What do you find frustrating/entertaining about RTS games?

[Judgement101]

Love: Building an army of hundreds and distract the enemy force while I send a small squad of 30 or so elite troops that flank their main force and I send 15 elite troops to attack their mid-way bases across the map.

Hate: Fucking rushes. It isn't an RTS if they rush, then it becomes a damn test in how fast you can speed click the "Spawn Unit X" button. Or in Starcraf how fast you can type "You damn ************, get some real skill instead of zerg rushing me like a whore"

 

[Oktanas]

I realy hate the part when AI destroys my base

 

[oplinger]

I love being in control of an army. I love the large scale ("large" being relative I guess >.>) I love building bases, defense, I love harassing enemies. I like winning.

....I hate imbalance. Which every RTS has. There's always one way to do everything. Even when it's a rock paper scissors type of combat system. You can usually build 1 unit and win (I'm looking at you fire prism tank..) Sadly, everything in an RTS game does have a weakness. But the weakness is generally not in large numbers. It kinda sucks. So I don't play many RTS games.

 

[theoverall]

I love being in control of an army. I love the large scale ("large" being relative I guess >.>) I love building bases, defense, I love harassing enemies. I like winning.

....I hate imbalance. Which every RTS has. There's always one way to do everything. Even when it's a rock paper scissors type of combat system. You can usually build 1 unit and win (I'm looking at you fire prism tank..) Sadly, everything in an RTS game does have a weakness. But the weakness is generally not in large numbers. It kinda sucks. So I don't play many RTS games.

IMBA is also one of the things that should be mentioned here. This is exactly why post-release games should be tweaked for at least a year. Otherwise the community just starts using the holes all the time and the game stops being fun.

This thread has been utterly helpful, please keep it coming. Using it for a game design doc

 

[Figrut]

The interface and method of organising and sending troops around has not evolved at all. When your quality of play is based on "clicks per minute" a sort of wall of disinterest form for me. Overview drag and click has hit it's limit for me.

 

[Hader]

I love almost everything about RTS games. At least generically speaking. Each specific game has it's cons.

However the one thing that seems consistently frustrating in an RTS is multiplayer, online at least. Some people complain about every little rule you have set if you are the host, and refuse to play without it being changed, or some people will quit out midway through a match...just things like that totally ruin the multiplayer experience.

 

[baddude1337]

I enjoy controlling large armies and watching them own. I also like realistic tactical games that give you a bigger sense of the battle, like Combat Mission: Shock Force. (Really awesome because it had British Forces as well as a mod to add the new MTP).

I HATE online. I always get my ass handed to me. I remember my first game of Starcraft online I got raped in about 3 minutes. The only one I was decent at was Dawn of War. The worst multiplayer though was End War as you could level up your units, so if you were trying online for the first time even if you had a whole army your opponent could wipe the floor with you with one fully levelled unit.

 

[eastinfecter]

Entertaining: Almost everything from mods and soundtracks to overused concepts and brainless multiplayer carnage. Its to much fun.

Frustrating: System requirements.

 

[Johnny Cain]

I love having a huge amount of units to command, and a vast sprawling economy. I'm a huge fan of games like Age of Empires, Empire Earth, and the Civilisation series.
Love me some C&C too though.

What I despise though, is when my troops - usually with the best upgrades available too, go up against completely un-upgraded enemies and die instantly.
Why? What use were those upgrades? Why is the enemy allowed to have units that overpowered in their BASIC LINEUP?
For an example of this, see this shitstorm that is: Warcraft III
I've never won a single skirmish game of that, sheerly due to this reason. NOTHING. WORKS.

 

[Amphoteric]

I like commanding squads.

I hate all the base building and tech trees and shit.

Yay for Total War.

 

[MrJKapowey]

Entertaining: Controlling massive groups of dudes and sending them into massive battles.

Frustrating: Getting steamrolled all the fucking time in online multiplayer.

Your lucky you haven't played me on AoE3 then. Me and a friend build a 3-4 wall thick base wall then build imperial age units whilst watching some DVD on his laptop. It is almost impossible to break as we always start Nomad (with a wagon which can turn into a main building) so put our wagons a few meters away from each other. After 50 minutes or so, all his units 'suicide' and are replaced with ultra-raiding cavelry, they smash one of the opponents before sweeping on to the next base.

 

[New Troll]

Losing/ Winning (and Orcs!)

 

[binvjoh]

I like being in more direct controll, RTS games have never appealed to me.

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

Entertaining: Being able to pull a perfectly timed maneouver to crush your enemies on the field of battle.

Frustrating: When victory is more about resource management than strategy.

 

[theoverall]

[quote="When victory is more about resource management than strategy.[/quote]

That's brilliant. Thank you.

 

[XxSummonerxX]

What I really hate about a lot of RTS especially online play is when your opponent just builds a barracks (or equivalent of), builds tons of early units and zergs you. That is not strategy, that's RTAH! (Real Time Ass-Headedness). Yes, headedness is a word now.

What I love about RTS is building a strong enough early defense to resist aforementioned RTAH and slowly building a giant burgeoning empire with a few backup bases. Slowly but surely build up an army of the best units in the game... but this time... it's strategy.

My "prize winning" (won a tournament at a LAN party using this strategy over and over again in Soulstorm) strategy is such: Play as Orks. Build enough WAAAAGH! banners to cover the world for defense. Slowly build up an army mainly consisting of slugga boyz and zerg from front. When the genius space marine enemy sends his entire army away from his HQ to counter attack, teleport in your nobs attached to your big mek and send your tanks in the other side. HAHAHA space marines! Orks just used strategy!

 

[Denomoses]

Entertaining: Watching the epic battles
Annoying: Starcraft 2 battlecruisers because they always travel in packs of 30 and have enough super mega death missiles (yamato cannon) to kill every living creature on the earth amd have enough left over to knock out chuck norris.

 

[BlastedTheWorm]

Entertaining: When you do something that completely ruins the enemy's shit for the rest of the game (destroying their construction yard in Command and Conquer, for example.)

Frustrating: When you and the enemy are doing the same thing, yet they don't seem to run out of money like you do.