Help for an RTS newcomer?

[cgmetallica1981]

I have always tried to get into RTS games but always fail because I can't really learn to do well and keep up. I always can pass the tutorials but after that I am lost. Could anybody direct me to any helpful websites/videos that could help me with my problem? Also, I have Age of Empires 3, both StarCraft games, and some Total War games, what do you suggest is the easiest to learn?

 

[Argonian alchemist]

Age of Empires III was what got me into RTS's. It's a really good teaching tool with strategies, resource management etc. And the graphics aren't half bad. (back then they were awesome.)

So yeah, go with AoE 3 In my opinion.

 

[Canid117]

Always build more than one Barracks and as many workers as is efficient. And most importantly: PRACTICE!!!!!

 

[BreakfastMan]

Just play the games on the easiest possible settings, and play lots of matches against the AI. You should build up some skills then. Also, don't be afraid to cheat if you need to. These can help you know which units are good against others and which strategies to use, without having to spend all your resources or take any big risks. I also find that they can make the games much more fun. It is your game after all, why not play it in the way that you get the most enjoyment?

EDIT: Also, get Age Of Empires II, Age Of Mythology, and Warcraft III. Why? 'Cause they are all great RTS's. Never can have too many great games. Also, I started on AoE II. It is pretty easy to learn and play, but difficult to master. It should help you build up the skills you need. I know it helped me.

 

[Riddle78]

Try to find blind Let's Plays on YouTube. It'd be essentialy newbie-to-newbie tutelage. Also,try playing on the lowest dificulty,and slowly turn it up as you gain confidence.

Also,a suggestion to add to your RTS library,for variety? Supreme Commander. Plays much differently than other RTS titles,and it's easy to pick up once you understand the basics of economy and building.

 

[Therumancer]

I have always tried to get into RTS games but always fail because I can't really learn to do well and keep up. I always can pass the tutorials but after that I am lost. Could anybody direct me to any helpful websites/videos that could help me with my problem? Also, I have Age of Empires 3, both StarCraft games, and some Total War games, what do you suggest is the easiest to learn?

Truthfully, I'd kind of suggest the old "Warcraft" games, while dated, they pretty much defined the genere as it is now and as such are very simplistic. It's the best starting point and as you get better at them you can more easily move on to other games that include more twists and variables.

Another good series you might try is "Command And Conquer", that series can start out pretty basic depending on what installment you pick. Besides the pure bombastic cheez of the cut scenes are a worthy payoff. You'll recognize a number of actresses that went on to do some popular science fiction TV shows, not to mention the fact that Kane is probably the most memorable video game villain out there (you will never be able to un-visualize him), kind of sad that these games in all their premutations are pretty much over.

Red Alert 3 and the final Tiberian game seem to go on STEAM sales with some frequency, you might check them out at some point when they are next in cheap(er) land.

 

[SovietSecrets]

StarCraft wise if you want to get better, go to Teamliquid and look up their strategy stuff for whatever race you play.

http://sc2rep.com/ replays also help.

 

[rileyrulesu]

Never played AoE3, but got some general tips for SC.

1- Ever hear of APM? It stands for Actions Per minute. It shows how fast you move and click and is indicative of a pro player. A lot of people obsess over getting it up!

Ignore it.

You will probably read a lot about it, but in all honesty you don't need it. (At least until much later levels, so ignore it for now).

2- Play the campaign.

In both BW and SC2, the campaign does an excellent job of teaching mechanics (more on this later) and introducing the player to the UI.

3- Ignore builds (for now)

Builds are important, but at the very beginning, play intuitively. If you have 1000 minerals, make some extra barracks! is his army a lot smaller than yours? Attack!

Not only is this a lot easier, but making up your own ideas when your just learning is a lot of fun!

4- Mechanics, mechanics, mechanics.

Now, what are mechanics? Mechanics are your ability to do simple, essential tasks well. Here are a few simple examples

a. always be producing workers, no matter what. When do you stop? Someone (I forgot who) said "If you have to ask when to stop producing workers, then don't"

b. Always be producing units out of your buildings. More units is good!

c. Try not to queue units. Your structures can queue 5 units to automatically start once the last is done. But if you have say 5 medivacs queued that's 500 minerals and 500 gas you don't have! you can do a lot with that money!

d. keep up with chrono boost/mules/inject larvae. all 3 of these things should be done more or less ASAP, and don't let energy store up.

5- EXPAND! I know this is rather specific, but if you teach yourself to expand, it's like a free pass to gold league. (As a rule of thumb try to start your expansion before 10 minutes)

6- Don't worry about your league. If you are placed into bronze league or E rank, don't worry, just get better.

7- Learn some builds!(Yep, you are now ready young patawan!) There are plenty of helpful pro-gamer vods and streams, go to youtube and look up HDstarcraft or husky starcraft for some somewhat simplified, easy to understand analysis of progames. Feel free to steal a build order from a pro, and try to do it as well as him! while you probably won't be able to do it, it helps your mechanics.

8- have fun!

IF you want to learn more head over here for SC2 BW content

Teamliquid.net (be careful, they have very strict moderation)

 

[Gaderael]

Like most people here have suggested, just practice, practice, practice! I'm not that good at RT S games, but I enjoy them, so you can just do what I do: Play on the easier settings. It's relaxing, and the AI usually doesn't force your hand, allowing you to learn the basics of both defense, if you prefer Turtling, and basic offense if you like building massive armies or small squads to hamper the enemy.

Just ease your way in. I'd suggest AoE II (Black Forest is, in my opinion, the best map) or AoE III, or Rise of Nations, as they are easy to pick up and play. Rise of Nations is great, as you go from the dark ages up to the near future, so you can laugh as archers attack your awesome tanks. Plus it has nukes. Plus, it'll run on any computer, even a little old netbook.

 

[HerbertTheHamster]

total war is incredibly simple, Starcraft has insanely frustrating micro and SC2 is simple. Just play the games on the easiest settings and/or campaign to get into them. The SC2 campaign is really forgiving.

AoE 3 terrible compared to 2, btw.

 

[Feralcentaur]

Ever try the first Empire Earth game? If you've played Age of Empires it should feel quite familiar and it's quite fun. And it's not one of those games where the enemy destroys your base 20 minutes into the game, it's a game where if you're hoping to finish a match you'd better be saving, or if playing a LAN game with other players... make sure your After Noon is free.
Don't bother with any of the Empire Earth sequels though, they suck more than a Vacuum in Space.

 

[Davidmcawesome]

Try Auralux, download the demo and if it doesn't feel fun at all, you won't like RTS, as gameplay. (I'm simply saying from it being completely distilled.)

 

[SergeantAnt]

well my first rts was age of empires 1 and it did a great job of introducing me to the genre. so i'd say aoe 3 is probably the most user friendly.
then warcraft 3 was my second and you should try it, it's absolutely fantastic.
once you start getting use to thing PLAY STARCRAFT 2!!! i absolutely love that game to death.

now for tips!
single player: just be patient and mass units to as much as you can, then roll over everything in your path. tutorials help you show which units are strong against what as well (which i found is most important in starcraft 2 and age of mythology.)

multiplayer: take everything you learn from single player and learn to adjust to your opponents strategy to counter him. unit choice is much much more important then single player here.
and in starcraft 2 be sure to scout. knowing your opponent is key.

 

[CD-R]

I'm curious which Total War games do you have? General rule of thumb there is spearmen beat cavalry, cavalry beat archers, archers beat spearmen. It gets a little more complicated the later you go in the series though. And if you're playing Empire that's a whole other can of worms.

 

[Vault boy Eddie]

Try Dawn of War and Company of Heroes, more strategy seeing as how instead of gathering resources, you capture strategic points. You also have a limited amount of units you can build which makes building the right units all the more crucial.

 

[Vern5]

You want help with getting into the RTS genre? Okay, here's my advice: GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!

 

[NightlyNews]

The easiest of the three to learn would be Age of Empires, I think. Although, that depends on what Total War games you have. Napoleon and Empire can be hard for some people to get into, while Rome is quite easy to learn.

If you're interested in SC2, then watch Day9's newbie tuesdays, as they're aimed directly at helping new players. I think Husky Starcraft has some tutorials of the extreme basics, too.

Husky is funny, but he is one of the all time worst starcraft players. Please take any advice from him with a grain of salt.

If you really want to get good at starcraft theres really only 2 things you need to do: play at least 3 games a day and hang out on teamliquid once a week. After about a month you'll be a borderline pro if you have good hand eye coordination.

If you don't it's still fun to rush nukes

 

[smearyllama]

Age of Empires III was what got me into RTS's. It's a really good teaching tool with strategies, resource management etc. And the graphics aren't half bad. (back then they were awesome.)

So yeah, go with AoE 3 In my opinion.

This.
Along with Empire At War, it's one of the only RTS games I've ever really played.

I loved it as a kid, but I can't get it to install on Windows 7 D: