brownbear

I write about StarCraft and Age of Empires. Opinions expressed are strictly my own. Email: [email protected]

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

ICYMI: A few weeks back, I wrote on Protoss underrepresentation in high-level StarCraft II tournaments, and suggested a different approach to StarCraft's tuning philosophy.

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

This week, I wrote on StarCraft II's tuning philosophy, and how I think it should be more aggressive. 1/x

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

@SBC_Otis Apologies for the late response - here you go: https://t.co/SFqmHX1e8T

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

How To Get Worse At StarCraft II: https://t.co/hSYIhxSk91

"Today I’ll be writing about a time I dedicated a hundred hours to doggedly improving at StarCraft II, only to find myself playing noticeably worse by the end."

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

Basically, I think a traditional business model would have produced a much different - and in my opinion much better - game. And I think the numerous indie RTS games that succeeded by going down that route are solid supporting evidence of that. 4/end

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

This week, I wrote about how I’d still have preferred a traditional business model for Stormgate. 1/x

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

I also think the game’s relative lack of focus and occasional bonkers monetization is influenced by its business model, too. 3/x

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

Three Age of Mythology accessibility features that I really appreciate:

- Supply block notification ~6 supply beforehand
- A few seconds of nothing at the start to set waypoints, queue villagers
- Can ban autoqueue in ranked; still available in other game modes

Game is so good

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

Anyway, that's my top 3. The common thread is establishing Stormgate's identity; its hook, its "thing". I feel that it's a bit muddled right now. If it finds that and frames it in the right way, I think it could really be a stellar game.

All the best! 9/end

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

Here’s what I think Frost Giant needs to do to make 3v3 a success. 1/x

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

EA was in a weird spot because it didn’t "feel" like a new RTS due to the amount of playtesting it had received. So you were playing against people with tons of experience already, but it was hard to figure out even basic stuff like what Shroud is. 8/x

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

@CainRianhard @BomattCourier Yep, apologies for the confusion. I use https://t.co/G1dBE63g2o for my Substack nowadays. But everything from WordPress is still there, on the free WP domain: https://t.co/SFqmHX1e8T

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

@Algost Absolutely let’s do it!! Ping me on Discord anytime

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

Age of Mythology: Retold is a sleeper hit for me, it's really fun. I'm gonna spend a lot of time with this game for the rest of the year.

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

@FenixScar Heck yeah man let’s do it!! Ping me on Discord anytime

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

@Aliar199 My interpretation is not that he’s upset with his time investment but rather that he’s just explaining why he’s doing something else going forward.

[brownbear @brownbear_47]

I thought this was a fair, reasonable and information-dense video.

[JuggernautJason @JuggernautJason]

Detailed video about why I'm giving Stormgate a break and why I won't go back to Starcraft 2.

https://t.co/mo3siICNjM