[:plant:] "If _I_ were a game designer"

I'd like to see an RTS game simple enough to play with four face buttons and a control stick—a d-pad, even—but complex enough that actual strategy would still be involved in playing it. The newest RTS I've played that I actually enjoyed was Red Alert 2; everything I've tried since then has been nothing but micromanagement and needless complexity in the form of clunky, outdated user interfaces that demand the use of precise mouse clicks and a million hotkeys. For me, the ideal game in the genre would be something as versatile as a modern game, with plenty of tactical options open to the player, but without the resource management or base-building hassle. When I played the Halo Wars demo, I was fairly impressed—it stuck to a few of the principles of simplicity I'd like to see in practise (dedicated controller-friendly UI, lack of base layout hassle), but still fell short in a few areas. From what I hear the campaign can be won through endlessly mashing the attack command buttons on the enemy base. So close, and yet so far.

Jam it back in, in the dark.