If I want to get an RTS, should I just get SC2?

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big_aug

2[H]4U
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I'm kind of bored of the typical RPGs (MMO/ARPG, etc) as well as the standard FPS. I want to get a good RTS game.

I've only ever really played Warcraft 3 in terms of RTS games. Should I just get Starcraft 2? It's the only newer one I could even name off the top of my head.

Any recommendations?
 
Men of War - Squad based RTS. Fantastic game. One of those "Best game never played"

hasnt been a real good base building RTS since Supreme Commander and that wasnt even that great.

Personally I find the warcraft/starcraft and C&C games nothing special.

Total War games will get some recommendations, but they can get very meh at times.
 
Total War is pretty fun, but in terms of popularity SC2 is where it's at in terms of online competition. If you wanna play single player campaign and skirmishes Dawn of War series isn't bad either.
 
Warcraft 3 The Frozen Throne was the best RTS/Best pc game i played in my entire life.

I have nothing more to add to this thread.
 
Are you looking for only newer RTS games with online or what?

SCII is probably the most populated mp RTS out right now followed by Total War: Shogun 2 or such.

There's also the upcoming Rise of Nations which I believe is a free to play RTS game.

For more recent releases there's the popular Warhammer: Dawn of War RTS series and Company of heroes, both of which play similar with the squad focus and point capture systems (same developer after all). They are working on a new Company of Heroes as well for early next year.

If you don't care about the age and never have played it I'd HIGHLY Recommend checking out the "Myth" series from Bungie. Myth: The Fallen Lords and Myth: II Soulblighter. Both excellent rts games that do things a bit differently.

IT doesn't focus on base building or resources, it's all about the combat. It's a story based game where each level you get a set number of troops for that specific story mission, you have to make it through the entire mission with just those troops (unless there's a point where you get reinforcements that are story releated).

The multiplayer officially was closed down some years ago, but you can still play it online via Mariusnet:
http://www.mariusnet.com/

Still a good die hard fanbase that plays myth I/II online, for a good reason because the combat of the Myth games is great and there's really not an RTS out there like it.

Combat being the main focus it has to stand on it's own and it does. Terrain plays a large focus, hills give you further sight for your range units (archers/dwarves), weather effects arent just for show, as rain and snow can put out flaming arrows/molativ cocktails and things.

The game is extremely bloody, bodies litter the battlefield afte ra fight, and do NOT disappear. Blood, gibs, body parts use physics, you'll find things rolling down hills, the terrain becomes scorhed/deformed from explosions and flames.

It's my favorite RTS series of all time, sadly it seems we will never see another one as the rights are now owned by Take 2 IIRC, and bungie well, they are off doing their console shooters now and have left the pc market it seems.

There's also another gem of an RTS game you might have missed called Sacrifice. It was a very unique rts game released in the late 90's. Part of thwat makes it so awesome (apart from it's awesome art style) is the fact that yout he player aren't just some "hand in the sky" like most rts games but you have an actual avatar who you control and have to run around commanding your units. The single player game is a story focused RTS that also has a bit of a "choose your own adventure" style to it, as you choose throughout the game what "gods" to follow and align yourself with, which in turn affects what units you get access to.

You can find it on gog.com for quite cheap too.
 
The original DoW has to be up there with the all time greats. Dark Crusade was really great as well. Winter assault and Soulstorm were also great, but the original for me was the best in the series. DoW II series is fun too but they're very different from their predecessors.

I find Supcom to be rather boring personally. Waaaay to much turtle and I find the action not that satisfying to justify the time it takes. It was fun to play through once, but really it seems to be only for the hardcore. I cant even bring myself to finish Forged Alliance.

Never really had any interest in CoH series, nor do I with the upcoming one. Bring on DoW III!!!
 
It's an oldie, but Company of Heroes. It brought back feelings of playing with army men in a sandbox all over again.
 
You should start with Command and Conquer and graduate to StarCraft and beyond......
 
Although they can be hard to locate Warlords Battlecry (available on GOG I think) and Battle for Middle Earth (a LoTR themed RTS) are both decent Fantasy RTS games ... even older and more difficult to find are the Age of Mythology games and Rise of Nations (both excellent Fantasy themed RTSs) :)
 
Company of Heroes is a nobrainer when on sale for like 6 bucks for game+exps once in a while. Looks and plays great still
 
been playing the heart of the swarm starcraft 2 beta and been really enjoying it. when it gets well balanced it is going to be a great improvement for the game



by the way i think i saw they were bundling both games for like 60$ which is a deal.
 
dremic said:
been playing the heart of the swarm starcraft 2 beta and been really enjoying it. when it gets well balanced it is going to be a great improvement for the game.
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The first time it gets balanced or one of the 230450 ("Lets make it OP, no, no wait people are complaining, let's make it completely useless! Crap, they are still complaining, lets make it OP and cost more, no less, no lets make everything +10 damage against it and give it +7 armor!" ) times after that? :D

Are void rays OP or crappy now?
 
DeathPrincess said:
The first time it gets balanced or one of the 230450 times after that? :D

Are void rays OP or crappy now?
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the 230450 times they balance before launch i mean :)



void rays are virtually unused. its hard to get a good grasp of whats good cause most people are abusing the new units ahha. tempests are running rampant.

the game is significantly more balanced though. no more balls of death no more getting fucked by skill less protoss. its tight dude.

zerg is especially fun with swarm hosts.
 
if you're competitive and willing to put in the time to learn and get better, get SC2 and you'll savor whatever victory you've earned

if you want to have fun, get CoH
 
DeathPrincess said:
The first time it gets balanced or one of the 230450 ("Lets make it OP, no, no wait people are complaining, let's make it completely useless! Crap, they are still complaining, lets make it OP and cost more, no less, no lets make everything +10 damage against it and give it +7 armor!" ) times after that? :D

Are void rays OP or crappy now?
Click to expand...

void rays are crap now and only used in some games for early game pressure/harass
 
a lot of people are saying company of heroes.

that of course is an AMAZING suggestion.

its a blast single player.

multiplayer though is not that fun for me because its hard as shit. some people may disagree but there is unlockable units etc and they usually deliver an insane overpowering lopsided gameplay to those that havent unlocked shit.




sc2 1v1 is intense as shit. personally i dont like my hands getting shakey and feeling stressed while playing video games hahaha. plus im terrible at it. 2's i prefer and i am much better at. generally high master ranking. usually results in longer, more late game matches
 
Are you kidding me?
Get StarCraft II. If you want a good single player experience there is the campaign. If you want a good competitive multiplayer experience there is the ladder. If you want to play random party games or just about anything there are custom games. The custom games alone are worth the purchase. There are thousands of them. Hell, you can play Chu Chu Rocket in StarCraft 2.
 
Yea, I'm going with the Starcraft 2 Starter Edition with plans to purchase after I try it out a bit.

Like I said, I haven't done RTS since WC3: The Frozen Throne. I'm just bored with shooters and crap. I'd like something with, you guessed it, a bit of strategy and learning rather than just button mashing.

Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
Stiler said:
If you don't care about the age and never have played it I'd HIGHLY Recommend checking out the "Myth" series from Bungie. Myth: The Fallen Lords and Myth: II Soulblighter. Both excellent rts games that do things a bit differently.

IT doesn't focus on base building or resources, it's all about the combat. It's a story based game where each level you get a set number of troops for that specific story mission, you have to make it through the entire mission with just those troops (unless there's a point where you get reinforcements that are story releated).

The multiplayer officially was closed down some years ago, but you can still play it online via Mariusnet:
http://www.mariusnet.com/

Still a good die hard fanbase that plays myth I/II online, for a good reason because the combat of the Myth games is great and there's really not an RTS out there like it.

Combat being the main focus it has to stand on it's own and it does. Terrain plays a large focus, hills give you further sight for your range units (archers/dwarves), weather effects arent just for show, as rain and snow can put out flaming arrows/molativ cocktails and things.

The game is extremely bloody, bodies litter the battlefield afte ra fight, and do NOT disappear. Blood, gibs, body parts use physics, you'll find things rolling down hills, the terrain becomes scorhed/deformed from explosions and flames.

It's my favorite RTS series of all time, sadly it seems we will never see another one as the rights are now owned by Take 2 IIRC, and bungie well, they are off doing their console shooters now and have left the pc market it seems.
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The above post is verifiably true, as proven by teams of dedicated scientists working tirelessly for over a decade.

Also Project Magma has the latest patches and demos (remember those?) for Windows, OSX, and Linux. And of course, The Tain contains both custom content and myrkridia in equal abundance. And lastly you may want to consider grabbing Chronicles of the Black Company from your local public library.
 
Played some single player missions.

Man, I'm going to have to do the entire campaign before trying to play against anyone else. I'd get straight smoked lol
 
big_aug said:
Played some single player missions.

Man, I'm going to have to do the entire campaign before trying to play against anyone else. I'd get straight smoked lol
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campaign just helps you get a feel for what some of the units can do but honestly it will contribute very very little to your ability in ladder matches.
 
dremic said:
campaign just helps you get a feel for what some of the units can do but honestly it will contribute very very little to your ability in ladder matches.
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So the only way to learn multilayer is to play it? I'll probably still do the campaign first. I need some mission objectives and tutorials to help me lol

I got a lot of my marines killed on the early base defense on only normal
 
big_aug said:
So the only way to learn multilayer is to play it? I'll probably still do the campaign first. I need some mission objectives and tutorials to help me lol

I got a lot of my marines killed on the early base defense on only normal
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the challenge missions would do more to prepare you than anything else from sp. they focus on countering unit compositions and awareness that the campaign can't really help you with, since the story units have all different stats and everything is scripted.
 
big_aug said:
So the only way to learn multilayer is to play it? I'll probably still do the campaign first. I need some mission objectives and tutorials to help me lol

I got a lot of my marines killed on the early base defense on only normal
Click to expand...

Dont worry, your first 5 matches online will place you at people near your level. If you lose all 5 you'll be put in the bronze league. You wont be playing against grandmasters, you'll be playing at people near your level. Playing against people near your level is the most fun, and is the best way to learn. You will move up the ladder as you win, so you should always match up with people near your skill level.

Campaign is a lot of fun, each one has a unique flavor to it that can keep you on your toes. After you finish the campaign, as mas said, the challenge missions are really good for forcing you to learn hotkeys, micro, and macro situations.

My biggest advice is to learn hotkeys. First attack move and stop, then the building orders, especially the early ones (supply, barracks, refineries). There's an option to turn on what each button in the bottom right matches to on the keyboard. A lot of it is designed around the left side of the keyboard, so you're not reaching to hit every key for hotkeys.

Another key part of online play is scouting. Knowing what your enemy is going for is the best way to beat them. Every unit has a counter, and knowing what the enemy is using can quickly turn the tides of war. Simple example. If your enemy is going mass marines early, as zerg go roaches since they rape marines. If zerg go roaches, go marauders vs roaches.

Most likely you'll want to stick to Terran first since you have most experience with them in the campaign. Once you feel you start peaking with your terran skills, switch to zerg or protoss, and again to the last race once you've peaked again. You really only get better with any race once you know all three, knowing the weaknesses and strengths of the races and the individual units is key to winning.
 
Breath_of_the_Dying said:
Dont worry, your first 5 matches online will place you at people near your level. If you lose all 5 you'll be put in the bronze league. You wont be playing against grandmasters, you'll be playing at people near your level. Playing against people near your level is the most fun, and is the best way to learn. You will move up the ladder as you win, so you should always match up with people near your skill level.

Campaign is a lot of fun, each one has a unique flavor to it that can keep you on your toes. After you finish the campaign, as mas said, the challenge missions are really good for forcing you to learn hotkeys, micro, and macro situations.

My biggest advice is to learn hotkeys. First attack move and stop, then the building orders, especially the early ones (supply, barracks, refineries). There's an option to turn on what each button in the bottom right matches to on the keyboard. A lot of it is designed around the left side of the keyboard, so you're not reaching to hit every key for hotkeys.

Another key part of online play is scouting. Knowing what your enemy is going for is the best way to beat them. Every unit has a counter, and knowing what the enemy is using can quickly turn the tides of war. Simple example. If your enemy is going mass marines early, as zerg go roaches since they rape marines. If zerg go roaches, go marauders vs roaches.

Most likely you'll want to stick to Terran first since you have most experience with them in the campaign. Once you feel you start peaking with your terran skills, switch to zerg or protoss, and again to the last race once you've peaked again. You really only get better with any race once you know all three, knowing the weaknesses and strengths of the races and the individual units is key to winning.
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Thanks man.

I can't believe I've been watching video game replays and enjoying it lol. Never thought I would be into it.
 
To clarify, many units and abilities in the campaign are NOT in multiplayer, hence why it's not advisable to use it as a kind of "training" for multiplayer lol. The campaign basically let the devs have some fun with units and abilities without totally wrecking the balance of multiplayer. You'll find a lot of exclusive legacy units from SC/BW and a few new units only in the campaign. You'll also notice that the campaign objectives are varied and "interesting." Perhaps they went a little overboard in trying to make each mission unique, so it doesn't represent the core game very well (which is pretty much to build up and destroy your enemy; the campaign is almost void of such a "simple" objective).

As mentioned above, the challenge mode is a better way to familiarize yourself with some of the raw mechanics of unit control; they use units available in multiplayer. Hope you'll like the game. Though I don't play it much at all, watching pro matches is a thing of beauty.
 
Supreme commander 1 if your looking for an actually real time "strategy" game as opposed to a tactical one.

if you want squad bases Dawn of war 2 is great.

base building Dawn of war is excellent.

if you want fantasy, battle of middle earth is excellent.
 
Just a heads up big aug, blizzard just announced there Black Friday sales. Starting now SC2 is 20$. I'd definitely pick up at that price.
 
FLyGuYyy said:
Just a heads up big aug, blizzard just announced there Black Friday sales. Starting now SC2 is 20$. I'd definitely pick up at that price.
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Figures, I just bought it for 40.

lol

Got destroyed in my first two matches. I'm playing Terran, and I was against protoss both times. Got smoked by the blue ranged guys really fast both times. I think I need to have more marauders and marines up and running a lot sooner to defend. I keep trying to get my starport for the medivacs, but both times I have gotten attacked right as it was finishing.

I don't think I'm using all my resources fast enough. I'm focusing too much on SCVs and not enough on getting a small army for defense. I think the problem is I'm getting 3 barracks and then going for factory and starport and neglecting building units with the barracks.

It's fun though =P
 
congrats on jumping into sc2. You'll probably want to check out places like team liquid and catch some you tube tutorials. Learn some basic build orders etc... it's also a good idea to check out Day 9's daily. good luck.
 
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