Zeratul. Lookin’ good, man.
Or death. Whatever.
The point is, it’s a circle. Big, round and never-ending, such is fate of just about every RTS game that’s ever been produced.
What are what talking about? Just what, in the hell, are we talking about?
The grind. The treadmill. The mission. The MISSION. You know the one. “Kill X with units. Win game.” Every. Single. Time.
Sometimes, the formula is changed up by adding time as a factor, be it a bomb ticking down, a dropship coming, or simply at the arbitrary whims of uncaring gods. On other occasions, the player is given only a limited number of units in order to achieve the goal, or is prohibited from using a part or all of their typically available technology.
In other words, players are given the tools they need to succeed, after clawing their way through the dreg and muck of a tutorial, only to have said tools taken away like they are an over-eager kindergartener who’s trying to help daddy hang a picture.
We can handle that air-powered nail gun. Trust us.
RTS games have always fallen into the trap of repetitive gameplay, mostly because that’s what the formula lends itself to. It’s difficult to be too innovative without severely altering the basic RTS tenants, which are, in a nutshell, rock-paper-scissors.
A unit will always be better against one class of enemies, and worse against another. Imagine a Terran-on-Terran situation. The Terran Banshee is a very effective striker against Siege Tanks, but is completely helpless if confronted by a Viking. If the Viking chooses to land, the Siege Tank will destroy it. Rock. Paper. Scissors.
Banshee beats Siege Tank, Viking beats Banshee, Siege Tank beats Viking.
This mechanic needs to exist to keep games fair and balanced, but can be boring as hell for players. Although the tried-and-true mission formula will never completely go the way of the birds (south, for winter, maybe?), players would love to see a re-imagining of the old standard.
According to the information dispensed during the recent Blizzard press junket, in which Internet Media was allowed access to their top-secret lair, the gurus behind Starcraft II have apparently made an effort to correct this boring, boring error.
From what we’ve read, Blizzard has tried its best give players at least a feeling of control, by allowing them to pick which mission they want to do next from the bridge of Raynor’s ship, the Hyperion. Mission briefings will give an idea of what the prospective client would like to hire Raynor and his band of merry men for, as well as the reward.
The lucky few who were granted access to Blizzard also got a quick shot at the Protoss mini-campaign, featuring everyone’s favorite cord-head, Zeratul. In the missions previewed, Zeratul essentially acted as a hero unit, with far greater damage output and better abilities than his fellows.
Does this mean Blizzard has re-invented the wheel? No. But they’ve made the inevitably circular trip smoother, the wheel show less wear and tear, and made the whole thing able to turn at a higher rate of speed. That’s about the best we can ask for from a genre necessarily limited by the very rules that set it apart from other games.
Hopefully, the mechanics employed by Blizzard to liven up the single player experience don’t stray too far into the ridiculous – Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan exchanging loving and doe-eyed glances over a pile of dead Zerglings while Elton John plays softly in the background might just set back the entire genre.
We would most certainly not be feeling the love.
Tonight, or any other night in the foreseeable future.
