The Interface Awards!

[HWfreak11]

What real time strategy games do you think had the best interface, and which ones the worst?

Here they are:

Starcraft
Warcraft
Warcraft 2
Empire Earth
Homeworld
Cataclysm
Dark Planet
Age of Empires
Age of Empires 2
STARMAGEDDON (already wins worst interface award...)

[Chavi]

DARK PLANET ?!?!?!?!?:argh:

You shouldn't talk about Dark Planet and interface in one thread. I've seen it and better let me quote Gamespot:
...it also has an interface that seems designed to shield you from actually playing the game.
Agreed 100%. It is an offense to put Dark Planet anywhere near Age. ;)

[Seto]

The RTS with the BEST interface is missing from that list.

Cataclysm has a better UI than Homeworld, but both could use better group management and floating camera placement (fixed goto markers).

[ozarkamax]

you forgot the c & c series hehe. and dark planet sucks big ones.. project earth/starmageddon was just as a challenge to learn as homeworld was the first time i played ... i was like you can go up and down and from side to side all at the same time wiznow!! then we have starmageddon: you mean i have complete control of the view ... eh i didnt like that cuz i had a hard time locking on to small vehicles but still .. WIZNOW!!!

[Reaver]

Originally posted by Seto
floating camera placement (fixed goto markers).

Omg, that sounds like failure to me.
Fixed goto markers? HW is set in space, not flat land, you need to freedom of movement with the camera.

Though what sort of fixed markers are you really talking about?
If you're meaning in 1 area where your units are, well there already is a fixed goto marker, ever used ALT + Click on 1 of you're units?
The camera automatically follows the ship.

[Chavi]

Originally posted by Reaver
...Though what sort of fixed markers are you really talking about?
IMO he talks about C&C style "bookmarks", where the fog of war changes the map view in that way, that you just need to uncover an area with some unit, but there is no need for that unit to stay there after that. Then you could just bookmark that camera position and go there when you need.
:square: Wow, this was too complex sentence for me - non-English speaker. ;)

[HWfreak11]

I put dark planet there as a joke :D :D :D ! I have played it and it sucks so bad that I might as well have tried to run Homeworld on a 386!

[Seto]

Although the same function can be done by building probes and firing them off in 6 axis from the mothership(x+, x-, y+,y-,z+,z-), its a pain in the ass and takes up 6 ship slots.

I would settle for some fancier camera work. Say introducing some of the cinematic camera shots that Bridge Commander has.

I'd like to see the sweeping battles as a capital ship does a fly by, or a camera view of a missile slamming into a target.

My original idea for the C&C bookmarks was to pan the camera around to enjoy the space opera battle experience.

Preset camera effects would work just as well for me.
:smash:

[bluevorlon]

Great interfaces?

C&C (and Dune II) for coming up with the base workable RTS interface.

HW

and finally,

Ground Control

[hougy]

wtf battlezone

[Vaarok]

Best interface ever has probably got to be Iwar2. Not an RTS, but up-up-left-right-left-down will forever be known as the Way to Samarakand. Good poirating location...

[ceejayoz]

Hmm... best interface?

Tie between Solitaire and Minesweeper...

;)

[adwight]

Starcraft and Homeworld. Easy to use, easy to memorize.

[HunterX]

BAH! j00r all fools... the best interface for a game award goes to PONG!!!!

BTW: yes I have returned...

[Daggerhawk]

Age of Empires two.
But the all time greatest interface in gaming history has to go to
RAGNAROK!
http://enweb.ragnarokonline.com/
Unless you can name another game interface thats fully skinable;)

[vageta]

wow, maybe i should play all those other games, I'm new to stragety games, i'm from the RPG section, then to shooters and then i bump into Sierra's wounderfull Stragety game AOE, =), woohoo... !! then HW and unfortunately HW:C, but from there on everything's good- Ground Control, Empire earth and all those other cool RTS.

I think HW has a pretty Nice interphace and not only good but incredibly easy to manage and everything is at the tip of your fingers and camera position helps allot.

but C & C 3D's comming out, so... we'll see then ! =)

[ionfish]

Don't bump old threads unless you have something new and interesting to contribute.

- ion -