On Sun, 24 Apr 2005 17:26:02 GMT, Phil Salisbury
<woodlawn.cabinetry@verizon.net> wrote:
>I love this game.
u r not alone!
>have there been any new developements or news updates?
No, nor IMO is there ever likely to be. Unless some altruistic and
philanthropic soul comes along and rejuvenates the game for its own
sake and his personal satisfaction, it simply won't happen give the
cost of development, publication and *demand for maximum profit
return* being the raison détre of games today.
The sad part is that there's not a lot wrong with the existing game
that bugfixes wouldn't cure. It's just the marketing driven promotion
of novelty and creation of excitement with NEW!! accompanied by an
inculcated ill discipline of an "I'm bored with that" McGeneration
limited attention span that relegates TA to the "not played any more"
status on gaming servers.
The why.
RTS is still a niche compared to FPS, and competition for *audience
share* of that niche is fierce. TA is without question THE outstanding
game within that niche, but just what it is which makes it outstanding
means that it also has narrower audience appeal than other popular
games within that niche ....like Starcraft, the Warcraft series,
Command & Conquer series, Age of series etc...
If you have a look at Warhammer: DoW, you will see the general
direction in which contemporary RTS design is headed for maximum
(lowest neuron synapse use) audience appeal. Absolutely drop dead
gorgeous graphics. Beautiful music...I wonder who composed it..hint...
hint..?  But the command and control structure, micromanagment, and
lamentable tactical and strategic encumberments make this an RTS for
an audience which has only just stopped playing with it's favourite
Power Ranger's toy.
Love to see a TA 2, but how big an ask is that!
|
