Been a while, any word on Dom 4?

[Gandalf Parker]

Originally Posted by Saxon

I just noted that the most recent patch was in January this year. First, the long term support is unheard of outside of online games, that is amazing.

Second, the Dev's must still be interested and playing with the ideas, so we can hope they are brewing something new up!

It tends to be continual altho it has slowed down some since they started the new project. But they definitely havent forgotten us. Every time I look there is something new.
http://ulm.illwinter.com/dom3/dom3progress.html

[Doo]

Originally Posted by Robert Lawrence James

The only thing I could ask for would be a more powerful battle orders system, possibly with the option to do real-time tactical battles if the two opponents are online at the same time. That would be badass beyond belief.

Even just for SP it would be awesome.

Too awesome in fact, the world just couldn't accept it and capitalists and communists would unite against the common enemy, economic slowdown caused by too much Dom 3 being played.

[Gandalf Parker]

Nahh we can survive that. Now if they got Dom3 onto our phones. THAT could destroy the working world.

[thejeff]

Honestly real-time tactical battles would suck. With the number of units, squads and commanders you can put on the field, and the number of options many of them have, it would be a nightmare. If it was turn based and you had to give orders to every squad and commander every round it would take for ever. Big battles take forever just to watch...
If it was actually real time, you'd still have to fall back to the AI for almost everything. I don't want a twitch based battle system.

The only way to make it workable would be to drastically simplify the game. Limit the size of battles and cut back on spell options. I don't think that's a direction anyone wants to go.

[Deadnature]

No, the one of the biggest appeals of this game for me is its simultaneously resolved turns.

[Calahan]

Originally Posted by Robert Lawrence James

The only thing I could ask for would be a more powerful battle orders system, possibly with the option to do real-time tactical battles if the two opponents are online at the same time. That would be....

.... the most hidious and repulsive change possible for Dominions, and would almost certainly see the community collapse in less than 12 months (despite the potential sudden surge it could create from the fly-by-night gamers checking Dom out for a few months while saying "Cool" and "Awesome" a lot at the new RTS battles, and then disappearing 3 months later to play the next "Cool" and "Awesome" RTS game they found.)

There are plenty of games that offer tactical RTS battles or turn based battles, and the appeal of Dominions for many is the very fact you don't control the battles (or at least that's the appeal to me). If any aspect of Dominions (regardless of choice) ever turned into a horrible Total War or Fantasy Wars clone, then I'd stop playing in an instant.

If people want more control over battles, then they can fudge off and play a TW game or Wesnoth game or whatever game that offers the type of direct control they're after. But they need to leave alone any thoughts of changing the only good game that exists (or at least I've found) that doesn't allow direct control.

(not that a change like this will ever happen to Dominions. But it still irks me to see people who post wanting to change aspects of Dominions just so it can play the same way as all the other games do in the so called strategy genre. With the suggested change almost certain to be just so Dom can move closer to becoming a carbon copy of the plethora of identical games of the same genre that exists. All of them just as rubbish and shallow as the next clone that pops out of the womb)

[Gandalf Parker]

I totally agree. Id rather see Dom expanded along the same lines than see it become just another game. Even the design directions that irritate the crap out of me but make the game so unique that it lives forever on my computers.

Not that its likely anyway. I dont think the devs would consider such a thing. They tend to improve forever and hate re-doing things from scratch. I suspect that what we will see will be an entirely new game in an entirely different genre. And I am hoping that we will see the same great things that have been in all of their games, plus some of what has been learned in making those.

As far as an RPG, they have already done that. The Conquest of Ellysium II is available for free download from Shrapnel. They might do some tweaks in Coe2 once in awhile but I dont think they would revisit that territory.

Much can be gleaned from reading thru old interviews. Such as comments like this..

Have you ever considered developing a non-fantasy game, such as a modern or historical wargame?
We've had ideas on space games, Jules-Vernesque gothic-punk, and other stuff, so yes, we have. Not sure what will emerge later on.

[rdonj]

I've got it! I've finally realized what form Dominions 4 will take. It will be a tabletop wargame along the lines of warhammer, but with more pretenders and naked people.

[Gandalf Parker]

Actually, the "tabletop" I picture is the big touch-table computers. Id love to be able to move my armies by actually using my hands on a big map, then be able to zoom in, or pick up a unit to examine it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qDOR...eature=related
or one of the big white boards using the same technology.

Or even the Air Table
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynB27...eature=related

Of course those are just until the finish the HoloDeck or Matrix whichever comes first.