Multiplayer only? Bleh. I don't like people. Yeah, I know there's no current AI that's capable of playing that kind of game effectively, but I don't care. I just want to see hordes of allied critters smashing into hordes of enemy critters while I get to buff up or ignore "my" troops as I see fit.
Ah well. S'pose I'll just wait for Demigod.
I just don't like how you have to baby each and every one of your units in order for them to be even remotely effective. The AI is great at grunt work like that because it can give orders to anything on the map at any time. Players have to move around, which means that it's the faster players, not the better tacticians, who win the game.
Only lame thing with this is that I am a seriously crappy tactician, even though I seem to think I prefer games that emphasize that side of things instead of the speed. Looking back, my two main strategies seem to be "never fight a battle you're uncertain to win" and "this is mine. F'off".
Heh... I liked playing the demo to Sins of a Solar Empire, because it allowed me to focus on my economy while handing out trivial amounts of resources to the other (AI) players in order to keep the peace. I'd work the black market, bribe pirates to attack players I thought were getting a little too strong, and keep expanding my resource and trade network until I had enough resources to buy the whole damn solar system. Then, with the insane amount of resources had stocked up while everyone else was spending them to fight each other, I researched the most powerful technologies and built the most powerful ships, and then just steamrolled the inferior techs of the other factions (who were still squabbling amongst themselves).
Or at least I would have, had not the demo timer run out. Still though, from where I was, nobody had a shadow of a chance. They had almost developed a reliance on my shipments of resources to fund their war efforts, so when I cut the lines they were left high and dry. Whereas my economy was just as much of a powerhouse as ever.
That was one of the most fulfilling RTS experiences I've ever had. Building up a massively powerful infrastructure and using politics, backstabbing and financial superiority to dominate my opponents. For a hefty part of the game, I was involved in trade agreements and non-aggression treaties with all the other players simultaneously. From time to time one would ask me to attack one of the others, and I'd just wait for that request's time limit to expire, and thne I'd rub some cash on them to make them feel better.
Sure, it was just the AI being stupid, but it was fun. Played correctly, it could actually be more effective with other human players (you could arrange for regular resource shipments for them, allowing them to devote themselves to the military, leaving their economy lacking. You could then "purchase" their mining colonies with an up-front price and the agreement to increase their rationing of resources. The reason behind getting their colonies would be that by that time, you'd have the refinery network and mining technology to greatly enhance the output of those mines, which would not only increase your own supplies but would also cripple them all the more when you turn your back on them).
Sadly, the political and trading aspect of Sins wasn't really developed as well as the more mainstream combat aspects, so it wouldn't b a fully viable strategy. And, you probably wouldn't be able to get away with it too often...
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Topic: Searchin' for something new... (Read 2374 times)