Star Wars: Imperial Assault

[FroZticles]

It's acutally quite funny seeing as how Vostok and Windu's templates change after each RTS they play.

[DK_Viceroy]

Indeed frosty i'm beginning to think that the pair of them are budding doctor Frankensteins with their templates as the equivalent of his creation. somthing will come of them for better or for worse, most likely for the worst mind.

[Admiral Vostok]

Well maybe that's true, but the RTS genre is rife with "rip-offs". In fact, any computer game takes ideas from those that have gone before. Once a company makes an innovation, eventually all the other companies adopt it. Take BfME's context-sensitive interface innovation. I predict in a couple of years just about every RTS will do away with the archaic bottom control panel and move to these context-sensitive controls. Or a more obvious example; the Age system (or Tech Level system) is just a rip-off of WarCraft's Town Hall upgrading.

[DK_Viceroy]

I think however the two started off as two different systems especially if you look at the original Age of empires it was perfectly in context in terms of the age system and if i rember there were some vague requisites for the next age. that became more so in age of empires 2 indeed if you compared warcraft 2 and age of empires 2 you would see that they are completly different in practically every aspect.

 

Vostok for those who revile EA please explain this so-called Innovation.

[Admiral Vostok]

Okay, I'll explain it, though the latest BfME video shows it a bit better than I can probably explain.

 

Traditionally in RTS games you've got the control panel along the bottom of the screen. The old Westwood games had it running down the right-hand side, but EA changed it to also be on the bottom with Generals. The control panel would show info about the units you've selected, show the things you can build and research at buildings, and would contain the mini-map.

 

For BfME, the developers have realised that this control panel really isn't necessary. Instead, they've greatly simplified the interface, so that when you select a unit, several icons will appear on top of that unit, relating to what you want it to do.

 

I'll use an example to illustrate further. In SWGB, let's say we want to build a Worker then get him to build a Barracks. First we'd select the Command Center. The control panel at the bottom would change to show the Command Center's stats and options. From the control panel we'd select to build a Worker. The bar would fill up in the control panel, then when at 100%, out pops a Worker. Now, we select the Worker. Again, the control panel changes to show the Worker's stats, and all the stuff the Worker can do. We'd select the build military building icon, then select Barracks, then place the barracks. The Worker then builds it.

 

Now the building system in BfME doesn't actually use workers like this, so I'll use the example as though SWGB used this context-sensitive interface too. First, we select the Command Center. We don't have a control panel, but instead on top of the actual Command Center a couple of little icons appear. We select the little icon that builds a worker. Over the top of the Command Center building, a bar appears that fills up as the Worker is completed. When finished, out pops a Worker. We now select the Worker, and on top of him a few icons appear. We select the icon that means build military building, then select the icon that means Barracks, then place the Barracks. The Worker then builds it.

 

So it's essentially the same, except that instead of the icons showing up in the control panel, they show up on top of the building or unit you've selected. Hotkeys will still work obviously. The minimap is still displayed in a corner. Basically all it means is that the player gets to use the whole screen to see the battle, rather than have the bottom bit hidden under a control panel. A minor thing really, but I think it's a lot nicer.

[DK_Viceroy]

It might take off but I like seeing what stats a unit has and since I have very bad eye sight it may be a little difficult if i ever misplace my glasses i'm sure many other people would have similar problems or problems like screen quality would these affect the use of that system i wonder?

[Admiral Vostok]

I doubt it. It will most likely have the float over descriptions like every other game to assist the icons.

 

I admit I like the unit stats too, and while they could easily be incorporated into a float-over system I doubt they will in BfME, just because there was no way of displaying unit stats in Generals.