Real Time Strategy With Polygon modeling in Praetorians
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If there is any subject in engineering that is more debated than the actual definition of "Polygon," it has to be the field of polygon modeling or design. Architects, engineers, interior decorators, interior designers, and even students all debate the merits of polygon modeling. And yet the polygon model itself remains steadfast as a fundamental design concept. If anything it is probably a debate for the sake of debate. But then, is the debate really worth it? Polygon models may not be the cutting edge of computer graphics, but who cares?
Polygon modeling is exactly what its name implies, a model of polygonal terrain, such as a battlefield, cityscapes, or perhaps a religious pilgrimage. "Hang on," you interject sagely, "if you look really closely you will notice that Praetorians is in fact a 3D interactive game." Indeed, and you can clearly see, as you have probably noticed in any number of online games with which you participate. The models are not flat like the models you see in computer games that are lovingly rendered by hand, and certainly the textures are not randomly placed, but rather, precisely sculpted, so to create a realistic effect.
This leads to a much larger and more important question, which is; does polygon modeling in games to have any real-time strategy value? I think it most definitely does! In games like Space War, Dune 2, Age of War, Fall of Rome, Conflict Vietnam, Supreme Command and many others, your goal is to win by laying the most strategic moves onto your opponent's board and ultimately achieving total victory. It may sound simple, but it is very stressful. But when you consider that Praetorians has an excellent real-time strategy element to it, I believe it has a lot to offer players who are looking for a good, old-fashioned board game with lots of fun and compelling strategic elements.
