RTS that offers the most varied gameplay?

Specifically, varied gameplay among the races/classes that an RTS has to offer.

Starcraft is a great example of an RTS that offers extremely varied gameplay. Each race plays like its from a different game. Can you think of any challengers to starcraft in this respect? Universe at war comes to mind, although I've been told that the varied gameplay in that game still pales in comparison to Starcraft.

 

MTW:2 is the only game I can think of that comes close, the different racial units make a difference in the battlefield. The Kingdoms expansion with its Spanish vs Natives campaign is good in this regard.

 

yep, M2 total war is definately one. different factions have differetn strengths and weaknesses that you ahve to play to. CoH (with opposign fronts) also is varied. different armies have different focuses like armour, mobility, infantry or artillary, then you can have further specializastion within that with the command trees.

 

I've played MTW:2 and I didn't think there was vary much variation in the gameplay. The different races are really just distinguished by different attributes (one unit is a little bit stronger/faster/whatever). The races in Starcraft play like completely different games.

This is a very important distinction. Is the varied gameplay the result of truly different gameplay mechanics, or merely shifting attributes (or something like attributes).

 

well playing a game with calvary focus, heavy infantry focus, spearmen focus or archer focus certainly makes the battels rather different. not sure if you are one of the people that just spams DFK's and has no strategy except numbers.

 

Admittedly it does make the battle significantly different, but I just don't think its the same kind of variation that Starcraft offers.

 

Supreme Commander definitely is....just the thought of commanding 1000+ troops on screen is mind-blowing...

Then, if you can get through the rather dated graphics, Empire Earth II offers some very decent/varied gameplay, where strategy really comes in handy. (DO NOT buy Empire Earth III though...that game is simply a mindless march-to-the-enemy kind of rts that resorts to NO strategy whatsoever...get EEII if you want to).

 

try CoH then.

 

I still don't games listed offer the varied gameplay of starcraft. I should have made the topic "varied game mechanics"

 

EE, doesn't really have varied strategy due to civ choice though. and EE1 is significantly better than 2.

also warcraft 3 has pretty varied race tactics.

 

COH is the same thing. Each race has some kind of tank. This race's tank shoots fire, that other tank does not. Same underlying mechanics.

 

how do they offer different gameplay though? its pretty much because the races aren't clones of each other, but are balanced. there are lots of games like this.

 

no it isn't. the wherchmart tanks are heavier but slower, have slower turning circle and slower turret speeds. the other german team (slipped my mind) has lots of light mobile armour, making it a mobile attacking and defending force.

americans have versitile infantry. the poms are a defending force. they are different, the don't have the same units. that is pretty much what starcraft is.

 

Thats nothing like starcraft. The tanks you just listed are just variations of each other. One has stronger armor, shoots faster, whatever. The units in starcraft hardly reflect one another.

 

You've dismissed practically every suggestion given, why not rename the thread title "Starcraft is the most varied RTS for gameplay ever." and ask people to refute your claim? We could name starcraft 2 but since it isn't released yet we wouldn't have any data on how it plays.

 

wait a minute. they have health, the do damage to the opposing units health. whats the difference between units then? you seem to be splitting straws or you are advertising for starcraft.

 

Warhammer 40K series (Dawn of War, Winter Assault, Dark Crusade and Soul Storm). C&C 3 (and expansion Kane's Wrath). Universe at War.

 

Universe at war is the only game I can think of that offers varied game mechanics similar to Starcraft.

 

not sure why you disreguarded my post. but i can't see how the races in starcraft are more different then the armies in CoH. i am afraid that different sprites doesn't make them all that different.

 

definetly WC3.

 

Another vote for Dawn of War series...didn't win Game of the Year for nothing, play orks, then play eldar...if you don't find that varied then yeah, this thread is just a starcraft advertisement thread.

 

I am a fan of dawn of war, and I admit the gameplay is pretty varied. In my opinion more so than in COH. Which races in the dawn of war series would you consider the most distinct?

 

How does C&C3 differ at all in gameplay mechanics....Aliens have cranes for crying out loud. That game was put together by monkeys.

UaW & DoW I agree with. DoW because of the many races, UaW because the three races are substantially different.

I will add warcraft 3 on there also. Orc/Human were similar but Night Elf and Undead were very unique.

 

even orc/human are different enough. you have a tank, mainly heavy unit race. and a race that can kind of do anything. humans are a really good support race. The heroes really help to define the races as well.

But i still have to say that CoH has 4 rather different armies. (the origonal 2 have their similarities) but the other 2 certainly are very different.

 

Dawn Of War Series.

 

I own Dawn of War, great game but I certainly wouldn't call it varied the way the OP is looking at it.

It follows the same cookie cutter army as every other RTS out there.

 

I like the Tau, first because they don't seem as fanatical as the rest and they also have a interesting tech tree where you can shoose to go the way of the beast or tech.

 

Clearly the Necrons, since they only require energy. Next is the [Eldar/Imperial Guard] with the [Webway Gates/movement between buildings].

As for your previous comments: it is really difficult to find a game that matches Starcraft in the sense that you have three totally different races with their armies (the basic units or even their 'tanks' cannot be classified in the same section). Almost every other RTS has based the differences in creating a system of armies with many variables and adjusting them (like slow but strong/plenty of health, or fast but weak, etc.).

 

What about universe at war? I've heard that comes the closet to Starcraft's varied gameplay. I'd like to buy Universe at war, but I have also heard almost nobody plays it online (probably due to the LIVE service required to play it).