EPTHello I want to start a discussion on a topic that been in my heart for a while now. I ask, why are there no Grand Strategy games in E-sports? Now before anyone flips their desks and scream SC2 and DoTA are strategy games at their screens, I’m not talking RTS Strategy, or DoTA style Strategy games. I’m talking about grand strategy! These are types of games that are more deeply focused into military and country resources management with deep strategic decision making and the possibility of diplomacy between players such as many of Paradox’s games such as Europa Universalis and the Civilization games, to use a pair of examples I have much experience playing with.
What I enjoy in gaming is decision making at its core. With lots of game mechanics going on for you to weigh in your head. If I do option A, consequence X, Y, and Z may happen types of stuff. SC2 is fun in this respect to a point, and I do enjoy watching broadcasts of it. You see 2 people making builds reacting to each other until one guy types GG. But this only lasts most of the time up to 20 minutes and then everything is reset. What I don’t quite like is that how quick a player can click his key determines how good he is at the game though assuming fairly equal knowledge of the game, that just doesn’t interest me. To me, grand strategy games are all about decision making first and diplomacy or player cooperation second. Its about long term planning for things that may not have a effect for hours down in the game. I’ve enjoyed reading some AARs(After action reports, basically this when people write about their game after having played it) for multiplayer games but they’re few in count, and fail at giving a accurate view of the overall state of a game.
What I would love to experience is an environment for these grand strategy games where I can watch and enjoy content which is casted in similar fashion as SC2 or DoTA but for games such as of Europa Universalis 3(EU3). Where a knowledgeable caster can show a campaign with the fog of war removed and perhaps with access to all chat logs through out a campaign of the game. For those who aren’t familiar with the game, basically EU3 is a nations war game with a colonization and economy system simulating 1399 - 1821. It has the potential when it is being played with 20-30 people to be a battle of wits and intrigue, back-stabbing wars, and slugfests between behemoth nations vying for dominance. Where people are killed off one by one as you play through centuries of the game. I feel there’s great potential for a entertaining narrative as it progress.
Spoilered below is my idea for a casted Grand Strategy game.
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+ Show Spoiler +
I’ll give a example for EU3, a game I have experience with and can attempt to paint an imagined scenario for. I’ll try to give my view on how it would possibly be like. I’m going to give a attempt to tell the story from a caster’s stand point for a game where I played Persia loosely basing it around my experiences so I can attempt to get my point across.
Now, allow me to set up a scenario!
We’re about half way through a campaign, 2 main alliances have sprung up, one older and is the dominating one. It is led by Russia its two major allies are Ethiopia and Tripoli. Between them they have a couple players who they have as vassals and have conquered regions of the world for their own. The second alliance consists of China, Malaysia and Mongolia who dominate East Asia. Persia will be the cause for all the -fun- of today’s session.
![[image loading]](http://imageshack.us/a/img33/1277/persianempiremodernday.jpg)
(Not an actual game screenshot, sadly all my saves and screenshots were deleted.)
Now, use that imagination you have, and lets pretend we’re watching a game being casted. The caster can view of the entire map with all the players. There is a war brewing in eastern Asia with Persia and Russia as the 2 main opponents, Players nations are building militaries of 500,000 to 800,000 troops strong with navies spread out across the map. The land army is spread out across wide fronts, imagine it is like the lines in 1944 Germany with the Western Allies on one side and the Axis on the other. Now, the caster starts the session explaining the current set up on the players in the game, who has the big armies, who are the maritime powers, who is economically dominant and who is close to unlocking new key techs that may play a pivotal roll in a upcoming war or cornering a market. He notes how it is peculiar that China has sent much of is land army into Persia’s land When all of a sudden… Persia declares war on Russia!
China, Mongolia and Malaysia join in as allies to Persia, Russia’s old allies Tripoli and Ethiopia answer and accept the automated call to arms to defend Russia. Persia, with a new land tech unlocked giving him access to the latest model of infantry units gives him an advantage even combat, however he has to push through the mountainous terrain of the caucuses mountains before he can flood the Russian steppes. China positions his armies in Persia’s southern border covering it while Persia can send his entire army north to attempt to force his way into breaking the Russian lines in the mountains. All the while Mongolia pressures Russia from the east in Siberia. . .
Meanwhile Malaysia although he has the world’s largest navy is facing Tripoli and Ethiopia’s combined navies across the Indian ocean, The Indian subcontinent long being shared colonies for the African nations. Malaysia needs to scout for where his opponent’s main naval groups are, ambush navies in their ports, and make use of his skilled admirals and keep them in his fresh naval fleets. He trades fleets for fleets littering the oceans with the remnants of his opponent’s fleets. It’s a battle of scouting, positioning, fleet compositions and ambushing fleets in the naval front of the war.
Back in the land war however things don’t go so well, Persia is in need of a crushing defeat in the harsh mountains of the caucuses. He pushes slowly but the losses suffered quickly driving up war exhaustion, and depleting manpower reserves. The needed breakthrough attack he needed isn’t happening. Mongolia is advancing through Siberia relatively unhindered however, Russia can afford to trade land for time. The war drags on nations trading fleets and armies until Persia’s manpower is spent and he can no longer properly fight battles. They concede defeat , Russia and his allies demand land and money as composition.
Everyone marches home, rebuild their economies, put down rebel revolts, and await the next war…
The caster with the war over, can now give a recap with what has happened in other regions of the world, and explains the consequences of the war and its peace demands, comparing the strategies the two sides took. With the down time he can go more in depth about army and navy compositions, what economy styles players are using, and relations between other nations of the world. . .
Now, allow me to set up a scenario!
We’re about half way through a campaign, 2 main alliances have sprung up, one older and is the dominating one. It is led by Russia its two major allies are Ethiopia and Tripoli. Between them they have a couple players who they have as vassals and have conquered regions of the world for their own. The second alliance consists of China, Malaysia and Mongolia who dominate East Asia. Persia will be the cause for all the -fun- of today’s session.
(Not an actual game screenshot, sadly all my saves and screenshots were deleted.)
Now, use that imagination you have, and lets pretend we’re watching a game being casted. The caster can view of the entire map with all the players. There is a war brewing in eastern Asia with Persia and Russia as the 2 main opponents, Players nations are building militaries of 500,000 to 800,000 troops strong with navies spread out across the map. The land army is spread out across wide fronts, imagine it is like the lines in 1944 Germany with the Western Allies on one side and the Axis on the other. Now, the caster starts the session explaining the current set up on the players in the game, who has the big armies, who are the maritime powers, who is economically dominant and who is close to unlocking new key techs that may play a pivotal roll in a upcoming war or cornering a market. He notes how it is peculiar that China has sent much of is land army into Persia’s land When all of a sudden… Persia declares war on Russia!
China, Mongolia and Malaysia join in as allies to Persia, Russia’s old allies Tripoli and Ethiopia answer and accept the automated call to arms to defend Russia. Persia, with a new land tech unlocked giving him access to the latest model of infantry units gives him an advantage even combat, however he has to push through the mountainous terrain of the caucuses mountains before he can flood the Russian steppes. China positions his armies in Persia’s southern border covering it while Persia can send his entire army north to attempt to force his way into breaking the Russian lines in the mountains. All the while Mongolia pressures Russia from the east in Siberia. . .
Meanwhile Malaysia although he has the world’s largest navy is facing Tripoli and Ethiopia’s combined navies across the Indian ocean, The Indian subcontinent long being shared colonies for the African nations. Malaysia needs to scout for where his opponent’s main naval groups are, ambush navies in their ports, and make use of his skilled admirals and keep them in his fresh naval fleets. He trades fleets for fleets littering the oceans with the remnants of his opponent’s fleets. It’s a battle of scouting, positioning, fleet compositions and ambushing fleets in the naval front of the war.
Back in the land war however things don’t go so well, Persia is in need of a crushing defeat in the harsh mountains of the caucuses. He pushes slowly but the losses suffered quickly driving up war exhaustion, and depleting manpower reserves. The needed breakthrough attack he needed isn’t happening. Mongolia is advancing through Siberia relatively unhindered however, Russia can afford to trade land for time. The war drags on nations trading fleets and armies until Persia’s manpower is spent and he can no longer properly fight battles. They concede defeat , Russia and his allies demand land and money as composition.
Everyone marches home, rebuild their economies, put down rebel revolts, and await the next war…
The caster with the war over, can now give a recap with what has happened in other regions of the world, and explains the consequences of the war and its peace demands, comparing the strategies the two sides took. With the down time he can go more in depth about army and navy compositions, what economy styles players are using, and relations between other nations of the world. . .
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I know there are many restrictions to grand strategy games in existence today especially with my example that may be keeping it from becoming a sort of viewable entertainment. Most if not all strategy games today don’t have observer functions or replay abilities to allow clear viewing. The games I propose would last dramatically longer. A full EU3 campaign can last for 50 hours of play time for 1 campaign. How would that be cut up into pieces to be easily digestible to be viewed? The game play can be incredibly slow with little action happening. How do you keep players from cheating when they can view the casted session and see everything about the other nations and use information in private chats or army positions to exploit a weakness in them using that knowledge? Frankly, grand strategy such as eu3 is in a niche category of gaming, not many people play it how many would want to even watch it?
The point I’m attempting to make to you readers when you read this is not that SC2, DoTA, LoL, CoD or whatever is boring and eu3 blows them out of the water in 1337N3$$. They’re different games, and they all have people who enjoy them. I understand that, and I hope those who dislike my idea can be respectful of my view as different people like different things! To me, the style of games I enjoy playing and would like to see in E-sports don’t seemingly exist outside of “Let’s plays” which is not what I’m looking for. What I would like to get discussed is if people see room for this type of entertainment to exist, if they would watch it, and to maybe spark something in someone who reads this that say hey, this has potential maybe I can do something to make this a reality? If there is something like this somewhere on the interwebs I’d also love to know about it!
I know I go on about eu3 a lot, but as i said it is what I have the most experience with and can use as an example for best to get my point across, so forgive me for that and I’ll stop ranting. >.>;
