by Tony
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| The new weapon of RTS? |
It’s been said by Satoru Iwata, it’s been said by Reggie Fils-Aime: Nintendo doesn’t care what the competition is doing. They want to innovate. While many can argue whether this lofty claim has done nothing but result in gimmicks, or create truly rewarding new experiences, it cannot be denied that the Wii was indeed unique, and then to a degree copied by its competition.
Enter the Wii U, which at first glance seems to be something of a retread of Nintendo's own DS. While some innovative concepts have been explored already in games such as ZombiU, there may be potential to do justice to some genres that have been a gaping hole in the home console line-up for years. Add a touch screen with a television screen, and a genre that has largely eluded consoles for years may finally be viable.
Real time strategy.
It has remained largely a PC-only genre, as the balance between macro and micro on a large map has required the precision of a mouse and the quick (and many) buttoned access of a keyboard. Attempts have been made before such as StarCraft 64 (which worked ok), Pikmin (RTS-lite, but definitely a great game), and Halo Wars (pretty good, but still RTS-lite). Still, the genre has never really gained a strong foothold in the home console market. The Wii U's GamePad, along with the Wii Remote, could provide just the interface needed for RTS titles. |
| StarCraft 64 was a solid effort, but traditional controllers are not well-suited to the genre. |
Perhaps the first and most obvious console solution is to use the Wii U GamePad as a mouse. Couple this with the use of a Wiimote and you have a pretty good facsimile of the PC experience. The GamePad touch surface serves as your pointer, while the Wiimote would allow you to quick select items on the big screen. Using Starcraft II as an example, you could use the touchscreen to select a probe, then hold down the B button on the Wiimote to bring up a grid of buildable structures, and then release it over the desired symbol to select it (think of something analogous to Skyward Sword’s item selection). You could then use the Wiimote pointer to select an area on the screen in which to place it.
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| Selecting units could be done with a simple tap or swipe on the touchscreen. |
Unit selection could also benefit from the precision of the touchscreen while you watch it in action on the big screen; much like the mouse and PC display functions now. The touchscreen could circle your units, with the Wiimote then allowing different button presses or D-pad selections to denote “attack”, “patrol”, etc. The solution would be more than serviceable and a definite improvement over the slow clunkiness of control stick scrolling and limited buttons.
Outdo the PC
Admittedly though, the immediacy of keyboard hotkeys is still sorely missing from the above. Perhaps there is a new direction to take the RTS, one that leverages the Wii U’s marquee feature and gives it an advantage even the PC doesn’t currently enjoy.
Like before, envision the GamePad in conjunction with the Wiimote. Two screens, two controllers. Think of them as two separate hands and eyes. Now put most of the HUD on the TV. However, both screens will allow you to scroll around the map and make selections and have their own pointers. Selecting commands would be admittedly slower, requiring button presses on both the GamePad and the Wiimote. But making multiple commands in multiple sections of the map simultaneously would ultimately mitigate this.
Better yet, if you bring both screens’ sections together you get two pointers on one screen. Using Starcraft II again, imagine using one pointer (GamePad) to cast Psionic Storm with your Templars while the second pointer (Wiimote pointed at screen) is already positioned to a safe retreat spot. In two quick sequential “clicks”, you have cast the attack and moved your troops faster than you ever could with a mouse and keyboard. The micro game could become downright speedy with practice. Or if you are attacking on multiple fronts, the immediacy of two screens with input would be invaluable. Timing attacks would gain a much finer precision.
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| Two eyes. Two hands. Plenty of Possibilities. |
The macro benefits as well, with the ability to focus one screen on working up the tech tree while using the other screen to focus on your early scouting. What if you are working on multiple bases and need to focus on the new one? A quick button press on the GamePad swaps the Gamepad and TV screens instantly. It seems like a small thing, but I’m willing to bet that with time, not having this ability would prove annoying.
Bringing Core Gamers Back into the Fold
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| The game's lead designer said RTS games "might" work on Wii U. |
If there has been one knock that Nintendo has consistently had to ward off for a decade now, it is the kiddie perception. This pejorative, while a bit unfair, has really been a criticism not of the ESRB rating of the games, but from games lacking a certain depth. Nintendo could break that trend with the unique capabilities of the Wii U and jump in on the RTS genre like no other console can. Couple this with Nintendo’s more progressive foray into online gaming, and the company could have the sort of online presence that Microsoft and Sony currently enjoy with games like Halo and Call of Duty. Get an RTS on the system with Major League Gaming potential, and Nintendo could get the decade-old monkey off its back.
Nintendo doesn’t follow the competition. They walk their own path. Let’s see if they can blaze this trail.
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