GAME 1: Earth, Wind & Fire

Can I dream for a second?
Or rather, for a couple of years? I'm only doing my first steps in Java 3D programming, and I'm already fantasizing about big-budget A-title games. Oh well :)

MMORTS; the new killer-genre!
Every user takes one of three roles.
Fire is the basic role: this user can command fighter units, and will engage enemy units
Earth is the builder: this user can create buildings, dig trenches and blow up/convert enemy buildings. Example buildings are garages to store friendly units (while players are offline), automatic turrets, to defend everything even while players are offline, and silos to store resources.
Wind is the economist of the group; this user will gather resources, control the units that transport and harvest the resources. They will also assign these resources to other players as they see fit. This makes them powerful, but also an attractive target for extortion, attack, etc.

• Alliances are not explicit, and only very loosely enforced by the system. If a player decides to switch sides, he should be able to do so very easily.
• If a machiavellian "Wind" player decides to deliver resources to two different, fighting factions, he should be able to do so.
• Because of the previous, "ownership" of buildings, or units, is a very relative thing. When a player goes offline, what should happen to his units? Divided over remaining players, or ready to be captured, or stored away until the user returns? If the units are not stored, a player is severely punished for going offline.
• The number of units controlled by a single user should be limited, in order to force cooperation, and to stop a single player from overwhelming a band of newer players.
• The https://games-darkstar.dev.java.net project looks promising, and might very well be an excellent way to program this type of game.