RTS Game Used For TV Show On Epic Roman Battles

Posted by simoniker on Monday May 17, 2004 @11:59AM from the et-tu-framerate? dept.

Thanks to Wired News for its article discussing the use of forthcoming PC strategy title Rome: Total War in a History Channel TV show called Decisive Battles - the piece explains: "As video-game graphics evolve to portray increasingly realistic environments, TV producers are turning to game developers for help in re-creating history." Heartwarmingly, the article continues: "While TV can't compete with the visual spectacles created by big-budget, computer-generated scenes in movies like the upcoming Troy, the History Channel can put viewers in the middle of battles with thousands of men hacking and slashing each other to death." Elsewhere, it's mentioned that the Creative Assembly-developed title "also lent its technology to a BBC series called Time Commanders", in which "teams of contestants [battled] against a computer loaded with the tactics of the greatest military minds of all time."

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Time Commanders by blackwater · 2004-05-17 15:53 · Score: 4, Insightful

Time Commanders was a great show. I enjoyed the preview of Rome Total War but I enjoyed more the study in detail of group dynamics. The basic format was that each week a team of 4 somehow-related people (usually work colleagues) fought against the AI. 2 of the team took responsibility for a flank each, moving their units, etc. The other 2 stood on a raised platform with an overhead map (updated in real-time) shouting directions to the other 2 - i.e. behaving as generals might perhaps.

Almost without fail, each week one of the 'generals' would be spectacularly clueless and be disobeyed and / or generally ignored. I guess I've probably worked too long in cubicle-land but it all seemed horribly familiar - I guess PHBs go back to the dawn of time.