Please help me Choose RTS game.

Hello,

I've been hardcore Starcraft player since 2000 because I never had a powerful GPU (IGP from 1999). Now that I have 8600GT, I was shocked to see so many RTS games available... Really, I was really SHOCKED...

I recently purchased Company of Heroes, but I don't feel connected because I can not micro my units like starcraft. I looked around and the closest game that seemed to represent starcraft style of game play is Command and Conquer 3 but I heard that new one "Red Faction 3" is coming. Should I wait or should I try to learn the basics of the game and get Red Faction 3 when it comes out.

Couple more, which RTS has the largest community?
Which one is most Balanced?

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By the way how many RTS do you play? Just wondering because RTS has one of the LONGEST learning curve in order to compete in MP.

 

i'm not sure but i believe AoE might have the biggest community around... you can see how many people have the game eg by looking into http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=278823 the most balanced one? i believe that most today's games are somewhat balanced.

how many would be quite a hard question, but you can check the thread on people's game collections where you can take a look on the titles i own. still, there's a couple of titles i believe you can take a look on... to begin with, i find rome total war + expansion sets as one of my personal favs... yet supreme commander is the one for you i believe. it is quite impressive, especially as you did play starcraft (btw probably the best bee... i mean game in the rts world)

considering the question on the whether to buy or wait, my answer would be quite simple - get the game now, as the realistic system reqs might be higher than you expect and therefore your waiting may end in not buying the title. but that's just my own opinion, feel free to disregard it as it's not a scientific theory, just my guess

 

Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War + Dark Crusade
Age of Mythology + Titans
Age of Empires III
Warcraft III
Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II

those are some of the better ones i can remember. if you want multiplayer then Warcraft III, CC Tiberium Wars, and Warhammer 40k are good choices.

 

i think you mean red alert 3...red faction 3 is an fps

 

Rise of Nations is without a doubt the best RTS I have ever played. Once you understand what it is all about, it's an absolutely fantastic game. There are borders, capital timers, supply lines, ... very fun.

Unfortunately, its community is nearly dead, as far as I'm aware of.

 

maybe you should just wait for starcraft 2, should be out by this time of next year

 

I am waiting for Starcraft 2, but I'm sure Blizzard will delay it till first quarter of next year. As of right now, I am looking to occupy my RTS craving.

 

I think that there is a chance of it appearing on December this year. Some site I visited posted December 3 or December 15 as a possible release date of SC2

 

Well, if you want Starcraft like RTS your options are surprisingly limited. While many have tried to mimic it, nobody has figured out the formula like Blizzard had ten years ago.

That being said RTS games I have had a lot of fun with are (in no particular order, ok alphabetically):

Age of Empires 2
Age of Empires 3
C&C 3
C&C Generals + Zero Hour
Company of Heroes
World in Conflict

I think the C&C series would be closest to Starcraft because you do micromange your units. Red Alert 3 isn't due out for some time. Release date is still TBD.

I have tried Rise of Nations and Empire Earth 2 but just couldn't get involved with either one.

 

^^ All that. And RA3 (upon release) as well.

 

I would suggest Age of Mythology (with Titans expansion) and Empire Earth, both excelent and not veru complicated to learn RTS games.

 

Supreme Commander is good, you should try out the demo.

 

Really, RTS games have come a long way since starcraft I'd like to think; some games (a lot) more than others

Shameless unit spamming:
StarCraft
Command&Conquer 3
Age of Empires (haven't played after 3)

Modern warfare (characterized by armies limited to a set number of points with which to purchase units):
World In Conflict
Company of Heroes

True "strategy" gaming:
Rome Total War/Medieval 2 Total War
Supreme commander (to some extent)

My 2 cents. I personally prefer the last group. Less carpal tunnel syndrome.

 

There are many version for Command And Conquer? Is it based on the release date? which one is the most popular one?

 

Get Command and Conquer: The First Decade + C&C 3 Limited Edition (comes with expansion) and you've got it all!

 

What's with the Company of Heroes recommendations? OP's already mentioned that he wasn't too impressed with it.

Still, to find a game with as much microing as SC is somewhat tough. You could try Warcraft 3 if you haven't. Warhammer 40k requires some microing as well.

Supreme Commander, while fun, might not be your cup of tea. Likewise for the Total War series is also very decent.

 

supcom is great, but a bit too intense. black and white 2 was loads of fun. WC3, while not new, its still awesome.

 

Another Starcraft player!
Try out AoE I, II, and III, they're all must plays.
Warcraft III might also be a nice game for you, it's similar to Starcraft, and it's made by the same company.

 

I really like Star Wars Empire at War and the expansion pack to it. They are very fun multiplayer games with a fairly large online community to play against. Rise of Nations and Age of Mythology are good as well but may not have many people online because they are older.

 

Here's a list from best, to okay RTS (Best being number 1)

1. Starcraft: Broodwars
2. Age of Empires 2
3. Command and Conquers 3
4. Red Alert 2
5. Warcraft 3 Frozen Throne
6. Age of Empires 3
7. Age of Mythology

 

Starcraft isn't shameless unit spamming. If you play games like lost temple that aren't huge money maps then the game involves more micro managing and skill.

 

Red Alert 3 is going to be released in the near future (not sure about the release date though). Might be something to look into as well.