If there's one genre consoles still can't do properly, it's the Real-Time Strategy (RTS) field. The PS3 or Xbox 360's controller still can't compete to a mouse and keyboard when it comes to ordering troops, collecting resources and whatnot.
Well, it seems the Wii U might be the first console that could be a good fit for an RTS — if Starcaft II's lead designer is to be believed, anyway.
In an interview with Kotaku, Starcraft II Lead Designer Dustin Browder thinks the Wii U's GamePad might be a good alternative to the mouse and keyboard — though, it's still not as precise — and he compares it to the iPhone and how its touchscreens work well for tower defense games.
The problem I have with the iPhone interface is the big meaty sausages called my fingers that are always in the way…If I can control a cursor on the television with my hand on the touchscreen, that might be able to work," he said. "[But] because of the hotkey scenario, it's not like players actually play StarCraft with the mouse only—they play with the mouse and keyboard… We obviously allow new users to play mouse-only and that's really fun, but when you get serious about the game you do move into the mouse and keyboard space.
Now, before you go pre-order a Wii U just for Starcraft II, keep in mind Browder is talking in hypotheticals here and that he hasn't even seen the Wii U in action just yet.
In addition to what he said about the Wii U, Browder also admits that if they ever do a console RTS, it would most likely be a new game altogether and not just a port as they don't want to do "kinda crappy ports."
So [a console StarCraft] would have to be just an awesome experience. As an alternative, we'd have to redesign the game for that UI which could be something we can do down the road, but that wouldn't be a port anymore…That would be a much more serious endeavor with lots of design time and lots of work poured into it.
If you're still anxious for a console RTS, might I remind you of one game and that's Starcraft 64 for the Nintendo 64. Yep, not a pretty sight, no?
Would you want Blizzard to do a console RTS or should that genre stay entrenched for PCs?
