Right off, I'd like to acknowledge I'm in a minority amongst you hard-code RTSers, but I'm a backer just the same. I'd like to know what features, if any, are to be included to limit gameplay for less experienced/dedicated players. I'm not talking about dumbing down, although I guess the AI will be affected by these restrictions. What I'm talking about is about being able to play the game with a limited feature/unit set for us not capable of handling the full potential of the game. This applies doubly for future expansions/additions as intermittently returning to the game is not the same as "growing up" with new things slowly coming in. So being able to limit the game scope to what you know/remember would allow more casual players to "grow up" at their own pace instead of the pace of patches/upgrades. One thing is controlling the power of the AI, that I already know will be included, but I'm referring more to the Tech Tree limit available in C&C. Hopefully this limit, in an AI-opponents only setting, could be made asymmetric (allowing me^H^Hlesser players to try new things without having them used by the enemy). Perhaps the community know of other "casual settings" similar to this that could be included?
Most of the games in this category had an option to select which units you could and could not build, which I'm guessing will either be included from the start or will be modded in shortly after.
Hmm, i assume they would add option/s to generate a single world map (or a single world with one moon). So that a new or casual player wouldent get overwhelmed by having a number of planets with moons and astroids.
This has been the best piece of advice to balance for a lot of discussions in 1v1 or Player vs. AI type game play. Can't keep track of multiple planets? Don't have them. Don't want to do a lot of scouting? Play on maps with diminished features and unique "lanes". Don't have the time/capability to play competitively? Hold Uber to their commitment for good AI and skirmish modes. I would be willing to bet that there could be mods to do some asymmetrical stuff, but it wouldn't be a part of the core experience, because part of balancing units is having symmetry. I think it would also prove difficult for the AI to be of any use as it's going to be trained with the understanding it has the full army, and Uber hasn't been specific on whether they'd be allowing the AI to be retrained after they freeze it.
It's really important to me that you can sit down and play the game by yourself on a small planet and have fun. So yeah.
Will we be able to use some preset planets possibly? I would love an Earth style map. Just earth and the moon. Would be a great casual map with two bodies and a certain irony.
