What are some good RTS games?

[SkiDragon]

Real time strategy games seem to be my favorite genre, at least for the computer. I was wondering what some good ones are, besides Command & Conquer and Starcraft, as I have played those (and thought C&C was better).

Any ideas?

[Push Upstairs]

Age of Empires series.

I'm usually a "spacecraft/airplane/laser weapons" RTS kinda person but i enjoyed the combat...medieval style. :rocker:

Nothing brings a tear of joy like marching into rival towns 43 Elite Jannisary (musketmen) strong and laying waste. :2gunfire:

[SkiDragon]

Since it is a series, which one is best? I dont even think I know all of the names.

I forgot to mention. I think an RTS based on real history would be cool, and I know that they exist, but I dont know if any are any good.
(I am imagining an RTS game, or any game for that matter, based on obscure wars. Imagine Age of Empires VI "The War of the Spanish Succession", or any games based on the Persian War (greek), Peloponesian war, Alexander's conquests, Punic Wars, other random Roman civil wars, there are a ton. I would continue, but there is no point. I just think this would be cool.)

[thegreatescape]

I totally suck at RTS games, but strangely i enjoy and own quite a few of them... try:

Ground Control:3D RTS with no unit building and more emphasis on strategy. Available free now from fileplanet. GET IT! I liked it, but none of my friends did (no multiplayer for me) :(
Got good ratings when it was released back in 2000-ish, and now that the sequal is out you can get it free from fileplanet (or hopefully a mirror).

Total Annhilation: Still easy on the eyes despite being released 6 years ago. Core Contingency addon is a MUST. Unlimited resources make for some dull games sometimes though... Me and my friends play a 2v2 at the lan we have- over 8 games and still neither team has won a game. Once we went for almost 4 hours without a winner @_@


RTS based on real history would be cool

Try Sudden Strike (http://www.suddenstrike.com/index2.html) which also got some good reviews. You can get the Sudden strike box set (1 & 2 + addons) at a decent price. I played the demo and thought it was tough as nails, but like i said- i totally suck at rts games. LOL

[esquire]

I forgot to mention. I think an RTS based on real history would be cool, and I know that they exist, but I dont know if any are any good.
(I am imagining an RTS game, or any game for that matter, based on obscure wars. Imagine Age of Empires VI "The War of the Spanish Succession", or any games based on the Persian War (greek), Peloponesian war, Alexander's conquests, Punic Wars, other random Roman civil wars, there are a ton. I would continue, but there is no point. I just think this would be cool.)

Well, you definitely should try Medieval Total War and the Viking Invasion Expansion Pack then. Also made by the same company, but not as good, is Shogun Total War and the Mongol Invasion Expansion Pack. Shogun is a bit older and harder to find. As for the Roman RTS, wait for Rome Total War due out sometime this year. There are a few Roman RTS out now, but I don't know much about them. They are Praetorians and Nemesis of the Roman Empire. The latter deals with the Carthiginians and the Punic Wars, so you may want to look that one up. It just came out and only got OK reviews.

Another good historical RTS is Stonghold as well as the Crusader Expansion Pack. You build castles and then lay siege to or defend them.

Other RTS to check out:

Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns
Kohan: Ahriman's Gift
Starcraft
Warcraft II and III
Command & Conquer Series - C&C, Red Alert, C&C Tiberian Sun, Red Alert 2, and Generals.
Star Wars Battlegrounds - uses the Age of Empires engine
Total Annihilation Kingdoms - TA using a Fantasy backstory
Age of Mythology - like Age of Empires, but much better
Blitzkrieg - WWII RTS

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Dune 2000 - somewhat in the Command & Conquer mode, but less forgiving.

If anyone has the Shai-Hulud map editor/importer and is interested, I've made some intriguing retro-themed maps that up the ante a bit. :evil:

http://www.thelogbook.com/wishlist/ninthkey.jpg

Let's just say that Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde have mutated into Sandworms over the years. And they're HUNGRY. :D

[calthaer]

Age of Empires II si = teh r0><0r.

I hear Age of Mythology is good but I don't own it. Warcraft III is very good. Rise of Nations and Empire Earth are also supposed to be good, but I've never played either one.

Even though it's not RTS (it's turn-based), I would have to recommend Master of Orion I + II to anybody who likes deep space strategy.

[robotriot]

It might be stretching the term RTS a *bit* too much, but I really enjoyed Battlezone. Hey, you can command other vehicles, build bases and harvest resources :P

[downfall]

Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising are both great for some good on the go gaming on the GBA.

Not quite as in depth as a Warcraft (not as much micro-management), but they're great to pop in on a trip or when you can't take anything else along. The actual game itself is overflowing with replay value... there are tons of missions, battle maps, and the multiplayer is good fun too.

They're not exactly overlooked or underrated, but they're both solid games well worth the price of admission... I think they may have just gotten lost in the shuffle a bit.

[Daniel Thomas]

Herzog Zwei, of course.

www.danielthomas.org/pop/classics/herzogzwei.htm

Shameless plug, I know, but it bears repeating because it's great. Besides, I wrote those strategy guides with great advice like, "Don't make the Transformers sound when your Mech changes."

And I agree that Advance Wars 2 is just about the best turn-based strategy game ever made, and I'm told that it's $20 now. Also, I created those cool, wacked-out multiplayer maps (more shamelessness ensues):

www.danielthomas.org/pop/videogames/awmaps_page01.htm

[Push Upstairs]

Since it is a series, which one is best? I dont even think I know all of the names.

Right now the series comes in a boxset with AOE1, Rise of Rome expansion, AOE2 and its expansion pack. Out of the games i think AOE2 is the best because it fixed loads of problems that the first game had, like quickly finding idle villagers and whatnot (also adding female villagers as well)

AOE takes place from the Stone age up untill before the fall of Rome.
AOE2 picks up after Rome has fallen and ends somewhere in the early 1500's


I liked the AOE series because it was a tad more realistic, although some liberties were taken for the sake of fun gameplay. I was really turned off on the "Age of Mythology" game because they ditched the "historical" aspect and introduced mythical powers and weapons :hmm:


I don't need Zeus to help me whoop the Spanish...just some siege weapons and alot of gunpowder :evil:

[esquire]

Crap, I almost forgot one of my favorite RTS, Myth as well as Myth II and III.

BTW, the Advance Wars Series is not a RTS. Those are turn based games.

Also, isn't Rise of Nations turn based until the combat occurs? Not sure as I haven't played it yet and ma thinking about getting it.

As for turn based strategies, you have to go with these:

Heroes of Might and Magic Series - Instant Crack!
Warlords I - IV
Steel Panthers I - III
Eastern Front/Western Front/Risisng Sun Series by Talonsoft
Panzer General Series by SSI

also, if you include consoles, you have to go with Nectaris, Neo Nectaris and Military Madness for the PC-Engine and TG16, as well as Nectaris Military Madness for the PS1.

[SkiDragon]

For the record I have played almost all the Command & Conquer games (I cant finish the earlier ones because they dont work on Windows XP for some reason). I made a really popular map for the online Tiberian Sun.

I have also played:
Warcraft II & III
Starcraft+expansion
Populus (a 3D computer version)

I will try some of your suggestions as soon as I get a chance. Keep them coming!

[buttasuperb]

AGE OF EMPIRES 2

Empire Earth is pretty good too.