My favorites RTS? Here's an obscure one for ya, Metal Fatigue. I loved that game so much, so much challenge in getting your bots just right, and fun in ripping enemy bots apart, or stomping your enemy's bot army with a horde of tanks.
Best RTS games discussion
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I've got to vote for the original C&C, I was about 6 when it came out and loved it (though I do remember wheeling the desk chair over the CD and then hiding it from my Dad in case he yelled at me). I just love it because it was the last game I played against my younger brother and actually beat him (bearing in mind that he was 3 years old in 1995 
) - oh and mammoth tanks - 'nuff said .
) - oh and mammoth tanks - 'nuff said .Affirmative. C&C.. So much nostalgia with the earlier games. I can't stand the newer ones through, everything above C&C Red Alert 2 feels off.
If I had to pick a favourite out of that series, I'd go with Tiberiun Sun just because me and my cousin lanned it a few times. I was still learning the game as kid, pumping out infantry. He came strutting in with tall GDI mech walkers and walked right over them.. That squishing sound they made. I never forgot it.
If I had to pick a favourite out of that series, I'd go with Tiberiun Sun just because me and my cousin lanned it a few times. I was still learning the game as kid, pumping out infantry. He came strutting in with tall GDI mech walkers and walked right over them.. That squishing sound they made. I never forgot it.
Stronghold & most of its descendents.
Empire Earth
And the only good RTS ever made for PS1 Populous: The Beginning
I've probably still spent more time on the original stronghold than all other hours of gaming since combined.
Empire Earth
And the only good RTS ever made for PS1 Populous: The Beginning
I've probably still spent more time on the original stronghold than all other hours of gaming since combined.
1: Starcraft & Brood War
2: Warcraft 3
3: Age of Empires 2- AoK and Conquerors (I loved the hun campaign)
4: Age of Empires 3 & Both Xpacs (It is fun, despite its flaws).
5: WH40K (With all 3 xpacs. 1 is good, 2 isn't really much of an RTS as 1 was)
The one that holds the most value to me, the most nostalgia, would be the game that started me in RTS games at the very beginning, at a young age. Age of Empires and the Rise of Rome expansion. I started playing that when I was 3-4, and loved RTS games since.
2: Warcraft 3
3: Age of Empires 2- AoK and Conquerors (I loved the hun campaign)
4: Age of Empires 3 & Both Xpacs (It is fun, despite its flaws).
5: WH40K (With all 3 xpacs. 1 is good, 2 isn't really much of an RTS as 1 was)
The one that holds the most value to me, the most nostalgia, would be the game that started me in RTS games at the very beginning, at a young age. Age of Empires and the Rise of Rome expansion. I started playing that when I was 3-4, and loved RTS games since.
Without question my favorite RTS would have to be Pax Imperia: Eminent Domain. It's a space 4x made in 1997, and as much as I do like Sins of a Solar Empire, Pax Imperia walks all over it in a number of places. If they could just merge SOASE and Pax2 to make SOASE 2, it'd be almost perfect.
In Pax2 the strategy starts before you even start a game. You have something like 8 pre-made species like virtually all space RTS game...and you skip right past them and design your own species! It's a basic point system where you control about 30 different things. Temperature tolerances, atmosphere, various traits like warrior, trader, etc. How fast you are at different researches.
Next is relatively standard: set parameters for a randomly generated galaxy. You have to use wormholes between pre-defined systems, so you can actually set up blockades and defend your core territories, etc. I actually prefer this to free roam systems.
Then comes the research. 5 categories, each one with 50+ research to perform. Nothing too spectacular by itself: but the ship research does not automatically apply to your ships. No: You have to actually design the ships yourself. What shields, weapons, fighters, etc. You can save designs allowing you to have different styles. For example, a mine-clearing battleship. You must then have your current ships upgraded.
The biggest con for the game shows up then though: The combat system is pretty poor. You have fairly minimal control, most of the time you just hit the auto button and wait to see what happens. Also, any time you are in combat, everything else pauses.
Planets have nice defenses though, another all too often missing feature. Minefields, battlestation, missile station and a fighter station. All can be upgraded 5 levels and the minefield can be smart tracking mines with some research.
I still play PAX2 to this day. Yes, it's relatively easy to get this game made for windows 95 to run on windows 7! I have games for XP that give me just as much trouble. Granted, I've yet to get multiplayer working on my windows 7 computer, but a friend did without doing anything. <shrug>
Oh, I also have to make a shout-out to Imperium Galactica 2: Alliances. Want to take over a planet? You've gotta land tanks on the surface and destroy their defenses. With the surface of planets able to be designed by hand, this can be a bit of a challenge and a fun addition. Adding this to the above Pax2+SOASE would quite possibly be the perfect Space 4x IMO.
In Pax2 the strategy starts before you even start a game. You have something like 8 pre-made species like virtually all space RTS game...and you skip right past them and design your own species! It's a basic point system where you control about 30 different things. Temperature tolerances, atmosphere, various traits like warrior, trader, etc. How fast you are at different researches.
Next is relatively standard: set parameters for a randomly generated galaxy. You have to use wormholes between pre-defined systems, so you can actually set up blockades and defend your core territories, etc. I actually prefer this to free roam systems.
Then comes the research. 5 categories, each one with 50+ research to perform. Nothing too spectacular by itself: but the ship research does not automatically apply to your ships. No: You have to actually design the ships yourself. What shields, weapons, fighters, etc. You can save designs allowing you to have different styles. For example, a mine-clearing battleship. You must then have your current ships upgraded.
The biggest con for the game shows up then though: The combat system is pretty poor. You have fairly minimal control, most of the time you just hit the auto button and wait to see what happens. Also, any time you are in combat, everything else pauses.
Planets have nice defenses though, another all too often missing feature. Minefields, battlestation, missile station and a fighter station. All can be upgraded 5 levels and the minefield can be smart tracking mines with some research.
I still play PAX2 to this day. Yes, it's relatively easy to get this game made for windows 95 to run on windows 7! I have games for XP that give me just as much trouble. Granted, I've yet to get multiplayer working on my windows 7 computer, but a friend did without doing anything. <shrug>
Oh, I also have to make a shout-out to Imperium Galactica 2: Alliances. Want to take over a planet? You've gotta land tanks on the surface and destroy their defenses. With the surface of planets able to be designed by hand, this can be a bit of a challenge and a fun addition. Adding this to the above Pax2+SOASE would quite possibly be the perfect Space 4x IMO.
Command and Conquer 4 distroyed the franchise imo. Unit cap is way to low, you have to be online to play single player, and i had all kinds of issues with the key code having already been used by a key code generator or something when i got the game for xmas brand new. Customer service finally gave me a new code but it was like pulling teeth.
The Beginning was PS only. It was amazing. I need to get an emulator and play it again.
Dune II?
Just kidding. I only wanted to bring up the de facto granddaddy of RTS design. Sandworms are evil.
That said, the Command and Conquer series is one of my favourites, with a single exception. Shame CnC4 (or rather, EA) completely destroyed it any hopes for a decent sequel. Only time will tell if the new CnC is even capable of reviving the series.
Starcraft (and especially Brood War) was good, but I just didn't enjoy it as much. SC2...eh. Don't have much faith in Blizzard-Activision after D3.
Rise of Nations was a nice break from what I traditionally played, but games tend to last too long.
Homeworld was really enjoyable, but man, was it sloooooooow.
Just kidding. I only wanted to bring up the de facto granddaddy of RTS design. Sandworms are evil.
That said, the Command and Conquer series is one of my favourites, with a single exception. Shame CnC4 (or rather, EA) completely destroyed it any hopes for a decent sequel. Only time will tell if the new CnC is even capable of reviving the series.
Starcraft (and especially Brood War) was good, but I just didn't enjoy it as much. SC2...eh. Don't have much faith in Blizzard-Activision after D3.
Rise of Nations was a nice break from what I traditionally played, but games tend to last too long.
Homeworld was really enjoyable, but man, was it sloooooooow.
I'm trying to find a new RTS game to play, but from what little experience I've had with Starcraft and Civilization, I don't like them.
My first and favorite RTS game I've played was Starwars: Empire at War. I liked it a lot because there were so many units and upgrades, and rather than just straight upgrades, there were even side upgrades for each unit. There were just so many different ways to play, and I feel that a lot of other RTS games just have simple "anti air" or "infantry" units, with upgrades that make them better than everything else. I really like games with a lot of different playstyles as well as a conquest or campaign..
My first and favorite RTS game I've played was Starwars: Empire at War. I liked it a lot because there were so many units and upgrades, and rather than just straight upgrades, there were even side upgrades for each unit. There were just so many different ways to play, and I feel that a lot of other RTS games just have simple "anti air" or "infantry" units, with upgrades that make them better than everything else. I really like games with a lot of different playstyles as well as a conquest or campaign..
I would go for Warhammer 40K, civilization III, the settlers 3 and the Total war series.
Yeah, the last one is not exactly a RTS, as only the battles are "real time", but that part is really great nonetheless.
I would add Warcraft 2 and 3, but that's mostly for the campaign and custom maps.
Anyway, I tend to like RTS, but I am awful at them, because I can never be good enough at micro, so games where those are primordial, like Starcraft are a no-go for me.
Yeah, the last one is not exactly a RTS, as only the battles are "real time", but that part is really great nonetheless.
I would add Warcraft 2 and 3, but that's mostly for the campaign and custom maps.
Anyway, I tend to like RTS, but I am awful at them, because I can never be good enough at micro, so games where those are primordial, like Starcraft are a no-go for me.