Old-Fashioned RTS Games

[Hopkins]

My father is an older gamer with a highly exclusive taste in games. With a like for only RTS games (I have tried swaying him, but he just does not see the appeal in anything else), he has run into trouble finding games that suit him. Most of the more recent Real-Time Strategy games that he's tried he's found to be either too complex or simply too overwhelming.

My question to you, the Escapist Community, is whether you can help me find a game that he might find enjoyable. Some of his complaints with newer RTS games have included a) No buildings/economy, b) Unable to move single units, each unit consists of 3 or so invdividual units, and c) too elaborate. I have here a list of the games he enjoys and the ones he does not:

Like-

Warcrafts 1 and 2
Age of Empires 1-3
Age of Mythology
Rise of Nations
Starcraft

Dislike-

Warcraft 3
Empire Earth
Company of Heroes

Thanks in advance, I am growing increasingly desperate due to the looming birthday season.

 

[Trivun]

Any of the Total War series, Command and Conquer series, and total Annihilation. Also, I'd highly recommend as an absolute must, Rome: Total War. Especially in terms of the economy side of things .

 

[DefunctTheory]

So... new games are either too tactical (no structures and focused entirely on small combat), or too strategic (TO complex and massive).

A tough one, your father... and impossible to please. I know of not a single RTS that doesn't fall into his hate zone.

I think your dad may have run out of options here.

EDIT:

Any of the Total War series, Command and Conquer series, and total Annihilation. Also, I'd highly recommend as an absolute must, Rome: Total War. Especially in terms of the economy side of things .

C&C might work, though I found the game to be horrid from what little I've played. It does fall within his needs though, I suppose.

 

[Ctrl Alt 1337]

You can download C&C, C&C Tiberian Sun, and C&C Red Alert for free here.
http://www.commandandconquer.com/classic

 

[dududf]

Dawn of war leans towards strategy, but not totally.

Buy Dawn of War 40k, and all of its expansions, but steer clear of DoW 2.

 

[Hollywood Knights]

As your friend doesn't like selecting multiple units at once I'd not suggest Dawn of War or any of the Total War series, and as he doesn't want complicated tactics, Total War is a double no-no! It's shame, mind, since those are arguably the best examples of the genre.

Command and Conquer is the obvious one, I might also suggest Battle Realms, which is an oriental-styled RTS and is actually rather good, despite being overshadowed by (the admittedly better) Warcraft 3 months after its release.