Veldor
Posts: 1531
Joined: 12/29/2002
From: King's Landing
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins
Can't say as I agree, Veldor.
What I saw was pretty much an interface that would work for your typical RTS, with limited numbers of units and a focus on unit micro-management to activate powers or send in reinforcements. From an interface standpoint, it would work for a subset of wargames, but for larger wargames the turn-based structure is really necessary to have time to actually do everything you should be able to do and even within a more real-time structure, existing interfaces like Panther's make management just as easy. Within a turn-based structure, I don't see this interface adding anything beyond what current interfaces can do.
Touch screens and all that are fun, but I don't see it as a fundamentally better interface for wargaming, just different. Very cool for RTS-style games though, especially as the "Ruse" basically depended on very limited line of sight, just like RTS games have. :-)
Right. Can't say I disagree.. but you did ignore the "Minority Report" angle I mentioned. What I would envision would be more of a hybrid of the two. If you remember the movie (or see it) that interface is more of an information management style. One strength and difference to computer wargames is that depth of information and the complexity (and time involved) in maneuvering through the information and/or submitting commands. Some creative thinking is needed here outside of just looking at the EXACT way things are shown.
I remember when people thought mouses were clumsy.. some still prefer keyboard shortcutting (Though I'll always argue thats only because of a poor mouse interface). There is a lot on the horizon and/or already here in the way of voice commands, motion capture commands, touchscreen etc.
Surely there is room for improvement on current computer wargames using some combination of all of the above. No I wouldn't suggest anyone necessarily try to do that now.. But if its to be stated such a thing is never needed then I'd fear PC wargames will only end up even more behind the curve than many find them already to be.
As for others comments towards the uselessness of a PC gaming table due to lack of live opponents... I did also address that partly in that the (hope) would be the existance of such a device would in turn generate popularity and a change in culture around how, when, and who might play. Not unlike boardgaming was a couple decades back. Pretty much every expert agrees our whole culture is too zoned out and socially inept. Whether I agree with that or not I can't see it hurting to have computing devices that make people actually WANT to get together and physically play something.
And as for meeting people what I've found is its like we are all standing in the middle of the same huge room... All to afraid to ask the guy next to us if he'd like to play a game. Easier to just pull a PSP from our pocket and all play alone rather than speak up.
When I started REALLY looking for opponents.. And I mean REALLY trying for boardgames, wargames, PC wargames etc. I found so many I now feel bad how many requests I have to turn down to play this or that...
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