A Guide to the Civil Wars of RTS Gaming Essay -- War Video Computer Ga

A Guide to the Civil Wars of RTS Gaming The real-time strategy gaming genre is filled with enthusiasts who both pursue and embody the focus of their obsession: war. Fundamentally different approaches to programming a real-time strategy game have led to two very different groups of gamers, each believing that their games are more fun and/or more realistic. I shall distinguish these two groups by the game series that they champion: the partisans of Westwood and the Command and Conquer series, and the disciples of Blizzard, they of the 'Crafts (Warcraft and Starcraft). Although confusing to the uninitiated, the war of the war gamers can be broken up into several major points, or theaters, thusly: construction, resources, and units. I shall address each of the points and their sub-headings in turn. But first, a little background on war games in general and real-time strategy in particular. After all, as Sun Tzu said, â€Å"Know thy enemy and know thyself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.† War gaming is a hobby in which the players re-create old battles or make new ones, honing their martial abilities on fictional battlefields. An outgrowth of the training of officers and leaders in ancient times for command of flesh-and-blood troops, war-gaming has probably been around for about as long as war. As such, the number of possible ways to simulate a war are myriad, from the low-tech Chess or Risk to the recent computer game Command and Conquer: Generals. Real-time strategy games, or RTS games, are one of the many benefits of using computers for one's war-gaming needs. There is no stuttering progression of the fight with, â€Å"I'll hit you... ok, now you hit me back,† that limit the reality of turn-based games; one player... ... as a heavy engineering company in the US Army might do (albeit faster and with fewer people), yet the number of unit functions is kept so simple that a few memorized (or re-assigned) hotkeys can make the interface nearly as quick as the older C&C games; supply planes zoom over the drop zones to send the Americans more material while Chinese infantry seize an oil derrick for the steady flow of oil (and funds) that it provides. With this trend toward meshing the two styles, there may one day be peace between the two factions. While I personally prefer the urgent speed of the Command and Conquer style, I think anyone could agree that Blizzard has some good points as well. So, I welcome our newfound brothers and former enemies of the Warcraft forces... except for you guys, you dirty, stinking Mac users! (So much for peace. Oh well, I guess some things never change).