Starcraft for Wii U 'might' work - Blizzard
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Starcraft II lead designer says Wii U's GamePad touch screen provides opportunity to bring RTS to consoles, but admits interface not there yet.
Real-time strategy games like Starcraft require players to manage multiple units simultaneously, and for this reason, among others, the genre has remained mostly tied to PCs, which offer keyboard and mouse controls. But could Blizzard's RTS find a home on the Wii U? Starcraft II lead designer Dustin Browder explained to Kotaku that it "might" work, but ultimately, players would find the PC experience to be optimal.
"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."
Elsewhere in the interview, Browder confirmed that Blizzard does not have a team dedicated to exploring the possibility of a console version of Starcraft, but said the company is always looking at new technology for its games. Browder went on to reveal that Sony presented Blizzard a demo of Starcraft II being controlled by the PlayStation Move, but this endeavor was dead on arrival.
"I wanted to kill myself," Browder said of the demo. "I found it very difficult to make it work. I believe that if I had practiced as much as he had, I would've enjoyed it more…but for us it felt like it was gonna be a lot more effort to still make that work, to still make that really sing."
In 2000, Blizzard shipped Starcraft 64 for the Nintendo 64. It was met by a warm critical reception, but all future series entries have landed only on the PC.
The next installment in the Starcraft II trilogy--Heart of the Swarm--is 99 percent complete, according to Browder. It will follow 2010's Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty and precede the final entry, Legacy of the Void.
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
119 comments
Hmm... If there's a keyboard for WiiU, Then I think it could be more convenient than PC. But then... Blizzard already betrayed Nintendo once by cancelling Starcraft:Ghost for NGC...
1 Like This is a ridiculously stupid non-story. The Blizz employee is saying, "hypothetically it's possible, but still no". C'mon Gamespot, you're starting to look like IGN and that's not a compliment.
I don't think it'd work that great, Sc2 has much Macro & Micro for a console. Although i feel C&C Kane's Wrath/Red Alert 3 worked very well on the console because of its easy control scheme.
1 Like Blizzard: While the Nintendo 64 was the perfect layout for Starcraft, we don't think the Wii U's control scheme will work for Starcraft 2.
1 Like Shutt up Blizzard, you're wasting time talking about it. We all know that you will NEVER port any game to consoles.
3 Like @HiImUPSMan You are a joke for saying something without having any points to back it up.
1 Like This shouldn't be a problem for the PS3 since you can use a keyboard/mouse with the system fairly easily (the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament 3 enabled keyboard/mouse as input devices and since it was cross-platformed, it was also able to find matches to PC and xbox versions of the game).
I think reputation wouldn't play big in this because they went to Nintendo 64 and i consider that game more fun then most of the rts games out there on consiles. but if ppl like the game then they like the game you know? And I'm sure modern technology would make it fun like with the kinect sensor combined with controls. I think you would need two droid sticks, left stick controls map movement then right for arrow cursor A button for mouse clicking purpose double tap for all of the same units, then B for cancel , Y to go to recent alert, and X to quickly select every body in your view, bottom left trigger to bring out more quick keys and the rest to have for other things n d pad for zoom in n out but doubt that ppl do that to see closer But it would probaly bring more ppl in to pc just like lord of the rings hook more ppl with their battle for middle earth game n that game was off the hook,
I imagine the wii remote being better for this than the wii u gamepad. It feels more like a mouse, imo.
While I can certainly understand why many PC veterans are defending the idea of not having a SC game ported to consoles, it's totally pessimistic to say that not a single strategy game could work on a console. Maybe not an RTS (real-time strategy game), but something like a real-time tactics game (i.e. Total War series, Commandos, etc.) or a 4X/turn-based strategy game (i.e. Civilization, etc) could definitely work well. So, there's still hope in us being able to see other variations of the strategy genre (RTS isn't the only one out there).
They've said that about all of their games, even moreso that it could be something to work on tablet devices. They will always look into various platforms for delivery...but unless it can compare optimally to the PC versions, is just a pipe dream. May happen eventually, but shouldn't be used as propaganda to buy a console system.
wow that would be really awsome and that would change on how hard core gamers look at consoles. This would attract a different group of players that they were never interested in PS3 or Xbox
Huge win for the WII U if they can get this on their console. I would definitely buy it again for the Wii U!
@Slagar I agree. I was very surprised with how well it worked and how much fun I had with it. The fact that it was built from the ground up with the 360 controller in mind helped a lot for that, I'm sure. Everything about the game just worked very well. It's interesting to think what would've happened if they'd added Kinect support to it later.
1 Like Well no hate here but Nintendo's market has been only of casual gamers since the Wii and it still is so I see this as a bad sign...it will ultimately destroy the franchise...
Better just stay to your roots Blizzard...you have enough problems with the haters...pull this off and many will be pissed
@Darnasian "only of casual gamers" ? I beg to differ. there's nothing casual about trying to %100 the bonus levels on DKC returns! :O
2 Like @malthias_42 OK fine 80% of them were casual gamers
You'd be dumb to contradict me here since we all know how many people bought the Wii just for the Wii sports to play on parties and nothing else
@Darnasian yeah. and i'm pretty sure it will never happen. My point was simply that it could be done, and that if it were done properly, could even be usable. I think everyone can more or less agree that the touch screen is adequate for the pointer. the real problem is with clicking (which i already said I would handle by leaving it to triggers controlled by the left hand) and more importantly, navigating different menus and such. but if you think about it, at any one time there is only a relatively small number of actions you can take. ie. if you have a unit selected then you've got their moves, if you have a drone etc. selected, then you've got all the buildings. So at any one time, a context sensitive 8 sided wheel could provide you with all those options which could then be controlled by left thumbstick. It's not perfect by any stretch, but is certainly doable.
@Darnasian oh absolutely. Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing... It means they have more money to potentially spend on making top-notch games... but also means they're likely to try and appeal to their new market as much as possible too. =\Still, super mario bros wii is some of the most fun i've had gaming. not even joking
no one really wants to play starcraft II on a console... but RTS could definitely work on wii u. Just need to be innovative with the layout of the UI. Obviously the touch screen becomes the mouse (and could perhaps display a map or some basic information) with left and right click being assigned to the two left triggers. all menu options are put on a context sensitive wheel controlled by the left thumb-stick (which can also click down to select). Pretty straight forward really, and i wouldn't be surprised if, with an intelligent UI layout and some practice, you could compete at an amateur lvl with a pc gamer.
I think an additional screen would be really cool for rts games, if you had one screen on you main and natural (split) and one you can activly move around, that would be awesome. It probably won't be on wii u but a second screen (or more!) would be nice...
1 Like I have a feeling it won't. Half the game is played with hotkeys on the keyboard.
2 Like you know what else might work? Building a parachute out of grocery bags.
DOESN'T MEAN YOU DO IT THOUGH
1 Like I think most developers have it figured out by now: "can work" means "barely adequate".
It does not matter whether the consoles are hooked up to a touch pad, a remote or a traditional gamepad controller. Unless a revolutionary player-assist mechanic for RTS is created - similar to aim assist for FPS - to fully address the various limitations of the current standard console input devices, RTS isn't going to gain much traction outside of PC space. Compensating for the input handicap by dumbing down other aspects of the game will only dilute the overall experience, which gives players even less of an incentive to buy.
Besides, why would anyone want to play SC on the Wii U? The market simply isn't there. Like it or not, players don't buy Wii U to play SC.
If the Wii U did get Sarcraft and it was exclusive for Wii and PC, It may get me to open my eyes a little. Just a few more exclusives like that, save for Mario and Zelda, I may actually consider getting one. It will take a lot, but I may listen. Especially with the VP of Marketing not knowing what he is talking about.
2 Like Why not just make a mouse and keyboard attachment for consoles? Mouse and Keyboard is much better for shooters as well as RTS.
@Majkic666 i dont know may be because then you dont have to upgrade every year?
I got xbox360 and ps3 in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Go figure!
@Matty_gamer if people were content to play at 720p, 30 fps and with low res textures like on a console then they would be able to use the same computer for the same length of time as a console >_< sure you need a slightly more powerful system than a console a lot of the time because most pc games are just lazily ported across from consoles because devs assume (rightly so) that pc gamers aren't using archaic technology. a console is just a computer though... i don't know how you think they work lol
You don't have to upgrade every year lol, although some people feel the need to because they have the cash which is their choice.
@Matty_gamer that's just a bad argument, which so many people use... if you know how to build a computer then it survive for long, i build mine in 2006 and can play every single... and people complaining that they don't how money to upgrade their computer are just whining because they don't know to or they are looking at the newest of the newest and say i cant afford it and that's why its to expensive to upgrade....
i upgraded my parents computer which is even older then mine for around 300 euro which is nothing and it now can play the newest and future game with no problem... and for Americans it would be cheaper since hardware is almost half the price over there then what it is here
Why RTS can't be play on touchscreen:
1. Your hand would cover part of the screen and therefor prevent precise micro.
2. The touchscreen can't tell which finger is which (no left and right finger) and so it slow down your APM.
1 Like @solid_snake1461 The Wii U tablet does not have a multi-touch pad so in the end no RTS would ever work on it....it's not like u have a mouse and 30 hot keys
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