Examining the Beginnings of the RTS Genre 135
Edge Magazine is running a story about the development of the real-time strategy genre. They credit Dune II: the Building of a Dynasty with establishing the basic concepts that led to more popular titles like Command & Conquer and the original Warcraft.
"[Westwood Studios co-founder Brett] Sperry describes Dune II's core challenge as 'combining combat, exploration and production at a particular pace and rhythm to make it all exciting and almost out of control. That was a key part of what made it so addictive.' Indeed, the experience was quite unlike more staid turnbased strategies, where success or failure rolled in slowly rather than rushing over sand dunes at the speed of an action game. 'You had to think and respond fairly quickly, and in realtime, or else your base and forces would all be overrun. And as we developed the game further, it became clearer how the pacing and battle scenario design were all a delicate balance.'"
Herzog Zwei (Score:1, Informative)
Stonkers, on the ZX Spectrum in 1984 was also RTS.
However, the 'modern' RTS genre (where production as well as combat was critical) probably started with Herzog Zwei on the Megadrive. Even the graphics style was carried forward through to Command & Conquer et.al.
Herzog Zwei anyone? (Score:1, Informative)
Re:civilisation (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Dune II Spice vs C&C Tiberium... (Score:1, Informative)
If it wasn't for a spelling mistake in the original data files, you could have built ornithopters (or "ornithipters") yourself from advanced tech or starport buildings.
I think that's why a lot of people grew up to be grammar Nazis.
C&C 1 is free (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Dune II Spice vs C&C Tiberium... (Score:5, Informative)
How could C&C possibly be a ripoff when Westwood created both games? Dune II was their first effort. C&C perfected their entry into the genre. If anything, Warcraft was the rip-off.
Re:C&C FTW! (Score:2, Informative)
You can choose the GDI ending too. If you destroy everything in the last GDI mission but the Temple of NOD and then raze it with an ion cannon strike, you get the secret "canonical" ending. Otherwise you get the boring ending.
Re:The first RTS I saw was on Atari 800 in like 19 (Score:3, Informative)
Yes and my wife and I both played Cytron Masters an even earlier game on an Atari. I looked it up in Wikipedia and it is listed as RTS. Someone below mentions Modem Wars and that was definitely RTS. It is so often that these origins types of articles completely miss the earlier examples.