First time RTS gamer

[StBishop]

Your first RTS should be Starcraft. It will set the foundations of many RTS games.

Snip

Proper? Those are all fantastic RTS games you mentioned.

Yeah, but I don't consider myself an RTS fan. I'm good at them enough to complete the campaign but I'm not completive in multiplayer. I don't play enough to call myself an RTS fan, I just play around on ones that I stumble across. I guess fan isn't what I'm looking for, maybe enthusiast is what I mean.

Add Rise of Nations and Empire Earth to my previous list OP.

 

[ImprovizoR]

Also, I would prefer that the games have full 3D camera and graphics, not a fixed camera and 2D graphics.

Graphics shouldn't matter in RTS games. And some of the best games are in 2D. Like Civilizations, Knights of Honor (my favorite) etc. You will miss out on a lot of amazing games with that mindset.

I could recommend: Warcraft 3, Starcraft 2, Civilizations 4, Knights of Honor, Galactic Civilizations 2 Ultimate, Total War series, Company of Heroes, Sins of a Solar Empire (amazing 3D space strategy. I'm playing it these days a lot).

 

[Lyri]

Don't get into RTS games! ´

Get out while you still can!!!!

Or you'll end up like me, trying to beat Zerg players at 1 in the morning...

With nothing to do, but be molested by a game that in it's core hates everyone and everything!!

Oh the Humanity!

Every time I read something Starcraft 2 related I get the urge to re-install that damn game lol.
Also Zerg are not hard to beat, not even close. Pm me your bug bears and I'll throw out some tips.

 

[Korten12]

I take it you just copy and pasted that from a prebuilt computer sales pitch.
Knowing the graphics card is important, although I'm sure it's being sold with something that won't bottleneck.

Why not try a few demos to RTS games you might like? Not only do you see what your computer can run but you get to try a load out for free before committing to something you think you'd like but don't really know as you're new to the genre.

I recommend Company of Heroes though. Not the fasted paced RTS so I guess it's fairly nice on newcomers, but I played a fair few before CoH.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/4560/

Yeah, Company of Heroes is good, and the story is quite good imo.

 

[Lyri]

Nothing out of the ordinary, it's just the same as everyone else, hard to keep up in the macro and difficulty with unit combinations and timings..

But you should reinstall that SC2

Would not mind sparring with someone ^^

Well that wouldn't be a problem.

Lemme go find my collectors edition box somewhere in this hellhole of a room lol.

 

[Lyri]

You have a collectors edition and you don't know where it is?!

Urge to kill.... Rising..!..

Well, it'll be on top of my vivarium most likely. I just haven't used it since I installed SCII. I uninstantiated it yesterday so this really went well for me xD

 

[Avayu]

The original Dawn of War game and its expansions are a really good start (though you better don't bother with Soulstorm), since it is a very classic RTS games but also has a distinctive style. If you have any love for Warhammer 40k, you should try it, if not, it still is a lot of fun.
If you want something a little bit different that mixes the classic RTS formula up a bit, you could try DoW2 or World in Conflict. Two great fast-paced games with a lot more action, but without base building and resource gathering. Judging from the rest of your specs, I'd guess your graphics card can't be entirely bad, but these last two games can be a little bit more straining to older cards, so be careful there.

 

[SuperNova221]

For first time I wouldn't recommend Homeworld, but I would add it onto the list of to-play's at a future date. All three of them, Homeworld 1, Homeworld: Cataclysm and Homeworld 2.

For first time probably good to go with C&C. It's probably the longest running RTS series, and probably not the best anymore but it's solid and relativley simple.

 

[wfpdk]

command and conquer or starcraft or time splitters 3.

 

[Doctor Brobotnik]

The earlier Total War games are really enjoyable if you have a few months spare.

 

[Imsety]

I would strongly recommend Dawn of War. You can get it on Steam [http://store.steampowered.com/sub/447/] (together with the two decent expansion packs) for only ten bucks, and it's a hell of a lot of fun for such a small amount of money.

 

[tombman888]

Dawn of War series (though i recommend the first one and expansions)
Warcraft 3
Starcraft 2 (Actually not that good if you're only starting playing RTS's)
League of Legends (Mostly because i only started playing now, and i'd recommend this to anyone. Although, it is a more RTSRPG style as you only control one unit, but its still incredibly fun)

 

[F4LL3N]

Age of Empire 3 or Company of Heroes.

AoE 3 is really simple yet has a lot of complexity.

Company of Heroes is good but probably not as solid.

 

[airlife101]

Not sure if it's been mentioned so far, but World In Conflict a nice little RTS games. Even on the lowest of the lowest graphic settings, it's a pretty game. Though I'd suggest you get the complete edition; to get both the US/Nato and the Soviet campaign.

 

[Araksardet]

If we're talking full 3D graphics, I'd recommend the following (expansions always recommended):

-Dawn of War (the first one, not the second one!); action-packed and with an array of varied factions

-Warcraft III; this looks really, really old by today's standards, but it's also really, really fun

-Supreme Commander; if you want massive scale and huge bases, this is your game

-Rise of Legends; this is a slower game and not very radical, but it's got a charming style that's fun to play with

-Red Alert 3; don't mind the hate some people have for this game, campaign and skirmish are both a lot of fun, even if the game doesn't live up to the previous installments

-Command & Conquer: Generals; another one that looks particularly old by today's standards, but it's definitely worth playing

 

[Spandexpanda]

time splitters 3.

My favourite RTS of all time, with the unique take on the genre insofar as being set in a first person perspective and controlling only one unit. /joke