Shuttle Retires

BW is actually easier to play and easier to get into and easier for casual compared to SC2.

Why? Because in BW, a lot of things (microing Mutalisk, Vultures, and Reavers are good examples) have much more depth. It's easy for anyone to do but microing those units is more than "how fast you do it" (Mutalisk for example, you have to know when to use attack move, attack directly, patrol, hold position "in addition" you also have to pay attention to the direction the Mutalisk are facing "before" using any of those commands because some, like attack move, require Mutalisk to be facing the target before you attack or else you'll lose speed).

For example, with Mutalisk, even people who are slow at least can practice and still get better at using them. If you don't have 400 APM, that's okay, you can still learn and practice and get better at using Mutalisk anyway because the micro has depth - it's more than simply "speed", and that applies to a lot of things in BW compared to SC2.

This kind of depth, adds more ways for players to get better and practice. When you want to start learning how to use Mutalisk, you can practice using them in so many ways to get better at using them.

In SC2, most of the micro and stuff is simply "how fast you can do it" and that's basically it. So, if you want to be better at microing, all it amounts to is "try to be faster at doing it" and that's it. Of course, positioning is also a big thing too but besides speed and knowing (for example) where to move your marines when you want to split them against banelings, that's basically all there is to microing in SC2. It's difficult, that's for sure. However, while it is difficult, if it doesn't have depth and if the only way to practice getting better at it is just simply "speed", then it's not as fun or satisfying as BW's micro and it makes the game as whole not as rewarding to play.

SC2 is a hard game and probably just as hard as BW in a way. But, it really lacks depth. I do hope LotV makes SC2 better. It's not about copying the exact mechanics in BW but it's about adding more ways to do one task.

The main reason is, what BW and SC2 lacks compared to those games are a few things:

1. Variety and excitement with each new update or patch. With LoL and Dota, new heroes come out regularly, new items come out, and new cosmetics all come out regularly. With BW and SC2, they have none of those.

If you can pick between two games you like equally but one has these things you can get (cosmetics for your heroes) while the other doesn't, then you'll likely play the former.

WarCraft 4 can deal with this too since (if they are going with WC3 design) then they'll too have Heroes and all they did to do is throw in cosmetics.

And WarCraft 3 at a few points did add new heroes (Goblin Tinker, then Goblin Alchemist, and Firelord for example). Something like this in SC2 (outside of expansions) is probably not likely.

2. Dota and LoL are built around keep the game fresh and changing. Kind of like Magic: The Gathering and other games.

StarCraft is sort of meant to be a static game.

You won't have major rule changes or crazy changes happening. Dota and LoL are free to do that (and with Dota at least, not sure about LoL, they have done it several times already where they do a big change).

This keeps peoples interest in the game.

You can say, StarCraft has meta changes or how players style and trends changes. Well, Dota and LoL has that too "in addition" to the developers helping kick start things with those types of changes.

WarCraft 4, it doesn't have to the same thing as WC3 exactly, they can try more drastic changes.

3. Balancing - In Dota and LoL, due to the game works (even in competitive settings), no one has a "main hero" or "main race" or anything, no need for balance worries to limit the game.Dota and LoL don't have to worry about "Oh no, they nerfed <insert hero here> that means this team or these players can't make a living anymore because their hero or race is underpowered." because the game encourages you to use as many different heroes as possible. Plus, it makes the game refreshing.

In SC, developers can't afford to try out big changes because it'll hurt the competitive gaming scene. And another problem of "sticking to 1 race" is that it makes the game kind of boring in a way if this player plays almost exactly the same as another just because they use the exact same race.

WarCraft 4, they have a fresh start. WarCraft 4 doesn't have to use the traditional race system. Maybe, they could do it like card game or draft system where they pick from a pool of units, heroes, structures, etc, and mix them.

Yeah, that's drastically different but they could try that with WC4 and if it turns out it does work, then great because it can revitalize the traditional RTS genre.

And maybe (like card games or Dota or whatever) they regularly release new units, heroes, and stuff into the game.

Also, even if races are gone, players could still build their race to be themed around another race. Maybe a player picks only orc units or something.

Also how would mixing races together work?

Well, I was thinking there would be limitations. Like how Magic: The Gathering has colors, you don't want to always have all of 5 colors because that means you can get mana screwed more often (need 5 different types of mana).

WC4 could have mix and matching or races but still have requirements like "you need farms to build human units" or "you need orc burrows to build orc units", etc and picking farms would take up a "unit slot" that you could have used for a different unit or structure (for example).

Anyway, these are just some small ideas on how WC4 could revitalize the RTS genre and the problem of why traditional RTS aren't just as appealing anymore. I'd really like a competitive 1v1 game (I dislike team games) and I definitely am interested in WC4 if/when Blizzard makes it. The major advantage StarCraft and WarCraft have over LoL and Dota is that they don't have to be team games, and I prefer 1v1 over team games. I like how if you're doing well, you know it's because of you . Or if you are losing, you can't just go and blame team mates.

Also if WC4 does go the route of removing races and maybe trying a Magic: The Gathering thing where you can mix and match (to an extent, with certain restrictions like needing the right structures to tech up on certain races), then there will also be less balance complaints too which is nice. I do like how in Dota and LoL and MTG, the games are built around using all the different things in the game to win.