How do you play RTS games?

[wrecker77]

I swear if I make another thread based around Brutal Legend again I might as well marry the game.

So Ive been playing Brutal legend online, and as I'm sure People who have played online have discovered, Ironheade has a unit called the Fire Barons that do massive amount of damage are available very early in the game, and cost peanuts to make. If you play a game against a Fire Baron rusher, unless you have completely mastered the game, or are also a fire baron rusher, chances are you are getting six shades of shit beaten out of you.

But when playing against the other two factions and the fight is fair, I tend to build a lot of very weak units and constantly be attacking the other team.

Now...Oh wait Tim Schafer said Brutal Legend isn't an RTS. I guess it doesn't count.

But really, the only other RTS I played was the Battle For Middle Earth games. But I played the shit out of that game.

When I played, all I did was wait until I could build upgrade buildings and just fully upgrade one battalion at a time. But I actually won most of those games.

On a side note, I want a REALLY, and I mean really, good RTS game. One that is fun to play and has a decent community of people to play with online. Or just one that all RTS gamers should have played at some point. Now My computer is indeed, very old and terrible. My laptop... is meh. If has to be plugged in at all time or it dies instantly. But I haven't tried playing any games on it.

I made a post about computer help with my specs on it so if a good RTS comes to mind that fits those requirements, notify me. I will post it when I find it, but if you know one that you know even a really bad computer can run, give me the heads up

But again, How do you play RTS games? What are some of your great war stories?

 

[A Weary Exile]

Fast, early attacks. Get 'em while they're weak I say, don't let them build up. I always use a diverse group of units to counter anything they may throw at me.

 

[Ocelot GT]

Most RTS I harass early on with crap units, or even appear on the battlefield and kite around out of harms way to lure their force away while I rush in and cap/mine key areas.

In DoW 2, I just go all out offense, and set up traps and flank like crazy.

I was 60th in the world for a number of weeks in teams :3 Now I'm down to 250th :<

 

[sms_117b]

I'm a base builder. Slowly I expand my territory consuming more of the maps resources whilst spending very limited amounts compared to those that run head long into various defensive traps and lines of artillery (generally).

Slowly I build a army then with as many waves of minions as required I crush my opponent, or max out their kill limit, which ever come first.

I wrote about it, Zapp Brannigans Big Book Of War, a must for every budding strategist in the know universe and maybe, the unknown!

 

[MONSTERheart]

You should try StarCraft or possibly WarCraft III if your computer is sluggish.

Anyways, I was never really hardcore at RTS's, mainly because I was too damn lazy to be bothered learning all the hotkeys and all the PRO STRATEGIES. Last RTS I seriously played was Halo Wars. Unfortunately, that game suffers from rushing being the only strategy that works.

I prefer either rushing or turtling.

 

[Mr.Black]

I'm a resource whore. I love a flourishing economy. Although that tends to get crippled when I just don't build enough dudes to fend off the bad dudes

 

[userwhoquitthesite]

I swear if I make another thread based around Brutal Legend again I might as well marry the game.

So Ive been playing Brutal legend online, and as I'm sure People who have played online have discovered, Ironheade has a unit called the Fire Barons that do massive amount of damage are available very early in the game, and cost peanuts to make. If you play a game against a Fire Baron rusher, unless you have completely mastered the game, or are also a fire baron rusher, chances are you are getting six shades of shit beaten out of you.

But when playing against the other two factions and the fight is fair, I tend to build a lot of very weak units and constantly be attacking the other team.

Now...Oh wait Tim Schafer said Brutal Legend isn't an RTS. I guess it doesn't count.

But really, the only other RTS I played was the Battle For Middle Earth games. But I played the shit out of that game.

When I played, all I did was wait until I could build upgrade buildings and just fully upgrade one battalion at a time. But I actually won most of those games.

On a side note, I want a REALLY, and I mean really, good RTS game. One that is fun to play and has a decent community of people to play with online. Or just one that all RTS gamers should have played at some point. Now My computer is indeed, very old and terrible. My laptop... is meh. If has to be plugged in at all time or it dies instantly. But I haven't tried playing any games on it.

I made a post about computer help with my specs on it so if a good RTS comes to mind that fits those requirements, notify me. I will post it when I find it, but if you know one that you know even a really bad computer can run, give me the heads up

But again, How do you play RTS games? What are some of your great war stories?

A great RTS game?
Total Annihilation: Kingdoms and its expansion The Iron Plague.

Fantastic writing, five fairly well balanced factions, and downright awesome units.

My favorite strategy is, sadly, spam-spawn, swarm, and crush my foes like mice 'twixt hammer and anvil.

You do not know fear until an army of armorclad bears rain spear down upon you.

And last time I played, the online community was huge

 

[rockingnic]

Star Craft and Command and Conquer. 2 of the best RTSs out there. Oh and Total Annihilation.

 

[hamsterkilla]

My strategy for rts games always tends to be very boring.For example in company of heroes i send out a couple of units to capture points while i build an amazing amounts of defensive measures. Then i just slowly build up my army while destroying everything my opponent sends at me. Then when im ready i go and attack their base that or my opponent leaves the match from boredom.Either way its a win for me.

Im going to have to say starcraft or an old command and conquer game for a crappy computer last ive played they still had a decent online community.

 

[IxionIndustries]

NetStorm sounds like the game for your situation.

The game itself had piss poor sales, and is now considered freeware, but the quality of the game is pretty good.
The game has a large community of people who maintain a server, and release patches with the code.

I'd describe the gameplay as a bit of a mix between Pipe Dream, and a tower defense.

Check it out:
http://www.netstormhq.com/news.php

OT: My strategy depends.. Normally I just build up, and then send out waves of units..

Also, I envy you for getting Brutal Legend.. Lucky bastard..

 

[bodyklok]

I'm an Architect; I build up my base, I reach the maximum pop limit with as many of the best units as possible, and of course, I try to claim everything on the map that's of any value.

It's a bit boring sometimes so I try to mix it up by doing lightning raids and such.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I usually use the strategy commonly known as 'turtling'. Build up a strong base defence and let the enemy break themselves against it while I build up my own forces. Usually always works in games like CnC:Red Alert 2 & Generals against the AI, doesn't work so well in Starcraft where the AI likes to Zerg rush me early on.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I play them badly. Seriously. I can't micromanage to save my life and I always get caught watching one battle while enemies hit my base from another angle. I tend to play conservatively, sending out mixed groups and attacking in waves to catch any counter-attacking forces by surprise.

 

[ottenni]

Depends on the game. Some its wise to spam builders at the start and amass a shitload of resources as fast as you can before exploding with units and tech and so forth. But others you cant do this because 9/10 people like to rush you with their basic units so you have to counter that by doing something similar.

But the golden rule is be aggressive, have multiple bases as soon as you can, know what your enemy is up to and harass them. Or if you are playing Battle for Middle Earth just play as Rohan and build only cavalry and grab Theoden and Eomer and you have basically won. Oh and be sneaky and use choke points ( a great tactic if you are playing as the English or Chinese in Age of Empires 2). Of course another great tactic when playing Age of Mythology is to play as Loki, build the maximum villagers/dwarves and then use the Ragnarok power.

 

[Inco]

Starcraft is your best bet.
In that game my tactics vary. I can be a rusher, a tech rusher, a steamroller (obsessive with low tier units like zerglings) Tactical turtle (involves sitting in my base and sending small teams to inflict major damage on opponents.) and so forth. It is a satisfying game.

 

[Valate_v1legacy]

Starcraft: Always Terran, foo.

Step ONE: Build bunkers and missile launchers like freaking crazy.
Step TWO: Get shit-tons of wraiths and ghosts.
Step THREE: Get shit tons of command centers with nuclear silos.
Step FOUR: ???
Step FIVE: Profit.

 

[CheeseSandwichCake]

Starcraft. craptons of people still play it today and it's perfectly balanced. Anyone can learn to play it but it takes ages to master it.

In Starcraft though there is just one unit you can never go wrong with, no matter what you do. This unit is the Hydralisk. It can hit any unit, has decent bonuses after upgrades and a swarm of them can take on a swarm of just about anything else.

 

[Spaghetti]

World in Conflict is a GREAT RTS. It skips the slow base building and resource managment part of the standard RTS and focuses on tactics and how you use your units. Also, you're given a limited number of units at any one time so steamrolling and rushing are sort of moot. Plus it's set during the 1980's in a fictional war between the US and USSR which is cool.

I like to hammer my enemy from afar with artillary and ambush them with infantry hiding in forests etc. Perhaps a little armour somewhere in case things go tits up.
Although I've only ever been able to get this tactic to work in World in Conflict...it doesn't work very well anywhere else

 

[SquirrelPants]

Depends on the RTS. Generally in Sins of a Solar Empire, I'll build up an economy while exploring with expendable units(usually scouts) as I build up a small fleet of the weakest type of ship, along with one capital ship and at least one missionary vessel so that I can populate planets. Then I'll upgrade my hostility tree as quickly as I can so that I can have high firepower, and then finally I'll reinforce my fleet with more weak ships and eventually a second and third capital ship. I'll usually end a game with a fleet of 200-300 small ships, and since there are so many of them, they just take enemies out in seconds.

 

[lizards]

i myself am looking for the perfect rts

the closest ive came in my own personal opinion to perfect is total annilation supreme commander endwar company of heros and world in conflict and ive heard that order of war is interesting

but all mentioned have things that shoot the knee caps out from under them

honorable mention goes to starcraft for making a extremely good rts but not having the level of massive battles that is contained in my check list

i think that the closest there is is the total war games and sins of a solar empire

they both have the empire managament in them and that is a must for perfect for me because i want it to be somewhat realistic and what i mean by that is that in usally non-empire managing rts you have limitless amounts of units and spend as much as you have without being affected by it next battle

however ive never played either online because total war only does battles online not empire managing (except for empires but that is so full of bugs and shit that its to the point of "did they play this before releaseing it?") and i know many many ways that people online would completely ruin sins online (spamming siege frigates bombing the planet then leaveing real fast or going insane with starbases)