العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
EspañolREAL-TIME STRATEGY
In computer gaming, 'real-time strategy' (often abbreviated as 'RTS') is a genre of wargames which take place in ''real time'', where resource gathering, base building, technology development and high-level control over multiple units ("harvest, build, destroy") are key components. A History of Real-Time Strategy Games
RTS is distinct from turn-based strategy as RTS titles do not involve "turns" like board games such as chess. Rather, game time is continuous, and all players may interact with the game environment at any time. This is in many cases a very distinct form of play, as mere seconds of distraction could give the enemy an advantage (contrasting to turn-based where the opponent cannot counter until the player is done).
The strategy aspect of RTS games covers both the high-level war planning of armies, campaigns, and entire wars (including logistical concerns such as economy and unit production), and more tactical elements involving orders to individual units. Games which place greater emphasis on combat and troop actions form the related genre of real-time tactics.
Games such as ''SimCity'' (a city-building game), ''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' (an economic simulation game), ''Europa Universalis'' (a grand strategy game) and games of the real-time tactics variety (such as the ''Total War'' series) of military simulations are not generally considered to be "real-time strategy", though their gameplay involves some overlapping concepts.
History
Precursors and early genesis
The genre that is recognized today as "real-time strategy" emerged as a result of an extended period of evolution and refinement. Games that are today sometimes perceived as ancestors of the real-time strategy genre were never marketed or designed as such at the original date of publication. As a result, designating "early real-time strategy" titles is problematic because such games are being held up to modern standards. The genre initially evolved separately in the UK and North America, afterward gradually merging into a unified worldwide tradition.
In the UK, the genre's beginning can be traced to ''Stonkers'' by John Gibson, published in 1983 by Imagine Software for the ZX Spectrum, and ''Nether Earth'' published on ZX Spectrum in 1987. In North America, the first game retrospectively classified as real-time strategy by many sources RTSC Historical RTS List is ''The Ancient Art of War'' (1984), designed by Evryware's Dave and Barry Murry, followed by the sequel ''The Ancient Art of War at Sea'' in 1987, though Dani Bunten Berry's (of ''M.U.L.E'' fame) ''Cytron Masters'' (1982), developed by Ozark Softscape and released by SSI, also have been considered the earliest game of the genre Cytron Masters at MobyGames Game Design Memoir by Dani Bunten Berry .
Some writers list Intellivision's ''Utopia'' by Don Daglow (1982) as the first real-time strategy game.[1] In ''Utopia'' two players build resources and carry out combat by proxy. It does not contain the direct-manipulation tactical combat now common. Another early example from the same year is ''Legionnaire'' on the Atari 8-bit family, written by Chris Crawford for Avalon Hill. This was effectively the opposite of ''Utopia'', in that it offered a complete real-time tactical combat system with variable terrain and mutual-help concepts, but lacked any resource collection and economy/production concepts. As a result, this game might be better considered an early forerunner of the RTT (real-time tactics) genre.
Two later games--''Herzog Zwei'' for the Sega Genesis in 1989 and ''Battle Master'' for the Amiga and Atari ST in 1990--are perhaps the earliest examples of games with feature-sets that are associated with modern RTS games.Zzap! Issue 68, December 1990, p.45 - Amiga Reviews: Battlemaster Are Real Time Strategy Games At Their Peak? . In ''Herzog Zwei'', though you only control one unit, the manner of control foreshadowed the point-and-click mechanic of later games. Also, control and destruction of bases was an important aspect of the game, as were the economic/production aspects of those bases. The alias "Eyebeam", a member of the original ''Dune'' game design team, says of ''Herzog Zwei'':[1]
Notable as well are early games like ''Mega Lo Mania'' by Sensible Software (1991) and ''Supremacy'' (also called ''Overlord'' - 1990). Although these two lacked direct control of military units, they both offered considerable control of resource management and economy systems. In addition, ''Mega Lo Mania'' has advanced technology trees that determine offensive and defensive prowess. However, it was with the release of ''Dune II'' from Westwood Studios[1992] that real-time strategy became recognized as a distinct genre of video games.
1992 – 1998: seminal titles
''Dune II'' (1992) - The game that defined the real-time strategy genre
Although real-time strategy games have an extensive history, some titles have served to define the popular perception of the genre and expectations of real-time strategy titles more than others, in particular the games released between 1992 and 1998 by Blizzard Entertainment and Westwood Studios.
Westwood's ''Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty'' (1992) introduced all the core concepts and mechanics of modern real-time strategy games that are still used today[2], such as using the mouse to move units, and gathering resources, and as such served as prototype for later real-time strategy games. Its success encouraged the development of such games as ''Warcraft'' (1994) and ''Command & Conquer'' (1995)--which, in turn, became influential in their own right. ''Command & Conquer'' became the first popular RTS game to utilize competetive multiplayer. ''Command & Conquer'', as well as '', became the most popular early competitive RTS games. These 2 games came into competition with '' after its release in late 1995.
''Total Annihilation'', released by Cavedog Entertainment in 1997, revolutionized RTS gameplay of the time by introducing 3d units (a rarity for the time) and focusing on huge battles that emphasized macromanagement over micromanagement. It thus featured a streamlined interface that would influence many RTS games in later years. The year 1997 also saw the release of ''Age of Empires''. Initially it was touted as "Civilization" meets "Warcraft", and was one of the first RTS games to be featured in a historical setting. It was still a real-time game, with perhaps more of an emphasis on resource-gathering than other RTS games, but emphasized "empire-building" (hence the "Civilization" aspect). The highly-anticipated game didn't live up to the hype according to many (with GameSpot's Liam McDonald touting it as "Warcraft in togas" and "Warcraft with a hint of Civilization"),[3] but despite the mixed critical reviews, it still became a very popular, if controversial, game.
In 1998, Blizzard Entertainment released the highly-anticipated game ''StarCraft''. Although it was labeled by some as simply "Warcraft in space" before its release, it immediately became one of the most popular RTS games ever. It was one of the first games to ever feature 3 entirely different yet balanced races (as opposed to 2 races with superficial differences, as seen previously), and it was also highly-touted for its storyline and personality. GameSpots' Ron Dulin stated that it "has so much life in it ... you won't grow tired of it anytime soon." [4] The game also highly-popularized competitive multiplayer, especially in RTS games, and professional StarCraft tournaments are still held to this day.
Collectively, these games (arguably along with the 1997 game ''Dark Reign'', which developed a loyal cult following) formed a core group of real-time strategy games today more or less recognised as "standard", or as defining the genre, and provided the ''de facto'' benchmark against which new real-time strategy games are still measured.
Refinement and transition to 3D
The real-time strategy genre has been relatively stable since 1995 and additions to the genre's concept in newer games tend to be introducing more units, larger maps, 3D terrain and similar, rather than innovations to the game concept with new games generally focus on refining aspects of successful predecessors. As the paragon example of gameplay refinement, Cavedog Entertainment's acclaimed ''Total Annihilation'' from 1997 distilled the core mechanics of ''Command & Conquer'', and introduced the first 3D units in real-time strategy games. In 1997, Microsoft tried to combine elements of ''Civilization'' with the real-time strategy concept in ''Age of Empires'' by introducing ages of technologies. This combination was refined further by Stainless Steel Studios' ''Empire Earth'' in 2001. GSC Gameworld's '' series took the genre in a different direction, bringing population caps into the tens of thousands.
'' (1998) and ''Homeworld'' (1999) were the first completely 3D real-time strategy titles. Homeworld was notable in that it featured a 3d environment in space, therefore allowing movement in every direction, a feature which its semi-sequel, ''Homeworld Cataclysm'' (2000) continued to build upon adding features such as waypoints. ''Homeworld 2'', released in 2003, streamlined movement in the 360° 3d environment. They were followed by a short period of interest in experimental strategy games such as ''Allegiance'' (2000). ''Warcraft III'' (2002) is probably the most successful early 3D RTS. It is only in approximately 2002 that 3D real-time strategy became the standard, with both ''Warcraft III'' and Ensemble Studio's ''Age of Mythology'' (2002) being built on a full 3D game engine. '' introduced classic wargame elements, such as line of supply to the genre.
Relatively few genres have emerged from or in competition with real-time strategy games, although Real-time tactics, a superficially similar genre, emerged around 1995 and in 1998 Activision attempted to combine the real-time strategy and first-person shooter genres in ''Battlezone'' and Rage Games Limited attempted this also, with the ''Hostile Waters'' (2002) games.
In 2007, '', a highly anticipated sequel to the popular Command & Conquer franchise was released. ''Supreme Commander'', considered the spiritual sequel to the popular ''Total Annihilation'' was also released in 2007.
Specialization and evolution
Some games have moved toward an increased focus on tactics, with titles such as '' (2004), '' (2006), and ''Company of Heroes'' (2006) replacing the traditional resource gathering model, where designated resource gathering units collect the resources used for producing further units or buildings, with a strategic control-point system, where control over strategic points progressively yields construction/reinforcement points. ''Dawn of War'' and ''Company of Heroes'' also replaces individual units with "squads."
Others are moving away from the traditional real-time strategy game model with the addition of other genre elements. An example is ''Sins of a Solar Empire'', currently under development by Ironclad Games, which mixes elements of grand-scale stellar empire building games like ''Master of Orion'' with real-time strategy elements, but pushing the conflict gameplay closer to a real-time tactics model.
Speculation and future releases
The future of real-time strategy may see more of an introduction of elements from other video game genres, such as RPGs and MMOGs. Persistent units, as well as hero units, strengthen the bonds between the player and his army. Persistent online worlds give players a feeling of living in a breathing world with a larger set of goals to accomplish. In addition, advances in computer hardware will allow for things like deformable terrain, thereby creating battlescapes which evolve over time and possibly requiring very different tactics.
To be released in 2008 [5] is the RTS version of the ''Halo'' series named ''Halo Wars''. On May 19, 2007, Blizzard announced ''StarCraft II'', the highly-anticipated sequel to the original StarCraft. A second sequel will also be released for the ''Empire Earth series'', ''Empire Earth III''.
Also to be released in 2007 are the sequel of the popular RTS Gamecube game ''Battalion Wars'' known as ''Battalion Wars 2'' exclusive for the Wii system, and a possible Tom Clancy World War III RTS known as ''EndWar''. Both release dates are not known. Forged Alliance, a standalone expansion recently announced for Supreme Commander, is scheduled to be released in November 2007. It has been reported that it will include features that will push the genre forward by including several features that had to be cut from the original game. Although its release date is skeptical, the game ''Spore'' is Maxis' current project. Throughout the game, the player will go through different phases, and when the player reaches the tribal phase, the game shifts to a RTS type of game, rather then guiding a creature around in a first person type of game.
Gameplay
In a typical real-time strategy game, the screen is divided into a map area displaying a bird's-eye overhead representation of the game terrain, units, and buildings, and an interface overlay containing command and production controls and often a "radar" or "minimap" overview of the entire map. The primary interface is the mouse which is generally accompanied by keyboard shortcuts, with which commands are given and the map is scrolled. Gameplay generally consists of the player being positioned in the map with a minimal production base capable of creating the basic units and buildings that are needed to start playing and eventually create increasingly powerful units and buildings, or a small force, the core of which is generally a unit capable of establishing the initial production base. Thereafter, the game is typically a race of resource gathering, technology research and unit production to claim territory, suppress and defeat the opposition through force or attrition.
Criticism of gameplay
Because of the generally faster-paced nature (and in some cases a smaller learning curve), real-time strategy games have surpassed the popularity of turn-based strategy computer games. In the past, a common criticism was to regard real-time strategy games as "cheap imitations" of turn-based strategy games, arguing that real-time strategy games had a tendency to devolve into "clickfests" Theatre of War by 1C and Battlefront - Interview , in which the player who was faster with the mouse generally won, because they could give orders to their units at a faster rate. The common retort is that micromanagement involves not just fast clicking but also the ability to make sound tactical decisions under time pressure. (Of course, this does take the gameplay out of the realm of strategic decision-making.) The "clickfest" argument is also often voiced alongside a "button babysitting" criticism, which pointed out that a great deal of game time — especially in earlier titles — is spent either waiting and watching for the next time a production button could be clicked, or rapidly alternating between different units and buildings, clicking their respective button. In essence, the point of RTS gameplay is often to play against the interface, not against the opponent.
A third common criticism is that real-time gameplay often degenerates into "rushes" where the players take turns throwing swarms of units at each other. For example, the original ''Command & Conquer'' gave birth to the now-common "tank rush" tactic, where the game outcome is often decided very early on by one player gaining an initial advantage in resources and producing large amounts of a "tank" unit --an initially relatively powerful but still quite cheap unit-- which is thrown at the opposition before they have had time to establish defences or production. Although this strategy has been criticized for encouraging overwhelming force over strategy and tactics, defenders of the strategy argue that they're simply taking advantage of the strategies utilized, and some argue that it's a realistic representation of warfare. One of the most famous versions of a rush is the Zergling rush from the real-time strategy game Starcraft; in fact, the term "zerging" has become synonymous with rushing.
A fourth criticism is that "real-time" is actually a misnomer - a more accurate term being "accelerated time strategy". Strategy gaming, it is noted, is primarily about careful decision-making, whereas the RTS genre has devolved into something more akin to a videogame.
A fifth criticism revolves around the focus on building units during the middle of a battle. This feature of RTS games seems to have been inherited from the extremely popular Civilization turn-based strategy game (in fact, it seems the genre was invented so that gamers could play "Civ" but without having to wait for the turns). In classic board strategy games in which units are built, the process is often one of proactive planning and decision-making - classic strategic thinking - but in the RTS realm, there is not this sense of strategic thinking at all; instead it is more of a reactive, flippant process.
A sixth criticism of the RTS genre is that units are often considered disposable, which further amplifies the trivial nature of the genre's gameplay. Units are often "thrown" at opponents. In classic strategy boardgames, units must be marshalled and preserved, as indeed forces are in real battles. The RTS genre thus, in many respects, "infantilizes" the strategic decision-making process.
A seventh criticism of the RTS genre is the importance of skill over strategy in Real Time Strategy games. The manual dexterity and ability to multitask and divide one's attention is often considered the most important aspect to succeeding at the RTS genre. This often makes the outcome of a Real Time Strategy game a factor of skill rather than strategy. '' "A player controls hundreds of units, dozens of buildings and many different events that are all happening simultaneously. There is only one player, and he can only pay attention to one thing at a time. Expert players can quickly flip between many different tasks, while casual gamers have more problems with this." '', Troy Dunniway. [2]
In response to these criticisms, features which reduce the importance of fast mousework have emerged, enabling the player to focus more on overall strategy. For example, "queuing" allows a player to put in an order for multiple units at once from a single building, as opposed to requiring a player to return to that building to order each unit separately. The ability to set waypoints allows a player to give multiple movement commands to a unit at once. Most games also give each unit strengths and weaknesses, discouraging players from easily defeating an opponent with simple "rush" or "swarm" tactics in favour of more balanced armies.
Turn-based vs real-time strategy
Proponents of the turn-based system sometimes argue that the turn-based system is superior to real-time systems citing a number of reasons:
★ Players are able to plan their moves to a greater degree given the extra time available to them. Point - CounterPoint: Turn Based vs. Real Time Strategy
★ Games are more fair due to a lack of reliance upon player reflexes. Treatise on Combat to Pink Floyd
★ Game designers are able to offer more tactical options to the player.
★ It is more realistic to control multiple units intelligently using this system.
★ It is easier to keep track of what the enemy is doing since you can see every move as it happens.
Proponents of the real-time system respond to this by saying that thinking quickly is part of the strategy, and that sitting around and waiting for turns to end is boring. They also argue that real-time systems add to players' sense of immersion and provide an additional element of challenge. Finally, they argue that real-time systems are more realistic; turn-based systems originally existed out of ''necessity'' due to hardware restrictions, not due to any added elements of realism. GameSpot Presents: A History of Real-Time Strategy Games
Real-time strategy gameplay archetypes
''Warcraft III'' (2002) - The number of units is limited by the amount of food that can be produced
Micro-management games
'Micro-management games' allow an army and base to be built, but they limit the size of the army, the purpose being to create more of a tactical atmosphere.
Originally necessary because of hardware memory limits, the limited size of the army forced the player to intelligently utilize his or her limited troops. This is more similar to the real-time tactics genre. Good examples of this type of game are ''Warcraft III'' which restricts the number of troops by using a food cap, giving variable food costs to each unit, and by using upkeep levels which extract a part of your gold income depending on the size of your army. Many games such as ''Battle Realms'' use unit caps instead. To simplify the control, however, a player may combine individual units into groups. This is even more prominent in the game ''ArenaWars'', where every player only has 1,000 credits to build units.
A similar concept exists in the game ''Outpost 2'', where importance is placed on micro-managing the morale of the colonists living in the game, although combat is still an important factor.
Macro-management games
On the other end of the spectrum are the 'macro-management games'. These titles have more of a focus on economic production and large-scale strategic maneuvering, and include games such as '', ''Empire Earth'', ''Spring'' and ''. ''Supreme Commander'' is a game where the "tactic" window can reach very huge sizes leading to a more strategic approach, while '' and the ''Command & Conquer series'' (as well as the afore mentioned Supreme Commander) have large population limits and a large number of units can be controlled at once.
A game that totally dedicates all its efforts to minimize micro management is Globulation 2. Here you even can't control single units but only assign tasks that get done by the best suiting units.
Graphics
'' (2006)]]
As the genre grew, some real-time strategy games attempted to break away from the 2D board-like view of ''Dune II'' and the original ''Warcraft'' to richer 3D environments, most notable among these ''Stronghold'' (1993). ''Total Annihilation'' (1997) was the first true real-time strategy game to utilize 3D units, though not 3D terrain. ''Homeworld'' and ''Warzone 2100'' (both released in 1999), pioneered the use of fully 3D environments in real-time strategy titles. In the case of ''Homeworld'', the game is set in space, offering a true 3D environment in which players are required to think three-dimensionally, as all units can move vertically in addition to the horizontal plane that was standard for real-time strategy games of the time. However, the switch to full 3D was very gradual and most real-time strategy titles, including the first sequels to ''Command & Conquer'', initially used isometric 3D graphics made by pre-rendered 3D tiles. Only in later years did these games begin to use true 3D graphics, making it possible to rotate the view of the battlefield in real-time, instead of in 90 degree jumps as per Stronghold. These effects became even more visually detailed in later games, such as '', ''Spring'', ''Empire Earth'', ''Supreme Commander'', and ''Command & Conquer 3''.
Recently, real-time strategy games have begun to incorporate physics engines, such as Havok, in order to increase realism. The first real-time strategy game to use a physics engine was Ensemble Studio's ''Age of Empires III'', released on October 18, 2005, "Havok Enables Age of Empires III" Havok announces the use of the Havok Game Dynamics SDK in ''Age of Empires III'' which used the Havok Game Dynamics SDK to power its real-time physics. ''Company of Heroes'', released September 14, 2006, was the first RTS that used real-time physics as a part of gameplay, including fully-destructible environments.
See also
★ List of strategy video games
References
1. Total Annihilation Redux
2. The Essential 50 Part 31: Herzog Zwei
3. Gamespot - Age of Empires review
4. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/starcraft/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review GameSpot - StarCraft review]
5. http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/technology_news/4219274.html/
External links
★ The History of Real Time Strategy, Part 1 (Part 2.1, Part 2.2,Part 3.1, Part 3.2, Part 4.1, Part 4.2, Part 5), Gamereplays.org
★ A History of Real-Time Strategy Games (Part II: 1999-Present), GameSpot
★ The State of the RTS, IGN, 2006
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
psst.. try this: add to faves
