![dawn of war 2 population cap increase dawn of war 2 population cap increase](https://www.videogamer.com/wp-content/uploads/13SentinelsAegisRim_Screenshot1.jpg)
I was a bit surprised when I came across the opinion that population caps are bad for RTS games. And that’s that I’ve been thinking about lately, of course. Many RTS games have a maximum quantity of things that they can use in a game, and that limit is often termed supply cap or population cap. But that might be a bit beside the point? LimitationsĮconomic limitations tend to loosen as a match goes on as players ramp up their income, only for players to (usually) encounter another limit: the population cap. ‘Token’ units, too, like Infested Terrans, the Scarabs produced by Swarm Hosts, and the like, can also help Zerg flaunt popcap, at least temporarily. I’m not sure if that ever happens in a game, but that flirtation with the game’s boundary interests me. Is there a total amount of resource which can be collected? What happens when that total is reached? Are there a total number of buildings that may be built, of units that may be produced? What tricks can the player use, if any, to toy with those limits?įor example, in StarCraft, Zerg players may ‘cheat’ the population cap by converting Drones into buildings, then training more units, then cancelling the buildings thereby recouping their lost drone. To me, the most interesting stuff happens at the limits. From this we see the concept of players ‘turtling’ or ‘eco booming’ or rushing: every strategy in an RTS comes directly from the limits imposed upon players by any given game’s economy and each individual player’s reaction to those limits. Income (which is almost always severely restricted in the early stages of gameplay) forces players to choose what percentage of their resources will go towards expanding their ability to generate more resources (harvesters), what percent will go towards expanding their ability to spend resources efficiently (production) and what percent will go towards defenses or military. Of course, all RTS have tons of limitations as well. It’s a hard mark to hit, but for all that it’s the one I feel is best for which to aim. And yet, Chess is a game of remarkable depth and complexity for all the simplicity and limitations of its rules, pieces, and board.
![dawn of war 2 population cap increase dawn of war 2 population cap increase](https://i.imgur.com/dyrDofA.jpg)
Everything about the game is subject to strict limits and controls: how many pieces the player can move each turn, the distance each piece can move, the rules about capturing pieces, et cetera. That is, a game that’s smart about its boundaries. Chess as a Starting PlaceĬhess is only one example, but to me it’s directly illustrative of the idea of a game taking care to ensure a carefully crafted experience for the player.
![dawn of war 2 population cap increase dawn of war 2 population cap increase](https://media.moddb.com/images/downloads/1/102/101052/oldV.jpg)
Then, limits more generally, and hopefully I’ll be able to wrap this up with some talk about population or army cap in a bit.
![dawn of war 2 population cap increase dawn of war 2 population cap increase](https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/1395/images/thumbnails/303/303-1527447140-2087671898.jpeg)
This is just how my brain processes the topic. I’m eventually going to work my way around to talking specifically about population or army limits in RTS games, but I kind of have to work my way around to it. It’s a tightly defined relationship that would literally not work with twice as many pieces, and would greatly impact the performance of pieces like the Knights, King, Pawns, and possibly Bishops should the number of spaces on the board be altered. The number of pieces is directly related to the dimensions of the play space, the game board. In Chess, the player has 16 pieces to their name: 8 Pawns, 2 Rooks, 2 Knights, 2 Bishops, and the King and Queen. To me, most games are defined by the limits they place on their players, the confines they provide their players to work within.