#40. Real Time Tactics Idea

While I'm at it, here is an idea that kept circulating 'round my brain for some time:

So I wasn't a big fan of real-time strategy genre, mostly because my brain and fingers are not fast enough for that genre. (One of the reason I still enjoy Age of Empires II is because its pace is slow enough for me.) Then I was introduced with turn-based tactics genre, which is basically RTS minus all the buildings and tech tree stuffs. That sounded fun, but unfortunately there were not many games for it. So I decided, hey, maybe I can come up with some idea. So the brainstorming is something like this:

- I liked how Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, and Heroes of the Storm focused on mission objectives rather than mindless killfest. Yes, you have to eliminate your enemies during your missions, but in most cases, they are not the key point to your victory. You have to either secure a certain location or object, or activate some features on the map to push your way through victory. I think it's time for RTT and RTS genre to adopt this.

- Since RTT genre skips base building procedures, resources are pretty much obsolete. However, I still think resources could be useful in two ways: (a) it could be used as a mission objective (as in: "Collect 200 resources and deliver 'em to the center of the map") and (b) it could be used for some in-game upgrades, which grants flexibility for strategy. The traditional resource gathering mechanics is good, yes, but I think there could be more variations in resources as well. Maybe resources can be provided like Health Packs in FPS games.

- I think I can make good uses from some MOBA features, especially brush. Basically a brush is an environmental feature than conceals units from outer detection. In RTS genre, this is not very useful because you're controlling many units at a time. In RTT genre, however, this could be utilized as an important strategical feature.

- You have to configure loadouts for your squad at waiting room, just like you do in Team Fortress 2 and Dirty Bomb. First you choose your faction, then your "Commander" or "HQ" feature that determines the specific strategy for your units from your faction. I've come up with some sample factions and HQ features, heavily benchmarked from Starcraft and Warcraft series:

• Tribes: Local aliens of the planet. Average units, both in quality and quantity. Is the only faction that can use resources to build constructions for protection, sightkeeping, and defense.
• Builder: Focuses on turtling. More variety and upgrades for buildings.
• Hunter: Focuses on guerilla tactics. Faster and longer-ranged units, gains access to a type of building that enables fast unit transportation.

• Broods: Another local aliens of the planet. Horde units, very weak but immense in quantity. Has a "queen" that is greatly stronger than the rest of the units. Queen can use resources to create "minions", but you can only control a limited number of minions at a time.
• Broodmother: Focuses on even more hordes. Utilizes "nanny" that creates and maintains additional minions.
• Matriarch: Focuses on stronger units. More upgrades for minions and the queen, especially the queen.

• Visitors: A human expedition that has come to an alien planet for "frontier" purpose. Elite units, very powerful but small in quantity (4 or 5, at maximum). Comes with a spaceship that can slowly move across the map to provide additional sight, but cannot attack. Can use resources to call upon additional support from spaceship, either additional personnel or other supplies.
• Explorer: Focuses on scout and securing objects. Faster units, faster spaceship.
• Conquerer: Focuses on combat. Even stronger units, spaceship is slower but provides wider sight.

Well, that's it for now. End transmission.

#39. Videoludo en Esperanto

Saluton! Mi estas Ŭierdo, kaj mi amas videoludo! (Mi bedaŭras, sed mia Esperanto ne estas tre bona...)

So yeah, the moment I've heard of Esperanto I was fascinated at the very idea of it. Universal language! For world peace! No irregular verbs! It was this close before it finally become the universal language! (Curse you, World War II.) I already speak three languages, and I'm having a hard time learning the fourth (as I proved myself with French), but for Esperanto, I think I could push myself further than I would normally do.

What I find very frustrating is, however, that there are not much entertainments in Esperanto to enjoy. From my experience, the fastest and easiest way to learn a language is by enjoying anything on that particular language. When I started learning Japanese when back in my early teenager life, I found great help from all those otaku materials I could get my hands on. (I use to say this a lot, but if you can speak English and Japanese, you're pretty much speaking Latin in geekdom.) But I find so little things, let alone entertainment materials, ever written or spoken in Esperanto. Not only this makes it harder for me to learn and use Esperanto, this also gives me less motivations for learning it, apart from my passion on it. I mean, why learn a language when you can hardly use it in real life?

That's why, ever since back in my military service life, I was thinking of a way to make something entertaining, something interesting, in Esperanto. And since I am a helpless videogame nut, I would definitely like to see a videogame in Esperanto. So here is my idea:

- I'm not a big fan of so-called "edutainment" games, since there are not many good examples that appealed to both learners (mostly younger players) and hardcore videogame fans. I was and still is a big fan of Age of Empires II, I learned half of what I know (and misunderstood, for that matter) of Medieval Ages from it, but I didn't even try to learn English from it. The point is, you don't exactly have to aim for learning languages in videogames. All you need to do is make it fun enough, then videogamers would voluntarily learn the language (or hyping for translation, but still).

- Dr. L. L. Zamenhof (also known as "D-ro Esperanto") had a clear vision when he created Esperanto: World peace through language. I greatly support his ideas, and want Esperanto to be the language that could deliver that particular message. I mean, Incubus (Inkubo) was already enough to give us false idea on Esperanto, I don't want anything like that.

- Here is an idea that I came up with when I first thought about making an Esperanto videogame. So there was this show called RESTOL Special Rescue Squad, which was otherwise your typical mecha-based anime... Except that in this show, the eponymous squad works for rescue missions, instead of typical combat missions. Now I'm not a big fan of mecha genre in general, but I was fascinated at the idea that uses rescue missions and keep things entertaining. The message was nicely delivered, and I thought it would make an awesome feat with Esperanto's vision. I made a quick brainstorming via Google Docs here, so if you're interested in my idea, please check it out.

Apparently I wasn't alone with this idea: I found more than enough articles that share the similar, and even the very same, thought with myself. A Kinja article that suggests Esperanto as the official language for videogame, a Reddit post that suggests videogame in Esperanto, and even a videogame developer that supports Esperanto. I hope, as a new Esperantisto (pun intended), that this dream comes true. End transmission.