2 HN users recommended this commentary2 months2023–2024score 2
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN recommends it for its argument that single-player campaigns and modding are overlooked in RTS design.
A video essay arguing that the next major real-time strategy game will fail unless it gets the fundamentals right. It covers the playerbase and demographics, what older RTS games did well, and the roles of the engine, spectacle, development tools and player-generated content.
“makes a compelling case for why single-player campaign and mod-development experiences are often overlooked” (HN, 2023)
Giant Grant Games makes a compelling case for why single-player campaign and mod-development experiences are often overlooked but are key for RTS crossover success. And this came out long before the success of BG3. I hold out hope that someone will crack the formula! [this video]
Why campaigns and modding matter for RTS crossover success
GiantGrantGames on Youtube made an interesting video about "The Next Major RTS Will Fail. This is Why"[0]. Turns out he got a lot of this information because he was one of the players that had a huge influence in the development, and this is what ZeroSpace focused their development efforts on. One of which, is targeting the casual audience, and their love for a good story. [0]: [this video]
Argues next RTS should target casual players who love story
In my stumbling around YouTube in the past week, I found "The Next Major RTS Will Fail. This Is Why" - [this video] The publishers have listened to their hard core players - and created games for them. Is Diablo III for the people doing seasons? or the people who play through the campaign in solo mode? With modern games, this in turn means that the casual to competitive conversion rate is low (because of the lack of solo content to hook the casual players) and publishers look to milk more from the competitive players by making the game even less accessible. The games are being developed as multiplayer first today... and that in turn means that the solo modes that the casual games aren't there. Honestly, if MMO is one of the first things listed on a game, and solo content is lacking - that gets a "nope" or "meh" from me on Steam. Meanwhile, some fun old games I still pull up from time to time to play.
Found while browsing, relates to solo content decline
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