3 ms·
If you've played SC competitively, it's pretty obvious the game wasn't initially designed for esports. Initially. The Zerg build tree is dependent on you master
by tetrisgm 3y ago
If you've played SC competitively, it's pretty obvious the game wasn't initially designed for esports. Initially. The Zerg build tree is dependent on you mastering things like: "start building, reducing your population count, build a new builder, cancel building, exceeding population cap by one".
The way splash damage (using aoe attacks) is used to detect invisible units is another.
It's a game with wonderful complexity and lots of possible permutations. Most Blizzard games are built with this complexity from the start, and blatant exploits are patched. Their approach is to enable creativity and tweak things.
- bombcar 3y agoI feel the games designed for esports have kinda been "meh" whereas the ones designed before esports were really a thing (and then balanced accordingly) were much better. Much more "emergent gameplay".
- tetrisgm 3y agoIt depends. There aren't many multi-player games that weren't designed to be exports that get any traction these days. The first few (Quake, Starcraft, CS1.6) were definitely more organically designed, but it's also more a product of the time and the budgets.
- bombcar 3y agoAnd the longevity, I feel (though we're staring down the barrel of TF2 still being played) - you just didn't have as many AAA games back then, and the ones that you did get you played hard; especially if nothing else really "caught your eye". It felt like everyone who played games played all the big ones even if they weren't huge fans of a particular one; so everyone understood somewhat what was happening in a Starcraft match.