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What's The Best RTS For Me?

 

Choosing The Right RTS For You


There are many RTS games out there, spanning from the early 1990s to now. Each one has its own gems and flaws, player base, and charm. So the question is, “Which one is right for me?” We will look at different categories on how to choose a good RTS that you will enjoy including: Release Dates, Setting, Difficulty, and Player Base.





Release Dates:

Are you looking for a good nostalgic game or high end graphics? There are many good RTS games from the 1990s and early 2000s, but you have to get over the clunky controls and “poor” graphics. Don’t ignore old games simply because of their age; there are some really good ones! Personally, my favorite old RTS is Tzar. 


Setting:

There are many different settings to RTS games. From history, science fiction, fantasy, and more. The question you should ask yourself is, “Which genre do I like the best?” Do you want to relive history and conquer civilizations? Do you want to face off against aliens in an unknown world or even BE aliens yourself? Do you want to immerse yourself in a war between your favorite fantasy stories with elves and orcs? Of course, you can always try out a few different genres, but think about which one interests you the most, because you will most likely like that game more. 


Difficulty:

This category can vary depending on what you find difficult. We will look at two subcategories for this one:

-Pacing:

There are faster and slower games within the genre itself. What do I mean? Some games like Starcraft 2 ramp up quicker in pace than  games like Age of Empires. Everything happens faster and the games “usually” end quicker. Pace can be the result of less “things” to manage, quicker access to powerful units, quicker gather rate, smaller maps, etc. You can also choose hybrid RTS games like the Total War series that have turn based economic management and real time strategy. So which would you prefer? Are you faster or slower paced?

-Knowledge Bank

Some games require a lot of knowledge in what you have to face. For example, Age of Empires 2 has 35 civilizations to figure out gameplay style, strengths, and weaknesses. Starcraft 2 has 3 races to memorize. Games can also have a huge variety in units with different skills and powers like Warcraft 3. Which do you prefer? More things to memorize might be annoying at first, but it does lead into more varied gameplay

-Mechanics

Some games are known for specific gameplay. Warcraft 3 for its heroes, Age of Empires for its Age Up progression, Stronghold for its castle building, etc. Depending on the mechanic, this can be easier or harder for you, but it could also be more fun. Perhaps looking into specific ways to play the game might interest you? 


Player Base:

Maybe you like the older games, but you spend way too much time looking for matches. In this case, see which games have a more active player base to get games quicker. These games will also have tournaments and updated guides. 


Check out my post on "A NEW ERA For The RTS Genre?" (https://forged2game.blogspot.com/2023/10/a-new-era-for-rts-genre.html) for a list of new RTS games.


Which is your favorite RTS? Leave a comment!
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