OT: The Future of Computer Strategy Games

[Tnarg]

Just pondering how far we have come in such a short time with computer processing. I can remember my first strategy game which involved inputing numbers and an icon represented by: <-- would shoot across the screen at a moving: \--^-/ which represent an aircraft carrier or: \^/ destroyer. I used to go to the libray every day after school and spend 15 to 20 minutes anxiously waiting for the cassette tape to load onto the computer to finally play the game.

There are a great deal of computer experts and visionaries on this forum so I am curious to know what everyone predicts what might be commonplace for some of my favorites in 4X and other types of Strategy style games in the next 5, 10, and 20 years.

5 years from now I am guessing that games like SEV will be pretty much the same, perhaps polished 3D graphics and the ability to handle larger games (20 - 30 AI players, 500 - 600 systems in a galaxy or quadrant, maybe more detail with indivdual planets, the ability to micro manage a bit more. I am seeing a great deal of free webbased games like CyberNation and many others, but mostly based off of simple numbers. Maybe something a bit more complex is around the corner.

10 years from now I would like to finally see an adaptive AI that either learns or borrows from a collective database of player strategies that is updated everytime one plays or from a massive online database with thousands of other players strategies and ideas. I don't beleive that an AI will truly be able to think for itself in 10 years but more or less be able to determine that if that player does this, I (the AI) need to look into this line of strategy to counter the strategy these players use while keeping in mind that this other player or AI is utilizing this style of a strategy and I the (AI) need to keep this in mind. If my train of strategy ideas don't pan out I the (AI) need to try the next one in line listed in the database. We already have dual and quad processors, I am not sure if we have started to level out on processing speed, so perhaps computer will be based off of the amount of processers it has to do multiple tasks all at once. I would also like to think that we will finally get to a somewhat more realistic level of detail with either map sizes (1000 to a million count stars in a galaxy, planets with indvidual continents and major cities to manage ala "Civilization" style game engines added) or the ability to micro manage down to a single unit's perspective in a theatre sized strategy game. Of course Monitors and UI will be much more efficiant to handle these larger sizes. Perhaps a standard computer moniter will be a wall mounted 60 inch HD Screen, and a mouse will be a thing of the past. Voice activation, Eye movement sensing goggles, those nintendo WII thingies might be the next big thing. Web based games against real players with perhaps around 50 players.

20 years from now, I still don't think we will have a completely self-thinking AI capable of challenging even the best minds. Perhaps an AI with the ability to take thousands of variables into consideration and choose from a variety of options (real person strategies that have been recorded and applied as in the 10 year plan above) that possibly would best suit its needs to with a certain percentage parameter. Perhaps instead of using one strategy from the database it would be able to add and combine and subtract to best suit its needs. Massively large games with almost real world numbers: millions of stars, planets broken all the way down to "SimCity" style engines that you would have the option to manage or have the AI help out with, tactical warfare that can be broken down all the way down to individual soliers perspective ala First Person Shooter and Flight simulator engines all in one game. Kind of god's eye view of everything. One would have a powerfull AI to help manages all of this but if one CHOSE to they could break it all the way down if they wanted too. The UI I hope by then would be something that is completely immersive, I don't beleive Holograms or decent Holograms will be commonplace yet, but "Operations Room" style full wall sized monitors capaple of being one large monitor or hundred of mini monitors. Web based games that operate in real time against thousands of players and an AI that takes charge in your absence following a macro or micro managed doctrine that it has learned from your playing style. I would like to beleive that we would be able to plug in to our minds to do everything, but maybe 50 years we could look into that.

What are your ideas, wishes, or expectations?