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Forums - PC - The Best RTS...

Kenny said:
This thread got derailed fast... Oh well, I'm going to throw in a name that fairly few will recognize: Total Annihilation. This RTS predated Starcraft, but was in many ways far more advanced and complex (3D graphics, Newtonian physics, economic system, etc). In fact, TA was a game that made SC, and most other contemporary strategy games look like Real Time Tactics, rather than Real Time Strategy games.

I was waiting for Total Anihilation to be mentioned. Having a best RTS discussion without mentioning TA as a contender would be a shame.



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Company of heroes is definitely awesome. But ill give a shout out to Warcraft III:TFT. Such a good game and i still have a blast with it. Lookin way forward to SC:II



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Crazymann said:
Having played the games mentioned...

Starcraft = better
C&C Tiberium Dawn = Better
Red Alert 1 = Better

And based on the beta....


The Best RTS.... is Starcraft 2.

Red Alert 1 was the Tits!!! I played that game so much during my late childhood! I used to own with the soviet heavy tank rush!!! haha



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Kenryoku_Maxis said:
Helios said:
Kenryoku_Maxis said:
Yawn, this thread turned into the same thread every other RTS thread turns into. Starcraft is the best and here's why with a bunch of buzz words like balance and posting of Korean 'pro' videos.

It just goes to show you, Starcraft will always be deemed the 'best' because it was the 'most popular'. Even if a new RTS comes out that does have better 'balance' and 'gameplay' (which I feel, multiple have). And Starcraft 2 is being set up for the biggest case of sequel effect in history.

You're right, not every RTS thread needs to revolve around Starcraft, but the use of Strawmen isn't helping your case here. I, peronally, have not played another RTS like Starcraft. It may not be what you are looking for in a modern RTS, but that does not mean it is not one of the greatest games ever made, nor does it change significance of over a decade of professional competition (with an ever evolving meta-game) and everything which that entails. The game simply would not have been able to sustain this continous level of refinement if it did not have the depth and balance to support it.

Well I personally do not deny it was a great game.  And I do agree it had great balance for when it came out.  But I do think later games, such as Company of Heroes and others, have come out and have surpassed it in both original ideas that improved the RTS genre and 'balance'.  The problem I see is most people aren't looking at the whole RTS genre.  They're looking at 'how does X RTS game compare to the way Starcraft plays'.  And that's the problem.  If every game gets compared to one game in a genre, nothing will be able to measure up to it, even if it does somehow surpass it.  Because eventually you'll find one thing that doesn't quite match what you're looking for or that one thing that isn't 'quite' as good as Starcraft, and that's the ballgame.  The game is 'inferior' to 'the perfect RTS that is Starcraft'.

And that's just my 2 cents.

 Of course most new RTS games have taken a different direction from the Starcraft way of playing, and that makes it difficult to decide wich game should be considered superior. it's like comparing Super Mario Bros 3 to Super Mario Galaxy. One is a 2D platformer, and one is a 3D platformer. Both are sort of in the same genre, but they do different things. SMB3 is the better platformer though.

Starcraft as a game isn't just impressive when compared to other RTS games. Compare what it has achieved with any game of any genre, and finding an equal is still hard.

Even Street figher 2 or counterstrike, two balanced competitive games that are still played today just like Starcraft do not have an evolving metagame with new strategies being invented every now and then like Starcraft.

 



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KungKras said:
Kenny said:
This thread got derailed fast... Oh well, I'm going to throw in a name that fairly few will recognize: Total Annihilation. This RTS predated Starcraft, but was in many ways far more advanced and complex (3D graphics, Newtonian physics, economic system, etc). In fact, TA was a game that made SC, and most other contemporary strategy games look like Real Time Tactics, rather than Real Time Strategy games.

I was waiting for Total Anihilation to be mentioned. Having a best RTS discussion without mentioning TA as a contender would be a shame.

I've observed that while Starcraft's memory has endured, Total Annihilation has all but vanished from the collective memory of RTS gamers.  Even its spiritual successor, Supreme Commander, never seemed to reach the fame that Starcraft managed, despite sharing the same acronym :P  The greater irony is, Starcraft managed its lasting fame by being less complex and more accessible (read: less 'hardcore') than TA, which has left it imprinted in the collective memory of RTS gamers as _the_ 'hardcore' RTS game.  Weird, huh?



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Kenny said:
KungKras said:
Kenny said:
This thread got derailed fast... Oh well, I'm going to throw in a name that fairly few will recognize: Total Annihilation. This RTS predated Starcraft, but was in many ways far more advanced and complex (3D graphics, Newtonian physics, economic system, etc). In fact, TA was a game that made SC, and most other contemporary strategy games look like Real Time Tactics, rather than Real Time Strategy games.

I was waiting for Total Anihilation to be mentioned. Having a best RTS discussion without mentioning TA as a contender would be a shame.

I've observed that while Starcraft's memory has endured, Total Annihilation has all but vanished from the collective memory of RTS gamers.  Even its spiritual successor, Supreme Commander, never seemed to reach the fame that Starcraft managed, despite sharing the same acronym :P  The greater irony is, Starcraft managed its lasting fame by being less complex and more accessible (read: less 'hardcore') than TA, which has left it imprinted in the collective memory of RTS gamers as _the_ 'hardcore' RTS game.  Weird, huh?

As I said earlier, Starcraft was bashed for being too simple and being 2D by critics in PC magazines and the like. Still, Starcraft proved to not only be accessible, but to also have insane depth in it's gameplay that kept players playing. Its low barrier of entry made people think it was a "Causal" RTS. But in the end, it's subtle depth and how it rewarded skill made it THE competitive RTS and thus the most "Hardcore". It is pretty ironic :)

TA's barrier of entry was probably a bit higher due to the game being complex. Same with Supreme commander. I have played it, and it's awesome. But it confused the shit out of me the first times I played it. Supreme commander definately deserves more sales. And so did Total Anihilation.



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Company of Heros is in my top ten, but by no means my first.

My top three consists of:

Supreme Commander (vanilla)
The Battle for Middle-earth II
Age of Mythology



Finally RTS getting some attention... but I gotta go with Kungkras, its just the balance, different strategies and simple complexity that Starcraft has, without being overly complicated that gives my nod to Starcraft.

Cant wait for SC 2.



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Dawn of War 2 is better FYI.......and neither are RTS's. I think both are more tactical squad RPGs.



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+1 for the Starcraft camp.

My second favorite rts is Total Annihilation. Its a shame that no RTS since the 90's has captivated me. The closest was Dawn of War but that was more because of my love of the warhammer 40k setting then the actual game.