Territory Capture Gameplay Idea?

[Nexus]

Alright well in my game faction wars the main gameplay is territory warfare between the 3 factions using realtime ajax and javascript etc. Basically the city is a gridmap and factions take over squares. The more squares your faction has the higher your faction is in the leaderboards. Now there will only be so many squares and control may shift at any time at any square. Now you move around from square to square(no char sprite) and there is a list of people there to the right of the gridmap. You may attack enemy faction members through realtime ajax combat. You can also use abilities such as invisibilty, rage, steady shot, and many more. The part that stumps me is I cannot think of how the factions gain control of a square and also how they fight back for control of the square and how they can capture it back. I need some ideas and I am welcome to any ideas! Thanks!

[Jackolantern]

It could be in the vein of games like Dawn of War, where you first have to destroy any AI enemies or defenses that the other player may have left there to hold the node for them, then you have to declare that you are trying to take it over. You can't put anything up to defend the node until you have successfully taken it, and the process of taking over the node takes time. So all you have to defend yourself while trying to take the node over is your character, and maybe any other characters under your control (if a player controls multiple units at a time). If you get killed while taking over the node, the original owner keeps it and can replace the defenses you destroyed. If they are unable to kill you before you take it over (the time it takes probably depends on the pace of the game), the node is now controlled by you and you can begin building up defenses on it.

[Nexus]

Wow that is good! I never eveb thought about defense! Like a turret powered by ajax and maybe like a 2:30 minute wait for the square to neutral and then another 2:30 minute to capture for your faction. I would still love to here some other ideas though!

[Jackolantern]

I am not sure how your game is going to be set up, but I think there could be a lot more strategy if you controlled multiple characters (or "units") at a time. This could add in the element of being able to train/recruit/create new units. Of course that is moving more in the direction of RTS, which may or may not be what you are going for, but I think there is a reason why RTS games rule the strategy market.

[Nexus]

Ah, I think I could somehow implement something like that. Maybe I can send a small number of soldiers with the player if he wishes. I have ranks by level and perhaps the higher the rank he is the more soldiers he can have. Maybe the soldiers will provide maybe an attack bonus depending on how many the player has.

[Callan S.]

What are you capturing squares for? Do they give you anything?

Anyway, it'd be interesting if it's simply a matter of 'boots on the ground'. The game records which members of which gangs have walked over a square and how much time they spent. If your gang has spent the most time, that's your square.

[Nexus]

Well I guess I should have linked my topic on my design doc and I like that idea as well thank you!