Age of Empires II (2013)

Age of Empires II (2013)

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Know of any other RTS games that scratch this RTS itch?
I've played.... quite a lot... of AOE2 (retail not HD), and I'm wondering what other RTS games I might also enjoy.
I play almost entirely singleplayer; as such, I quite like well-done campaigns. I also seem to like games where resource management is quite important; unlike Battle for Middle-Earth whereby you literally build money-making buildings :P

I quite liked AOE1 and I like Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds a lot (it uses a slightly modified AOE2 engine); still playing the latter occasionally with friends on LAN against the AI.

I didn't like AOE3's unit cap nor infinite resources nor the Fort mechanic; in essence, I didn't like most of the deviations from AOE2 except Trading Posts. :P
AOM (Age of Mythology)'s Titans expansion made for truly atrocious gameplay (first to Titan wins); turning the expansion off had rather poor balance in my opinion. Ufortunately this was the only game that got ship combat at least vaguely correct.

I've also played Impossible Creatures, but found the game annoyingly click-heavy, and have played 0 A.D. but would like a slightly more finished game :P

Also out of personal preference I can't stand any games in and around the WW2 period; guns and tanks are just not my style, which mostly rules out Rise of Nations. I prefer my RTSes a little more abstracted from reality. :P

Anything else you could reccomend?
Last edited by Ruinae Retroque Rursus; Nov 24, 2018 @ 2:13pm
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Showing 1-15 of 23 comments
Tempires Nov 24, 2018 @ 2:03pm 
Have you tried other age games like AOE3 or AOEO or even AOM
Originally posted by Tempires:
Have you tried other age games like AOE3 or AOEO or even AOM

AOE3 yes and I hated the unit cap. I also hated the Fort mechanic and how they would outrange all (?) siege weaponry.
AOM yes and I hated the "rush-to-titan" the expansion gameplay became; overall balance was also reasonably poor, what with the Castle equivalent being able to train everything.

AOEO? That's probably Age of Empires Online... I prefer my singleplayer :/
zenos Nov 24, 2018 @ 2:36pm 
You might like Cossacks 3, or one of the Stronghold games (Stronghold HD and Stronghold Crusader HD)

Command & Conquer games have fun campaigns also (avoid C&C 4 however)
mmmcheesywaffles Nov 24, 2018 @ 3:01pm 
Command & Conquer 1 2 and 3

You might also like the Settlers and Anno series all of which are well catered for with online vids available to help yousee the gameplay.

ФФ Space Alien Nov 24, 2018 @ 4:18pm 
sins of a solar empire is not bad. i wouldnt say its as good as aoe2 though. it has a star trek overhaul mod
Wild Nov 24, 2018 @ 5:48pm 
Warcraft 3. Since you're a fan of single player content, warcraft 3 campaign is story-wise the most well done in the whole genre in my opinion, but bear in mind that the game is quite hero focused and there's a very strict unit limit, resources are sparse in the early game, which makes the game kinda slow paced.

Starcraft 1 campaign is quite LONG, it will take dozen of hours to do everything. Very interesting gameplay wise.

Starcraft 2 is obviously the highest budget RTS game; big competitive scene, high budget and fully voice acted campaigns, huge armies, and much more, worth a try since the first expansion is free-to-play.

Beyond that, I think AOE2 is a very well tuned RTS with a nice campaign, gameplay, and skill ceiling. Everything else in the genre, in my controversial opinion, doesn't feel that good, so you're not missing much.

Edit: wow, looking some youtube videos, Starcraft 1 campaign is not that long, 5 hours each race. I remember taking much longer than that, same with Starcraft 2.
Last edited by Wild; Nov 24, 2018 @ 5:51pm
dragonsphotoworks Nov 24, 2018 @ 7:19pm 
The campaigns last as long as you make them. I like to build large bases so i can spend coulpe hours on a simple map lol So would depend on if rush it or take time.
Tempires Nov 25, 2018 @ 4:14am 
Originally posted by aidenpons:
Originally posted by Tempires:
Have you tried other age games like AOE3 or AOEO or even AOM

AOEO? That's probably Age of Empires Online... I prefer my singleplayer :/

AOEO has campaigns and other AI game modes though.
Last edited by Tempires; Nov 25, 2018 @ 4:15am
Rise of Nations always a choice. that game is a hidden gem
Dacaar Nov 26, 2018 @ 2:14pm 
Empire Earth is old, but a very good game.

Battle of the middle Earth II is being re-developed with more modern technology, and will be avaiable for free. There is no release date, but may be a playable version on first half of 2019.

Finally, the best game for me is Imperium III - Great Battles of Rome. Will be released it version HD on Steam soon (Christmas?). Has good campaign mode although is focused on multiplayer. You have to provide food to your troops and use gold to train them. Mainly its strategy is about military. Technically have 2D but beauty graphics and good sounds (specially music). Don’t need a great PC for works properly.
It’s a classic and was a top-seller on Italy and Spain when the original version (not HD) was released on 2004.
Damiano Anger Nov 26, 2018 @ 2:52pm 
empire earth 1
littlemarty Nov 26, 2018 @ 4:40pm 
AoE2 has quite a few player made campaigns that you can find online as well for some extra milage. It's unfortunate that you dislike WW2 games as Company of Heroes is (in my opinion) one of the most fun RTS games I've ever played.
4spryt Nov 26, 2018 @ 8:07pm 
Im surprised nobody has mentioned Total Anihilation or Supreme Commander:Forged Alliance!?!

TA is the best of the classic 90's RTS games. It has a physics engine to govern projectiles, explosions, and (salvageable) wreckage. Hills have height values. Maps have wind, tides, and gravity values. Plantlife is usually flamable, damaging units caught in forest fires. Some maps even have meteor showers that damage buildings and units. Best of all the AI is no pushover.

Supreme Commander:Forged Alliance is basically TA with a higher budget. More factions, cutscenes, enormous maps, etc. If you can't stand the graphic/gameplay simplicity of a 90's game like TA then Supreme Commander is a solid replacement. Supreme Commander 2 is dumbed down garbage by comparison. Skip it unless simple is your thing.

One other game I would recommend if you are looking for a unique RTS is Wartile.

Wartile uses beautiful hexagon tiled maps and table top miniatures, but instead of being turn based it is real time. Your band of vikings level and gear up like an RPG, and each has a unit ability you assign. You also have 3 card abilities randomly pulled from a deck of 5 cards chosen before each mission (the chosen 5 cards come from a larger deck unlocked from the missions you have completed). Your option to play these cards depends on the card costs and on how many enemies you kill, each kill adds to the overall cost pool. You can also find items around the map that give single use abilities (like burning oil, or an a throwing axe). If you are looking an RTS that is more than just resource gathering and base building, try Wartile it is a lot of fun.

All the other RTS games I'd recommend have already been listed.
talgaby Nov 27, 2018 @ 5:57am 
Rise of Nations is the most obvious answer. It is even another RTS published by Microsoft.

Cossacks 1-2. Similar time frame (although closer to the AoE3 centuries), similar unit variety, but much larger scale armies.

Total Annihilation and/or Supreme Commander 1. Vastly different game mechanics, but often considered the best RTS of all time. I consider the Total Annihilation: Escalation fanmod the second best RTS ever, with #1 being…

Ground Control: Dark Conspiracy, or World in Conflict if you want a more modern setting for a similar play style (same studio made them).

Plus of course there are always the usual stock answers for AoE fans: R.U.S.E, Empire Earth, Age of Wonders III, or you can try Empires Apart, which is essentially a fan recreation of AoE1-2 gameplay in an AoM style 3D engine.
Pev Nov 27, 2018 @ 11:31am 
Have u tried Company of Heroes 1 & 2 ? Well i know it's not medieval era since it was WW2 Era with Rifles and Tanks, but you should try it.
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Date Posted: Nov 24, 2018 @ 1:55pm
Posts: 23