Thursday, April 26, 2007

The Colonel to play an RTS?

Someone asked me recently why I don't bother much with Real-Time-Strategy (RTS) games? I have played Warcraft II, Starcraft, one of the Command & Conquer games, Star Wars: Battlegrounds and Act Of War is in my current playlist, but I've only invested a small amount, say 3% of my PC gaming life since 1996 to the RTS in comparison to the FPS & 3rd person shooter (75%), RPG (15%) and the remainder with Star Wars flight sims and the old Star Trek point & click adventures.

To me honest I find them slow, meticulous and boring at the best of times. I may have the patience to spend hours collecting materials for and crafting an RPG weapon as I did recently in NWN2, but I know at the end of it I'll have a fine & dandy blade to evicerate the undead and demons from hell for the remainder of the game. Playing an RTS on the other hand requires you to mine all sorts of minerals and extract fuel and whatnot in order to build units to carry out a grand plan that takes only a few minutes to execute and a few seconds to go horribly, horribly wrong and as it does; you have to start from the start all over again. Not for me thank you. See the latest 2IGTV for Mark's take on RTS games.

I said once however, that I'll embrace any RTS game with a premice of a Tom Clancy novel where the visuals look like they've been lifted from a Michael Bay blockbuster and you don't have to refine raw materials for 2 hours before gettin into the action.

Someone heard me...



World In Conflict is an RTS from Massive (of Ground Control fame) due in Q3. As you see from the trailer; it presents a chillingly authentic Cold War scenario where the Berlin Wall never fell. Created by Cold War authority and best-selling author Larry Bond (conspiracy theorist and some-time collaborator and co-writer with Tom Clancy), the story begins in '89 as the Soviets, fearing certain collapse, boldly advance into Europe. NATO responds in force only to be met on a second front: a full-fledged invasion of the American homeland. Players take on the role of field commander, leading the era's most powerful military machines in the campaign to retake America's cities and suburbs (Red Dawn anyone?- go Wolverines!!!). The RTS gameplay features completely destructible 3D battlefields, with a focus on fast, hard-hitting battles (and no mineral mining).

So we have a Clancy-esque story at least and fast-paced no-mining RTS model that gets you into the thick of the action fast, but what about my requirement for Hollywood Blockbuster visuals? Well you remember The Rock?...

"Too late! I've already dropped it!"

Nukes galore and with cutscenes of pre-battle speeches laced with "The only good Commie is a dead Commie!" and other assorted jingoism this can't loose. I'll keep you posted. Here's some more screenshots and some movies in the meantime.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

It looks pretty good

Anonymous said...

Indeed, I can't wait

Anonymous said...

Sounds a lot like Clancy's book Red Storm Rising......

Anonymous said...

Is there an option to "sacrifice troops for vainglorious purposes?"

Major General Creedon said...

The Tom Clancy influence is quite evident Alro. The games writer Larry Bond has collaborated with Clancy in the past.

War is all about the sacrifice of the few to save the many so I guess so, Overseer.