Strategy gaming veterans explore the upcoming RTS Tempest Rising with lead designer Brandon Castile, diving deep into the game’s unique faction mechanics, innovative resource systems, and philosophy of creating classic RTS experiences for modern audiences while examining the challenges of reviving a beloved but niche genre.

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This episode features an in-depth conversation with Brandon Castile, lead game designer of the highly anticipated RTS Tempest Rising, just one week before its launch. The discussion covers the game’s development journey through multiple publisher changes, its innovative approach to faction asymmetry, and the philosophy behind creating a classic RTS experience for modern audiences. Castile explains the game’s unique Tempest resource system, the role of specialist units, doctrine customization, and the extensive single-player campaigns while addressing questions about the current state of RTS gaming and whether we’re experiencing a genre revival.

Critical Moves Podcast – Episode 25 Show Notes

Episode Title: Designing the Perfect RTS: An Inside Look at Tempest Rising
Hosts: Al, Tim
Guest: Brandon Castile (Lead Game Designer, Tempest Rising)
Episode Length: ~74 minutes
Recording Date: Pre-April 24th launch

Episode Summary

The conversation begins with Brandon Castile’s perspective on the much-discussed “RTS revival,” where he takes a refreshingly sceptical stance, arguing that periodic releases of strategy games don’t necessarily constitute a renaissance. Instead, he credits publisher willingness in 2019-2020 to take chances on the genre, particularly highlighting Microprose’s significant investment in niche RTS projects. Castile’s journey to lead designer reveals the collaborative nature of game development, as he joined an existing project through focus group participation before being brought on to complete and expand the game’s design documentation.

The discussion reveals Tempest Rising’s turbulent development path through the Embracer Group’s restructuring, with the game passing between THQ Nordic, various subsidiaries, and ultimately landing with Saber Interactive when they went independent. This publishing odyssey illustrates the complex realities of modern game development, where external business decisions can dramatically impact creative projects. Despite these challenges, Castile maintains that the team’s passion for classic RTS design remained consistent throughout the process.

The Tempest Universe: Worldbuilding Through Mechanics

Alternative History Setting

Tempest Rising’s narrative foundation begins with the Cuban Missile Crisis escalating into nuclear war, creating a post-apocalyptic 1960s timeline where reconstruction efforts encounter an unexpected phenomenon. The emergence of an electrical plant species, described as “electrical kudzu,” transforms the post-nuclear landscape from devastation into opportunity. This plant grows from nuclear craters, initially seen as a nuisance requiring constant burning and clearing, until authorities realize its potential as an infinite energy source.

The worldbuilding demonstrates sophisticated integration between narrative and mechanics, with the Tempest plant serving multiple gameplay functions beyond simple resource collection. The plant’s volatile nature creates tactical considerations, as vehicles moving through Tempest fields accumulate electrical charge that progressively slows their movement and attack speed. This mechanical system reinforces the narrative concept of humans learning to harness dangerous forces while accepting inherent risks.

Faction Philosophy and Asymmetric Design

The Global Defence Force emerges as a peacekeeping organization primarily composed of US, European, and South American forces, positioning themselves as protectors against future nuclear conflicts. Their authoritarian approach to preventing human warfare creates the central tension with the Tempest Dynasty, an alliance of Western European and Asian nations rejecting foreign control over their sovereignty. This political framework provides meaningful context for military confrontations beyond simple resource competition.

The faction asymmetry extends far beyond superficial unit differences into fundamental economic and technological philosophies. The GDF operates through centralized tech buildings that unlock capabilities across their entire arsenal, creating vulnerability through concentrated infrastructure but enabling rapid technological advancement. Conversely, the Tempest Dynasty upgrades individual facilities, distributing technological risk while requiring more deliberate expansion planning.

Revolutionary Resource Systems

Dynamic Tempest Ecology

The Tempest resource system represents perhaps the game’s most innovative design element, functioning as a living ecosystem rather than static mineral deposits. Root nodes serve as the foundation for plant growth, sending out vines that develop pods which mature over time to provide increasingly valuable resources. This creates strategic depth through temporal planning, as players must balance immediate resource needs against long-term territorial control.

The ecological approach addresses traditional RTS problems with resource depletion by making regeneration a core mechanical element. Fields with small root nodes regrow slowly but predictably, while those with large root nodes provide rapid regeneration suitable for sustained harvesting. Some fields offer high immediate value but limited regeneration, while others start modestly but become increasingly valuable over time. This system prevents forced transitions to secondary economies while maintaining territorial contestation throughout entire matches.

Tempest Charge Combat Mechanics

The integration of Tempest effects into combat creates unique tactical considerations absent from traditional RTS games. Vehicles accumulating Tempest charge experience progressive performance degradation, eventually reaching overflow states that cause direct damage. This mechanic transforms terrain traversal into a risk-reward calculation, as players must weigh mobility benefits against combat effectiveness penalties.

Infantry immunity to Tempest effects provides crucial tactical advantages, enabling them to use Tempest fields as protective cover against vehicle-based armies. This design choice addresses common RTS problems where infantry become obsolete in later game stages, instead making them essential components of combined arms strategies. The system creates natural combined arms incentives without requiring artificial unit restrictions or arbitrary effectiveness bonuses.

Specialist Units: Reimagining Hero Mechanics

Design Philosophy Behind Specialists

Castile’s approach to specialist units draws inspiration from both Command & Conquer’s commando units and Warcraft III’s hero systems while avoiding the pitfalls of each. Traditional commandos appear too late in tech progressions and remain too rare for meaningful impact, while heroes create excessive complexity through levelling systems and item management. Specialists occupy a middle ground, providing significant battlefield impact without dominating entire strategic frameworks.

The “opt-in complexity” philosophy ensures specialists enhance armies for casual players while offering micromanagement opportunities for dedicated enthusiasts. Units like the Machinist provide passive benefits through area-of-effect vehicle repair while enabling active tactical contributions through weapon switching and targeted abilities. This design approach respects different player skill levels and engagement preferences without compromising competitive depth.

Faction-Specific Specialist Roles

Dynasty specialists reflect their faction’s philosophy of controlled risk-taking and technological manipulation. The Machinist’s voltaic spark gun can disable enemy buildings entirely, creating temporary strategic advantages that require tactical exploitation. His sensor array provides Tempest charge application capabilities, enabling synergy with other Dynasty units designed to capitalize on debuffed enemies. The Line Officer’s vehicle enhancement abilities exemplify Dynasty flexibility, providing temporary combat bonuses that require careful timing and positioning.

GDF specialists emphasize coordination and combined arms effectiveness, reflecting their organizational military background. The Riot Trooper’s EMP grenades provide hard counters to enemy vehicles while requiring infantry support for protection. The Sniper’s stealth and damage multiplication abilities reward positioning and target selection skills. The Riot Medic’s healing turrets enable sustained infantry operations while providing area denial through concentrated defensive capabilities.

Economic Philosophy: Simplicity Enabling Complexity

Streamlined Resource Management

Castile’s economic design prioritizes military focus over complex production chains, distinguishing Tempest Rising from economic simulation approaches. Players typically manage 5-15 harvesters rather than building extensive worker populations, freeing mental resources for tactical and strategic decision-making. This approach acknowledges that different players seek different complexity sources, with some preferring economic optimization while others focus on military coordination.

The economic streamlining serves the game’s core philosophy of respecting player time while maintaining strategic depth. Setup phases remain brief, preventing extended periods of passive base construction while ensuring meaningful economic decisions throughout matches. Resource management complexity emerges through territorial control and timing decisions rather than intricate production optimization, aligning with classic RTS pacing expectations.

Long-Term Resource Strategy

Despite simplified collection mechanics, long-term resource strategy provides substantial depth through Tempest field ecology management. Players must evaluate field types, plan expansion timing, and coordinate territorial control with military objectives. The regenerative resource system creates ongoing strategic value from territorial control rather than simple extraction economics.

Economic decisions integrate closely with military planning, as Tempest field control requires defensive infrastructure while supporting offensive capabilities. Players must balance immediate military needs against long-term economic positioning, creating strategic tension throughout matches rather than distinct economic and military phases.

Asymmetric Faction Design Deep Dive

Global Defense Force Mechanics

The GDF’s centralized technology system reflects military organizational efficiency, with satellite uplinks and data cores providing broad technological advancement. This system creates strategic vulnerabilities through concentrated infrastructure while enabling rapid capability scaling. The Intel resource system adds secondary resource management, providing access to elite units and powerful abilities that require careful allocation throughout matches.

The Communications (Comms) system exemplifies GDF combined arms philosophy, providing area-of-effect bonuses that enhance coordinated unit groups while creating high-value targets for enemy forces. The fragility of comm units forces GDF players to balance aggressive positioning for maximum effectiveness against defensive positioning for survivability. This creates ongoing tactical tension between optimal unit positioning and risk management.

Tempest Dynasty Innovation

Dynasty mechanics emphasize controlled volatility and adaptable technology, with distribution mode exemplifying their risk-reward philosophy. Power plants can sacrifice defensive capability to enhance nearby production and defensive structures, creating windows of enhanced performance followed by vulnerability periods. This system requires careful timing and resource management while providing tactical flexibility unavailable to other factions.

The Dynasty’s distributed upgrade system reflects decentralized command structures, with individual facilities requiring separate enhancement but avoiding single-point technological failures. Combined with Tempest Dynamos effects that boost unit performance while causing damage over time, Dynasty gameplay revolves around managing multiple overlapping risk-reward systems rather than optimizing single strategic elements.

Campaign Design and Replayability

Narrative Integration

The two-campaign structure provides perspectives from both major factions while building toward the mysterious Veti threat. Campaign missions integrate Tempest Rising’s unique mechanics into narrative scenarios rather than treating story as separate from gameplay systems. Environmental storytelling through Tempest field distribution and battlefield conditions reinforces the post-nuclear setting while creating tactical challenges.

Mission design emphasizes replayability through doctrine customization and equipment systems unavailable in multiplayer modes. Each mission provides doctrine points for persistent character progression, enabling different strategic approaches across multiple playthroughs. The equipment system introduces powerful modifiers unsuitable for competitive balance but enhancing single-player power fantasy elements.

Difficulty Scaling and Challenge Design

The four-tier difficulty system provides meaningful challenge scaling, with Insane difficulty requiring multiple attempts even from experienced strategy game players. This approach acknowledges varying player skill levels while ensuring dedicated players encounter appropriate challenges. Focus group testing refined mission pacing and challenge curves to maintain engagement without creating frustration.

Side objective systems provide bonus requisition currency for equipment purchases, rewarding thorough exploration and tactical flexibility. This progression system encourages replay experimentation while providing tangible advancement rewards for skilled play. The integration of requisition earning with mission performance creates incentives for improving tactical execution beyond simple completion goals.

Technical Innovation and Polish

Quality of Life Improvements

Modern interface design provides building range indicators, unit selection improvements, and streamlined command systems that reduce mechanical barriers to strategic execution. These improvements demonstrate how classic RTS gameplay can benefit from contemporary usability standards without compromising core mechanical depth. The development team’s attention to interface polish reflects understanding that good design should be invisible to players.

Visual feedback systems provide immediate combat information through weapon heating effects, Tempest charge visualization, and clear ability indicators. These graphical enhancements serve competitive gameplay by providing essential information clearly while enhancing the visceral satisfaction of combat encounters. The “rule of cool” philosophy extends beyond unit design into feedback systems that make every action feel impactful.

Audio Design and Atmospheric Elements

Sound design emphasizes tactical information and atmospheric immersion, with distinct weapon audio signatures enabling identification of enemy unit types and battlefield situations. Unit response systems provide personality while conveying tactical information, balancing entertainment value with competitive functionality. The audio feedback creates emotional engagement with combat outcomes while supporting tactical decision-making.

Environmental audio design reinforces the post-nuclear setting through ambient effects and Tempest field interactions. The integration of atmospheric elements with gameplay mechanics ensures that artistic choices support rather than distract from strategic gameplay. This holistic approach to audio design demonstrates how classic RTS principles can benefit from modern production values.

Industry Context and Genre Considerations

Publisher Landscape Evolution

The discussion reveals significant changes in strategy game publishing, with Microprose’s renaissance and Hooded Horse’s emergence providing alternatives to traditional major publisher approaches. These specialized publishers understand niche strategy game audiences and provide development support for projects that might lack commercial appeal for broader gaming markets. This publishing evolution enables creative risks and passionate development approaches.

The development team’s experience through publisher transitions illustrates modern game development realities where external business decisions impact creative processes. Despite these challenges, the core development vision remained consistent, demonstrating how dedicated teams can maintain creative integrity through corporate restructuring. This persistence enables authentic creative expression rather than committee-driven design compromises.

Genre Revival Skepticism and Realism

Castile’s sceptical approach to “RTS revival” rhetoric provides valuable perspective on genre development cycles and market realities. Rather than attributing periodic strategy game releases to genre renaissance, he focuses on publisher willingness to support niche but passionate development teams. This realistic assessment helps set appropriate expectations while acknowledging genuine enthusiasm for strategy game development.

The emphasis on serving existing strategy game enthusiasts rather than converting new audiences reflects understanding of market realities and development resource constraints. By focusing on perfecting classic RTS elements rather than redefining genre conventions, Tempest Rising aims to satisfy underserved audiences rather than creating mass market appeal. This focused approach enables deeper mechanical development within established frameworks.

The Veti: Mysterious Third Faction

Ancient Alien Mythology

The Vtti represent humanity’s mythological past made manifest, serving as the inspiration for religious and cultural traditions across human civilizations. Their portrayal as biblical angels, vimana operators, and various mythological entities provides rich narrative context for their advanced technology and superior attitude toward human civilization. This approach grounds science fiction elements in familiar cultural references while maintaining mysterious origins.

The Veti’s relationship with Tempest as their original harvest target reframes human conflicts as territorial disputes on contested alien property. Their perspective of humans as livestock fighting in their fields provides darkly humorous context for faction warfare while establishing clear antagonist motivations. This narrative framework justifies their technological superiority and dismissive attitude toward human sovereignty.

Gameplay Integration

As a campaign antagonist, the Veti provide escalating challenges that require cooperation between human factions or demonstrate the consequences of continued warfare. Their advanced technology and contemptuous approach create boss-style encounters that test player mastery of game systems while advancing narrative themes about human cooperation and survival.

The mysterious nature of Veti mechanics and capabilities maintains surprise elements throughout campaign progression while hinting at potential future playable faction development. Their presence serves both immediate narrative functions and long-term franchise development possibilities, providing flexibility for expansion content or sequel development.

Contact & Links

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Email: [email protected]

Episode Verdict

This interview successfully captures the passionate development philosophy behind Tempest Rising while providing comprehensive insight into its innovative mechanical systems and classic RTS design principles. Brandon Castile’s enthusiasm for the project shines through detailed explanations of faction asymmetry, resource innovation, and campaign design, demonstrating how modern development can honor genre traditions while introducing meaningful improvements. His realistic perspective on industry trends and genre revival discussions provides valuable context for understanding Tempest Rising’s position in the current strategy gaming landscape. The conversation effectively balances technical design details with broader philosophical discussions about game development, player service, and creative authenticity. Listeners gain both specific knowledge about Tempest Rising’s unique features and general insight into thoughtful RTS design principles. The interview’s timing just before launch creates anticipation while providing the information needed to appreciate the game’s design ambitions and mechanical innovations.

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