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PC Does anyone play RTS games anymore?
- Thread starter JOE BIDEN
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I'm not an RTS fan. I tried Kessen II ages ago, but couldn't get into it for the same reason I couldn't get into Turn Based RPGS. I don't really like not being able to control my character's actions in real time. I'm not into selecting stuff from a menu and watching NPCs do the work.
I'd say the closest I got to enjoying RTS type gameplay (and it's really not even close) is in Bioshock 2 where you can basically control a bunch of bots and swarms of bugs to do all the work for you. You can even get enemies to fight for you for a period of time. I'd enter a room, and unleash a hoard of bees and let them distract the bad guys. It's a lot of fun.
I'd say the closest I got to enjoying RTS type gameplay (and it's really not even close) is in Bioshock 2 where you can basically control a bunch of bots and swarms of bugs to do all the work for you. You can even get enemies to fight for you for a period of time. I'd enter a room, and unleash a hoard of bees and let them distract the bad guys. It's a lot of fun.
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JOE BIDEN
New Member
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TA is one of my ultimate best ever RTS games. Have you played the C&C Remastered Collection?
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I am and probably always will be a big RTS fan. Back when I had time to play games a lot (read: when I was in full time education) I played quite high level Age of Empires II and Dawn of War. But this has always been a genre that I've come back to. I've just started Starship Troopers Terran Command. I love the film and the game nails the feel of it. That'll probably be what I move onto when I've finished playing Avengers. After that I've got Realms of Ruin lined up. Not supposed to be very good, but as a Warhammer fan I expect I'll get some enjoyment out of it. After that the next big RTS on my list is Age of Mythology Retold. Just cannot wait to play through all of that again.
I think it's a genre that is past its golden era, but I can't see it ever going away, because there is a demand for it. But the great thing about RTS games is that they do age incredibly well, mainly because the graphics on the micro level don't matter too much, and there hasn't been a huge amount of innovation when it comes to gameplay compared to other genres. The upshot is that even if the new releases are a little more limited, the genre itself is always going to be accessible. I also think that if you're a fan of the genre you're probably going to be able to get a decent amount of enjoyment out of even mediocre RTS games. Iron Harvest, for example, is a game that was pretty universally panned, but I expect I'll play and get some fun out of it at some point.
One of the biggest problems that the RTS genre has had is just so many of the big titles (mainly sequels) have been disappointing in recent years. Dawn of War III, Company of Heroes 3, Homeworld 3 and even Stronghold Warlords were all big disappointments. Age of Empires IV is supposed to be decent (I've not played it), but not at the level of previous games (which, in fairness, peaked at 2 rather than 3). I can't think of another example of so many notable games in a genre flopping, and you don't really see indie RTS games either. So it is a genre that's having a tough time at the moment. AoM Retold has been very well received, but outside of that and Terran Command I'm struggling to think of a good, well reviewed RTS from the last four or five years.
I think it's a genre that is past its golden era, but I can't see it ever going away, because there is a demand for it. But the great thing about RTS games is that they do age incredibly well, mainly because the graphics on the micro level don't matter too much, and there hasn't been a huge amount of innovation when it comes to gameplay compared to other genres. The upshot is that even if the new releases are a little more limited, the genre itself is always going to be accessible. I also think that if you're a fan of the genre you're probably going to be able to get a decent amount of enjoyment out of even mediocre RTS games. Iron Harvest, for example, is a game that was pretty universally panned, but I expect I'll play and get some fun out of it at some point.
One of the biggest problems that the RTS genre has had is just so many of the big titles (mainly sequels) have been disappointing in recent years. Dawn of War III, Company of Heroes 3, Homeworld 3 and even Stronghold Warlords were all big disappointments. Age of Empires IV is supposed to be decent (I've not played it), but not at the level of previous games (which, in fairness, peaked at 2 rather than 3). I can't think of another example of so many notable games in a genre flopping, and you don't really see indie RTS games either. So it is a genre that's having a tough time at the moment. AoM Retold has been very well received, but outside of that and Terran Command I'm struggling to think of a good, well reviewed RTS from the last four or five years.
I have, and it is absolutely fantastic. Exactly what a remaster should be. It modernises the presentation and accessibility whilst keeping the pure, unfiltered nostalgia. It's the one game that I dip into now and again to play a mission regardless of what else I'm playing. If you haven't got it yet you absolutely must.
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This is pretty much it for me.
I actually enjoyed Age of Empires IV quite a lot and think it's better than II, although I like the latter less than most people. But all in all, it's a pretty similar experience compared to how other genres have evolved since then.
I still have Game Pass and they just added Age of Mythology Retold. I've only played a single match so far but I'll get into that. If they're going for remasters then Red Alert 2 would be a prime target for one.
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I've played a few more missions on Starship Troopers Terran Command, and I can confirm that it's excellent. Absolutely essential if you're a fan of the film because it captures the tone of the film perfectly. Overwhelming odds against bugs. The bombastic fascist presentation which is funny because it's satirical yet you know at the same time that some countries are not far from this. The story in the game obviously goes beyond the film, but it's all spot on. Case in point, I've just done a mission where the opening video started with "the only thing worse than a bug is a traitor", and the mission involves you recovering a prisoner who has escaped, and then defending the outpost from bugs for long enough for him to be executed live on television. Excellent stuff.
Even if you're not a Starship Troopers fan, there's a great RTS game here with really solid mechanics. The asymmetric gameplay means that you invariably have more firepower than the bugs, but they have the numbers and your soldiers need clear line of sight, so positioning as you move through the maps is absolutely key, which is a really nice focus. There are varied challenges with different types of bugs, including those that can attack from range, but so far that doesn't feel cheap, and it feels like there are strategic solutions to everything. There are nice touches with some of the mechanics, too. For example, there are spitter bugs which are annoying because they are ranged, but you can recruit snipers, and you can set them to prioritise spitter bugs when they see them, which is great and cuts down on the micro management considerably. You can do the same for all types of units, so your rocket troops can prioritise heavily armoured targets etc. I'm not far in, but this is an excellent game in its own right which all happens to be based on a film that I love, so I reckon I'm playing this one through to the end.
Even if you're not a Starship Troopers fan, there's a great RTS game here with really solid mechanics. The asymmetric gameplay means that you invariably have more firepower than the bugs, but they have the numbers and your soldiers need clear line of sight, so positioning as you move through the maps is absolutely key, which is a really nice focus. There are varied challenges with different types of bugs, including those that can attack from range, but so far that doesn't feel cheap, and it feels like there are strategic solutions to everything. There are nice touches with some of the mechanics, too. For example, there are spitter bugs which are annoying because they are ranged, but you can recruit snipers, and you can set them to prioritise spitter bugs when they see them, which is great and cuts down on the micro management considerably. You can do the same for all types of units, so your rocket troops can prioritise heavily armoured targets etc. I'm not far in, but this is an excellent game in its own right which all happens to be based on a film that I love, so I reckon I'm playing this one through to the end.
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I'm going to pretend to be surprised that our resident lawyer and uber smart person is a fan of RTS'.
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Dang, it's hard to find a funny "surprised" gif that doesn't come off as needlessly condescending. I even tried "pleasantly surprised" and they all come off like someone being a smartass.
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Dang, it's hard to find a funny "surprised" gif that doesn't come off as needlessly condescending. I even tried "pleasantly surprised" and they all come off like someone being a smartass.
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Viper_Maniac
PGen Alumni
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