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Best RTS game out there now?

Featured Replies

Welp, you've got AoE2 and starcraft, though they're getting dated. AoE3 is fairly good if you want to shell out for the expansions. RA2 is an option though again getting dated. Supreme Commander was apparently very awesome, and World in Conflict was fun. Theres the total war series though thats more of a turn based game with RTS elements. Just stay away from empire, its a giant pile of meh and suck. Oh and of course my current addiction, sins of a solar empire.
Rise of nations.

 

 

This, not sure I would consider it the best but it is very fun, considering you are talking about more modern Rise of Nations has a few years on it.

 

I would recommend either World in Conflict, fun, engaging story line, action is instant as you don't have to build bases you just call in units with points you acquire over time up to a limit and slower with the more units you have already on the field, and call in support (artillery, air, giant ass explosions, etc...) with points you obtain from destroying stuff and taking stuff. You pick from support, air, armor, and infantry. It is a fun game and while it can be repetitive it still manages to stay fresh as every engagement is different (with online play). NOTE: I have not played the latest expansion, you need it if you want to play online.

 

Another one no one has said but I really enjoy and recommend is Company of Heroes. It is a WWII style RTS, single player is fun as well as multiplayer. There is two? expansions out now, don't need them for single player or LAN but for online you probably will need them.

This game I have used for LAN parties, hours of fun. There is plenty of strategies you can use to win and usually one or two main areas of conflict resulting in large explosive battles throughout the game. If I was to choose my favorite (newer) RTS to recommend, I would say Company of Heroes, and World in Conflict coming in a close second.

Oh theres some variaty through couple diffrent nation choices and then their 3 diffrent specializations with CoH as well

Yeah, I love starcraft but it is quite dated now. Looking for something just as addictive, but with modern graphics :).

 

 

well there is starcraft two....... >_> Not really many games similar to starcraft in truth, but again i point to my current addiction Sins of a Solar Empire. With the two Micro Expansions it should set you back 40 bucks tops (get the expansions, they make the game much better. It's a 4x game but in real time :D

I borrowed Sins of a Solar empire once, and it was a fantastic game - although I played one game over consecutive on nights on single player, 'cos it takes a damn long time. Thinking of picking it up again.

Edited by molestargazer

I borrowed Sins of a Solar empire once, and it was a fantastic game - although I played one game over consecutive on nights on single player, 'cos it takes a damn long time. Thinking of picking it up again.

 

 

Yea on 60+ planet multi star maps it can take a while. Even longer with entrenchment since it makes turtling a workable strategy. theres small maps out there as well however

  • Author
Paintball4kicks sent me a beta key for starcraft2 I plan on checking that out tomorrow :P

 

You have to post to let us know how the game is! Been waiting so long for it, and it would be great to get a review before I go spending money on it :D.

***** I actually have been itching to play Command & Conquer Generals again. That's a nice straight-ahead modern combat game. Paladin tanks, camouflaged terrorists, scud missiles, Humvees, tactical nukes. I may go play it right now actually.

 

***** Another vote for Company of Heroes. It's a great modern warfare game with relatively new graphics. The AI and cover/concealment system is very neat too.

 

**** I have much love for Starcraft and can't wait 'till SC2 comes out. Starcraft has one of the best feels of any RTS games out there for me. Maybe it's because it's been around so long, but it just feels comfortable like playing with an old worn-in glove. Too bad it also looks like an old glove.

 

**** Age of Empires 3 is pretty fun if you like colonial warfare. I think it starts you out right away at pikemen and climaxes at the first gattling guns.

 

*** Rise of Nations is a great RTS too but it gets a bit ridiculous end-game. Every end game that I've played ended up being players nuking each other because that was the only way to break through the others' massive armies.

 

** Supreme Commander seems like it should be incredible but, maybe I just don't get it. More often than not, it feels like creating a billion little vectors to go zip around and shoot lasers at each other. Massive? Yes. Entertaining? Not so much for me.

  • 2 weeks later...
I played some starcraft 2 beta, not much but what I had played was great. There was a good amount of latency issues so the game play was a little catchy (only online is available with beta) so hopefully they can fix that up a bit before release or maybe they could stop being asshats and include LAN support. So yea great game, I recommend it to all once it releases.

I really don't know what genre it is... But look for Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders. Kind of like RTS/hank n slash/Squad Combat/RPG. With terribad and hilarious translations from (korean, I think) into English.

 

Fun as hell game which was highly underrated, never properly promoted, and unintentionally hilarious.

It's very tactical, you have to be aware of terrain, and field your forces accordingly. If you bring units not fit for the terrain or the fielded opposition, you're going to get your ass handed to you. Although you CAN squeak out a win with poor pre-deployment strategies, it's gonna be rough going.

You can also use all sorts of terrain to your advantage. Set forests ablaze and cook your enemy inside, break damns and drown/scatter enemy unitswith the rushing water... Of course you have to lure them into the little streams first. If they're on the other side of the map, setting the river free won't do you any good. And if your guys are there, they'll get boned.

You absolutely MUST secure advantageous position on the field and employ your units to their fullest. Full frontal charges with everything are going to leave you dead.

 

With up to 3000 men fielded and 200 at a time on screen.... It gets to be a bit delicate sometimes lol

 

proper positioning and encirclement is everything. Wolf pack tactics work great if you can work out the logistics without having a stray unit get caught alone and slaughtered.

Bonuses for flanking, fighting with the sun at your back (and in your enemy's eyes), rear assaults...

 

Your main flag unit will have two officers assisting. (Three total, counting you) Each other fielded unit has an Officer in charge. Officers level and gain abilities. The higher the level, the better your morale, and the better your men fight. Certain people are better at commanding certain unit types, but they can learn to command new ones. Slowly.

 

You can also buy weapons and armor for yourself, your officers, and your army, but they cost an assload of money and will leave you perpetually broke. Especially if you're trying to keep ALL your forces in the latest and greatest. It just isn't gonna happen. You need to think smart and plan ahead even on outfitting your army.

 

Only for X Box sadly, and the new one for 360 took all the fun **** out and settled for being a simple RPG.

 

One of THE most awesome games I've ever played. Ever.

 

From the Wiki:

Gameplay

 

The gameplay of Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders contains elements from the popular game Dynasty Warriors and aspects of various role-playing games. As well as controlling the main character, the player fights with multiple armies or "units", which are controlled in real-time with either a minimap or the main screen. When the main character's unit engages in mêlée with an enemy unit, the gameplay is similar to Dynasty Warriors.

[edit]Units

The unit-types of the game include:

Infantry: Engage units in melee.

Archers: Fire at ground and air targets. Dark Legion archers may fire from horses and Ballistas can target air units as well

Artillery: (catapults, mortars, ballistas) Engages units indirectly from a long range.

Airborne units: Engages units from the air, where only archers, specially designed ballistas, and magic can attack them.

Cavalry: Does not actually engage in close combat but charges around and through the battlefield, disrupting ranks and causing massive troop damage.

Sappers: Lays traps that serious damages enemy troops and can also set fire to forests. Can be used as a substitute for infantry. Pyrotechs for the Human Alliance may lay mines which causes more damage.

Mortars: Functions just like archers with the exception to target air units but can take down castle walls. (Human Alliance only)

Spearmen: Specialized troop which can take down enemy cavalry and immobilize troops in front of them. The Dark Legion version of spearmen are Orc Axemen

Support Units: Units such as Storm Riders, Bomber Wings, Wyverns, Swamp Mammoths, and Dirigibles that can cause massive damage to the enemy.

Scorpions: Huge living siege weapons that can take down castle walls and be used as infantry. They are also invulnerable to arrows. (Dark Legion Exclusive)

Orc Ghouls: Dead Orcs risen from the grave that have very high defense but are vulnerable to holy. Can send a Orc to self destruct as a siege weapon. (Dark Legion Exclusive)

Note: any unit in close-quarter combat cannot be used for anything else until the combat is resolved. The exception to this is when two units are in close-quarter combat with the enemy. One could retreat one unit and the other unit will keep the enemy unit occupied. This allows the retreated unit to regain troops and/or use the attack it was meant for(archers/mages/catapults). In theory, one could retreat a single unit fighting another enemy unit, but the enemy unit would just reengage the retreating unit. The only single unit able to retreat from any one on whatever amount of enemies combat is the cavalry, who's unmatched speed allows it to disengage from close combat quickly and resume charging around the battlefield.

[edit]Combat magic

Besides normal combat, spells can be used in the battlefield. Most combat units can learn any kind of spell. Spells allow units to throw fireballs, call down meteors, heal the player's army, or send ghoulish suicide bombs to enemy forces.

 

 

Supposedly a true sequal (Kingdom Under Fire II) is set to release this year or next, on PC and 360.

One of the most underrated and underhyped games ever.

I hope it can live up to what The Crusaders was.

If you can grab a copy of The Crusaders for X Box, snap it up.

SC2... heh, prolly gonna be meh IMO unless Blizzard has learned from its mistakes on overhyping and other things (as in WCIII which was boring; DotA pretty much saved that game's ass from being shelved forever IMO and now DotA is replaced by HoN). In general, RTSs lost their fun factor to me after I fell in love with Paradox games. :D

 

Don't have SC2 beta, and not interested since I don't have a comp currently geared for playing any modern game without some laggage. Gonna build a new one pretty soon though. :P

Edited by Ivan V

*ahem*

Kingdom.

Under.

Fire.

:

The.

Crusaders.

Old Game screenies:

http://i.testfreaks.co.uk/images/products/600x400/107/kingdom-under-fire-the-crusaders-52293.419435.jpg

http://i.testfreaks.com/images/products/600x400/19/kingdom-under-fire-the-crusaders-52293.229395.jpg

http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/1219/1126834715.jpg

 

The new one should be on PC as well.

Screenies for KUFII:

http://www.blueside.co.kr/root_file/products/screenshots/200909045890364.jpg

http://www.blueside.co.kr/root_file/products/screenshots/200911276349266.jpg

http://www.blueside.co.kr/root_file/products/screenshots/200909045836910.jpg

kingdom under fire looks pretty sweet I'll have to check it out or just jump to the sequel when it hits.

 

A little bit on SC2:

 

The good,

Definitely a fun game and well worth paying for, improvements from the first for and online play is good with a fairly easy and navigable setup screen.

 

 

The bad:

Not very strategic IMO. The only real strategy comes from counter units which aren't always very counterful (could be fixed before release, and yes I made that word up), and from building base and resource gathering as quick as possible to get defenses before someone speed rapes you at the beginning.

 

 

So fun with some strategy but, not enough for me to suggest it for a strategy game.

  • 2 weeks later...

Kingdom Under Fire looks pretty sweet

 

EDIT: Damn, Lorikz, I pretty much said the same thing you did... great minds think alike? :P

Edited by Ivan V

  • 4 weeks later...

Kingdom Under Fire looks pretty sweet

 

EDIT: Damn, Lorikz, I pretty much said the same thing you did... great minds think alike? <img src="http://www.iron-command.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" />

 

 

Oh really? Yea I thought it was fun but as for strategy i feel it is lacking a little.

  • 8 months later...

I like SC2, its a definite improvement from the first one. Strategies, once you learn a few and intermix them with great micro, are vital to success. ALL races have the ability to rush and to counter the rush, its just a matter of knowing how to handle each situation.

 

I definitely recommend it to anyone, especially those with prior RTS experience.

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