Retro Mortis: RTS, Part 1: It all started in the desert ...
- Part 1: It all started in the desert ... [Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty]
- Part 2: And the Blizzard came ... [Warcraft: Orcs and Humans] translation in progress
- to be continued…
(You may, without any risk, miss this introduction.)
Preceding the text with these lines, I want to say that most of what is written below is based on hypotheses and my subjective observations. Despite this, I believe that the text contains enough truth, or at least food for thought, enough to write (and read).
')
The main goal of the article is to encourage the rethinking of their approaches to modern development through the promotion of critical analysis of good old games. I try to find interesting design solutions that have since been widely used or, conversely, have not been used at all. Understanding how some things have become what they have become, and why others have not survived to our days, the easiest way to determine the key elements that are (re) use.
Retro-gaming , “is collecting old video games for computers, consoles or arcade machines and playing them.” This hobby is gaining popularity over the past decade, some games are even being developed with this trend in mind. Re-launches of the series, returning it to the sources, or containing plot twists with references to the original titles, have become commonplace.
A couple of years ago I was driving such an experiment when I was developing an AAA game for a large publisher. In the form of a “curtsy to the original source,” the game ended with a 2.5D gameplay from the original side-scroll.
Retro-gaming as a phenomenon is often criticized for exploiting the nostalgia of the players, argued that the deification of these games is based on childhood memories. Despite the fact that I am inclined to agree with this, I think this may be a gross underestimation of the value of the old games.
It is true that games developed 10–20 years ago were limited by technical features that may seem unthinkable for a modern observer. But such restrictions also forced developers to approach the task more creatively .
In those days, some of the genres to which we are now used (MOBA, RTS, global 4X strategies) simply did not exist. Several dreamers had a rough idea of ​​the gameplay they wanted to achieve, and it so happened that out of this a whole game genre was born.
One of the common misconceptions that are common in modern players and young designers is expressed in the opinion that the forerunners of modern games were just skeletons or simple experiments without great depth. In my experience, this is just as far from the truth, and I often came to understand that the study of these “ancestors” confuses me.
As an example, one of the first games, Spacewar! (officially released in 1962, but has been in development since at least 1953) was actually a very difficult arcade game. For starters, it was a real-time multiplayer game where two ships tried to maneuver their opponent, overcoming gravity and avoiding collisions with engines. It presented all the basic concepts of firing rockets and lasers (projectiles) - health points, armor points, and quite complex control.
SpaceWar! (DOS version, approximately 1986)
But instead of simply listing random facts about Spacewar!, Let's return to the analysis of retro games. There is fundamental knowledge that is simply lost in genres that have existed for decades and are in crisis. Often, the decision is hidden in the pioneers of these genres.
Today, I would like to discuss one of these genres: RTS (Real-Time Strategy Game, real-time strategy).
There are many games that led to the emergence of RTS in the form that we are accustomed to now, but most still agree that the first step towards the modern RTS was " Dune II ". If you have always been interested in what then was the first part of Dune, - in fact, adventure.
Dune 2 was the first title to inflame a “war” between Westwood Studios (bought by EA, now disbanded) and Blizzard Entertainment (now part of Activision Blizzard) between 1992 and 1998.
In a certain sense, much of what the RTS game does is laid back in Dune 2, and in the games that were created during the ensuing confrontation. And it was harsh (along with a high need for such games), which made it necessary to reduce the cost of development and limit the functionality ( featurecrip ).
Given the history of brutal competition for this market share, it is even surprising that such a popular Starcraft II (2010) is not much different from a game made 20 years before it. The RTS War itself fell victim to even more conflict - the war for the best graphics. And for a long time we did not see anything particularly new on the RTS scene. Some titles had better performance than others, but most were made of the same pattern.
Although thanks to that “war”, real-time strategy today is an important part of the game, what we have gained or lost during this time and how it can be used requires careful consideration.
There is an explanation why Dune II “invented” the genre. Not only because she presented the basic mechanics of the RTS, but also was an absolutely complete piece with a tremendous imagination in scope. It was a complex experience, which must be disassembled into components for understanding. Even Westwood itself took time to figure out what they did and repeat it in the C & C series.
Of course, not all components of the game were invented during the development, some ideas were borrowed. But they worked perfectly with each other, making the Dune II something more than just a Minimum Viable Product (MVP, Minimum Viable Product).
Dune II made the collection of resources from the surface for the production of troops core RTS. Mechanics seem natural to the genre, although in the case of Dune, this is in fact a necessity: the Dune brand itself (books, films and TV shows) is twisted around the collection of spice. Unlike other strategies, collecting precious spice is much higher priority than the battle. Armed conflict is only a consequence of the race for the possession of melange.
Many titles inherited this mechanic, but did not try to substantiate it from the point of view of the game world (including Tiberian Sun, who frankly imitated Dune in this regard). For example, in Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, a player learned to mine local resources (wood and gold) for building an outpost. If it made sense with the first outpost, it was a new settlement, but as the conflict continued, the player continued to build new outposts. Although it is clear that it is more efficient to use local lumber (than, say, to bring them from another outpost a couple of leagues away), it was still embarrassing that the player could not take the already collected resources with him and this was not explained by the game. It looked artificial, because in Dune between missions, the entire spice was sent to the home planet, and a new colony / mining site was built during the mission.
So the gameplay was criminally transferred "as is", simply because it worked, and was not processed under the theme of the game (Command and Conquer, Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires, Empire Earth, and the list goes on)
Here Dune 2 stands out. She created an interesting mechanics of collecting resources, but also turned him into a key part of the game. In Dune, resource collection is not just a supporting mechanic, but part of the MVP, and that is a big difference.
We collect precious spice ...
As an example, one of the early missions is a collection of resources and nothing more. The player must understand that the creation of military units only slows down his achievement of this goal. While many other real-time strategies used this only as introductory missions, Dune did this with the goal of the player from the very first cutscene. And only after some time the campaign will turn into a global conflict, when the player is explained that to control the spice, it is not enough just to collect it faster, but you need to destroy the rest of the House. Thus, the war was explained on the economic side.
The inheritance of the resource system can be seen in various games (in the same C & C series). It evolved in most cases, but I will try to consider this in future articles. Here, the Dune's merit in the creation of a vanilla-concept, due to the setting of the game.
Another mechanic that has become the main feature of the genre (C & C and derivatives, mostly) is the concept of energy. Unlike the concept of “food”, which we will discuss in the next article, energy was used in Dune to limit the rapid development of the base, increasing the importance of logistics and ensuring strategic vulnerability.
Essential Wind Traps!
Wind traps may be perceived as simply “another building to be built”, but they are more than that. A wind trap requires resources to be built, which reduces the speed at which a player develops the rest of the infrastructure, forcing him to invest more in units.
In addition, it gives the player an understanding that the base is not self-sufficient, and it must be monitored, determined whether excess energy is needed, or it is sufficient to have as much as necessary (with possibly dramatic consequences).
More importantly, this represents the concept of weak base. Enemy AI in this game is not too smart, but he understands that energy is the key. As a result, if the windbreakers are located on the edge of the base and are relatively unprotected, they risk undergoing a targeted attack, simply to break the player economically. Losing a few units is an acceptable loss in relation to economic damage.
And since The energy produced by the wind turbines depends on the state of the building, you don’t even have to completely destroy them, it’s enough just to do this damage in order to lower the output below the base’s energy consumption. Although a player can repair damage for a fraction of the cost of a building, it is often enough to compensate for the loss of units (repair cost + time spent without energy).
C & C has been using this system so far, and many RTS have returned to it without any changes. And, although this is not the most "fun and catchy" mechanics, it reveals the potential of managing the logistics base.
This is a mechanic that was not found in most of the subsequent titles. In addition to the standard unit production system (in which each unit has a cost and production time), Dune also had a complementary mechanics of the mercenary market, where availability and price of units could differ, and their “shipment” time (ETA, Estimated time of arrival) constant.
This allowed players to pay a variable amount of spice (depending on global demand) for reinforcement. Since The ETA was fixed for all units (less than their training time), and several units could be included in one delivery, the player had the opportunity to release 4-5 tanks on the field at the same time, as usual only one was made. The downside was the price for urgency. Although in a tense struggle, you can pay a hefty sum for Quad or Trike (some of the weakest units).
This system was a great tactical addition, giving the player the opportunity
rapid replenishment of armies without the need to develop complex infrastructure in exchange for resources. Plus, it created the effect of obscurity without becoming a random one. Based on demand, prices could fluctuate, the availability of units varied.
Most importantly, the main reason for the existence of the mercenary system is that it gave any player access to units exclusive to the factions.
We are going to buy a carrier ...
Delivery time was fixed, and this made it possible to speed up the production of "high-tech" units. Or economic - for example, harvesters, whose production was long and tedious. However, if the harvesters were available at the Spaceport, they could be delivered quickly, and production centers would be released for the production of military units.
Or, players could save on "upgrades" by producing standard units and replenishing their strength, for example, with missile tanks, which were mostly needed in small quantities.
Moreover, the player could order units at the Spaceport only to make sure that the enemy does not have access to them. For example, a player could buy all the siege tanks so that the opponent would not have a chance to strengthen the army quickly, and make sure that the subsequent attack does not meet with unexpected resistance.
This mechanic is rarely used, although key features appear in several RTS later. In Ground Control, for example, the collection of units is the order and the expectation of their delivery from the main type. As a result, all units have a fixed ETA, and unit production is determined only by the amount of resources (and not by the capacity of the infrastructure). Although prices are not based on demand and units are available only to the player, the basic principles are the same.
Dune extensively used the terrain in mechanics. More than in subsequent RTSs, it was critically important to understand how the landscape affects the available options:
On the one hand, it was impossible to build a base anywhere. She needed a "rocky" foundation (and ideally, erection on concrete slabs). This greatly affected the capabilities and allowed level designers to control the place of base arrangement. Some missions were harder simply because the player had a limited amount of space (i.e. the number of buildings). The limited resources allowed to make sure that the player understood the concept of effective base development.
In addition, there were several types of sand. Units responded to them differently depending on the type. Some units rode faster on “hard” sand than usual, others - at the same speed. This led to the importance of management by the attacking forces. The underestimation of the area led to the fact that the troops on the approach to the enemy base were stretched into a chain and died very quickly.
The hills also added strategic depth. The infantry was largely destroyed by any technique, rarely providing reliable firepower. But only she could climb the rocks and become immune to instant-Kill from the tanks.
This, and the fact that most of the infantry could withstand large shells, allowed the use of heavy infantry (with rocket launchers) at elevations to protect the base from tanks and air units. This made them a potential addition to any army. Although it is worth noting that if there were no elevations, the infantry as a unit would be almost useless.
Although the concept of elevations was used by RTS, it was usually reduced to a modifier that gives an advantage for height (greater accuracy, further visibility, or the impossibility of a counter-attack). In Starcraft, units had a penalty to accuracy against units located higher, whereas in Starcraft: Wings of Liberty, they simply could not shoot at higher surfaces until this part of the map is visible to other units (flying or located on elevated ground). In Warhammer 40k, terrain modifiers increased or decreased the unit's survival rate relative to enemy fire (working as shelters).
But most of the RTS almost did not contain interesting implementations of terrain features, limiting the possibility of damaging the territory (C & C Tiberian Sun) or slowing down the units (C & C ore fields: Red Alert).
Dune II introduced the asymmetry of the parties involved. Although most of the units were the same, there were some differences between standard units (speed, but weakened versions of the trikes of the Ordos, reinforced quad and Harkonnenov infantry, etc.). And two unique types of troops in the faction.
Atreides - the only House with offensive air support, which forced the enemies to radically reconsider their defenses (more missile turrets and heavy infantry, fewer tanks). They also had a Sonar tank, which inflicted damage on the area (AoE, Area of ​​Effect), which was especially effective against concentrations of enemy forces (such as infantry), but also made fire possible (friendly fire).
The Ordos had a terrific tank that could confuse the enemy units and temporarily lure it to their side. They could also bring a stealth unit called the Wrecker into the field to inflict critical damage to buildings (later appeared as an Engineer in the C & C series).
The Harkonnens had a Devastator, which, in fact, was simply a reinforced and extremely expensive version of the tank. Plus atomic missiles that allow you to strike at the enemy with impunity.
"Hand of death" is ready!
Although the bulk of the army was the same, this slight asymmetry really changed the approach of each side to the destruction of the enemy. Ordos vs Atrides was completely different from Ordos vs Harkonnen.
This idea was picked up by late titles, initially only in the form of cosmetic changes, but from the time it led to Starcraft’s so highly celebrated design, where the fractions really differ. So this is one of those concepts of Dune that has achieved development (and deafening success!).
But perhaps the most significant of the underestimated features of the game is Sandworms.
Worms are mostly hidden in the sands until they are discovered by one of the players. This is the elemental force of nature, a creature that hunts for everything that it considers food. In most cases, this is the largest and strongest unit in sight. This is often a harvester or a big-big tank.
The worm works hard.
Although it may seem that this mechanics, introducing randomness (the sandworm AI actually uses random), in fact, it is a tool of balance. Worms, of course, were added to match the theme of the game and as an important part of the game lore, but they also play two important roles in terms of gameplay:
1. Balance. AI uses random, the trigger does not. The first player to find the worm activates it. It is more likely that this will be the player who copes “better” (economically). There are two ways in which a worm can be detected:
- or the player adjusts to the attack and stumbles upon a worm by accident,
- or the player is looking for resources other than those located near the base.
In both cases, this means that the player copes well: being aggressive or seeking new sources of resources usually means that you are better at your opponent. Otherwise, you are already reflecting his attack, or he is already guarding a new field and met with the Worm.
So with superior players, the probability of losing a unit increases. This, in turn, leads to the loss of the advantage of the dominant player, returning him to the possibility of defeat. This keeps the game interesting.
2. The threat. It gives the feeling of being threatened. The environment is dangerous and you can't just throw your units around for a better view and response. You want to pack tightly defense and try to mobilize their forces only on solid ground. When the Worm appeared, you send the battle formations far away and look after the harvester. If you are tricky enough, you can even try to incite the sandworm on the enemy base (I somehow did it!).
Sandworm is more than a random NPC. This mechanic returned to Warcraft 3, but there it was more used to slow down the progress and leveled heroes. This did not even come close to the depth of the original mechanics of the sandworm. I haven’t yet seen any new ideas that would act as a neutral opponent, which compares the strength of the players to keep them on their toes, as the Sandworms did.
Between missions, players were asked to choose the next theater of operations. And it was not just a cosmetic solution. In most cases, the enemy was the same (for example, the choice was given to strike at 3 different territories of the Ordos), but the design of the level changed.
This adds replayability and decision making variability. If you played poorly on a map, you could try a different one and win, because it suited your style of play more.
Campaign Harkonnenov.
It also gave the impression that other officers are working with you. Every time you successfully completed a mission, your team won not one, but two or three territories, although you could lose a couple in the same way. It was interesting to see different progress on the map, depending on your actions.
In some cases at later levels, you have also been faced with key decisions: which of the Houses will you fight with? If you felt that you had more chances against atomic weapons than against Deviators of Ordos, you could choose the first (Harkonnen) at your convenience. It all ended, of course, with the general battle with both houses and the Emperor.
It took this concept a long time to return to the Warhammer 40k: Dark Crusade add-on campaign. It may seem surprising that it took as many as 14 years to get back to the game mechanics and improve it, but this only shows how much untapped potential was only in one of the features of Dune.
Not much to say about the Mist of War, except that it first appeared in Dune. The concept of hidden information, which is critical for a good tactical game with high replayability and risk management, was presented in its first version. This stimulates the value of early territory exploration. Attempting to scout the location of the enemy base and getting information about what you can expect has become an important part of any good player’s plan.
Fog of war
Although the study of the map was important, the concept of hiding already open parts of the map with the disappearance of the player’s line of sight, appeared later. It was with the advent of multiplayer in the RTS (we will talk about it in the next article) that the need to hide invisible territories supplanted the need for knowledge about the landscape. In the same Starcraft I, the competition reached a climax when all players were already familiar with tournament cards, and the original Fog of War brought inconvenience only to inexperienced players. Someone might say that Shroud (a partial fog of war that hides territories not visible to units) surpasses the original Fog of War in all respects, but this concept only continues the idea of ​​hidden information from Dune.
Overall, Dune II was a very strong forerunner of the genre. Many of the ideas enclosed in it were used in other games, some abandoned have a good potential.
Her approach to collecting resources was probably outdated (many games did it better), but he was much better suited to the setting.
Many basic mechanics (Mercenaries, Energy, Landscape and Worms) are still an interesting source of inspiration that can bring a bit of “madness” to modern design.
The key point to keep in mind is that Dune II is the result of top-down design (top-down design), a rare example of a game built from an original source (books / films) and its lore to build an interesting and perfectly working gameplay.
On the other hand, Dune II suffered from the technical limitations of that time, especially if we consider user interaction and interface (UX, User eXperience). A number of innovations were simply not present in Dune II, such as selecting several units and giving orders on the right mouse button. However, there are now remakes with implementations of such improvements . (My favorite is Dune Legacy ).
Paying tribute to Dune as the ancestor of the genre, we end this article and in the next we turn to the analysis of the evolution of these concepts.
GDOL (Gamedev.net Open License)
- Part 2: And the Blizzard came ... [Warcraft: Orcs and Humans] translation in progress
- to be continued…
Foreword
(You may, without any risk, miss this introduction.)
Preceding the text with these lines, I want to say that most of what is written below is based on hypotheses and my subjective observations. Despite this, I believe that the text contains enough truth, or at least food for thought, enough to write (and read).
')
The main goal of the article is to encourage the rethinking of their approaches to modern development through the promotion of critical analysis of good old games. I try to find interesting design solutions that have since been widely used or, conversely, have not been used at all. Understanding how some things have become what they have become, and why others have not survived to our days, the easiest way to determine the key elements that are (re) use.
Introduction
Retro-gaming , “is collecting old video games for computers, consoles or arcade machines and playing them.” This hobby is gaining popularity over the past decade, some games are even being developed with this trend in mind. Re-launches of the series, returning it to the sources, or containing plot twists with references to the original titles, have become commonplace.
A couple of years ago I was driving such an experiment when I was developing an AAA game for a large publisher. In the form of a “curtsy to the original source,” the game ended with a 2.5D gameplay from the original side-scroll.
Retro-gaming as a phenomenon is often criticized for exploiting the nostalgia of the players, argued that the deification of these games is based on childhood memories. Despite the fact that I am inclined to agree with this, I think this may be a gross underestimation of the value of the old games.
It is true that games developed 10–20 years ago were limited by technical features that may seem unthinkable for a modern observer. But such restrictions also forced developers to approach the task more creatively .
In those days, some of the genres to which we are now used (MOBA, RTS, global 4X strategies) simply did not exist. Several dreamers had a rough idea of ​​the gameplay they wanted to achieve, and it so happened that out of this a whole game genre was born.
One of the common misconceptions that are common in modern players and young designers is expressed in the opinion that the forerunners of modern games were just skeletons or simple experiments without great depth. In my experience, this is just as far from the truth, and I often came to understand that the study of these “ancestors” confuses me.
As an example, one of the first games, Spacewar! (officially released in 1962, but has been in development since at least 1953) was actually a very difficult arcade game. For starters, it was a real-time multiplayer game where two ships tried to maneuver their opponent, overcoming gravity and avoiding collisions with engines. It presented all the basic concepts of firing rockets and lasers (projectiles) - health points, armor points, and quite complex control.
But instead of simply listing random facts about Spacewar!, Let's return to the analysis of retro games. There is fundamental knowledge that is simply lost in genres that have existed for decades and are in crisis. Often, the decision is hidden in the pioneers of these genres.
Today, I would like to discuss one of these genres: RTS (Real-Time Strategy Game, real-time strategy).
Context
There are many games that led to the emergence of RTS in the form that we are accustomed to now, but most still agree that the first step towards the modern RTS was " Dune II ". If you have always been interested in what then was the first part of Dune, - in fact, adventure.
Dune 2 was the first title to inflame a “war” between Westwood Studios (bought by EA, now disbanded) and Blizzard Entertainment (now part of Activision Blizzard) between 1992 and 1998.
In a certain sense, much of what the RTS game does is laid back in Dune 2, and in the games that were created during the ensuing confrontation. And it was harsh (along with a high need for such games), which made it necessary to reduce the cost of development and limit the functionality ( featurecrip ).
Given the history of brutal competition for this market share, it is even surprising that such a popular Starcraft II (2010) is not much different from a game made 20 years before it. The RTS War itself fell victim to even more conflict - the war for the best graphics. And for a long time we did not see anything particularly new on the RTS scene. Some titles had better performance than others, but most were made of the same pattern.
Although thanks to that “war”, real-time strategy today is an important part of the game, what we have gained or lost during this time and how it can be used requires careful consideration.
Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
There is an explanation why Dune II “invented” the genre. Not only because she presented the basic mechanics of the RTS, but also was an absolutely complete piece with a tremendous imagination in scope. It was a complex experience, which must be disassembled into components for understanding. Even Westwood itself took time to figure out what they did and repeat it in the C & C series.Of course, not all components of the game were invented during the development, some ideas were borrowed. But they worked perfectly with each other, making the Dune II something more than just a Minimum Viable Product (MVP, Minimum Viable Product).
Resource collection
Dune II made the collection of resources from the surface for the production of troops core RTS. Mechanics seem natural to the genre, although in the case of Dune, this is in fact a necessity: the Dune brand itself (books, films and TV shows) is twisted around the collection of spice. Unlike other strategies, collecting precious spice is much higher priority than the battle. Armed conflict is only a consequence of the race for the possession of melange.
Many titles inherited this mechanic, but did not try to substantiate it from the point of view of the game world (including Tiberian Sun, who frankly imitated Dune in this regard). For example, in Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, a player learned to mine local resources (wood and gold) for building an outpost. If it made sense with the first outpost, it was a new settlement, but as the conflict continued, the player continued to build new outposts. Although it is clear that it is more efficient to use local lumber (than, say, to bring them from another outpost a couple of leagues away), it was still embarrassing that the player could not take the already collected resources with him and this was not explained by the game. It looked artificial, because in Dune between missions, the entire spice was sent to the home planet, and a new colony / mining site was built during the mission.
So the gameplay was criminally transferred "as is", simply because it worked, and was not processed under the theme of the game (Command and Conquer, Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires, Empire Earth, and the list goes on)
Here Dune 2 stands out. She created an interesting mechanics of collecting resources, but also turned him into a key part of the game. In Dune, resource collection is not just a supporting mechanic, but part of the MVP, and that is a big difference.
As an example, one of the early missions is a collection of resources and nothing more. The player must understand that the creation of military units only slows down his achievement of this goal. While many other real-time strategies used this only as introductory missions, Dune did this with the goal of the player from the very first cutscene. And only after some time the campaign will turn into a global conflict, when the player is explained that to control the spice, it is not enough just to collect it faster, but you need to destroy the rest of the House. Thus, the war was explained on the economic side.
The inheritance of the resource system can be seen in various games (in the same C & C series). It evolved in most cases, but I will try to consider this in future articles. Here, the Dune's merit in the creation of a vanilla-concept, due to the setting of the game.
Energy
Another mechanic that has become the main feature of the genre (C & C and derivatives, mostly) is the concept of energy. Unlike the concept of “food”, which we will discuss in the next article, energy was used in Dune to limit the rapid development of the base, increasing the importance of logistics and ensuring strategic vulnerability.
Wind traps may be perceived as simply “another building to be built”, but they are more than that. A wind trap requires resources to be built, which reduces the speed at which a player develops the rest of the infrastructure, forcing him to invest more in units.
In addition, it gives the player an understanding that the base is not self-sufficient, and it must be monitored, determined whether excess energy is needed, or it is sufficient to have as much as necessary (with possibly dramatic consequences).
More importantly, this represents the concept of weak base. Enemy AI in this game is not too smart, but he understands that energy is the key. As a result, if the windbreakers are located on the edge of the base and are relatively unprotected, they risk undergoing a targeted attack, simply to break the player economically. Losing a few units is an acceptable loss in relation to economic damage.
And since The energy produced by the wind turbines depends on the state of the building, you don’t even have to completely destroy them, it’s enough just to do this damage in order to lower the output below the base’s energy consumption. Although a player can repair damage for a fraction of the cost of a building, it is often enough to compensate for the loss of units (repair cost + time spent without energy).
C & C has been using this system so far, and many RTS have returned to it without any changes. And, although this is not the most "fun and catchy" mechanics, it reveals the potential of managing the logistics base.
Mercenaries
This is a mechanic that was not found in most of the subsequent titles. In addition to the standard unit production system (in which each unit has a cost and production time), Dune also had a complementary mechanics of the mercenary market, where availability and price of units could differ, and their “shipment” time (ETA, Estimated time of arrival) constant.
This allowed players to pay a variable amount of spice (depending on global demand) for reinforcement. Since The ETA was fixed for all units (less than their training time), and several units could be included in one delivery, the player had the opportunity to release 4-5 tanks on the field at the same time, as usual only one was made. The downside was the price for urgency. Although in a tense struggle, you can pay a hefty sum for Quad or Trike (some of the weakest units).
This system was a great tactical addition, giving the player the opportunity
rapid replenishment of armies without the need to develop complex infrastructure in exchange for resources. Plus, it created the effect of obscurity without becoming a random one. Based on demand, prices could fluctuate, the availability of units varied.
Most importantly, the main reason for the existence of the mercenary system is that it gave any player access to units exclusive to the factions.
Delivery time was fixed, and this made it possible to speed up the production of "high-tech" units. Or economic - for example, harvesters, whose production was long and tedious. However, if the harvesters were available at the Spaceport, they could be delivered quickly, and production centers would be released for the production of military units.
Or, players could save on "upgrades" by producing standard units and replenishing their strength, for example, with missile tanks, which were mostly needed in small quantities.
Moreover, the player could order units at the Spaceport only to make sure that the enemy does not have access to them. For example, a player could buy all the siege tanks so that the opponent would not have a chance to strengthen the army quickly, and make sure that the subsequent attack does not meet with unexpected resistance.
This mechanic is rarely used, although key features appear in several RTS later. In Ground Control, for example, the collection of units is the order and the expectation of their delivery from the main type. As a result, all units have a fixed ETA, and unit production is determined only by the amount of resources (and not by the capacity of the infrastructure). Although prices are not based on demand and units are available only to the player, the basic principles are the same.
Landscape
Dune extensively used the terrain in mechanics. More than in subsequent RTSs, it was critically important to understand how the landscape affects the available options:
On the one hand, it was impossible to build a base anywhere. She needed a "rocky" foundation (and ideally, erection on concrete slabs). This greatly affected the capabilities and allowed level designers to control the place of base arrangement. Some missions were harder simply because the player had a limited amount of space (i.e. the number of buildings). The limited resources allowed to make sure that the player understood the concept of effective base development.
In addition, there were several types of sand. Units responded to them differently depending on the type. Some units rode faster on “hard” sand than usual, others - at the same speed. This led to the importance of management by the attacking forces. The underestimation of the area led to the fact that the troops on the approach to the enemy base were stretched into a chain and died very quickly.
The hills also added strategic depth. The infantry was largely destroyed by any technique, rarely providing reliable firepower. But only she could climb the rocks and become immune to instant-Kill from the tanks.
This, and the fact that most of the infantry could withstand large shells, allowed the use of heavy infantry (with rocket launchers) at elevations to protect the base from tanks and air units. This made them a potential addition to any army. Although it is worth noting that if there were no elevations, the infantry as a unit would be almost useless.
Although the concept of elevations was used by RTS, it was usually reduced to a modifier that gives an advantage for height (greater accuracy, further visibility, or the impossibility of a counter-attack). In Starcraft, units had a penalty to accuracy against units located higher, whereas in Starcraft: Wings of Liberty, they simply could not shoot at higher surfaces until this part of the map is visible to other units (flying or located on elevated ground). In Warhammer 40k, terrain modifiers increased or decreased the unit's survival rate relative to enemy fire (working as shelters).
But most of the RTS almost did not contain interesting implementations of terrain features, limiting the possibility of damaging the territory (C & C Tiberian Sun) or slowing down the units (C & C ore fields: Red Alert).
Asymmetry
Dune II introduced the asymmetry of the parties involved. Although most of the units were the same, there were some differences between standard units (speed, but weakened versions of the trikes of the Ordos, reinforced quad and Harkonnenov infantry, etc.). And two unique types of troops in the faction.
Atreides - the only House with offensive air support, which forced the enemies to radically reconsider their defenses (more missile turrets and heavy infantry, fewer tanks). They also had a Sonar tank, which inflicted damage on the area (AoE, Area of ​​Effect), which was especially effective against concentrations of enemy forces (such as infantry), but also made fire possible (friendly fire).
The Ordos had a terrific tank that could confuse the enemy units and temporarily lure it to their side. They could also bring a stealth unit called the Wrecker into the field to inflict critical damage to buildings (later appeared as an Engineer in the C & C series).
The Harkonnens had a Devastator, which, in fact, was simply a reinforced and extremely expensive version of the tank. Plus atomic missiles that allow you to strike at the enemy with impunity.
Although the bulk of the army was the same, this slight asymmetry really changed the approach of each side to the destruction of the enemy. Ordos vs Atrides was completely different from Ordos vs Harkonnen.
This idea was picked up by late titles, initially only in the form of cosmetic changes, but from the time it led to Starcraft’s so highly celebrated design, where the fractions really differ. So this is one of those concepts of Dune that has achieved development (and deafening success!).
Sandworms
But perhaps the most significant of the underestimated features of the game is Sandworms.
Worms are mostly hidden in the sands until they are discovered by one of the players. This is the elemental force of nature, a creature that hunts for everything that it considers food. In most cases, this is the largest and strongest unit in sight. This is often a harvester or a big-big tank.
Although it may seem that this mechanics, introducing randomness (the sandworm AI actually uses random), in fact, it is a tool of balance. Worms, of course, were added to match the theme of the game and as an important part of the game lore, but they also play two important roles in terms of gameplay:
1. Balance. AI uses random, the trigger does not. The first player to find the worm activates it. It is more likely that this will be the player who copes “better” (economically). There are two ways in which a worm can be detected:
- or the player adjusts to the attack and stumbles upon a worm by accident,
- or the player is looking for resources other than those located near the base.
In both cases, this means that the player copes well: being aggressive or seeking new sources of resources usually means that you are better at your opponent. Otherwise, you are already reflecting his attack, or he is already guarding a new field and met with the Worm.
So with superior players, the probability of losing a unit increases. This, in turn, leads to the loss of the advantage of the dominant player, returning him to the possibility of defeat. This keeps the game interesting.
2. The threat. It gives the feeling of being threatened. The environment is dangerous and you can't just throw your units around for a better view and response. You want to pack tightly defense and try to mobilize their forces only on solid ground. When the Worm appeared, you send the battle formations far away and look after the harvester. If you are tricky enough, you can even try to incite the sandworm on the enemy base (I somehow did it!).
Sandworm is more than a random NPC. This mechanic returned to Warcraft 3, but there it was more used to slow down the progress and leveled heroes. This did not even come close to the depth of the original mechanics of the sandworm. I haven’t yet seen any new ideas that would act as a neutral opponent, which compares the strength of the players to keep them on their toes, as the Sandworms did.
Campania Map
Between missions, players were asked to choose the next theater of operations. And it was not just a cosmetic solution. In most cases, the enemy was the same (for example, the choice was given to strike at 3 different territories of the Ordos), but the design of the level changed.
This adds replayability and decision making variability. If you played poorly on a map, you could try a different one and win, because it suited your style of play more.
It also gave the impression that other officers are working with you. Every time you successfully completed a mission, your team won not one, but two or three territories, although you could lose a couple in the same way. It was interesting to see different progress on the map, depending on your actions.
In some cases at later levels, you have also been faced with key decisions: which of the Houses will you fight with? If you felt that you had more chances against atomic weapons than against Deviators of Ordos, you could choose the first (Harkonnen) at your convenience. It all ended, of course, with the general battle with both houses and the Emperor.
It took this concept a long time to return to the Warhammer 40k: Dark Crusade add-on campaign. It may seem surprising that it took as many as 14 years to get back to the game mechanics and improve it, but this only shows how much untapped potential was only in one of the features of Dune.
Fog of war
Not much to say about the Mist of War, except that it first appeared in Dune. The concept of hidden information, which is critical for a good tactical game with high replayability and risk management, was presented in its first version. This stimulates the value of early territory exploration. Attempting to scout the location of the enemy base and getting information about what you can expect has become an important part of any good player’s plan.
Although the study of the map was important, the concept of hiding already open parts of the map with the disappearance of the player’s line of sight, appeared later. It was with the advent of multiplayer in the RTS (we will talk about it in the next article) that the need to hide invisible territories supplanted the need for knowledge about the landscape. In the same Starcraft I, the competition reached a climax when all players were already familiar with tournament cards, and the original Fog of War brought inconvenience only to inexperienced players. Someone might say that Shroud (a partial fog of war that hides territories not visible to units) surpasses the original Fog of War in all respects, but this concept only continues the idea of ​​hidden information from Dune.
Conclusion
Overall, Dune II was a very strong forerunner of the genre. Many of the ideas enclosed in it were used in other games, some abandoned have a good potential.
Her approach to collecting resources was probably outdated (many games did it better), but he was much better suited to the setting.
Many basic mechanics (Mercenaries, Energy, Landscape and Worms) are still an interesting source of inspiration that can bring a bit of “madness” to modern design.
The key point to keep in mind is that Dune II is the result of top-down design (top-down design), a rare example of a game built from an original source (books / films) and its lore to build an interesting and perfectly working gameplay.
On the other hand, Dune II suffered from the technical limitations of that time, especially if we consider user interaction and interface (UX, User eXperience). A number of innovations were simply not present in Dune II, such as selecting several units and giving orders on the right mouse button. However, there are now remakes with implementations of such improvements . (My favorite is Dune Legacy ).
Paying tribute to Dune as the ancestor of the genre, we end this article and in the next we turn to the analysis of the evolution of these concepts.
Text license
GDOL (Gamedev.net Open License)
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/368195/
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