Tactical Vehicular Combat - Or My Vain Hope of Re-creating The Road Warrior in Glorius Isometric

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

As far as I'm concerned end battle of The Road Warrior is one of the greatest sequences ever made (or will be made, shit is dangerous and insane) on cinema.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40NSMXaIIKk
Props, practical effects, stunts, soundtrack and how whole battle seems to make sense from moment to moment is nearly pitch perfect.

Usually games about vehicular combat are action games like Interstate 76, 2015 Mad Max of which I've heard good things about or some top down shooter, but I'm looking for something with more tactical approach.
Something where you control more than a single vehicle.
These kinds of games exists on tabletop (Gorkamorka and Gaslands are ones I have passing familiarity with), but logistics of arranging a game night are a drag and besides we usually play Terraforming Mars or Eclipse on those.
There are some attempts of these type of games on computer format, none of which don't reach the impossible standards set by Mad Max 2.

Roadwar 2000 (1986) / Roadwar Europa (1987)
Society has collapsed into anarchy, player controls a gang which takes over cities while searching some VIPs who can save the world from killer virus or something.
While doing this you come across hostile gangs which you fight against (occasionally on turn-based tactics mode, oftentimes just plain number crunching. SSI after all was a strategy game developer first).
Roadwar Europa is pretty much same with slight improvements.
PC version uses CGA graphics and looks horrible.

(video timestamped to tactical combat part)

Darkwind: War on Wheels (2014)
Easily the most promising looking vehicle tactics I've come across.

Phase based combat, relatively complex damage modelling which models injuries or death of vehicle crew members and physics modelling mean that I should be all over this title, but focus on online play has thus far scared me away.

Convoy (2015)
Sci-fi setting, RTwP combat where you control a truck and escorts.

Game is basically FTL knockoff with cars (and unfortunate flaw that unlike FTL you can't run away from combat you're losing.)

Blasted Road Terror (2017)
Top down real-time combat where you control truck and escorts.

Title that I've been playing recently. Very short missions and I'm not certain if there even is ultimate goal that player is supposed to reach.
Kinda janky controls, but game is fun enough for short play sessions.

Dark Future: Blood Red States (2019)
Based on old GW tabletop game Dark Future. Uses camera which follows vehicle from the back and time dilation system.
Most of the time player controls 1 vehicle, but hired mercenaries and vehicles you escort are controllable too.


Upcoming or early access titles that I know of.
Apocalypse Run
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2363000/Apocalypse_Run/
Early access title with turn-based combat which I haven't tried yet.

Auto Fire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urBHbwrEJhM
Upcoming roguelike where player controls single vehicle on turn-based system.
Free build available at Itch.io.

 

[udm]

Re: Darkwind, you'd probably be happy to know there's a single-player game in development from the same dev. Of course when it'll actually be out is a different matter

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Re: Darkwind, you'd probably be happy to know there's a single-player game in development from the same dev. Of course when it'll actually be out is a different matter

I thought those guys were doing The Necromancer's Tale which is narrative focused RPG.

 

[udm]

Re: Darkwind, you'd probably be happy to know there's a single-player game in development from the same dev. Of course when it'll actually be out is a different matter

I thought those guys were doing The Necromancer's Tale which is narrative focused RPG.

They only published it I think. But Sam, the lead (and only) dev behind Darkwind, is definitely working on the single-player car combat game.

 

[Galdred]

This is card based, but it also features positionning:



I haven't tried it, but one of my friend who usually has great recommendations when it comes to tactical games played it for 35h.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Re: Darkwind, you'd probably be happy to know there's a single-player game in development from the same dev. Of course when it'll actually be out is a different matter

I thought those guys were doing The Necromancer's Tale which is narrative focused RPG.

They only published it I think. But Sam, the lead (and only) dev behind Darkwind, is definitely working on the single-player car combat game.

I think he's working on Necromancer's Tale.
If Twitter can be believed.

 

[udm]

Whoops! I stand corrected on that note!

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

I used to play Car Wars (the RPG/board tactical game) as a kid, surprised there has not been a faithful remake or something that copies it since the commodore 64 days basically. Autofire looks the most promising, but it has been stuck in limbo and seems to have not really been updated or advanced in 2-3 years maybe.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Upcoming title I came across.

 

[Fargus]

just remembered


never played it

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

just remembered


never played it

I left it out because it doesn't seem to do anything interesting with cars.
Those are just another RTS units that could be replaced with elves or spaceships without anything changing in gameplay.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Found another upcoming one.



Their latest devblog.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2397450/view/4490745531935490588

Dust Raiders - A UI Designed for Survival - Devlog #05
Diving deep into the design of UI

In the harsh world of Dust Raiders, information is power, and a well-designed user interface (UI) can mean the difference between life and death. Today, we're excited to give you a sneak peek into the UI of Dust Raiders and how it enhances your gameplay experience.

Concept vs the current design
The first version of the UI was created for the trailer when the game was in early development. As the project progressed, our needs evolved. However, this initial design helped establish the general mood, and the final icon design is a natural evolution of that style.

We've refined the icons, but more importantly, we've added clearer and more contextual information around your Caravan.

In the heat of battle, every second counts. That's why we've designed our combat UI to be both informative and unobtrusive. It provides all the crucial information - health, ammunition, enemy positions - without cluttering your screen. The result is a fluid combat experience that lets you focus on the action while making tactical decisions on the fly.

The vehicle part now takes slightly more space to make sure you can see the attack icons, status, health and shield. We have also added red elements on the raider’s armor to make sure to more clearly distinguish them between enemies and foes.

Enclaves - the last prospering settlements
Before driving into the unforgiving desert, you must carefully plan your route. This involves locating optimal enclaves to ensure you can meet demand with goods from nearby settlements.

Each enclave features unique artwork to help you identify its location. The same applies to Points of Interest (POIs) scattered across the map. Just keep in mind that the array of buildings and available services differs between enclaves.

Wasteland Trader
In the world of Dust Raiders, resources are scarce, and trading is crucial for survival. Our focus is to make sure the dynamic supply and demand, resource availability, pricing and your cargo capacity are all quickly glanceable and adjustable at the one view.

On the left side you can see the current stock meter which is the key indicator regarding the needs of the enclave. It takes time to restock and information on the right will help you identify the source of resources and the dedicated supply chains.

Ruthless fleet
Last but not least is the vehicle and weapon crew management. This crucial element ensures you're prepared for any encounters. You'll need to strategically assign your crew to maximize your chances of survival in the unforgiving wasteland.

Your caravan consists of the main vehicle, which has the most customizable slots, including special weapons and up to 2 crew members. The supporting cars have less slots and much more fragile. You can also see your maximum cargo capacity or a set of unused vehicles if you have managed to secure more for your fleet.

And that’s it for today’s devlog!
In the coming updates, we will delve deeper into the other gameplay elements of Dust Raiders. So, keep your engines running, and stay tuned for more exciting news about your favorite post-apocalyptic vehicular combat game. Remember, in Dust Raiders, it's not just about surviving - it's about thriving.
We'll see you in the wastelands.

 

[normie]

Found another upcoming one.



Their latest devblog.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2397450/view/4490745531935490588

this looks like a new spin on a higher ambition Death Roads: Tournament, so much so that I'm comfortable assuming some key individuals from there switched studios to make this, unfortunately the former turned into an exit scam

 

[Modron]

this looks like a new spin on a higher ambition Death Roads: Tournament, so much so that I'm comfortable assuming some key individuals from there switched studios to make this, unfortunately the former turned into an exit scam

Or both were just aping Road War https://www.mobygames.com/game/1728/roadwar-2000/ in a post apocalyptic setting.

 

[normie]

this looks like a new spin on a higher ambition Death Roads: Tournament, so much so that I'm comfortable assuming some key individuals from there switched studios to make this, unfortunately the former turned into an exit scam

Or both were just aping Road War https://www.mobygames.com/game/1728/roadwar-2000/ in a post apocalyptic setting.

I'm not talking about the concept, I'm saying the art and animations and the underlying gameplay are lifted from one to the other

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

its kind of weird to me that there has not been a major game to hit on this theme by now with Car Wars, all the Mad Max movies, the success of fallout and post-apocalyptic themes in general. Yeah there have been some games that sort of bit around the edges of this, but they either end up being card games, or are low budget, or are only kind of related or end up vapor ware and never get made at all. Its such an obvious and good theme to build a game around, like a low budget mech-warrior but in a post apocolyptic wasteland. Tinkering with cars, and scavenging. How has this not been capitalized on yet? I have been waiting years and years.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

2015 Mad Max of which I've heard good things about

you heard from the wrong people. it has all the right elements, then it makes them basic and dull, story-gated, and drowns everything into the most boring ubishit collectathon.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Found this.

Has anyone here tried it?

 

[PlayerEmers]

Found this.

Has anyone here tried it?

Something tells me its an unity asset flip: dev released 6 games in a single year.