|
|
The Early Fruits of RTS Evolution As the genre was developing, ideas from real-time strategy started trickling out into other types of strategy games. One of the most significant was the use of real time in 1995's Close Combat, which was developed by Atomic Games and published by Microsoft. Close Combat introduced the frantic action of real-time gaming to the realistic weapon modeling of wargames. In addition, the game was based on the simulation of unit morale, which had been, up until then, very much the case. The Close Combat series made it through five iterations, several of which sold quite well.
While RTS games were traditionally built on the idea of "harvest, build, destroy," Bungie released Myth (in 1997), which left out all the resource management and concentrated on simple unit tactics. It was a huge success, partially because of its gorgeous 3D graphics, but also because of how well it maintained the strategy and excitement of real-time combat in the absence of buildings or structures. The focus on unit tactics required some improvements to the standard interface of the time and the ability to manage formations (with unit placement being of the utmost importance). Myth also introduced some interesting multiplayer games, like Last Man on the Hill. With its outstanding graphics, smooth multiplayer, and tactical gameplay, Myth and its sequel, Myth II, carved out a niche in the real-time market for those more interested in combat than in resource gathering.
One of the most significant developments of the RTS revolution appeared in Bioware's blockbuster role-playing hit, Baldur's Gate. While games like Eye of the Beholder had introduced real-time play to RPGs many years prior, Baldur's Gate was the first to take the lasso-your-units-and-click paradigm that is the very essence of real-time strategy and apply it to an RPG in the style of an RTS. Combat in Baldur's Gate was very much like a miniature version of a real-time strategy game, right down to giving orders to units while the game was paused. All you need to do is take a look at recent RPG offerings to see just how thoroughly the idea of real-time combat has pervaded the genre. With Starcraft on the shelves, real-time strategy in 1998 belonged to Blizzard. It's interesting to note that since 1995, each successive year has had megahits in real-time strategy. 1995 was the year of both Warcraft II and Command & Conquer, 1996 was the year for Red Alert, 1997 will be remembered for Total Annihilation (with its Dark Reign footnote), and, of course, there was 1998. The second half of our history will cover 1999-2001, and the fact that there will be as many true standout games in the next two years as there are in the whole history of real-time strategy up to that point is a sign of how much the genre has matured. One game we didn't mention (because of its essentially flawed nature) was Microsoft's Age of Empires (released in 1997). It's worth noting here because it has the distinction of being the predecessor of a game that will figure heavily in our next segment. We'll also take a look at some of the big RTS games currently under development, as well as how the genre has continued to evolve and influence other types of games.
Special thanks to MobyGames for selected images found throughout this article.
|
|
|
