Relic; It's Time We Had That Talk

Tbh I think the RTS genre needs to start evolving. It's been pretty stagnant in general for the past 7 or 8 years, in terms of concept evolution.

We need to start seeing games that have a nice, casual learning curve, but still the potential for a massive skill cap. This allows high level play to be really complex while allowing casual players to still enjoy it.

Right now, RTS games are failing to do this, and this is the reason why MOBA games are successful. By design, MOBAs are quite simple conceptually. But there's so much to them that you can play for months and keep learning and learning and discovering new aspects to the game.

Another major aspect to the failure of RTS games is performance. A lot of modern RTS games either are just too demanding graphically or are not optimized sufficiently. If you look at MOBAs, which are currently a booming genre, one of the major allures is that you can run them on a bloody toaster. Pretty much anybody can play them. Add that to the removal of the price barrier and you have instant population.

So, in short;

RTS games need to cater to more casual players whilst also allowing for development of high skill games

They need to improve their performance, focusing less on graphics and more on making it run at 60 frames for crappy computers

If they are going free to play, have a fair and balanced market with lots of new content, while allowing for free players to grind them in a reasonable time frame. Free to play in of itself attracts a lot of players, but if it's a shitty market system, not only will you lose the free guys, you'll lose paying customers.

Of course, adding a load of convienience features and having a nice UI go a very long way.

MOBAs are all incredibly boring. Literally nothing happens in these games. I don't think we should ask these games for answers.

We need to start seeing games that have a nice, casual learning curve, but still the potential for a massive skill cap. This allows high level play to be really complex while allowing casual players to still enjoy it.

QFT.

If you were any more correct with this statement you would literally explode.

Honestly, the learning curve in COH2 is half that of COH. The micro is also half that of COH, especially for Ostheer. Everything hard counters everything else, it lacks the subtlety and variety of COH to me. That said, it's still fun. If they push some tutorials out or something, maybe that would help.

But I remain convinced COH was an accidental success. They had no idea what they were doing from what I understand. But the target tables gave it some incredible complexity. I think Noun or someone is on record as saying the supply yard was a jury-rig to keep the Americans from accumulating too much fuel...Somehow it all worked out!

Probably won't be another game like it for a LONG time.

We need to start seeing games that have a nice, casual learning curve, but still the potential for a massive skill cap. This allows high level play to be really complex while allowing casual players to still enjoy it.

It sounds like a new genre altogether, just like Dota-like games came from an RTS. Though both are still incredibly hard...

I think to some degree turn based strategy games full this void.

MOBAs are all incredibly boring. Literally nothing happens in these games. I don't think we should ask these games for answers.

In comparison to watching all of your stuff you've spent 20 minutes to get die to one strafing run? No thanks, I'll play Dota over CoH2 any day of the week.

MOBA's suck.

balance is not a problem it will come in a few months , as for the lack of hype and multiplayer crowd it is a bit worrying but if most people buy the game fot the campaign (not particularly smart ones MVGame ) which i think are the prime sales target then it can be understood , In any case though lack of ladder , lobby , obserber mode is really not helping

I am not gonna ask about balance and patch, but when hans, sepha, tommy...etc was called in you relic studios, there was presentation, about the goals, which they were hidden from us comunity, or only one was reviled, the observer mode.
So how its going with observer mode ? Is it gonna be soon, what exzactly are u doing right now. What is your primary target right now. I know that you participated in comic con, and that you are trying to push marketing to limit, becouse the game is still fresh.

But do we ever gonna know the dates or what are the other points on this presentation in relic headquaters, or we gonna know it when they are out ?

Does in-game ladder project died with ESL ladder start, which will solve probably the most difficult project imo, to make, the anti cheat ( insted of your own AC, ESl wire and ladder will switch that)

Also i understand that you guys have right to take vacation, and enyoj,and this is probably the reason, why progress is slowed down, but i have feeling that community walking in dark.
Every goal is hidden from us.
Why is that ? Do you worried if you reveal goals, that the flame war will rise, becouse some of the people will not like changes, and tired of waiting will open 10x times more threads like these one ?