Episode 10 - Real Time Strategy (RTS)

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Peter and Mark bring on their old pal Justin Davisson, the RTS wizard to talk about where RTS has been, where it is, and where it's going as eSports and the typical gamer continues to change. This week takes a look at gaming classics such as Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires and the Command and Conquer series.

Peter and Mark bring on their old pal Justin Davisson, the RTS wizard to talk about where RTS has been, where it is, and where it's going as eSports and the typical gamer continues to change.  This week takes a loot at gaming classics such as Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires and the Command and Conquer series.

eXn Casual Corner

Episode 10 - RTS Gaming

Intro 

  • Mark introduces with eConnXn mission statement

  • Introduce Guests

    • Justin Davisson - RTS Wizard

  • Introduce news topic at hand

    • RTS Genre Spotlight

      • What constitutes an RTS?

      • RTS History

      • What are some of the main franchises?

Talking Point 1 - What is RTS?

  • RTS - Real Time Strategy

    • Set apart from other strategy games in the late 80s and early 90s as those were mostly turn based

    • Started as mostly military command and developed into fuller civilization experiences

    • Basics include resource management, base building and military direction

    • Macro v Micro Discussion

Talking Point 2 - RTS History

  • Dune II was the start of modern RTS

    • Followed up by Warcraft: Orcs and Humans which made use of more than just military forces to create a fuller fictitious society

      • Command and Conquer followed two years later

  • 3D became standard in the early ‘00s

  • Criticized as a cheap imitation of turn based strategy

    • Clickfest criticism

    • Rush criticism

    • Skill over strategy

Talking Point 3 - What are some main RTS franchises?

  • Starcraft/Warcraft

    • Sci-Fi and Fantasy games released in 1994(WC1)/1995(WC2)/1998(SC)/2002(WC3)/2010(SC2)

      • Starcraft is in Koprulu Sector where Zerg look to infest all, Protoss look to eradicate the Zerg threat, and Terran are fighting for survival

      • Warcraft is typical fantasy where Humans fight off the orcs, though it developed into an intricate world now shown in World of Warcraft

      • First to introduce dramatically different races that still maintained balance

    • Greatest RTS eSports presence

  • Age of Empires

    • Historical retellings released in 1997/1999/2005/2021

      • I - Stone Age to Iron Age in Europe/Africa/Asia

      • II - Middle Ages and Spanish Conquest of Mexico

      • III - Early Modern - Colonization of Americas

      • IV - Medieval warfare shown in promotional demos

    • Spin-Offs such as age of mythology

    • Ensemble Studios later went on to develop Halo Wars

      • Chosen because of AoE legacy

    • Introduced roleplaying elements with “Home Cities” in AoE III

  • Command and Conquer

    • Released in 1995 and developed by Westwood Studios (Dune II)

      • Not renewing Dune license “because the developers are tired of sand”

    • Sold with two CD keys to promote multiplayer play

    • Tiberium (Gritty Sci-Fi) and Red Alert (Comical Depiction)

    • No current news about the future

    • FPS spinoff - C&C: Renegade

Outro

  • Recap Headers

    • What is RTS

    • RTS History

    • RTS franchises

  • Mark delivers an encouraging and uplifting speech about loving your fellow gamer

Mark StockhoffComment