Tag Archives: RTS

Cytron Masters 1980 – RTS Retrospectives

October 29, 2014 by Carlos Giraldo
Cytron Masters

One of the earliest computer games that can be considered to have some real-time strategy elements. Created by Dani Bunten Berry.

The Forgotten Stepping Stone

Although more of a real-time tactics game, it was nevertheless an important bridge to cross, moving away from turn-based.  Players control a commander, and the goal is to destroy the enemy’s command center.   Player control the game by choosing which type of unit to create (mines, bunkers, commanders, missiles, or anti-missiles), ordering them to attack or move to specific locations.  Your actions are limited by how much energy you have, which is acquired by controlling generators in the battlefield.  The game is not turn-based like chess.  Commands are given real-time, limited by energy costs.  I haven’t found an effective way to play the game, so I won’t comment much more on this game.  Here is a video so you can see how it plays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D-z3dQwxcg
Category : Games, Retrospectives

Status Update 10/28

October 28, 2014 by Carlos Giraldo

Hello passerby.  I feel I’m need of a status update to massage a little bit the upcoming news and content that will be getting uploaded soon.  First, as to what I’m doing, I’m currently working as a programmer for Space Rhino Games.  Very soon we will be launching BreachTD for mobile devices, and I’m excited for when that time comes.  On the side, I’ve been working on a few personal projects that I want to share.  Before anything, I’d like to preface the upcoming posts with some background info.  More specifically, about my love for the RTS genre.

Before I had a PC, I was obviously a console gamer, spending my free time beating my brother in Goldeneye, or collecting Jigsaw puzzles in Banjo-Kazooie, though my parents didn’t frequently buy me games.  Most of my gaming experiences came from glancing at a cool-sounding name or cover-art, and picking it up from the aisle of a Blockbuster.  Back when I was 12 years old,I had just started reading gaming mags, so most of my choices were still instinctual.  So, in the year 2000, my console of choice was the aging N64.  I was staying at my father’s apartment for the weekend.  I had the console all setup, a vanilla cake ready in the fridge, and a mysterious new rental, waiting to be popped in… it was StarCraft 64, my first RTS.  When I first started playing, it felt very different to all other games I had played, but I loved it.  The feeling of being in command of a small squad or army, of having to make strategic and tactical decisions, I was hooked.  It was a sad day when I had to return it.

It was several months later when my best friend introduced me to Age of Empires 2.  A game, that for my console mentality, was impossible.  Shortly after, I acquired a PC and the rest is history.  So, how does this relate to the upcoming posts?  Well… I decided to do a little pilgrimage through the history of the RTS genre.  To document my experience of playing chronologically through the games that helped both to defined and elevate the genre.

Besides that, I’m also going to be talking about a new mod that I’m planning to release later this week for Dota 2.  Its called Dota Fusions, and I will be detailing it shortly before release.

Category : News