Borg Destroyer: Tactical Spaceship Simulator

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2. Stardate 47201.5 – The infiltration mission to the Borg enclave near Tau Upsilon 12 has met with mixed results. Although the joint mission team was able to successfully extract several of the Borg’s prototype Destroyer Cubes, their incomplete construction has hampered our efforts to return to Federation space. Warp drive has not been installed in any of the vessels, forcing a slow escape via impulse drive. And, as feared, the coalition fractured soon after leaving the sector. Our allies have separated from the convoy, each seemingly intent on bringing their captured vessels to their own people. We are isolated, but will attempt to return to Federation space with the single Borg Destroyer we have retained.

3. Borg Destroyer is a space combat simulator that combines the classic requirement of tactical assessment skills with higher level puzzle solving. It puts the player in command of a stolen destroyer class Borg ship, deep behind enemy lines. The ship was designed to be highly flexible, making it more than a match for any single opponent. But with an alien control system and the absence of warp drive, returning it to Federation space will be challenging. And that’s only the beginning. Other Borg Destroyers have been stolen as well, and are on their way to the respective homeworlds of the other races who participated in the mission. Not only will the Borg want these ships back, but Starfleet Command anticipates that the other races will become more aggressive. They will begin mass producing these destroyers. An arms race is about to begin, and if you can’t master the controls of your stolen vessel and bring it home, the Federation will be the first to lose that race.

4. face The easiest way to understand the operation of the Destroyer Cube is picture a 3x3 Rubik’s cube. The cube has six faces, with 9 panels on each face. If we were to ‘unfold’ one, it would look like the diagram to the right. Each face represents a ship’s system: Shields, Weapons, Solar Panels, Thrusters, Armor, and Nanobot Repair. By rearranging the cube, these systems can be positioned on the exterior surface of the cube in any configuration the controlling player desires. panel Example In the diagram to the right, let’s assume the blue panels are weapons. Here, three different weapons panels have been positioned on each of three different cube faces. These weapons panels each have a 180 degree spherical firing arc pointed outward from the facing on which they are located. Tactically, this means that the Destroyer can fire three shots from each of the visible sides, but cannot fire at targets behind it.

5. Controlling the Destroyer configuration in a video game would be challenging with a mouse and keyboard. Fortunately, we can leverage technology that has been around for the past 8 years: ‘Smart Cubes’ Click to play video Click to play video There are several competing products currently on the market that can serve our purposes. These include: XaiomiGiiKER Smart Cube, the Futuro Cube, Rubik’s Spark, GoCube, and the Technosource Rubik’s TouchCube. Each offers different features, but those that are most useful include BlueTooth or RF technology that enables the smart cube to communicate with a computer. See the two promotional videos above to get a feel for how these toys work. (The Futuro Cube includes an API that allows users to create their own games, and rather than physically rotating the cube, the configuration is changed by tapping the sides)

6. The Destroyer has both General Systems and Panel Systems. General systems are ship-wide, and operate with full 360 degree facings. Panel systems are configurable to the different faces of the ship, and operate from battery power. Panel Systems General Systems Provides thrust in a 180 degree arc facing out from the panel. More power = greater thrust. Used to power all ship’s systems. Can only be recharged with solar panels. Deflects incoming damage in a 180 degree spherical arc facing out from its panel. Shields Engines Batteries All damage that breaches the shields on this face is absorbed by armor until depleted. No power req’d. Controls weapon targeting. More power creates more accuracy. Fires phasers in a 180 degree arc outward from the panel. Weapons Armor Fire Control Repairs damaged panels in the facing where the repair module is located. Power = repair speed. Converts solar energy that is facing the panel into battery power. Repair Detects enemy ships. More power increases range. Solar Panels Sensors

7. To the left is an unwrapped diagram that shows the six sides of the Destroyer before being configured. At the start of the match, the player will have a limited time to reconfigure his Destroyer, placing the panels in any desired configuration. Example Assume that after ‘solving’ the cube, the player is left with a side that looks like the one on the right. In this configuration, there are two armor panels (white), two phaser panels (blue), two shield panels (yellow), and three engine panels. (orange) This means that this side of the Destroyer is protected by shields and armor, and can fire both phasers and engine thrust. However, the specifics of the arrangement are important. When two or more panels are connected either horizontally or vertically, they are 50% more powerful than the sum of the two individually. For example, the two armor panels are unconnected, so they represent 2 points of armor. But the two phaser panels are connected, so they provide three points of phaser power (50% more than 2). Similarly, the two shield panels provide three points of shielding. And the three engine panels provide six points of thrust (100% more than six). If, say, all nine phaser panels were placed on the same side, they would represent 36 points of phaser power. That side of the ship would have no defenses and no thrust, but would pack a massive punch.

8. The environment should be an active element of combat strategy. We will take our visual influence from the game Dreadnought (made in 2017 by Six Foot and Yager Development). In this game, even space is cluttered, with huge asteroids and planetary bodies to navigate around, as well as massive star bases and other artificial structures. These obstacles can serve as cover, obscuring lines of sight. Additionally, they can serve gameplay functions, with radiation fields, collidable objects, wormholes, x-ray and solar sources, gravity waves, and countless others. Space will be a three dimensional playing field, filled with features that both impact gameplay and make the environment visually interesting.

9. The key to the environment is that it will be dynamic. Environmental features can come and go during an encounter. Some will be in motion, such as radiation waves, and some may be static, such as a solar source. Players must adapt to the new conditions in order to maximize their ships performance. Physical Objects Radiation Planets, asteroid fields, large structures like star bases. These objects obstruct visibility, can damage ships, and hide objects from sensors. Radiation belts can blind sensors as well as cause systems to malfunction if a ship passes through them. Gravity Wells Solar Sources Slow moving gravitational sources that can alter flight paths and, if a ship collides with them, destroy that ship. The sun, star base solar projectors, etc. Solar radiation source that can be tapped by solar panels to charge batteries. Wormholes Comets Can appear and disappear with no warning. Ships entering a wormhole will instantly move to the exit, which may be on the map or not. Fast moving, dangerous physical objects, leaving a radiation trail, and capable of striking ships

10. In command of a Borg prototype destroyer, behind enemy lines, on a secret mission, the player can potentially encounter ships from any race in the Star Trek universe. It is even possible to fight against Federation ships who are not aware of the player’s mission, and may suspect a Borg trick. And, of course, the Borg themselves know that the player’s Destroyer is stolen. In all cases, enemy ships are inferior to the player’s advanced Destroyer. Nonetheless, the player can be beaten by numbers or poor play, and can be whittled down as a result of the inability to obtain replacement parts as their stolen ship is damaged in successive encounters.

11. Damage Aiming When ships are damaged by weapons or environmental hazards, shields on the affected cube facing are drained first. Next, the armor absorbs further damage. If both armor and shields are exhausted, then individual panels will be damaged, rendering them inoperable. Weapon aim is computer controlled. To target an enemy ship, simply select it. Upon firing, the target is struck according to a hit percentage, which is modified by the amount of power being supplied to fire control. More power = greater accuracy. Movement Ships can move in any 3D direction, provided they have thrusters positioned on the appropriate ship facing. The number of thrusters and power supplied to them dictates speed. Note that ships move quite slowly in order to provide adequate time for decision making and reconfiguring the cube. Movement controls will be similar to those in Dreadnought. Power Players can power up systems individually. For weapons and shields, it takes time to fully charge. All power is drawn from the batteries, which can only be recharged via solar panels.

12. After a battle, it is possible to scavenge parts from destroyed opponents, which can be used to repair or upgrade the player’s ship Long-range scan of battlefield Players can reconfigure their Destroyer on the fly, but the battle will rage around them as they do Re-configure cube Achieve goal or destroy All opponents Scavenge battlefield Configure cube Combat Escape the battlefield Depending on what equipment is scavenged, it is possible to modify the cube with alternate weapons and systems Player destroyed. game over Effect repairs or upgrades Combat will be a straightforward example of the spaceflight combat genre, except for the critical addition of the reconfigurable ship, which will fundamentally transform the feel. The pace will be real-time-but-slow, providing the player with ample opportunity to assess conditions and react to them, as well as enabling them to reconfigure their ship during combat. It is important to face solar panels towards solar sources, and weapons, shields, and armor towards potential enemies. The facing of thrusters determines which directions the player can move in. Especially when facing multiple simultaneous opponents, the facings of the panels will be critical. Next mission

13. The game’s story mode will serve as the tutorial. The player must navigate a series of missions against progressively more difficult opponents. During this stage, the player will become accustomed to the weapons and tactics of alien races, as well as learning to control and command the Borg Destroyer effectively. Missions need not always have goals of combat or destruction. They can involve searching for resources, rescuing stranded Federation personnel, forging alliances with alien races, acquiring intelligence on the Borg or the other races, etc. To explore this fully, the dev team may opt to include transporters, away teams, and special resources such as rare earth elements that can be found in hostile environments. (Note that this does not advocate any sort of micro control over individuals)

14. Although the Story Mode purpose is primarily tutorial, it can also serve as the starting point for Neutral Zone combat. In this phase of the game, players will square off against large numbers of other human-controlled Borg Destroyers in the Neutral Zone. In an arena style mode that offers unlimited replay, players can undergo the ultimate test. Success will allow new unlockable upgrades such as the Romulan Plasma Torpedo, Ferengi sensors, Klingon Armor plating, Borg improved shielding, etc. As with the story mode, we may also wish to experiment with a variety of mission goals, provide for opportunities to create alliances, guilds, and in-game videochat communications.

15. Fans of toys-to-reality, like Skylanders Enjoys cooperative efforts with tight groups of friends Hates feeling ‘old’ Has disposable income Fan of Wing Commander, X-Wing, and Star Citizen Highly self-reliant Into Cosplay & LARPing Control freak Cuber Detail oriented Has kids in college who are embarrassed by him 40-50 Yr. old Generation X male Diehard Trekkie Still uses Facebook Competitive, hates losing to teenagers Technophile & early adopter Hates Star Wars Likes RPGs and story Maker – watches YouTube videos on how to build Daredevil’s Billy club Reformed helicopter dad The type who tries to explain binary math to his wife, even though she rolls her eyes every time Thinks he doesn’t need Google Maps, but still gets lost

16. This game could potentially be playable with a mouse/keyboard interface. However, it will be vastly superior with a smart cube. It is understood that a game’s sales potential will be reduced when it is dependent on a peripheral device, but there are several offsetting advantages: Star Trek is an evergreen IP with a large and loyal audience The target audience are fans of space flight combat games, a genre that is experiencing a resurgence in popularity The smart cube audience is already established, so those with a smart cube want more content Cubers in general are a large, international audience The game construction also appeals to the toys-to-reality trait of the target audience For these reasons, Borg Destroyer is viable even if the decision is made to require a Smart Cube. Borg Destroyer has room for numerous expansions, DLC, and ancillary marketing possibilities. The ‘maker’ aspect of the target audience also creates opportunities for custom cube kits.