Cutting Edges
Your production may be the steel of your military might, but researching technologies
and upgrading your units sharpens its cutting edge.
In most RTS games you can research upgrades to improve your units' abilities
and "discover" new technologies. Upgrades improve the stats of all units, or
grant them special abilities. Technologies make available newer and more advanced
types of buildings, units or weapons. Tech's can be either researched or made
available when you construct the right kind of building. E.g. in Age
of Empires 2, you have to build a Barracks to produce the Swordsman unit,
and then a Blacksmith building to be able to improve your Swordsmen's abilities.
An upgraded unit will have a slight advantage over its equivalent opponent who
isn't upgraded in a one to one duel.
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Usually,
all there is to researching is selecting the right building or menu and just
clicking a button. A progress bar pops up, and you are apparently "researching".
When complete, your new buildings, units and technologies are available, or
if it was an upgrade, all the units affected by your research are magically
upgraded on the field.
Technology and research in RTS has nothing to do with the
art of discovery or exploring new ideas. Everything is prearranged, and the
same technologies and upgrades appear in every game, unless you're playing a
custom mod that's changed the rules. R&D is reduced down to nothing more
than trying to keep ahead of your opponent in the arms race. Its not much more
than a system of awarding bonus points for your side, and one of the spices
that add to the flavour of the game. |
