So recently, aattss suggested there should be a discussion on this. But in star craft, the races are mechanical Terran, magic Protoss and flesh and blood Zerg. Warcraft was Men and Orcs.

So my question is what races and characteristics would be good in an RTS. Elves Vs Dwarves Vs Humans? No humans at all, dragons vs unicorns. Flamingo's vs hippos? (a student of mine once suggested that @ hcc).

But please don't limit it to the physical descriptions, but also the characteristics. Terrans had mechanical things, guns, tanks, metal buildings. The Protoss are spell casters, mystic swords, lightning, shields. the Zerg are biological, living tissue, genetic, claws, scales and acid.

I'd like some fresh perspectives and ideas. Thanks.

well, I've had a few ideas, nothing I'm planning on using yet, but here's a few.

The Wild. Not biological like the Zerg but chaotic like Nature and cryptozoology.

- Mythical creates, like Unicorns, Dragons, Leprechauns, Fairies,

- Using magical sources, and (depending on the creature) able to pull strengths from the world around.

- Leprechauns are fast and 'hidy', mischief, dissablers, etc...

- Unicorns are Cross country fast, able to see long distances and create structures wiht magic.

- Dragons come in different varieties but almost rule the sky.

- Phoenixs also fly, can heal and deal fire damage. When they die, they turn to ash, but eventually come back.

Roquart, Mineral creatures.

- Stone Golems, living statues, self propelling boulders.

- Strong, solid, takes a while to prepare.

The Dalek - different name and look, but this name was probably the fastest description.

- takes a long time to get any. very tough, can fly, can take a lot of damage, 1 hit kills, but runs out of power and needs to recharge often.

Soldiers of fortune.

- Instant hires, but expensive, and expect upkeep.

- many variety, weapons, vehicles tactics.

- not much in the way of commanders, strike forces typically smaller.

- usually very multipurpose.

Elves - fast, strong, expensive.

- similar to protoss, but less lights and more green. requires a forest to place a base,

- can rely on magic.

Mechs - Simple to begin with, but dependant on Upgrades.

- Any mech can be upgraded/altered to other stats.

- have a warehouse of different upgrades.

- 90% of them can be equipped for construction, but then if enemy forces approach, can go to the warehouse and re-rig for battle.

- Armor can be easily replaced, but base units not so much.

- Upgrade energy sources, weapons, power needs, etc...

Wizards - powerful magic, and some simple ones.

- Relies on magic for everything, even resource gathering.

- create magic nodes that use the world for additional boosts.

- neophytes, with a few simple spells,

- Masters with supperior knowledge.

- Can upgrade existing spell casters into the next level up by teaching.

- You ALWAYS start with simple ones, but then keep training them up the ladder.

Romans, organized, march in groups, easy to spot. out in the open.

- Catapults, swordsmen, bowmen, Cavalry.

- Works well in forces, loses courage without officers.

- Try to picture a tank or a plane today that if hit with a boulder from a catapult wouldn't be mangled.

- can purchase many very cheaply, but require training to become useful beyond the first few minutes of battle.

- can call on lighting and have good medical, etc..

Human capitalist society vs. the theoretical resource based economy society

Capitalist organization

-everything is part of the market (worth something)

-success is measured in profit

-each unit looks to make money and is measured by its monetary worth

-commanders pay for kills, soldiers are taxed and pay for weaponry (slow tech growth)

-everything requires monetary incentive to accomplish

-no account for the enviroment (extraction of resources destroys the map randomly)

-scarcity is key

-or however best to translate the ideals of a capitalist driven society to RTS gameplay

RBE organization

-all resources must be accounted for before production can occure

-success is measured by sustainability (low resource impact, advanced tech, low to no collateral damage strategy)

-high level of technical growth and wide variety of technology

-everything requires organization to accomplish

-defining needs and achieving abundance is key

-or however best to translate the ideals of this movement to RTS gameplay

I think it's worth trying to give each race a consistent type of visual appeal aimed at a specific audience segment. For example, One could be cutesy, with fluffy (killer) bunnies and sheep, and maybe the buildings could involve cartoony flowers somehow. A different one could be female pin-up themed, with busty amazons or catgirls in bikinis. A third could have male pin-up equivalents of bishounen, probably accessorized with horses, roses, capes, and sparkles. A fourth could be creepy with skeletons, spiders, green poisonous gasses, and giant mosquitoes. And a fifth could be majestic - gryphons and dragons and warriors in elaborate armor.

Made one once where the teams were "up-go'ers" "down-go'ers" and "stay-putters". It was set in a tower with a number of narrow stair-cases, with some people at the top of the tower going toward the bottom, the bottom of the tower going toward the top, and a third team trying to just muck up the works. Stay-putters won if the total amount of resources in the tower is greater than the resources that escaped the tower through the top or bottom, with the up-go'ers or down-go'ers winning if the top or bottom had the most, respectively. The teams were mostly differentiated around their win conditions. Stay-putters can lay down tar to slow stuff down or lead the other teams into eachother, up-go'ers could construct rigging to lift stuff more efficiently, down-go'ers could roll rocks down stairs to squash up-go'ers. My version was horrendously unbalanced, but that doesn't mean that yours has to be.

It was simple, but lent itself to a lot of art reuse and the concept was silly enough to enable a lot of freedom without feeling dumb doing it.

Insectoids (insects, arachnids, etc.). Comes with a pretty distinct visual look, and plenty of potential units. Units would be able to regenerate or operate without limbs, and the majority of units would be relatively cheap but might have limited uses or require larger groups to really be effective.

Zerts - Ancient tall spiritual warriors who battle using the spirits of wind and thunder. Initially, they start off as normal warriors and can only call on the powerful of the spirits after years of spiritual training. Thus, their units have long building time and yet expensive. With wind, they kill their enemies swiftly and yet quietly. With thunder, they destroy numerous targets in one go. They can cast rituals to call upon wind or thunder to boost their power. When near a church, they can activate Save's Thunder or Spectre's Wind which greatly boosts their combat ability. It lasts for 1 minute. When injured in battle, they can cast the skill meditate to restore their health quickly but however needs to be uninterrupted for 2 minute. Able to fight effectively though outnumbered.

Human capitalist society vs. the theoretical resource based economy society

Capitalist organization

-everything is part of the market (worth something)

-success is measured in profit

-each unit looks to make money and is measured by its monetary worth

-commanders pay for kills, soldiers are taxed and pay for weaponry (slow tech growth)

-everything requires monetary incentive to accomplish

-no account for the enviroment (extraction of resources destroys the map randomly)

-scarcity is key

-or however best to translate the ideals of a capitalist driven society to RTS gameplay

RBE organization

-all resources must be accounted for before production can occure

-success is measured by sustainability (low resource impact, advanced tech, low to no collateral damage strategy)

-high level of technical growth and wide variety of technology

-everything requires organization to accomplish

-defining needs and achieving abundance is key

-or however best to translate the ideals of this movement to RTS gameplay

Nice call on the characteristics. That would provide a very different game play style, and also provide good political differences. I like this. I like the idea of the capitalist groups providing loans, but if you default, your building or troop set are beamed off the planet, and no longer yours, right in the middle of battle. You can make a quick squad or two, but if you don't secure credits fast, they all dissapear, and you are left with no/low funding.

I think it's worth trying to give each race a consistent type of visual appeal aimed at a specific audience segment. For example, One could be cutesy, with fluffy (killer) bunnies and sheep, and maybe the buildings could involve cartoony flowers somehow. A different one could be female pin-up themed, with busty amazons or catgirls in bikinis. A third could have male pin-up equivalents of bishounen, probably accessorized with horses, roses, capes, and sparkles. A fourth could be creepy with skeletons, spiders, green poisonous gasses, and giant mosquitoes. And a fifth could be majestic - gryphons and dragons and warriors in elaborate armor.

This is an odd post to come across, but exactly the type of response I was hoping for. What if the graphics were different as well for the different sides you were on. For instance, if you play the fluffy bunny side, they think that the military side is a bunch of scary demons, they look like skeletons. But they also have "RAMbo" of the Sheep clan, and the Coo Coo Hatter of the Chicken clan banding to fight back, and claim areas. Then the human military doesn't see "bunnies" they see Rabid Rabbits of unusual size! (I don't think the exist, AAHHHH!)

I don't see my self as using this, but its an interesting idea. Imagine having two games, completely different server, and on one server, everyone thinks its starcraft, and on the other server, everyone thinks its bunnies fighting for carrots, a bunch of little kids playing, but behind the scenes, the games are the same, but the look and feel is completely different between the servers, with no clear connection.

I would also include that I like the idea from a different perspective. Like in the zerg, the HUD looks like flesh, and the Terran, it looks like metal/computer. I like this appeal from the stand point, that the HUD still operates the same in starcraft for each race. But what if a more biological based force had a more organic flow to the way your control them. for instance, with one race, you just point and click, giving commands, but perhaps with a league of robots, who are always centrally controlled, you can control every bit of there movement. down to taking over a machine and driving it with arrow keys, and mouse firing tactics.

Made one once where the teams were "up-go'ers" "down-go'ers" and "stay-putters". It was set in a tower with a number of narrow stair-cases, with some people at the top of the tower going toward the bottom, the bottom of the tower going toward the top, and a third team trying to just muck up the works. Stay-putters won if the total amount of resources in the tower is greater than the resources that escaped the tower through the top or bottom, with the up-go'ers or down-go'ers winning if the top or bottom had the most, respectively. The teams were mostly differentiated around their win conditions. Stay-putters can lay down tar to slow stuff down or lead the other teams into eachother, up-go'ers could construct rigging to lift stuff more efficiently, down-go'ers could roll rocks down stairs to squash up-go'ers. My version was horrendously unbalanced, but that doesn't mean that yours has to be.

It was simple, but lent itself to a lot of art reuse and the concept was silly enough to enable a lot of freedom without feeling dumb doing it.

it sounds interesting, but I can't picture it. Is there a video of this somewhere?