Orson Scott Card has been talking about making an Ender's Game videogame pretty much since the novels were first written -- yet, after all this time, we've still got nothing to show for it.Today's fake game, brought to you by forumite Pangloss and Photoshopped by our own Topher Cantler, solves this problem.
Sez Pangloss:
For the longest time, I've wanted a true co-op RTS. And when I say, "true co-op" I mean two (or more, god willing) people working to manage the same army. I'm talking about an actual military chain-of-command in an RTS, one of the most inherently military genres out there. Rather than directing my dudes to gather, building structures A, B, and C, hiring units D, E, and F, and sending them all to attack point X, the game works as follows (names changed to protect the hypothetical):
Jim-Bob dictates a build order, expansion plans, and attack routes (alternatively, this could be decided by the team beforehand). Willy-Joe (the general) directs the economy, gathering resources, managing trade (in a Civ-type game), making sure we have all the Vespene Gas we require. He also manages construction, expansion, and levies troops. Meanwhile, John-James, Sammy-Bob, and Ellie-May take their batallions of troops and attack or take up defensive positions. When actual combat is joined, each of the three commanders micromanages their assigned troops and makes tactical maneuvers (something that's usually lacking in RTS games). This game would emphasize communication and a balance of tactics with overarching strategy.
I've wanted this for years, but it was only today that I've finally managed to place this in a setting of any sort. Ender's Game, I think, would be just about perfect for it. Maybe the building and colony management would be lacking, but the tactical co-op would be great. I really, really want this game (or something like it), and I don't have anything funny to say about it, so I went ahead and gave it a vulgar title as a way of apologizing to those expecting a joke.
Gotta say, Pangloss's idea sounds a lot more viable than many of the potential Ender videogame ideas I've heard thrown around. It doesn't overreach itself, but still strives for something reasonably innovative: quite an interesting writeup. As always, hit the official thread if you'd like to post your own fake game idea (you get to be on the front page, and Toph makes a pretty Photoshoop for you).
Contest:
5:20 PM on 12.07.2007
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This concept has been the holy grail of strategy and war games since the genre got started. Microsoft has been touting exactly this with their Live Anywhere concept; commanders on PCs doing the strategy, troops on Xbox 360s carrying out the orders. Yeah, that's a chain of command with only two links, but this hypothetical "Ender's Game" would simply add more links. The armies in Enders Game only had three levels in their heirarchy anyway; the commander, the toon leaders and the individual soldiers.
I think it's perfectly possible, with a visionary game design, to get randoms to work together in a serviceable, if not stellar unit, especially if the chain of command is very short, as depicted in Ender's Game.
As regards the potential problem of dumbfucks in a game like this, you can always kick them. This would probably be a PC game, after all. And I choose to have some faith in the cooperative and competitive spirit of your average gamer. Sure, there would occasionally be idiots that aren't helpful, but there are teamkillers and general dumbasses in games like BF2, Halo, CS, TF2 (you name it, really) as well, and people still play those games.
There's random matchmaking for team-based multiplayer going on right now on Live, PSN, and FPS/RTS servers worldwide. All the time. I think it's just a little silly to say "Too bad it'd be impossible to get random people to work together."
Obviously, the game would have to take that factor into account in its design. Possibly by docking a player's EXP points if he ignores or contravenes his orders, and making EXP critical to long-term advancement in the game. Or allowing the commander to reassign missions and roles, just like Ender did.
Oh, and if you haven't read <i>Ender's Game</i>, do so ASAP. It and its companion novel, <i>Ender's Shadow</i> collectively tell one of the best sci-fi stories ever committed to print. I read it this past summer, and it's single-handedly responsible for my current Sci-fi/Fantasy novel addiction. Unfortunately, the sequels went in different directions, got a little muddy and complicated, and fucked it up somewhat.
The whole resource gathering/supply lines thing as a separate role is just where I want the RTS genre to move in general. Ender's Game's Game would most likely cut out the role altogether, in favor of sheer tactics.
Alternatively (to stay true to the books), the recruiter/builder could do all his work a year before the actual match for one team, while the other team gets to use units from the expansion pack.
Nice job with Fake game Friday, Rev.
But this game concept is basically trying to solve your main gripe with strategic warfare games. In a game like this, UnnDunn, you wouldn't have to personally touch resource gathering, ever. You would be given your troops and given a strategically important objective, and from there on it would be pure tactics for you. Sure, if the opposing army is better at levying troops, you might be at a disadvantage, but in a well-designed game that plans for such situations, tactics should always have an advantage over numbers (even if the tactic is to disengage).
You're right, that is exactly the kind of game I want to play. I guess I'm not seeing how your game would fit into the context of the Enderverse though, unless it had player roles for Graff and Chamrajnagar.
Meh, I'm overthinking, mainly because (as you can probably tell) I loved Ender's Game, and I think any game bearing that name should be faithful to it, and I think your game isn't.
But, again, your game is the holy grail of strategy game designers everywhere, and I think it's only a question of how long it will take before such a game shows up. And I, for one, would play the living shit out of that game, even if only as a squad leader rather than a general.