I play RTS games since the first came out, ages ago. I used to be young – meaning quick – and alert. Skillful. Smart.
But, the older I get (and this is a story, not about me, but YOU, in the future), I see more and more my limits. I often cannot keep up with the clicking and multitasking. I still practice Starcraft 2 multiplayer – the mechanically most demanding game to date. But, I am hitting a “wall”, like the one in Game of Thrones.
Playing RTS Games solo, allows for no mistakes. While multiplayer has two humans failing, playing vs the Game AI is like pretending you too can outsmart IBM's Deep Blue, if they would let you. But - no - you can't. The machine always knows the right order of units to build. The machine never stops using the proper upgrades. The machine never stops and pauses and needs to ... THINK ... or blink.
Yet, "Player vs AI" are very different in gameplay style by nature. "Player vs Player" RTS most important aspect is - like in real war - INFORMATION. You have to know what your opponent is doing. You NEED to know, so you can counter his strategy with your strategy. Reconnaissance is crucial to survive.
Of course, not in Single Player games. There, you are either solving a puzzle (Campaign) or trying to 'keep up' with the pace of the Game AI (Skrimish). Who can build faster more units? Who can upgrade faster?
More often then ever, I lose. Early and decisively. And feel bad. ("I su_ck!")
On top, I now have more games than ever. In the thousands. At my fingertips. Even worse, I enjoy the vast complexity of grand strategy war games, from the micro- to the macro-management. The bigger, the better. The more obscure, the better: Achtung Panzer, Graviteam Tactics, Battlefront (not the DICE/EA game), Theatre of War, to Gary Grisby & Co. turn-based madness, AEGOD & Slitherine, Matrix Games titles. But I do not immerse myself in one game. I do not spend enough time to learn it properly, to get better at it, to master it. These days, I prefer small chunks of entertainment. Not chasing mastery.
Recently, Steel Division, from Eugen Software, the fine French makers of R.U.S.E. and the WarGame Series, made me overcome my old gamer shame, and I started using their TIME SLIDER to slow down the game!
Suddenly, I once again feel in control! Everything in the game clicks with me. I feel like I am a General, like I am Miyamoto, conducting a virtual orchestra … of war.
Speaking of war – the Men of War game series is like the Ukranian/Russian response to Relic's Company of Heroes. Only, typical for Eastern European games, it is more demanding. More micro-management. On top of the CoH-type RTS warfare, you control the inventory of single soldiers, you can even 'hop' into one of them and fully take control, like it's a DOTA 2 Moba hero!
As so often, I liked the games, but was never able to make it through a skrimish or campaign. One misclick, one moment too slow, and I would get behind, not recover and lose vs the AI.
Pausing RTS games helps figuring out what is happening where, but feels like cheating. Takes you out of it. It feels like enforced "turn-based" gaming. I never do it.
But then, I overcame my inner demons and while browsing the keyboard options, accidentally found the "time" key. SLOWING THE GAME DOWN was what turned it into something glorious! Suddenly, the game turned into a - still moving - management puzzle game, I was able to handle. Bullet time (which is a pretty stupid name for slowing down time, since bullets are usually fast? ... unless you throw them at someone!) or turning the game into a never-ending slomo action movie, suddenly opened up the fun for me.
I overcame the shame of using the time slider, the shame of ‘sucking’, of getting old and slow.
“Slow Down!” That's my RTS tip of the week.