“What would be lost? The lunch hour game. The RTS is designed to be played quickly. It’s not a reflection of history or strategy except on the most simplistic level imaginable.”

Don’t get me wrong I fully agree with every word of this critique. However at least for me in terms of what I’m looking for at the moment, those two paragraphs sum up my problem with RTS games in a nutshell: I want a game with all that depth that DOESN’T lose “the lunch hour game.”

It such a shame I don’t have the time to make such a game myself. I’ve got it all worked out in my head. Basically it would take an RTS game, simplify it almost to an abstract form, and soup up the alliance functions.

Does such a thing exist??

(Anybody who’s interested in my ideas is free to email me. Unlikely, I know… :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Honor_(video_game)

Image Total War without the turn based system. I would hope the future of RTS would move in this direction.

Given the width and depth of human capacity to innovate, this critique begins to sound like envy and reasoned scolding. It is almost as if the author wants to innovate a game of his own and Caesar comes daringly close to his desired contribution to gaming, his private concept. Perhaps something approaching Europa Universalis but also permitting RTS scale construction, assignment of nobles to build in areas to prevent micromanagement headaches? Good tactical and strategic AI for all computer game functions?

It is my hope that we *will* see a game like Birthright: Gorgon’s Alliance and the non-executed Majesty Legends. I think the RTS deathmatch has its definite place as a classic game, but it’s a simple and briefly amusing game, like Space Invaders or Q*Bert. The enjoyment of the sort of game being approached with Caesar and possible future games is slower and deeper. Maybe even tighter.

So on the eve of a construct such as Spore, we might begin to see more RTS with longer gameplay and more thoughtful moments. And we come upon the prelude of an MMORPG with stronger and more fulfilling Grand Strategy elements yet no “turns” per se.

It’s sort of what Advanced Dungeons and Dragons showed signs of developing into: an RPG with Grand Strategy elements — wait til that 11th level fighter with the stronghold gains a real political footing and the game changes profoundly without casting aside the adventure, the romantic chivalry, the pulp action elements.

Good essay, but transparent in its aggression.