# Recommed for me a good, recent, real time strategy VG. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-for-me-a-good-recent-real-time-strategy-vg/208752 "2003-10-21T18:55:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-for-me-a-good-recent-real-time-strategy-vg/208752/1 "2003-10-21T18:55:29Z")
Baically that’s it. I’m looking for something along the lines of Command & Conquer, Total Anihilation or Age of Empires II. I would prefer modern or futuristic weapons to Midevil. What’s good these days? ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-for-me-a-good-recent-real-time-strategy-vg/208752/2 "2003-10-21T21:01:23Z")
**Rabid\_Squirrel** ’s Worldwind Tour of Today’s RTS Games. I’ve played all four, but none of the three expansion packs. Well, your choices are: C&C Generals - 3D engine, shadows, lighting, yada, yada, yada - v. pretty though. The expansion pack is (apparently) pretty good and adds quite a bit. Sides are interesting and genuinely differ from each other (unlike previous C&C games). Fun to play an dlots of carnage all round. Rise of Nations: Along the lines of Age of Empires 2. Goes until the modern age. Less unit variety, but argueably better gameplay. Tech-tree is good and the Empire bonuses can dramatically change your tactics. No siege warfare though ☹ Warcraft 3: A smaller unit cap means more micromangement. Expect to control typically 20-50 units, excluding workers. Expansion pack is typical Blizzard quality. I miss controlling hordes (a-la Starcraft), but the micro can be fun in the larger pitched battles. Oh, and you can level up your ‘heros’ too. Age of Mythology: Good unit variety and game balancing, but it never stood out for me (personal opinion, of course). A nice expansion pack is available. You could nip off to Gamespy or IGN for reviews. ---
**Author:** ![InquisitiveIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3ec8ea/32.png) [@InquisitiveIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InquisitiveIdiot)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-for-me-a-good-recent-real-time-strategy-vg/208752/3 "2003-10-21T22:37:15Z")
Homeworld 2 kicks ass. ---
**Author:** ![Kivick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/65b543/32.png) [@Kivick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kivick)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-for-me-a-good-recent-real-time-strategy-vg/208752/4 "2003-10-22T01:56:25Z")
Rise of Nations \*\*\*\*\* excellant blend of real time and turn based strategy. Good choice overall. Homeworld2 (3d space combat) \*\*\* is absolutly gorgeous and has its momements but over all isnt as deep as other games Ive placed. Empire Earth: \*\*\*\* Great range of eras from ancient to futuristic (Pseudo space combat with the expansion) excellant choice IMO Empires: Rise of Nations ??? just went gold should be a winner! Looking forward to this game. castle age to WW2 technology and great looking 3d graphics. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-for-me-a-good-recent-real-time-strategy-vg/208752/5 "2003-10-22T02:43:09Z")
That last one should be ‘Empires: Dawn of the Modern World’. It covers about a 1000 years of warfare, and most of the units have different special abilities, _ala_ Warcraft 3. I personally like Rise of Nations a lot, and I don’t like most RTS games after the first couple of hours. Rise of Nations covers from ancient times to modern times (actually there are a few future techs to research which speed up the game at the end), and it has a lot of concepts from turn-based strategy games that haven’t been seen much (if at all) in RTS games, like national borders, attrition, etc. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-for-me-a-good-recent-real-time-strategy-vg/208752/6 "2003-10-22T06:43:29Z")
I play all the games listed above but for some reason I think the new Command & Conquer Generals (with Xpack) would fit the bill. Simple gameplay with very complex strategies. Sometimes I feel more strategic playing that than I do Rise of Nations. Generals has US, China, and the GLA (terrorsits). It’s very current and the sides play very differently. The weapons are modern plus a generation or two ahead as well. For instance the US has humvees, paladin tanks, raptors, comanches, and stealth bombers, but it also has the aurora bomber, a particle cannon, and the xpack has a microwave tank. Very cool stuff, I highly recommend picking it up. The expansion pack has more sp gameplay than the original. My favorite unit? - China’s Black Lotus, the stealth super-hacker chick who powers-down or converts buildings and hacks cash. Fun! ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-for-me-a-good-recent-real-time-strategy-vg/208752/7 "2003-10-22T06:55:52Z")
I never liked C&C or Age of _._ so take my advice with a grain of salt. Homeworld 2 it’s really fun and engaging. But still way to trigger bound. I’ve managed to break two different missions by doing things slightly wrong which can be annoying. And I think the graphics/gameplay aren’t that big of a step up from the orginal (and it’s expansion pack) I’d say it is about a B- of a game Warcraft III mmmm gaming goodness. Great story. I loved the fact I could actually use spells without having to go insane clicking everything. An A of a game. ---
**Author:** ![Galanthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Galanthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galanthus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-for-me-a-good-recent-real-time-strategy-vg/208752/8 "2003-10-22T08:55:32Z")
Most of the above games are tactical rather than strategic games. The “Total War” series has strategic elements but for a true strategic game play “Europa Universalis II” or “Hearts of Iron” ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-for-me-a-good-recent-real-time-strategy-vg/208752/9 "2003-10-22T17:45:27Z")
What about online multiplayer support? AOE sucked vs the PC but the best part was the multi-player games online. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-for-me-a-good-recent-real-time-strategy-vg/208752/10 "2003-10-23T00:50:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by msmith537 \* > \*\*What about online multiplayer support? AOE sucked vs the PC but the best part was the multi-player games online. \*\* There always seems to be a large contingency of bitching about MP RTS games. I’ve never had a problem with Rise of Nations or Generals.