raiding resource. When you attack other player' base, you have to win by destroying the HQ. Thus eliminating major game concept of what to protect.

So, I want players to be able to build their village, and setting up defenses. But, it's been done so many times over.

But I also want it to be more strategic. Let's say Command and Conquer series. There are so many targets to attack in that game. You can cripple their resource gathering. Or destroy their power plants, which will render some defenses offline, slow down unit production and disabling radar/minimap so you can launch another surprise attack somewhere else..

What if.... what if we put in characters as resources as well ? In Clash of Clans, you get multiple builders so you can have multiple buildings upgraded at the same time. (Boom Beach only allows 1 building at a time). Armory or Research building is its own things as well. So it's like another builder that only build Upgrades for your units. Altar or Magic Factory also is its own builder, that builds its own spells.

Now, say, we give players 5 characters to start off. Players can assign some of them to gather resources, and one to build a building. Or maybe three of them to build a bigger building that would require longer time alone. Research would also require a character to man the research table as well.

Players can also send out some of those characters to raid other player's village for resources. Let me brainstorm base layout / defense with the character idea.

There are some nice turn-based strategy phone games, including tycoon games like Game Dev Story. Games like Pandemic are also strategy games that work well on phones and have no relation to offline time. Not to mention many RPG-strategy hybrids which have turn-based combat or tactical turn-based combat.

Personally I think tying any single-player game to offline time is a gimmick - because it's not common it can make a game seem a little unique, most notably in the case of Animal Crossing, but ultimately it's either annoying or addictive in an unpleasant way, depending on the player's personality.

Oh crap, I forgot to mention I will focus on MMO strategy games. Luckily, this forum is awesome in that it allows me to re-title the thread myself without admin help. Awesome.

@sunandshadow That's a really good point there actually. I am playing Dragon Age: Inquisition; and I'm not super sure yet what I feel about the War Table. I like it that it's something extra there. But also it's kind of annoying that I have to go back to Haven/Skyhold so often, and God, the loading time. (teleport back, loading screen, fast travel to the hall, loading time, run to the war table, enter the room, loading time, leave the room, loading time.) I'm still early in the game so I don't know about later on, but most missions are quite short and that it forces me to return early and often. And there isn't any long mission for when you logoff for the night.

Ah, MMO strategy games are a bit different. I haven't seen too many successful strategy MMOs, but the ones I have seen have all been restarting server games - a new server opens somewhere between every month and every year to level the playing field and allow players to start building all over again if they have already used up most of the game's building-related play. A strategy MMO could be a sandbox MMOsim like A Tale In The Desert, or it could be a real-time based empire building wargame (e.g. Evony), or it could be a game with a mostly single-player PvE pet capturing and breeding aspect and a tactical (if pets are used as units) or CCG (if pets are used as cards) PvP dueling system.

Maybe try a different look at strategy, maybe high level strategy. As you said, offline time is key. I'd use this to field the best army you can, not just resources but refining (upgrading resources), unit construction, unit refining (upgrading with items and training), use of veteran units (to train new units or upgrade into command units as a teamed combat unit) and researching new tech. Like most touch screen games these choices are made during play then a time tells the player how long until these choices are available.

Online gameplay, intelligence (after fielding spies and recon units) the player uses these units to identify threats at the location their sovereign (commander, government, corporate head, etc) is requesting them to ascertain. A rough estimate (based on quality of recon units) of enemy activity indicates the position's level of risk. Battle. Split into offensive and defensive. Defensive starts with dropping start positions for combat units choosing targets to defend and patrol paths. This is passive gameplay for other players to challenge. Offensive combat has the player dropping units start positions creating a primary and secondary objectives as well as a drawn path of attack. Units automaticly follow paths to achieve objectives. During combat play the player can choose their units and activate skills (special abilities). Obviously the aim is to win combat. My addition (units that aren't killed are captured and can be converted over time) making stealth and speed the key. After combat the player fields their next army.

Combat locations are based on match making and resource requirements.

Now, this might get in the way of your *gasp* life *gasp* if you are a busy person. Then this kind of games most likely not gonna suit you so much.

You seem to be missing what MMO stands for, Massively.

Most MMO players are casual gamers, with work and some scrap of a social life.

The fact is unless you can somehow provide for your game with out players paying, you will NEED those casual gamers. Thy are the ones who pay for a subscription and thy are the ones who buy stuff at the store, and yes thy are the ones who only get 2-4 ours a day to play and could mostly benefit from a game that can play it self when thy cant.

The actual game play sounds good.

If you use time based game play you should provide some way to make up for lost time, most players can't play every day.

I quitted Clash of Clans after attending a seminar for a weak, there was no way that I could catch up to my friends.

Now we all play Cardhunter, no penalty for missing a day or two.

Don't allow players to speed up build time by paying with real money, people will be discouraged from doing this in fear of being called cheaters.

Remember that most paying customers work and cant play at work.

I know what MMO stands for I have been both casual and hardcore players as well. I think it also depends on the lifestyle, not just free time available. I could be busy all day long except 3 hrs at night, which then I could play WoW or Mass Effect just fine. But might not be best to play Clash of Clans because I don't want have small time during the day to check it back often.

Microtransaction going to have to be in the game, yeah, that's how the game will generate revenue. No question. I think this is how Guild Wars 2 done right. Cosmetic items and vertically progress. Also, Boom Beach provides players with free Gems daily. Not a big amount, but enough to speed things up here and there now and then and again sometimes ;P . So, in Boom Beach, utilizing free Gem is also part of the strategy. (how to best use limited resources to speed some certain things up)

I will have to think more about that obviously.

Good point there man. Since I really like utilizing these characters(heroes), I think of games like Original Wars and/or Battle Realms. Those heroes can man different building and become different type of units. So, they can have levels and skills and traits.

For example;

Heroes

Name: Pyrasia Level: 8 (gained exp from doing activities like chopping down woods and researching metallurgy)

Skills: Mining 3 | Alchemy 1 | Building 2 | Raiding 4 | Leading 3 | Intellect 4 | etc etc

Traits: Swift (more around faster especially in raiding), Strong (construct buildings faster & gain advantage in melee combat)

Name: Artharas Level: 4

Skills: Leading 5 | Farming 3 | Patrol 2 |

Traits: Leadership (more soldiers under command in combat), Alert (fast to detect intruders in the village).

Say, players start off the games with 4 - 5 of low level heroes. You can then train them up to how you like. Some might even have random starting traits as a bonus. Some might be better at researching new technology (high Intellect stats, maybe ?). That way, some heroes are not for combat at all, so players can't just send out all 5 heroes to attack someone. (well, he/she could, but risk getting weak heroes captured or killed by defenders).

Heroes come and heroes go. So, they can get killed, which will set you back a bit, but you can recruit a new one to replace. (like, pick a new one out of a pool of 4 different heroes.)

When a hero is captured in combat (or raid).

The defender player can do the following task.

• Put the captured hero on hold for 3 days for ransom from attacking player. (ransom can be paid in ingame Gold, or Gem.) This action requires a prison be built first. Attacking players can attempt to raid the prison to break captured hero free. (or to get more captured)
• torture the capture hero (utilizing a hero of his own during that time, say 1 day, to be able to attack the attacker's village directly without relying on matchmaker.)
• convince captured hero to join. takes 2 days and utilize a hero during which time.
• Ransom can be paid by attacker at anytime even if the torture is underway.

I am also debating about player's progress in the game if it can be set back.

In most smartphone mmo strategy games, the only setback you will face is lost of resources and troops. Your buildings don't stay destroyed after losing a battle. Though in games like Civ and Starcraft, you gonna get your cities and buildings wrecked, and you just gonna have to come back stronger than before.

So, what kind of 'attacks' can players do to one another ??

• Raiding another player's village for Resources [gold, lumbers, minerals, foods, etc] (depends on which building your heroes go into during a raid).
• -----> This will be only resources setback. Though could be a hero setback too if one is captured. (raiders can overpower a weaker defender)
• attacking another player's offsite camp [player can send out heroes to set up offsite resources camp, which will send back resources. This camp doesn't drain the onsite resources in the village . But it means you are lowering the defense of your village for more resources gain. Heroes take some food away from village to the offsite camps, so it's a food -> mineral/lumbers trade over time.]
• ------> resources setback. Smaller amount. But also safer for attackers.
• attacking another player's village.
• -------> Need more time to think of the setback here......

Resources Raiding.

Say, attacker sends 3 heroes out to raid another player's village.

The target village has following buildings around the village.

• Citadel (the HQ building. Dunno what to gain from raiding this yet.)
• Prison (raid this to free prisoners.)
• Watchtower (intruders entering the vicinity will alert all nearby defender's heroes to intercept.) | (raiding an empty watchtower will lower defender's heroes respond time to intercept)
• Granary (raid this for stored Food.)
• Warehouse (raid this for store lumbers and irons, etc.)
• Marketplace (raid this for gold)
• Mines,Lumber-mill,Farms (raid these for smaller amount of iron, woods and foods. but safer than warehouse or granary due to being located further away from the village)
• Alchemist Huts (raid this for research points)
• Armory (raid this to lower enemy's attack and defense power by 10-20% for the next 24 hrs. [before you you go to war with them or something] )

Defending against Raid

This is prepared ahead of time, because you will get raided when you are offline only.

• Watchtower will alert nearby heroes to intercept intruders.
• Hero working at the lumber-mill during the day will be sleeping close to the lumber-mill. (raid is night-time) So, lumbermill will be harder to raid for attacker (unless multiple raiders overpower the defender)
• in theory, a player doesn't have enough heroes to guard every building, so something will be easy to be raided. (smart players will use up that resources when he/she's offline for long period, though)
• Player can put heroes on Guard/Patrol duty. They will not generate any resource/research, but they will be useful if player is raided against. Heroes on guard/patrol duty will also gain levels faster than heroes working on resources.
• can build barricades, traps, campfires, and torch-lights during the day.
• still brain-storming ideas.

Warlords, Tributes, and Protection.

At start of the game, and every week afterward, player can choose to pay Tribute to one of the Twelve A.I. Local Warlords for protection.

• Tribute is ingame Gold.
• The Warlord you pay tribute to will reinforce your village for that week with 1 or 2 extra Guard/Patrol AI Heroes. (can't put them to work)
• You also receive Warlord bonus and penalty, different depending on which Warlord it is. (extra Gold per hour, less Science production, faster Scout, etc etc)
• If your Village is raided or attacked while you're under warlord protection, the AI will send you Aide (food, lumber, or iron, or w/e, depends on which Warlord), as well as send an AI attack against the attacker's village.
• Warlord's bonus isn't big, but the penalty to is. So that players will stop paying tribute after they become strong enough.
• Player can attack each and every Warlord for resources as part of single player campaign. You can no longer start paying tribute to that warlord for protection afterward. Same is true for raiding/attacking another player's village under warlord's protection.
• So, if you keep raiding, soon no warlord will not stand by your side. In the beginning, you should choose which Warlords you want to keep around longer than others.
• The Warlords you have conflict with will sometimes attack your Village. Until he/she is completely destroyed.
• Think of Clash of Clans but with 12 branches to the Goblin Villages.

Heroes, Weapons, and Combat

Each Hero has soldiers following. More soldiers = more powerful in combat. In peace time, the following soldiers are workers, so work gets done faster or more efficient.

By default, each Hero controls 500 folks. And that is 100% work efficiency. At certain level ups or specific traits, Hero can controls 550, or 600 or more folks. So, something like 10% extra bonus or something of the sort.

In combat, Hero with more soldiers deal more damage. Hero with 0 soldier left will flee the battle scene, or get captured. Soldiers will use the same weapon as the Hero. Hero's weapon is crafted, looted or bought. After combat, Heroes take time to slowly replenish amount of soldiers under command.

• Short-Range Melee weapons - Sword / Axe / Mace
• Sword is balanced. Axe has high damage to enemies. Mace deals extra dmg to building and armored target.
• Long-Range Melee weapons - Spear / Chain
• Spear deals extra dmg to creatures (dragons and monsters. Yes!!), but weaker against short-range weap. Chain is a bit weak, but slows down target it hits
• Ranged weapons - Bow / Crossbow
• Bow has longer range. xBow has higher dmg and bonus to armored target.
• Magic-based weapons - Staff / Orb
• Staff has longer range than Orb, but longer cooldown.

Weapons unlock over research. So player isn't overwhelmed by the choices right at the beginning. Only Sword and, Bow are available at first.