Earlier I argued that Blizzard-style micromanagement is not fundamentally different from macromanagement, which may have raised a few eyebrows. The distinction between macro and micro differs only in the physical and temporal scale. It does not differ in nature.
I'll repeat that, for posterity. In Starcraft, macroing and microing both have you repeating the same operations. The only difference is that one is big and slow and the other is small and fast. In both cases, the player is travelling through a tech tree and spending resources in a specific build order. Whether you're spending minerals on marines or energy on a ghost's lockdown ability, the process is the same.
As such, the criticisms of traditional macromanagement apply here as well. On top of that, the fast pace of micromanagement and the higher precision required to accurately click a moving enemy (as opposed to a static mineral patch) turns an aspiring strategy game into a game of skill. You have to click small moving targets relatively quickly.
I'll repeat that, for posterity. In Starcraft, macroing and microing both have you repeating the same operations. The only difference is that one is big and slow and the other is small and fast. In both cases, the player is travelling through a tech tree and spending resources in a specific build order. Whether you're spending minerals on marines or energy on a ghost's lockdown ability, the process is the same.
As such, the criticisms of traditional macromanagement apply here as well. On top of that, the fast pace of micromanagement and the higher precision required to accurately click a moving enemy (as opposed to a static mineral patch) turns an aspiring strategy game into a game of skill. You have to click small moving targets relatively quickly.
Perhaps some people enjoy skill games. This is very probable, but Project Orbit has taken the decision to push the limits of real-time-strategy, and as such, the goal is to produce a game where tactics matter more than dexterity.
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