Recommend me a good RTS.

[shrekfan246]

I have been itching to play an RTS for a while, and I recently found an old Age of Empires game, the Age of Kings. After going through hours of building up my civilization and making a huge hord of soldiers, I got screwed when my entire battle force were converted by monks and sent to attack my own keep.

Could someone recommend a fun, challenging RTS thats easy on noobs? Preferably without a standard unit for everyone that can turn 40 men against me?

I've seen a bunch of people recommend it already, but as someone who has never been a huge fan of RTS' (because I suck at them), Sins of a Solar Empire has sucked countless hours of my life away. It's very easy on noobs (turning down the AI to the easiest setting lets you basically build your empire any way you want for hours on end until you amass an army of 2000+ (depending on Xpacks and mods, etc.) ships to crush your opponents, and you can force AI to either be on your team or against your team during a match set-up regardless of how well you can do their mission-things) but becomes extremely brutal pretty quickly (seriously, I play it on the easiest settings and I still sometimes lose. I'm afraid of what might happen if I turn up the AI).

Granted, if you're not a huge fan of Sci-Fi you won't really like it, probably. It's not really a "typical" RTS like Age of Empires/Kings/Mythology though. You still have resource/building/army management, but the way it plays out and the scale are significantly different.[footnote]By the way, the scale is absolutely mind-boggling. You can practically create entire galaxies per game. I need to try modding it sometimes to add in more races though (or wait for the next expansion) because the default three do get a little old in three hour+ games with hundreds of systems to explore.[/footnote] I'm pretty sure that your entire fleet can't simultaneously get converted to the other side, but if memory serves there are ways to capture enemy ships depending on research you do. It's been a little while since I've played the game.

 

[WOPR]

Galactic Civilization 2, really fun game. Basically the game lets you pick one of so many races (Or a custom one), gives you a planet. Then it says, "See that rather large galaxy? Conquer that shit." It can last for a very long time. Also, watch out for those Dread Lords.

GalCiv2 isn't an RTS
it's a simulation/world building/God game that's turn-based
(just saying)

Good point, completely forgot about that. Thanks for clearing that up.

No problem, still an awesome and fun game (I got it for $10 at target, DRM-free)

 

[Crayven]

What everyone else said. DOWII retribution is the best DOW game, got a good multiplayer following and the single players good. After that Company of Heroes is really good.

Really? Good multi-player? chat is terrible to watch, unmodded and mostly over the line and people either don't talk in games, or the times they do, let you know that your playing all wrong and to quit and leave. I found one nice guy, who explained where i had gone wrong. I love the game, but its not for the noobies to RTS. Not for what you have to pay for it.

 

[Legendaryped0]

Dawn of War 2.

Spoiler

 

[Crayven]

What everyone else said. DOWII retribution is the best DOW game, got a good multiplayer following and the single players good. After that Company of Heroes is really good.

Really? Good multi-player? chat is terrible to watch, unmodded and mostly over the line and people either don't talk in games, or the times they do, let you know that your playing all wrong and to quit and leave. I found one nice guy, who explained where i had gone wrong. I love the game, but its not for the noobies to RTS. Not for what you have to pay for it.

I said good multiplayer following. As in a lot of people.

And why the hell would you want to talk with your enemy? It's an RTS game, you're supposed to be concentrating on what you're doing. If you have to talk, talk to your friends over skype or something.

And I wholeheartedly disagree. DOWII is the game that got me into RTS games. I'd tried the first DOW and it's expansions years before and completely sucked at them. But after I got DoWII and company in the THQ pack a few months ago. I've been sucked into the RTS genre.

If you play the singleplayer you get a grip of the controls and basic tactics. And you can always play MP against AI to get used to it. You shouldn't really be playing against people until you can beat the computer fairly easily.

I when I said no one talks, i was on about anyone, even team-mates. if your doing more then 1v1 then its quite a silent game unless you mess up or your losing. It might be nice to know peoples plans, and be able to work together. Most of the time, there isn't even a GG.

But I admit, I didn't notice you said following.

 

[omicron1]

I'm going to go a bit off the beaten track here and recommend that you look at 0 AD. [http://wildfiregames.com/0ad/]

It's not finished yet. It's barely in alpha. But it is a 3D RTS with the theme/setting of Age of Empires (but taking a more realist approach to arms, armaments, and style), the graphics of AoE3, and gameplay that represents a combination of Rise of Nations and AoK.

If you're a strategy fan at all, that last sentence should have set your heart pounding.

 

[Crayven]

R.U.S.E. thats a good game. Very fun.

What everyone else said. DOWII retribution is the best DOW game, got a good multiplayer following and the single players good. After that Company of Heroes is really good.

Really? Good multi-player? chat is terrible to watch, unmodded and mostly over the line and people either don't talk in games, or the times they do, let you know that your playing all wrong and to quit and leave. I found one nice guy, who explained where i had gone wrong. I love the game, but its not for the noobies to RTS. Not for what you have to pay for it.

I said good multiplayer following. As in a lot of people.

And why the hell would you want to talk with your enemy? It's an RTS game, you're supposed to be concentrating on what you're doing. If you have to talk, talk to your friends over skype or something.

And I wholeheartedly disagree. DOWII is the game that got me into RTS games. I'd tried the first DOW and it's expansions years before and completely sucked at them. But after I got DoWII and company in the THQ pack a few months ago. I've been sucked into the RTS genre.

If you play the singleplayer you get a grip of the controls and basic tactics. And you can always play MP against AI to get used to it. You shouldn't really be playing against people until you can beat the computer fairly easily.

I when I said no one talks, i was on about anyone, even team-mates. if your doing more then 1v1 then its quite a silent game unless you mess up or your losing. It might be nice to know peoples plans, and be able to work together. Most of the time, there isn't even a GG.

But I admit, I didn't notice you said following.

Ah, I never played co-op. Admittedly that would be annoying.

I wish i hadn't, better on C&C 3. even when they are curb-stomping on your face. But last stand is ok, even with quiet people, even if not strictly RTS.