Fleet Commander is a student project by one Arthur Nishimoto, of the University of Illinois. Nishimoto has created an RTS (real-time strategy) game based on spaceships from Star Wars that’s played on a touchscreen the size of a wall. And there’s no limit on the number of people that can play it.

The twenty-foot-wide screen is touch enabled, so players control everything by stepping up to the enormous thing and interacting directly with it. It’s like the biggest iPad ever. Players join one of two teams — the Empire or the Rebel Alliance — and control ships like Star Destroyers, TIE Fighters, X-Wings, and more. Reportedly, you can even control Death Stars. (That’s right, plural.)

Players can drop-in and drop-out of the game at will, since the game doesn’t track who’s playing, or how many there are. Basic gestures are used to order ships to group up, attack, and other RTS commands. The game is played in rounds, where the aim is for each side to destroy the other’s homebase. Nishimoto has even had conversations with LucasArts about adapting the game for commercial use, though it’s yet to be determined how it would be implemented (since 20-foot touchscreens aren’t exactly common). In the meantime, the game maker hopes to add more functions to the game, like the ability to land a ship on a planet’s surface and fight against ground troops.

The giant screen is located in a special conference room within UI’s Electronic Visualization Laboratory. Sadly, it’s not open to the public.

In short, I’d like to find a nice RTS or two to complement my RPG arsenal. Variety is, after all, the spice of a gamer’s life.

Let me begin by saying that I don’t mind the Civ series…but I don’t like the latest installment. At all. Yeah, I’m weird. So scratch that off the list completely. Mkay?

Civilization aside, what are the strategy games you’d recommend? I’m even willing to go back in time to older games if they’re quality.

For example, some of my favorite strategy games are in the Age of Empires franchise (III and its expansion packs). The game play is solid and can be at times quite challenging. The voice acting, sound and music are not so bad as to make you want to put sharp objects in your ears prior to each game session. The visuals are – especially with a decent-to-great graphics card – really quite nice. It’s a game I’ve come back to play even after beating it, and I don’t usually do that.

Recently I took my TARDIS back to 2007 and gave Age of Mythology a try, and while it’s no Age of Empires, it may be worth my time. (Ask me when I’m about halfway through. It was in the discount bin, after all.)

Other titles, some very ancient, that I’ve enjoyed are StarCraft; Heroes of Might and Magic (I must say, Heroes of Might and Magic V is lovely…but the sticklers among you are likely prodding the screen and shouting “it’s a turn based game!” by now); Rome; Amazons and Aliens (I believe I was the sole player); Startopia; Dungeon Keeper; and many others of space and/or fantasy ilk.

So space, fantasy and silly are all OK with me. Given that, and keeping in mind that while old games are alright, I do have a nice shiny gaming PC waiting to take on a challenge: what would you recommend I play next?

I hope you will chime in and look forward to your suggestions – lest a perfectly good Björk reference go to waste.

Halo Wars

Capturing the Halo world shouldn’t have been too difficult a task given that there are three games already to market, however, it’s still a compliment to the developers that the game comes across as an authentic Halo experience despite you having control far above the battlefield.

Gameplay
Naturally, resource management comes into play, and you’ll have various elements to interact with in order to develop, boost and ultimately control a map-winning force. Units that you’d expect to see are taken directly from the franchise such as Warthogs, Banshees, Spartans and Elites. This is sure to please any fan.

Controls
Of all games, you could argue that the consoles are least suited to providing a simplistic interface for the RTS genre. However, Halo Wars does very well in making things simple to control and intuitive, without having to boil the game down for the lowest common denominator – the casual gamer.

Overall
Halo Wars delivers a good, if not great RTS game that offers something different for the franchise. Some may be disappointed at the lack of intricacy but on the whole the gameplay comes fun and fast. Upgradable weapons and decent cut scenes are the icing on the cake and fans and newbies alike will get enjoyment from this title.

8/10
Available: Now
Price: $60