TIGSource Forums

While I was just surfing the web, I came across an article that says how RTS games may be easier to create for consoles in the future, especially with the PS Move.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Strategy-Game-R-U-S-E-Will-Offer-Support-for-PlayStation-Move-146709.shtml

In addition, a PS Move demo of an RTS game was shown. At first, I saw this device as just a gimmick, but I could honestly see potential in making the RTS genre less niche. Even if most of the games will be casual ones and still not very innovative, at least game developers might be able to sell more copies of their strategy games. And that may eventually lead to simulators being more noticed and available as well.

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/07/21/starcraft-2-and-playstation-move-a-match-made-in-heaven/

Is this experiment going to fail, just like all of the other attempts at a console strategy/tactics game, or will it actually succeed?

There are lots of good console strategy/tactics games.

RTS games have traditionally been about multiplayer versus modes. Until the most recent generation of consoles, online multiplayer has been an impossibility, hence the reason why it's lagged behind PCs.

The Move will help make these games more accessible. I agree with you there, porting over these games or designing new ones that are intuitive to mouse-users will be easier with a wand than a controller.

However, why would the Move be so successful? The Wii has had this kind of input device since launch, and it hasn't spawned a stream of RTS games. That might be partly due to Wii's rather draconian friend-list system, but I think part of it is just that console buyers don't see RTS as high on their list of things to buy (I certainly don't).

I don't see this causing a big stir, especially given the Move will see poor distribution and support this generation (it's a peripheral that will likely cost almost as much as simply buying a Wii). Maybe when PS4 launches with Move in the box, it'll grow, but not now.

That takes care of the mouse portion of things. But a good portion of RTS gameplay heavily relies on the keyboard, and being able to use a wide variety of shortcuts (to quickly execute commands) and having good micro/macro.

It's totally possible to play RTS games with just the cursor, I do it all the time because I can never remember keyboard shortcuts (or execute any of the more advanced tactics as a result). But then again that is also why I always get my ass kicked in Starcraft and don't care much for SC2.