RTS/strategy game suggestions

[nvrmre]

Hi all

I'm on the hunt for some good PC strategy games to play. Not necessarily abandonware, if its a good game I'd pick it up or try a demo.

I've always been a big fan of the sim type games, and recently have been branching into some RTS stuff. Age of Empires, Civ, Warcraft III, and the like.

Now I'm looking to see if anyone has some suggestions of anything a little more obscure... any hidden gems. Current or older.

I'm also trying to see if I can find any turn-based strategy games for PC, similar in gameplay to Final Fantasy Tactics or the Nippon Ichi games for PS2/3.

Any suggestions would be very welcome, thanks for your help!

[Blood-Pigggy]

It's not obscure but it's been butchered by its "spiritual successor" I suggest you try Total Annihilation.

Those turn based "strategy" games you mentioned are only going to find you more complex counterparts on the PC, if that's what you want, there are tactics games like Silent Storm and Jagged Alliance 2 (JA2 being the best in existence) that are absolutely top of the line. Of course there's also UFO (available on this site) that you should definitely try out if you can get past the learning curve.

[Eagle of Fire]

There is Vantage Master (http://www.reloaded.org/download/Vantage-Master-Online/350/) available on Abandonia Reloaded. You're going to love it. :)

[nvrmre]

Great suggestions!

One thing that I forgot to mention is that I tend to prefer the historic/fantasy strategy games over the modern warfare games (Command & Conquer, etc). I will admit that I haven't given the modern themed games much attention, so maybe I just need the right one to get me into them. Total Annihilation looks interesting

Eagle of Fire: Vantage Master definitely looks up my alley - they even mention FF Tactics and the Nippon Ichi games in the description, LOL! I'll give it a try.

I noticed at the bottom of the page they mentioned an indie game called Battle of Wesnoth - looked at the site and it looks very promising as well. Has anyone played this one?

Thanks again for the suggestions

[The Fifth Horseman]

Try MechCommander (the first one).
It's fun, especially if you get the Gold version (extra campaign, plus you can increase the difficulty :D)

[Dave]

Let me suggest you an old classic, Dune II (http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/36/Dune+2+-+The+Building+of+a+Dynasty.html), it can be considered the father of modern RTS, my first love.

Also Starcraft is an enjoyable game, but it's likely you have already played it, right? :p

[_r.u.s.s.]

pshh guys, he wants some fantasy stuff

i remember once i played this "warlords battlecry ii" demo and it was fun, i don't know how is the full game. i think you should check out the series

i (http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/warlords-battlecry/screenshots)
ii (http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/warlords-battlecry-ii/screenshots)
ii (http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/warlords-battlecry-iii/screenshots)

[nvrmre]

Yeah, don't know why, but I'm much more into a game if they're fighting with swords and bows rather than guns and bombs. Sci Fi isn't bad, it's more the WW2 era stuff that makes me lose interest. Dune is classic, I should look into that. Mech Commander sounds familiar to me

I have played Starcraft, good game (though I like the Warcraft series better, probably because I'm familiar with the lore from the MMO)

Warlords Battlecry - nice one, looks very promising! It actually reminds me a bit of the Warcraft RTS games from the screenshots

Man, these games make me want to set aside a few nights and spend some quality time in front of the monitor! :p

[gregor]

Heroes of might and magic.

I - is here on site
II and III are good but still sold i believe
V seems also good

They are not RTS, but combat is fast enough to keep you occupied.

Out of Sci-Fi (turn based):
Galactic civilisations II is OK
Space empires III is also OK, while SE IV is a bit too complex IMO.

RTS in older days - i would say Settlers III and Settlers IV are good. Sort of Age of empires only much larger armies (like 200 vs. 200 :D)

[Scatty]

Well if it comes to a Fantasy Strategy game one has to play Master of Magic. You can even get it from Abandonia here (http://abandonia.com/en/games/189/Master+of+Magic.html).
It is round-based though, and not realtime, but I'm sure you'll love it nevertheless.

You might also want to try out KKND (http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/kknd-krush-kill-n-destroy-xtreme) though it isn't Fantasy, and it's not abandoned either.

[chainsoar]

I don't remember KKND that well, I remember my brother had it and I thought it looked kinda cool. However, I can tell you to avoid KKND 2 like the plague. Absolute dross, pretty much a worthless C&C clone. Every side (Survivors, Evolved, or Series 9) are exactly the same and have all the same weapons. It looks, plays, and generally feels like C&C's weak cousin.

[Zekk]

I have played "battle for wesnoth", GREAT GAME. Turn based strategy, multiple campaigns with very good stories (Especially the main one...Heir to the throne), lots of action, good unit selections. And one of my favorite features: recalling units from past scenarieos (i know i didn't spell that correctly....)

All in all, a really good game.

Zekk

[Eagle of Fire]

I liked it too, but it didn't do it for me in the long run. It was way too much a wargame for me to really like it.

[nvrmre]

I forgot about Heroes of Might & Magic - I played the first game a long while back but none of the sequels. I may have to look around - I believe there is a compilation available with all or most of the games.

Thanks for the feedback on Battle for Wesnoth - the screenshots on the main site looked quite nice. I'm impressed with the quality given that its an Indie game. I'll download the latest version from their site and give it a try. I'm not always into the war aspect, but if done right, or if the story is strong enough, it may hook me.

[Tervez]

If you happen to like Master of Magic, I suggest you try Age of Wonders or it's sequel. Both are great games, and shouldn't be that hard to get.

[moljac024]

I forgot about Heroes of Might & Magic - I played the first game a long while back but none of the sequels. I may have to look around - I believe there is a compilation available with all or most of the games.

Thanks for the feedback on Battle for Wesnoth - the screenshots on the main site looked quite nice. I'm impressed with the quality given that its an Indie game. I'll download the latest version from their site and give it a try. I'm not always into the war aspect, but if done right, or if the story is strong enough, it may hook me.

it's not indie, it's open source.

[_r.u.s.s.]

and what makes you think that open source can't be independent

[nvrmre]

When I said Indie, I meant it as a blanket term referring to a game/program not being released my a major manufacturer, not on store shelves, no million dollar ad campaign, etc. I usually consider open source projects to full under that generic term, though I could be using the term incorrectly.

[moljac024]

Hmm, my bad, I guess it could. This is what wikipedia has to say:

Indie video games are often grouped together with shareware, freeware and open source software.

But then again:

Indie games are video games that are created independently of the financial backing of a large publishing company. These games generally have a small or non-existent budget and are often primarily available online or through friend-to-friend sharing, although in some cases budgets can run in the millions, and indie games have appeared on consoles and in game stores.

Before the mid-1990s, commercial game distribution was controlled by big publishers and retailers, and developers of indie games were forced to either build their own publishing company, find one willing to distribute their game, or distribute it in some form of shareware (eg. through BBSs). With the rise of online shopping, it has become possible to sell indie games to a worldwide market with little or no initial investment by using services such as eBay and PayPal.

This implies that profit may be an integral part of the project. Open-source generally doesn't function that way. Never mind anyway...

[Ultimate Carl]

You could try the Warlords (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warlords_(game_series)) series. I was in LOVE with Warlords 3. I remember wasting away an entire WEEK on this game. It's even got army customization, random level generators, and hotseat multiplayer. Half that week was spent playing with friends!

[Miles]

Dune II, StarCraft and Rise of Nations. Enough said.

[MagnusX]

Let me suggest you an old classic, Dune II (http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/36/Dune+2+-+The+Building+of+a+Dynasty.html), it can be considered the father of modern RTS, my first love.

Also Starcraft is an enjoyable game, but it's likely you have already played it, right? :p

Dude props to those choices.

Also every C&C game is great, pretty sure you've played them. Not very many other good RTS' around besides the already mentioned ones.

[Fubb]

Well my suggestion would be Mount & Blade (Good luck getting it in canada though, i can't preorder from amazon, cus they dont have it yet, and i HATE Ebay)

It's full version was released just a couple days ago, on the 19th of sept.
Even though it's primely a medieval simulation type of thing (the only reason I like it is because it's realistic in gameplay aspects) it still has some strategy in it, you can flank on horse back, etc.

:) Go ahead, try it, i likes the game :) though i can only play it on my cousins pc cause mines not good enough. Just search it in google and go to the homepage, its a paradox game too, if that means anything to anyone :\

I do play Freelords which is just a cheap free remake of Warlords that looks like Civ...

[MagnusX]

I forgot to mention Dark Reign and Dark Reign 2, both old strategies but unit balancing might be questionable. Might be your kind of game though.

[The Coop]

While not PC based, there are a number of EMUs that will run these just fine on your PC...

Shining Force- Turn-based Strategy Role Playing game, with characters that range from elves, to centaurs, to bird people.
Shining Force II- Ditto.
Herzog Zwei- Set in a futuristic world, you use a plane that can transform into a robot for ground attacks. Some consider this to be the first true RTS game, since it has resource management (controlling small bases to gain money... more bases = more money), you can order your troops to perform various attacks or guard, your troops can run out of ammo, and the PC is doing everything at the same time you are.

Also, try looking up the Langrisser and Fire Emblem series. They've been released on various systems over the years.

[bobson]

Heroes of might and magic.
II and III are good but still sold i believe
V seems also good

Only II & III is worth playing in my opinion. :max:

Would You like some action with a bit of strategy? Check syndicate series (http://www.abandonia.com/en/search_abandonia/syndicate).

[Tomekk]

Strategy:
Turn based:Heroes of Might and Magic 1-3 (2s the best in my opinion)
Master of Orion 1/2
Real time: The entire C&C and Dune series by Westwood.
Total Annihilation (Gamespots game of the year '97, best soundtrack ever)

[Fubb]

Even though im still walking through it's Learning curve (Just downloadd last night) I think 'Lords of the Realm' is a good one, it's here, on Abandonia :)

[Urban fox]

Hearts of Iron 2, a great WW2 RTS.

It has a vast choice of nations and beating Germany using Poland or France is highly amusing.

You also get to change history because at certain points you offered historic choices you decision can greatly effect future events and choices you get offered. For example as the Soviets you can chose to purge the Red Army's offers Corps or not.

[nemesisuk]

Try Panzer General, or any of the General series. Loads of add-ons if you use the DOS version

[JubeiDOK]

Fantasy General, Myth, The very first "Warlords", and as another has mentioned....the EPIC Master of Magic!

Myth is the only RTS one though.

[Simoneer]

Let me suggest you an old classic, Dune II (http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/36/Dune+2+-+The+Building+of+a+Dynasty.html), it can be considered the father of modern RTS, my first love.

WIN!

Dune II is spectacular (hence my signature).

[Batmanifestdestiny]

you want the best RTS ever? Get Starcraft....now!

[Fubb]

Starcraft...bleh. Its to much of a rock-papers-siccors game

(yes i spelled that wrong)
(Then you ask, "But Fubb! What word did you spell wrong?")
(Then I reply, "Oh, you'll know....youll know")

[voitan]

tried company of heroes??? :noworry: