That line about "only 20% stick around for the multiplayer" isn't exclusive to RTS. Usually I hear a number like 30%, even for other RTS games, but that's the case across every genre, even for games like fighting games that you think are only there for multiplayer. Only about 30% of people of any game's player base will stick around to play online matches against other people.
StarCraft II is one of my favorite games, but to get back into RTSes, for me personally, I'm looking for two solutions: I want it to work well with a controller, and I think I want to get rid of the fog of war. The controller thing, done well, solves the APM complaint already, since there's usually a speed limit on it. Tooth & Tail, Cannon Brawl, Brutal Legend, etc. give you a "cursor" character such that it doesn't matter what input device you're on, since that character can only move at a set speed. This isn't the only way to do it though; it isn't coded to use controllers, but Northgard operates on distinct tiles and things move at a slower pace such that a game like it could work on a controller without compromise. One of those compromises that games like Halo Wars or Battle Aces have made is that you can't really place buildings strategically, and that feels like they've gone too far. As for the fog of war, I recognize its strategic value, but it wrecks me mentally and emotionally. It's just so stress-inducing, even when I understand how to thoroughly scout. Cannon Brawl does without it entirely, and I can enjoy that game in a way that I can't other RTSes. You still have to split your attention paying attention to all of the different attacks in motion that your opponent has thrown at you, and so it doesn't feel like it's missing something. I'm the star of my own story, so these things definitely feel important to me, but I do feel like both of these things would do wonders for making the genre feel more approachable.
And of course, for me, it's a non-starter if the game is online-only. The two big RTS revivals with the most marketing right now are Stormforge and Battle Aces, and both are online-only, as is that Beyond All Reason game right now. These games have been cooking for a long time, and they're going to be launching into a live service game crash. Their lead developers may take away the lesson that the genre can't be saved when I hope that the actual reason is that customers hate putting time and money into a game that will likely be deleted off the face of the earth in a matter of months, not even years.
Starcraft 2 has the best control scheme out of all the RTS games that I have played. I wish Age of Empires 2 could put the map on the left, then I would be way better at using it.
Fog of war
Just play Terran and scan, hurr durrrrrrr. Interestingly, AoE2 has a game option of letting everyone see each other by default.
I did not know the exact wording of this guidance, but this is basically the strategy I use. I've always figured that because I prepare for my journeys, I am never in such a rush that I need to put someone else's life at risk in order to pass them quicker - it's not like it's going to make a difference to my day if I arrive at my destination 2 minutes later, but it'll make a huge difference to someone else's day if I rush past a cyclist when it's not safe.
I appreciate you. I cycle almost everyday, and the amount of times I've been put into dangerous situations because of someone else's impatience is way too high.
I honestly don't get why so many people are so reckless and impatient on the roads. I've seen some people being really fucking stupid around cyclists and motorcyclists. One incident haunts me, because I know someone would have been severely injured, maybe killed, if I hadn't been quick enough to get out of the way of an impatient person overtaking in a stupid place.
And it's just like... why? Just leave home a few minutes earlier!
I honestly don't get why so many people are so reckless and impatient on the roads.
Driving provides you anonymity and a getaway vehicle. It also anonymzes other people on the road, which I think kinda gives people like, main character syndrome?
I will never buy a Tesla. I'm not normally one to pay attention to brands, but Elon Musk has tainted the brand to such a degree, that I'm disgusted at the idea of being associated with it.
That being said, the company still makes some decent technology. From what I understand, the motors, motor controllers, and battery packs are fairly decent pieces of kit. There seems to be some kind of disconnect between their engineering teams, though, because the cars themselves are so bad. I've seen internal panels fall off, interior components break at the slightest touch, misaligned body panels, and any number of other fit-and-finish issues. Not to mention, every single one is hideous. Make them look like an EV or make them look like a luxury car, not some half-assed abomination between the two.
I have to wonder why there's such a disconnect within the company. It feels akin to building a Ferrari drivetrain and installing it in a Kia.
I’m sure Trump is so secure in his diaper wearing that he truly feels supported, and not at all humiliated, by this gesture. What I’d give to be a fly on the wall when Putin brings this up during their next chat.
Why not just expand on the winning formula for the original Arkham games? Do a forty year time skip and have the player as Terry instead of Bruce. Call it Beyond Arkham. It would probably print money if it's as good as Knight or Origins, to say nothing of how much they would get if it was as good as Asylum or City.
Yeah, I somehow didn't really get just how many kinds of genius he was until recent years. I always liked his stuff, but I somehow never paid enough attention to get that smidge of countercultury gen-x (He's a boomer, but we'll give him an honorary position) "I see your bullshit" attitude that sneaks in from time to time.
Also a long time fan - seen his act live 4 times lol. I can relate to missing some things - it took me 30 years to get the joke in "She Never Told Me She Was A Mime" - and it's in the title. There are some absolute gems hiding in the earlier albums. I'll Be Mellow When I'm Dead, One More Minute, and Stuck In A Closet With Vanna White are all standouts for me.
One that really came out of left field for me was Skipper Dan. It felt like I was simultaneously being called out and heard. Subtle genius.
Yeah, the genocide wasn’t widespread public knowledge yet. As far as most Americans knew at the time, Hitler was just another power-hungry jackass ripe for parody.
I like Chris Hayes' take as clipped in this video 43 minutes in:
The way that so many prominent voices have focused so exclusively on colleges feels honestly a bit decadent to me. Like we're doing a paper doll version of conflict because the actual reality of what's happening in Gaza is so horrific, unceasing, and high-stakes, it's more enjoyable to argue about what college kids are doing than to confront the human misery and destruction that's happening in the actual conflict that is, of course, the source of these protests. What seems to be most worth debating isn't campus speech but whether the US government should contine to fund and support an Israeli war in Gaza that has pushed more than a million people to the brink of famine. A war that has damaged half of the buildings in Gaza. A war that has failed to bring home most of the hostages held by Hamas, that has in fact lead to the death of some those hostages.
This is a good video, thanks.
I'm not all onboard with the conclusions: "YouTube & TikTok good" (I believe they're overall bad. Fund Peertube.) and "Socialist sentiment is growing" (I believe the overton window has been slipping & skipping to the right for decades now.)
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