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).
