In Defense of Turtling
...or In Defense of Turtling in the Single Player Game And Not Multiplayer Unless It's A Designer-Intended Tactic (for those that find the title too inflammatory).
In computer and video games the term turtle, named after the turtle animal, has different meanings depending on the genre but all relate to a completely defensive strategy. The basic element to this strategy is designed to prevent you from taking too much damage while still harrassing the enemy... Due to its defensive nature using this strategy often leads to stalemates and ultimately prolongs the game to an undesireable length, in most cases it is frowned upon, and when its used intentionally it is considered by many gamers to be unsportsmanlike conduct, however this strategy is still widely used and is usualy effective if done well.
The definition of turtling, from Wikipedia.
My secret is that I actually find turtling to be the most rewarding style of play in RTS games. I'm not ashamed of it. I don't play multiplayer, so I do not ruin it for everyone else. I just enjoy building things.
Average RTSs are on the one hand complex, and on the other hand quite simple. To play well requires the ability to process several fronts at once, but if the mechanics are poorly balanced, a zerg rush will usually do the job. Different players, at different ability levels, will appear somewhere on that scale. However, some games will offer an array of tantalisingly powerful defenses. It is an inverse zerg rush, mustering all your power into the defence, rather than the offense, of your army.
I enjoy turtling. It doesn't ask me to process much information, I slowly and surely build up a base, appearing more and more powerful to myself. I build defenses to keep wandering AI at bay, smiling as my automated drones perform my bidding without my intervention. My small community, a tranquil island in a sea of battle. I am more interested in exerting power and control over my own forces than those of others. Some games have built whole mechanics on turtling (Dungeon Keeper immediately comes to mind), so I know there are kindred spirits out there; not turtling to frustrate others, but turtling for their own enjoyment.
I have recently started playing Company of Heroes, which tries to find a middle-ground between offensive and defensive play. Each map is split into separate "Strategic Points", usually with some entrenched AI enemy inside. I've found bursting through the lines with tanks, using them as a distraction while nimble infantry units capture or destroy the necessary target, works pretty well. That's the offense over with. Then comes the fortification of the point, and pushing forward your defensive perimeter. It's essentially turtling with growth; a small amount of time harassing the enemy, expanding your shell and then retreating inside it. I thus find this to be the greatest RTS I've ever played (and others agree).
I am, however, aggravated that my defenses are so easily breached... walls and sandbags can be trampled by tanks, tank defenses destroyed by engineers, mortar fire can destroy machine gun emplacements and so on. Generally, the breaches can occur in less than 20 seconds, leaving little time to react. It is obviously a balancing issue, but I'm not sure whether it is for the single-player to defeat the AI, or a multiplayer mechanic to prevent real turtling. I never feel secure in my tranquil island, and that robs one of the main draws of the turtling approach.
Is this game for me? Well, probably not. An RTS is, by definition, a game of aggression. No rewards can ever be reaped from staying in your base forever.
It all leaves me wanting Dungeon Keeper 3.
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