Battle of Middle Earth II Screens (X360)

[bouy]

I always liked having a clickwheel for laying out the choices I can make with a stick, kind of like the name entering for Rainbow Six 3 on the Xbox. If they implement something like that and hav it work I'll be a happy camper.

 

[expletive]

its not about the lack of a pointing device for an rts (although that point stick sucks for gaming), its about the lack of buttons.

I use more than a dozen hotkeys for every rts I play.

Is the main idea for using so many buttons in an RTS to quick-select 'squads' that youve defined?

If so, that could be fairly easily mimicked by using a single button to open a list of all squads and then scrolling through them no?

 

[scooby_dooby]

the solution for controls on a console is simple. hold down button, and a wheel pops-up with 6 or 8 commands to pick from. Just like the way UC2 worked.

That way with just 3 face buttons, you could easily have 24 actions + the 3 actions for pressing rather than holding.

 

[Reznor007]

the solution for controls on a console is simple. hold down button, and a wheel pops-up with 6 or 8 commands to pick from. Just like the way UC2 worked.

That way with just 3 face buttons, you could easily have 24 actions + the 3 actions for pressing rather than holding.

That's also how the first Perfect Dark worked for weapon selection. It's actually a really nice concept.

 

[expletive]

I just watched a video of this on TXB and the at the end it said 'early 2006', EBgames has an early june ship date. SO it looks like it may be sooner than previously thought....

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/10110/The-Battle-for-MiddleEarth-II-Water-Demo/

 

[AlphaWolf]

Is the main idea for using so many buttons in an RTS to quick-select 'squads' that youve defined?

If so, that could be fairly easily mimicked by using a single button to open a list of all squads and then scrolling through them no?

Not just squads, but some units have a list of abilities, also you have various movement, attack commands etc.

Use war3 for example and each race has about a dozen different unit types, each building has several different build orders, heros have up to 4 of their own abilities + up to 6 items.

In an average game, I will have 3 or 4 unit groupings, 2 or 3 heroes, tab key to cycle units within grouping. That's 7 keys right there, then you have the hotkeys for the heros and units special abilities (lets say you reuse (not really my preference tho) and you limit that to 4 total then 6 more for items, plus the hotkeys for the normal abilities (attack, move, stop etc), then you have the build order hotkeys.

If using menus was efficient, you wouldn't need any hotkeys because you could just point and click. I could see using an analog stick to select groupings the way you select elementals in kameo (push down right analog, and direction), but defining the groupings might be a bit of a problem, I guess the solution would likely be predefined by comp (ug).

Being able to issue commands without delay is pretty important in an rts if you want to want to play at a high level. I'm not saying they can't create a system where you can issue those commands, I'm saying they can't do it where you can issue those commands quickly. If mouse and keyboard is going to be required to play well, why would you buy the console version? Wouldn't it be smarter to buy the cheaper pc version?

Meh, I enjoy my xbox360, but I think its safe to say I will never buy an RTS for it.

 

[expletive]

I'm not a big RTS fan to begin with so i'm not really qualififed to comment on the practical applicaiton of the 360 controller/peripherals for them but i wonder...

Would a USB KB or that little KB that attaches to the 360 gamepad (that we've seen rumored in some presentations) make it any more feasible on the 360?

 

[AlphaWolf]

I'm not a big RTS fan to begin with so i'm not really qualififed to comment on the practical applicaiton of the 360 controller/peripherals for them but i wonder...

Would a USB KB or that little KB that attaches to the 360 gamepad (that we've seen rumered in some presentations) make it any more feasible on the 360?

It would probably help, but its hard to be sure without seeing it in action (its still not likely to equal KB/mouse). The problem with anything like that is that it becomes cost added. Do you make it required for play or do you split the userbase?

 

[scooby_dooby]

If using menus was efficient, you wouldn't need any hotkeys because you could just point and click. I could see using an analog stick to select groupings the way you select elementals in kameo (push down right analog, and direction), but defining the groupings might be a bit of a problem, I guess the solution would likely be predefined by comp (ug).

Being able to issue commands without delay is pretty important in an rts if you want to want to play at a high level. I'm not saying they can't create a system where you can issue those commands, I'm saying they can't do it where you can issue those commands quickly. If mouse and keyboard is going to be required to play well, why would you buy the console version? Wouldn't it be smarter to buy the cheaper pc version?

If we go with the analogue stick select, you're only talking about a 1 or 2 second delay, and as long as everyone on the console has the same interface, you're at an equal disadvantage, so it would be fine.

The grouping could be an issue, but with the shouldere buttons you have at least 6 buttons or so you could use.

I don't think there's any huge problem, it won't be as good as the keyboard, but in other ways it could be better, less mouse clicking and have everything in pop-up menu's.

 

[Lysander]

First look, good read!
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/strategy/battleformiddleearth2/news.html?sid=6146351

 

[nintenho]

http://screenshots.teamxbox.com/gallery/1390/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-The-Battle-for-MiddleEarth-II/p1/

I think this could go either way, depending on how it looks in motion...

Decent reflections on this one...

I wonder how the multiplayer will shape up.

 

[cthellis42]

Heck, ostensibly the first RTS was on a console.

Regardless, I can't imagine for the life of me wanting to play ANY modern RTS on a gamepad.

 

[c0_re]

Heck, ostensibly the first RTS was on a console.

Regardless, I can't imagine for the life of me wanting to play ANY modern RTS on a gamepad.

I have to partially agree but in the same token I can't imaging playing anything anymore on a 19in monitor without real DD 5.1 surround sound.

 

[Wunderchu]

First look, good read!
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/strategy/battleformiddleearth2/news.html?sid=6146351

another write-up: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/697/697552p1.html

 

[pjbliverpool]

I have to partially agree but in the same token I can't imaging playing anything anymore on a 19in monitor without real DD 5.1 surround sound.

Then either get 5.1 sound for your PC, or plug your PC into your existing sound system. Neither is hard.

 

[scooby_dooby]

How does your 5.1 in your existing setup work if you're sitting over by the computer? Just curious...

 

[pjbliverpool]

How does your 5.1 in your existing setup work if you're sitting over by the computer? Just curious...

The 5.1 is based around the TV so if im playing on the PC I have to make sure the sound is reversed (because my PC is on the opposite wall). I tend to leave it centralised on the TV though. What I want now is a decent PC input into my TV instead of S-Vvideo.