r/RealTimeStrategy

Every RTS I’ve seen and played so far always feels fake and plastic. Bullets have no real power or ballistics, explosions feel lame and only kill the units they directly land on. Minimal environmental destruction.
If someone can recommend something that has the following that would be amazing.

Environmental destruction that actually matters.

Real ballistics and physics, so everything doesn’t feel floaty and plastic.

Good sound design and visual effects. I want bullets to feel deadly, kick up dirt, chip concrete. Hear the panic of soldiers in combat. Listen to the distant gunshots, and the weight of tanks rolling by. See the details of the war machines I deploy.

Satisfying game design. No artillery strikes that only damage the exact unit they land on, even with a massive explosion effect.
And real, meaningful, tactical decisions. I hate feeling like I’m just playing rock, paper, scissors.

And an interesting story line and meaningful stakes would be a plus. Feeling like I’m actually fighting for something that matters.

For me it’s the feeling of being in the moment or rather thinking, actively, both long term but acting in the moment. The big brain feeling - cliche, I know but how else to describe it? It’s nuclear levels of engagement in BAR where the factors are so many but so sophisticated that it takes so long to just master the basics. Or it can be the deceptively simple challenge like in TAB and DNO (Diplomacy is not an option) where the whole process of strategy comes to considering 1 or 2 important factors and then building around them and with them in mind.

But it’s this whole active process of thinking. No other genre exhausts me as much mentally but in a satisfying way that’s completely unlike the fatigue that… for example, comes from mindlessly grinding out your hours in an ARPG. It’s a sweet mental exhaustion, that’s how I would describe it, it doesn't stay with you that long and you feel like you really used your mind all throughout.

How would you describe the feeling that still keeps you coming back into older RTS and awaiting new ones? Other words, where does the moment of RTS satisfaction come from, for you?

I'm waiting for ashes of singularty 2 and playing atre domiance war demo . My main rts is usualy defnese like battle of the emprie 1914-1918 and men of war series and glory to goo (that game is fantastic). While not rts I am anticpated for embers of the uncrowned paly test on steam summer game fest cause its bascilly like PoE but without haivng to look at guides

Hello all,

We wanted to start sharing insights occasionally of what the teams been working on behind the scenes from time to time for Ashes II. So here's a bit of what we've done over the last couple days.

DISCLAIMER: This is just about the last week, theres been much more done since the original Demo, think of it as a more timely snapshot

Recent Work as of May 20th, 2026

Campaign

The Campaign has been a focus recently. Right now, we've been playtesting the campaign and iterating on difficulty to ensure a positive player experience. Part of that endeavor includes adding a difficulty dropdown with three tiers:

• Relaxed keeps the existing feel
• Engaged increases enemy pressure
• and Relentless for more of a challenge

Cutscenes will be skippable, and we've been working through mission-level fixes for playability, balance, and stability. Campaign balance, especially at higher difficulties, is still actively being tuned.

Units

On the UEF side, we've been building out some new content. The Lantha Processor is a new economic building that generates resources without a node but at the cost of heavy power consumption: sitting as the ultimate tech in their third tree.

The Cavalier Team is getting hover jetpacks, making them faster hovering ground units. There's also a new orbital in the works, the Emergency Turret, and the Containment tech tree is being redesigned to feel more distinct from the others.

Maps

Map-wise, we have a new medium map coming called "Vallis Rift" on Mars. Soon Custom maps will support random Biome and Topography options. An 8-player volcanic biome map called the Burning Temple, has had its layout fully reworked. Resource seeding on skirmish maps is also getting a substantial pass; the goal is more resources per region and a fairer distribution overall.

U.I

A lot of UI work has been going on too. Orbital recharge clarity, production queue improvements, Logistics cap handling, alert spam protection, and several smaller fixes to make information easier to read at a glance.

Look forward to more insights in the coming weeks!

I am driving myself crazy trying to remember the name of a video game that samples the INXS song "Need you tonight". Just the guitar riff, no vocals. The only thing I remember is that I got it on a demo disc in the late 90s, and it was an RTS game. I played it a bunch. I know the song was on there because I'd never heard the INXS song and when I heard it on the radio years later I thought "hey, it's the song from that RTS game?". Can anyone name the game, for my sanity?

This is a topic that comes up all of the time both in playtests on our own game and when discussing strategy games with friends. Lately I’ve been thinking about how differently people approach RTS games. Some folks and friends swear by pause‑and‑plan because it lets them actually think instead of "panic decision making". Others say pausing kills the whole point of real‑time. (Obviously, I am talking about campaign here)

I’m somewhere in the middle:I love the chaos, but sometimes my brain wants a timeout.

Curious where folks land on this.

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share a big update about the development of Roma2443.

After a lot of work, I finally managed to implement smooth pathfinding in the game, which makes unit movement feel way more natural and responsive during battles.
I also added a brand new unit: the Archer

This unit has a special mechanic:
➡️ Archers can hide inside trees and stay undetected until enemies use a scan or destroy the tree. It opens the door for ambushes, scouting, and more tactical gameplay.

https://preview.redd.it/43v55sozp12h1.png?width=1517&format=png&auto=webp&s=0c5490fde97e695aa6caee944b07ac016cb6ea92

We’re also organizing our first 8-player tournament on Discord with a 25€ cash prize, and there are still some spots available!

Discord:
Join the Discord server

The goal is to organize at least one tournament every month and slowly build a competitive/community scene around the game.

We also regularly organize community matches and playtests on the Discord, so if you want people to play with, you’ll easily find games there.

You can also watch some gameplay here:
Gameplay video on YouTube

And of course, the game itself is playable here:
Play Roma2443

The main reason I’m making this thread is because I’d genuinely like feedback from RTS / strategy players:

• What is currently missing that would make you want to try the game?
• What would make you join the community and stick around?
• If the game doesn’t interest you yet, what features or ideas would change your mind?

I’m trying to improve the game step by step, so honest feedback is super valuable

Hello, I’m looking for war games where you can place or build trenches or defensive positions so your army can defend a base. Does this type of game fall under tower defense? I would like it to have a good campaign and some kind of management/construction and resource gathering.

Thank you!

Is there such thing as an auto macro game? I was just thinking about this as I was playing majesty 1, an auto micro game. I was thinking something like a game where the buildings are built automatically and you have little control over them. The economy could also be done automatically as well.

I know everyone has their favorite and thats why they tout their game as the goat, but having grown up on RTS from Dune 2 in 1994, through to CNC, RA, Total War Series, Supreme Commander and everything else, I know SC2 is the goat for several reason, but namely the balance between three asymmetric races and huge variation in design and mechanics of each unit. Explained really nicely in this video