I suck at RTS games and I wanna get better cause failure is not an option! - Games

So, I've owned Starcraft and Dawn of War for like years now. I've always sucked at them. I'm more of an Age of Empires kind of dude (building a civilization, not attacking). I've tried to play them, I got pretty far in the Space Marine campaign in DoW40K and eventually quit. So, need some pro-tips and some suggestions of good starter games. Go!

Build an army, QUICKLY! If you are going to have a large civilisation you need one. You will constantly be invaded and workers will be attacked while away from the city. If you are playing against CPUs they tend to send out armies right from the beginning so watch out for them too. If you don't want to fight fortify your city to make it hard for invaders to get in.

memorize key bindings, learn how to micro manage.

Starcraft? Tip: Don't ever play it online. Dawn of War? It's got a fair bit of Rock Paper Scissors units. Good vs Infantry, Good vs Vehicles, blah. Try to counter act what your enemy seems to be amassing. Towers and defensive structures of the like are a purely last-line defense, they delay the enemy or support your army. Don't spam them in most games. Most campaigns on games are centered around hero play, or use heroes that you can't get elsewhere. I wouldn't recommend using the campaigns as practice, I would recommend skirmishes and the like. Warcraft III, with or without the expansion, is pretty old, but it's an easy RTS to play and it's alright practice for others, I suppose. As bad as it sounds, doing hit and runs on the enemy's bases is a pretty good tactic early game - it's kinda like rushing, but everybody seems to do it. Take a few units, hopefully ones that can do good damage, and try to tear down one of the enemy's expansions - basically any building that isn't protected by the main hub of their base or army. Even if you can't finish the job before you're run out of their, he'll waste valuable time, units, and resources repairing it or rebuilding anything there.

Op, Can we rts training partners? Seriously. [editline]12:50AM[/editline] A training partner will help you get better. =\

Perhaps, dunno if this laptop (temporary thing) can run any of the games (besides StarCraft) I said in the OP. But if you want to.

[QUOTE=Take_Opal;20586992]Perhaps, dunno if this laptop (temporary thing) can run any of the games (besides StarCraft) I said in the OP. But if you want to.[/QUOTE] Okay, I have starcraft and dawn of war.

watch replays with commentary on youtube. for starcraft Also, try out iccup

[QUOTE=-chu-;20587000]Okay, I have starcraft and dawn of war.[/QUOTE] You can add me on steam if you desire to.

[QUOTE=FHamster;20587004]watch replays with commentary on youtube. for starcraft Also, try out iccup[/QUOTE] day[9] daily good commentary here too :v: [url]http://www.livestream.com/striderdoom[/url]

I'm also gonna try League of Legends, cause I gotta see what kinda RTS gamer I am

[QUOTE=Take_Opal;20587104]I'm also gonna try League of Legends, cause I gotta see what kinda RTS gamer I am[/QUOTE] I play HON. LOL HON an DOTA are not going to help you in any other rts.

Just looking for an RTS I'm good at.

Try Anno1404. The focus is more on economy so it's slower. Should be easier to make up strategies that way.

I hate being new to an RTS cause I always get to play against the very experied Pros, but when I got Men of War I noticed that is not the case, Men of War is so freaking balanced and you learn it very fast, it's better than Company of Heroes in my opinion.

[QUOTE=Dr Nick;20590227]Try Anno1404. The focus is more on economy so it's slower. Should be easier to make up strategies that way.[/QUOTE] While Anno1404 is a very good game, I wouldn't recommend it to practice with. It's a lot more focused on economy then fighting.

galactic civilizations II is turn-based but i like it more than normal rtses because not everyone is "hay fag i got 3000 mareen i send to base"

Play supcom. I used to be just like you. Supcom awoke my startegic instinct. :D You could also try Homeworld, not 2 mind just Homeworld, as it has a very different pace to it that's more natural to be frank.

Don't play RTS games with legitimate super-units (Like AoM: The Titans) before you learn the ropes of basic RTSes.

If you wish to practices tactical skill, I would recommend Company of Heroes, it teaches us how to place units to provide defences,good firing lines, cover approaches etc. If you wish to try strategic skill, the total war series is good as it teaches us economic foresight and planning (How and when will I upgrade my building and will it be ready in time?) as well as defensive and offensive planning(Square formation to hold back flanking cavalry, wedge to provide long defence with ability to close or open flanks etc. And yes, there is a difference between strategy and tactics, simply put, tactics refer to close in inspection of units and statuses(micro management, hot keys etc.) and strategy is overall command spanning mass force movements and planning. Of course Company of Heroes, and Total War depending on which one you decide to play, will require a fairly mid-high end pc to run effectively. And if you find another rts you wish to play that lags a lot, remember, in an rts it's all about response time, not graphics, pretty pictures do not help when your troops are responding 1-3 seconds after a given order.

Do not turtle, it is much better to have an attack force that can actually move, static installations are easy to take out if your enemy is sensible.

The thing i've found in a lot of games is just make sure to use everything you're given and make sure not to waste anything. Like Company of Heroes, for example. NEVER let yourself float any kind of resources, build something or make a new unit as soon as you can unless you're saving up for something bigger. Don't take big risks, don't concentrate all on one unit, and make sure to use the abilities units have as they're intended. And again, don't waste units. If you're in a losing situation, pull the unit(s) back and keep them for later when you can win.

Play dwarf fortress. It's by far the easiest RTS type game out there. /sarcasm

[QUOTE=Kyle902;20593406]Play dwarf fortress. It's by far the easiest RTS type game out there. /sarcasm[/QUOTE] You can't really say that DF is an RTS, nor is it useful as training (aka this doesn't fit here). Yes, I know that was sarcastic. As for content, you should try playing with friends who have the same game, if you do have any. They will most likely try to give you advice and perhaps test you in different areas of the game. (defence, attack and so on) Also, if you truly believe that you will fail at a game and be bored doing so, just don't play the game at all.

Game replays, they really help. Watch a few and see what their doing, the best replays are your losses. There are also tips and guides as well. [URL]http://www.google.com/search?q=game+replayys+.org&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGLL_en[/URL] Google links for safety!

I can never do AOM on moderate, they just fucking rape you

Probably one of the best RTS to 'train' on would probably be SupCom, it'll force MicroManagement and Early Armies on you so much you have no choice BUT to adapt. That's where I got msot of my RTS prowess.

I feel your pain OP. I have been getting raped non-stop in the Starcraft 2 beta, and I'm still in the novice area.

I hear ya, I love RTS games but currently they've become more about extreme micro. R.U.S.E should be a nice change of pace, less micro and more about real battle tactics. I am genuinely excited to play the Beta.

I think I would be better at pretty much any RTS if I could simply zoom out more.