RTS Fans

[Dark Drakan]

Over the years I have played countless genres but some old classics I still frequently play today and have a lot of good memories with are in the RTS genre. From titles like original Command & Conquer titles, Settlers, Dune & Dune II, Emperor Battle for Dune, Warcraft III, Starcraft II, Age of Empires I & II, Age of Mythology, Total War series, Civilization, Star Wars Empire at War and countless more.

I made a thread a while ago about the decline of the RTS genre (What happened to the RTS genre?) but since then we have had some decent RTS games release with more on the horizon too. Seems that the genre could be having somewhat of a revival & with Microsoft keen to get mouse & keyboard support on XB1 its possible more could come to consoles in future also.

In this thread I would like fellow fans of the genre to share their favourite games in the genre & highlight some new titles that are coming too. I mean most RTS fans will know that Age of Empires IV is coming but there are also some others out there that are being praised too, some of which are still in early access but are looking very promising. Here are some I have heard of recently...

 

[Dark Drakan]

Saw this being mentioned on Twitter the other week and as a big SimAnt fan I hope it does well. Its being developed by independant studio Slug Disco Studios & inspired by classics such as SimAnt and Dungeon Keeper a new game hit early access on Dec 1st and is being rated quite highly at the moment. Known as Empires of the Undergrowth players will control an Ant Colony & be able to dig through the earth, build tunnels and chambers, hunt for food and raise large colonies to fight other Ants and keep predators away along the way.

Press Release

Ants are industrious, organised and hungry - as anyone who’s seen one of the multitude of documentaries following their exploits will tell you. They also show a huge variety of adaptations and bizarre traits - qualities that make them seemingly ideal for this form of strategy game.

Taking clear inspiration from classics such as SimAnt and Dungeon Keeper, players will be able to dig through the earth, build tunnels and chambers, hunt for food and raise large colonies. Above ground, players need to send their ants on long missions, far from the nest to secure and defend lucrative resources. The mechanics are more accessible than your typical RTS; control of your ants is achieved by placing pheromone markers, and gives the colony a more realistic, natural feeling.

Playable missions are narrated from the perspective of a documentary film maker studying the ants, who offers intelligent insight into the goings-on of the colony and the undergrowth beyond. The primary game mode in early access is Formicarium, where you take ownership of a laboratory colony of unique DNA-harvesting ants as they work to assimilate the desirable traits of their foes. You can upgrade them by playing one-off missions, sometimes with your home colony and sometimes with other ant species.

Empires of The Undergrowth on Steam​

 

[Dark Drakan]

This has been getting great reviews on Steam and many gaming publications have been praising it and it is currently in early access.

They Are Billions is a Steampunk strategy game set on a post-apocalyptic planet. Build and defend colonies to survive against the billions of the infected that seek to annihilate the few remaining living humans. Can humanity survive after the zombie apocalypse?

They are Billions on Steam (10% off on Humble Bundle at moment)​

 

[Dark Drakan]

As a huge Command & Conquer fan & this being developed by Petroglyph Games (former Westwood Studios developers) it intrigues me and I hope its good. You can customize your unique faction in a new take on real-time strategy as you fight in a variety of skirmish, solo, and multiplayer battles. You are not only a commander, but also an engineer – so you have ultimate control over your faction’s units, factories, superweapons and economy.

Entering early access on Jan 16th

Forged Battalion on Steam​

 

[Dark Drakan]

An adventure/strategy game with survival elements by Polish studio 11bit Studios. Frostpunk is set in a fictional icy-cold world, whose climate deeply affected the development of its society. To survive, people rely mostly on steam engines. However, it is not enough, and the society is falling apart, which means it needs to change. The gameplay focuses on the survival aspect, which, unlike in other such productions, means more than gathering and managing resources. Strategic elements are also of great importance, and you also need to make difficult and morally ambiguous decisions. The game features distinct visuals, in which the cold colors of nature are contrasted with the warmer hues, which symbolize the remains of civilization.

Release Date Rumoured to be March 2018

Frostpunk on Steam​

 

[TRA Rotid]

Just the other day I was looking for some good old fashioned RTS to play. The ant game looks perhaps the most interesting. Frostpunk is more of a city builder/base management than a traditional war game.

I've tried They Are Billions. It's pretty fun, though as it is early in the development, the game depletes itself rather quickly. There's pretty much only one strategy for victory, which gets stale despite the different maps.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Just the other day I was looking for some good old fashioned RTS to play. The ant game looks perhaps the most interesting. Frostpunk is more of a city builder/base management than a traditional war game.

I've tried They Are Billions. It's pretty fun, though as it is early in the development, the game depletes itself rather quickly. There's pretty much only one strategy for victory, which gets stale despite the different maps.

Yeah I weren’t “strictly” sticking to RTS games, just needed a short title for thread. Strategy games in general were being listed, I’ve purchased They Are Billions but not had chance to play it yet. 40+ hour campaign coming in the next few months apparently according to EuroGamer.

Going to purchase Forged Battalion too as it’s former Westwood Studios developers & I’ve enjoyed some Petroglyph games over the years too.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Age of Empires Definitive Edition Launching Feb 20th

When we set out to create the Definitive Edition of the original Age of Empires, our goal was to deliver the best possible version of this classic, from a top notch audio-visual presentation to multiplayer to core game systems. Everything needed to be as good as you remembered it (or better!) to deliver a compelling RTS experience 20 years after its original release.

…and that took us a bit longer than we’d originally planned. But, it was important for the team to treat the Age of Empires franchise with the respect it deserves, so we took the time we needed to get features like attack-move and the improved minimap exactly right, and even added things like an in-game tech tree (how did we survive 1997 without that?) that we hope fans will love.

And now I’m happy to announce that Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is launching on February 20 worldwide for Windows 10 PCs at $19.99 USD.

For this Definitive Edition, we’ve made improvements like:
​

• Completely rebuilding assets for a modern 4K presentation​
• Letting you play online with Xbox LIVE (in addition to LAN play)​
• Re-recorded the original soundtrack with a new orchestral score​
• Adding campaign narration for every mission​
• Enhancing the campaign and scenario editor, which allows anyone to make original custom campaigns for the game, by letting players easily share them with other players around the world via AgeOfEmpires.com​

The above and more outline the many quality of life gameplay improvements we’ve added – all while retaining the original feel and unique gameplay that made Age of Empires so special for so many.

To celebrate this announce, we’re also opening up the multiplayer beta to more players worldwide starting January 29 so everyone can get a taste of the game for free before it launches on February 20. You can find more information on the beta and sign up for it at AgeOfEmpires.com.

We’re excited to get Age of Empires: Definitive Edition into the hands of players this February and we thank you for your patience while we put the finishing touches on it!

Welcome back to history!​

 

[Dark Drakan]

MARS 2000

Ive spoken to the guys developing this and they seem really enthusiastic and passionate about the RTS genre. The game is being developed by a small indie team of 5 developers (Space Grab Development) and its been in development for over 6 years. Inspired by Westwoods C&C and Dune series its trying to bring back old school RTS formula. Its being funded entirely via Patreon and devs themselves at the moment.

Statement by Developers

“We are a little group of old-school RTS fans. During giant period of time (over 6 years) we were practising in making game modes and total conversions so we reach some kind of perfection for each one of us in our directions of work. We are trying to make ideal strategy game for us and other people, who share our vision and we are working really hard on it. Our development is not sponsored, so we are doing all the things by ourselves – there is only 5 of us in our team. (programmer, 3d artist/backgrounds artist, gamedesigner/video artist, sketch artist and a level designer) we are trying to use modern technologies and we are working the best to our abilities, because we love our project . If you really like our realtime strategy or just want to support us we will be very pleased! (We don’t have any money – just bare enthusiasm). “

Mars 2000 – A cool-looking classical RTS in the spirit of “Command and Conquer” and “Dune 2000”​

 

[Dark Drakan]

Frostpunk's new 'Serenity' trailer reveals an April release date

Developer 11 Bit Studios have announced that Frostpunk, the game about humanity's final, desperate bid for survival in a great frozen wasteland, will be out on April 24. To celebrate the launch date announcement, the studio also released a new cinematic teaser offering a gentle reminder of the risks of getting things wrong.​

 

[Dark Drakan]

Twisted Insurrection has been reinventing Tiberian Sun for a decade

Created by Andrew ‘Aro’ Owen, and now supported by a larger team, Twisted Insurrection is a great example of what a talented group of fans can do for the legacy of a brilliant base game.

As well as skirmish and multiplayer modes, the mod offers a variety of new campaigns. Each one is set in a universe in which NOD won the first Tiberium War by capturing GDI’s Ion Cannon and having a huge barbecue on the lawn of the White House.

The mod itself is standalone so there’s no barrier to entry, and anyone even vaguely familiar with C&C can just download it and throw themselves into its world of intrigue. Crucially, though, this mod is over ten years old and there are still missions being developed. The sheer scale, attention to detail and lack of bugs is astonishing. Almost everything is either new or improved—with the exception of some of the basic infantry and a couple of the factories, which I suspect have been retained because Westwood did a good enough job with them.

Twisted Insurrection also adds a third, new faction: Globotech. It’s a troublesome megacorporation which boasts an impressive arsenal of mechs, drones and other high-tech equipment, all backed up by the usual ‘sir, yes sir’, infantry and imposing-looking structures.

DOWNLOAD MOD​

 

[TRA Rotid]

I tried Twisted Insurrection for five minutes. Certainly a solid game for the fans of the older C&C titles. I grew up with Red Alert so I don't have much fondness in the Tiberium games pre Tiberium Wars (which I think is an excellent, perhaps even the best C&C game). Not much else to say, because it's pretty much the same game with new units and structures. I had some weird stuttering, though, which made the game uncomfortable to play so I didn't bother with it more.

I also tried Empires of the Undergrowth and it's certainly a game I'll be keeping an eye on. With enough strategic variability, interesting upgrades and a sense of progression it's a cool take on the classic Dungeon Keeper formula.

 

[Dark Drakan]

I tried Twisted Insurrection for five minutes. Certainly a solid game for the fans of the older C&C titles. I grew up with Red Alert so I don't have much fondness in the Tiberium games pre Tiberium Wars (which I think is an excellent, perhaps even the best C&C game). Not much else to say, because it's pretty much the same game with new units and structures. I had some weird stuttering, though, which made the game uncomfortable to play so I didn't bother with it more.

I also tried Empires of the Undergrowth and it's certainly a game I'll be keeping an eye on. With enough strategic variability, interesting upgrades and a sense of progression it's a cool take on the classic Dungeon Keeper formula.

I started at the original C&C and have played them all (besides C&C4). I think Red Alert 2/Yuris Revenge is my favourite though Retaliation on PS1 was great for system link play. Tiberium Wars was a lot better than I thought it would be to be honest and it’s probably my favourite of the newer games (haven’t played expansion yet).

They actually created new campaign missions too and redesigned a lot of them also. The AI has been reworked also, Tiberian Sun isn’t one of my favourites but mod is more enjoyable than base game. Did mod download latest update? As I believe a compatibility patch was needed for latest windows (mine auto downloaded).

I haven’t tried Empire of the Undergrowth yet but I was a big Sim Ant fan so been keeping my eye on its development.

 

[Dark Drakan]

According to post I was reading earlier, EA are actually looking to remaster some classic Command & Conquer Games for the 25th Anniversary. This is music to my ears as a huge C&C fan and hope this paves the way for a proper new game release in future.

Jim Vessella from EA has been posting about it on the OpenRA Forums and on the Command and Conquer Reddit page wants to hear fans thoughts on the idea. I urge all fans of the franchise to stop by and give thoughts and feedback and lets help bring Command & Conquer back to the forefront of RTS genre.

Statement from Jim Vessella​

 

[Dark Drakan]

Conan Unconquered is a new strategy game from Petroglyph

Looks like Petroglyph Games are going to have a busy year next year. After it the Command & Conquer remaster reveal its now been announced they are also working on a Conan strategy title (in similar style to They Are Billions). ​

Conan Unconquered is described as a "high-pace" strategy game where you face wave after wave of enemies in increasing numbers and difficulties. To defend, you have to build a stronghold, putting up walls and other defenses. You can summon massive avatar units, too.​

It can be played single-player or in two-player co-op, with each player working together online to build a shared stronghold.​

It's due out during the second quarter of 2019.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

Similar to games such as They Are Billions, the enemy hordes will keep coming at you and how long you can resist the invasion depends entirely on your ability to build your stronghold and lead your army. Gameplay is real-time, but you can also pause at any time to issue commands and start construction of new buildings. Battles will be bloody and savage with players having to deal with anything from fires raging through their stronghold to piles of corpses spreading death and disease.

You can unlock hero units, such as Conan himself, which have special abilities. Your army is made up of foot soldiers at first, but eventually you'll get heavy cavalry, sorcerers and other powerful forces. You have to train your units and keep them fed and paid in order for them to grow.

As for your stronghold, you have to manage resources such as food, gold, wood and iron to fuel your expansion. You can build housing, temples and barracks, among others units. Defensive options include oil cauldrons.

​

 

[Dark Drakan]

Iron Harvest's second multiplayer alpha test starts

Iron Harvest is a real-time strategy game (RTS) for Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC, set in the alternate reality of 1920+.

You lead hero characters, mechs, and soldiers into battle. Cover mechanics and dynamic destruction play a major role in combat. Your squads take cover automatically, but a simple brick wall will only offer protection against small calibers, not against mech-mounted cannons.

Throughout its open sandbox levels you have to find your own way to reach the goals set by the dynamic story line.

1920+ was developed by Polish artist Jakub Różalski and earned him a cult-following because of his beautiful artworks painted in the style of the old masters.

“We love games like Company of Heroes or Men at War and want to bring a similar gameplay experience to this fantastic world Jakub created.” Jan Theysen, Project Lead at KING Art Games.

The game is in its early development phase and is scheduled to launch 2019.

Steampunk World War 1 RTS Iron Harvest will have over 30 mechs and a powerful pet bear​

 

[TRA Rotid]

Seems cool. A straightforward RTS. Not many of those these days.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Seems cool. A straightforward RTS. Not many of those these days.

Looking forward to seeing how it ends up, it’s looking good so far. So many have shown early promise and fell flat on release so will keep an eye on it. Quite excited for future of RTS genre with some classics being remastered and some new titles getting back to basics.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Here's the First Gameplay of Conan Unconquered, an RTS From Command & Conquer Veterans​