Sins - Hardcore clickfest RTS or no?

from Sins Forums
A big thing in hardcore RTS playing is measuring the APM (Actions Per Minute) that are required to be a "good" player. Starcraft players can average some 200 APM, meaning they click on units, hit hotkeys, or give orders 200 times per minute--which is a lot. Personally, I find such gameplay exhausting. Others, though, love the degree of control it gives.

With Sins being such a game on such a gigantic scale, I imagine there's a lot for the player to do. Does this mean it's going to be a speed click-fest? When I play 4X games like Civ I like taking my time and really analyzing my decisions. Consequently, I don't enjoy typical RTS games where it feels like there's this constant pressure to be "doing something." Be it micromanaging your troops, clicking on your factories and setting up build queues, etc. Having a build queue memorized and clicking it out as fast as possible just isn't fun

What is Sins doing to keep the real-time aspect of the game from turning into an overwhelming race to perform actions? What is being done to cater to the 4X fans who want to occasionally sit back and just observe what's going on without having to worry about missing out on time that could have been spent performing critical action?

Maybe this isn't even a problem for this game because the pace is slow enough, but who knows. Can the devs shed any light on this subject? Is this an RTS game in the vein of Starcraft, C&C, Supreme Commander, etc? Or is this "real-time" like Europa Universalis is "real-time?"
41,148 views 18 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
complex AI

that should solve all of your problems.
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
I answered this question (and many more) in the upcoming Games for Windows magazine issue due out in a few days
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
bah!
thats no help unless you post the article for us... I am not going to spend 5 dollars to read a single article...
at best I'm just going to hang out at staples and read through it.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
aye, im hoping you answer these questions on site, because the day i buy a gaming magazine is... not happening.
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
Perhaps a couple weeks after it's released, you guys would be inclined to give us at least some information?

/hope
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
It's been talking about before, you don't have to hold your fleets by the hand, you can apparently play the whole game with a zoomed out view just doing the "important" things and letting the AI take care of the rest. For example you could play each battle giving direct orders to each ship/fleet (however it works) or you could just plan what units you want to place against that foe and let them do the actual battle on their own. The AI will supposdelly let them properly pick priority targets and everything else you would do by yourself... I think.
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
The game won't be a click-fest...Blair said it very often   
Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top
The game won't be a click-fest...Blair said it very often


good! my clicking finger is older now than it used to be back in the days of CnC/Homeworld/Starcraft... it can't keep up with you young people, lol
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top
Don't worry...i am an old guy too...wouldn't be interested if it were a click fest   
Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top
The only ..only thing i have that concerns me is special abilities. In the gameplay section is does show how special abilities have been used to turn the tide. If you have 100 ships , does that mean 100 ships you have to manage special abilities on. Maybe the AI can do it but from what ive read in the gameplay section , it seems it might need that extra human intiution to be clever with special abilities.
Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top
it seems it might need that extra human intiution to be clever with special abilities.


That is always true for ANY abilities. Games differ in a degree of needed interfering. The more is needed, the more it's a clickfest.

I answered this question (and many more) in the upcoming Games for Windows magazine issue due out in a few days


That's not fair...   
Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top
im from uk..stop torturing us
Reply #13 from Sins Forums Top
hey we're just as tortured as you are
I dont think any of us are going to spend money for a single (and what could end up being only a 1/4 page long) article
Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top
im from uk..stop torturing us


Yeah! What did we ever do to you....wait...don't answer that.



Reply #15 from Sins Forums Top
ok blair, you tell us this thing is at least 3 pages long and I'll consider buying the magazine.
Reply #16 from Sins Forums Top
It's a two page article, it's mentioned on the front page. Either buy the magazine or don't, it's up to you, nobody forces anyone to give 5 bucks. The beta will be out soon and I'm sure many websites will be offering previews soon too. There's no need to complain, it's good for the game it gets in magazines, and for us, as it can provide a larger audience therefor better revenue and in turn better support for the title.
Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top
its just annoying that all the online articles are incredibally vague, and to get any sort of info we have to dish out money.
Reply #18 from Sins Forums Top
Just read it in the shop! but make sure its a souless walmart or sumit.