Good strat games

[Anathema]

And I don't mean those that everybody already knows- WCIII, or the coming C&C generals, just list your favourite strat game ever (or at least till now) and mention the following:

Advantages- the advantages that the game has over other strategy games- must be something (almost) everybody can agree on.

Neutral- significant properties of the game that can either be considered an advantage or a disadvantage.

Disadvantage- the concepts of the game that suck.

[Anathema]

The Moon Project

advantages

Very versatile

Generally well-balanced

3 very different sides

Cheap :)

Included map editor

You can download custom AIs and unit scripts

Still descent graphics

Very good music

Neutral

Complex

Eventually you'll probably end up building hundreds of units, even more so then in other games, as you can set factories on Continuous Production.

No infantry

Old

Disadvantage

Hard to learn

Half baked campaign

(edit: Earth 2150: Lost Souls has been released. LS is basicly the same as TMP exept it has fan-made campaings, very difficult.)

[IxianMace]

Well my favourite RTS/strat game right now is Emperor Battle for Dune. But everybody knows about that... ::)

Anywhere here are the criteria, in a nutshell:

Advantages:

Excellent control of camera.

Much easier to get a good economy.

Beautiful graphics!!

Easy control over units and structures.

Original and diverse range of units.

Excellent music (especially Harkonnen). ;)

Neutral:

Can degenerate into the old 'build up base and destroy enemy' theme, after the scripted missions are completed in the campaigns.

Disadvantages:

Pathetic AI.

Pathfinding bugs.

Pathetic carryall/harvester relationship programming.

Multi-player bugs!!

Steep system specs

[Usul]

Close CombatII: A bridge to far

Advantages

realistic (real 2nd world war weapons, battles, infantry teams)

good graphics for 2d overhead perspective

can play Allies or Nazis

Neutral

Old

complex

Disadvantages

May not apeal to the everyday or hardcore gamer

hard to master

[Terror]

Total Annihilation Kingdoms:

Advantages:

4 totally different very balanced sides

an old 3d engine but still one of the best

fast paced action

many different units

great storyline

great fantasy feeling

Best experience system ever!

Neutral:

Average music

vieuw angle is a bit too high

pathfinding is not too good

no formations

Disadvantages:

very few structures

it is 4 years old now

1 resource and resourcing is quite strange for people who never played this game (or Total Annihilation).

[Terror]

Homeworld:

Advantages:

Beautiful graphix

first RTS game where you can move your units in total 3d

great music

great storyline

fantastic battles

researching is a lot of fun

Brilliant ship design

Neutral:

2 sides

Disadvantages:

the 2 sides are almost identical, except for the ship design and each side has 2 unique ships

[Terror]

Total Annihilation:

Advantages:

Battles have never been as good as these.

100+ units

Fast action

Brilliant music

Brilliant intro ( :) )

Incredible animations

It may be a Sci-Fi RTS but battles are quite realistic (fighters, bombers, strategic bombers, stealth fighters, carriers, cruisers, battleships, tanks, mechs and more) and every unit has its unique use that seems quite realistic

Neutral:

2 sides

Same point as TA Kingdoms, same engine (a bit older) but still one of the best but vieuwing angle is too high.

Disadvantages:

The 2 sides are not too different from each other

weak storyline

[Anathema]

I wanted to get TA for a while now but I can't get it anywhere :'(.

[DukeLeto]

Galactic Battlegrounds (w/ Clone Campains XP):

Advatages:

-8 sides

-Lots of units, but all serving individual purposes

-Good graphics for a 2D engine

-AOEII simplicity, yet still fun

-It's STAR WARS, for crying out loud!

Neutral:

-Slightly dated 2D engine, but it doesn't seem so bad when a 3D game may turn into Force Commander

-Comparatively good pathfinding, but units tend to wander off unless on "stand ground" orders, but then they are easy pray for artillery

Disadvantages:

-Sides have the same units with different names, graphics, and very slight stat variation.

-Some minor graphical glitches

[Terror]

Age of Wonders 2: (TBS btw)

Advantages:

12 different races all with unique units

Lots of strategy

great atmosphere (think of LOTR)

great graphix for a TBS

Neutral:

average to good music

Disadvantages:

Not everyone may appreciate the TBS thing

[exatreide]

Panzer general 3 Scorched earth.

Advantages.

Great Campaigns.

Historicly acutet commanders,units,locations,champaings.

Great unit vs unit thing.

Ability to rotate,zoom in,zoom out camera

Nuetral.

Music blarg....

graphics are kinda crapy.

Disadvantages.

some small bugs.

almost complete lack of multiplayer.

[Terror]

hmm you can't get TA? Hmmm I can get one for you i think, contact me on IM

[Caid Ivik]

MechCommander

Advantages

Mission design

Masakari 'mech

Music

Interface

Good AI

Pilot upgrading

Neutral

Other 'mechs

Multiplayer - quick action

Difference between both sides

"Commandos" like system

Disadvatages

Missing Ryoken :(

No mission editor

Horrible briefing voice (in German version)

Curving lasers and cannon projectiles

[Anathema]

Hey I have MC2 it kicks butt :).

Most of the things Caid mentioned go for MC2 too, exept it does have mechs from Mw4 (including Ryoken :) ) and the briefings are OK if not good.

Still has the curving shots. Like a gauss shot that tracks its target :-.

Edit: forgot to mention, it also contains a brief history library of the battletech universe, if you care for such stuff.

[DarkElf49]

Any one here mind listing the adv and disadv of Cossacks ;D If you've heard of it, it seems to be a very realistic RTS of 17 century wardair, example: a swords man can't go and chop a building down with his sword, but he can go inside and tear it up from the inside and raze it, but it takes more time then say a cannon, I don't have the game, but I've read many reviews of it, and I just want to know your opeinion's if you have the game

[Terror]

hah i don't know it very well, i've only seen it but i do know that realism is indeed very high and the atmosphere is also very good. big armies, big battles and lots of tactics

[Lord J]

I've got TA Kingdoms, never could really master it though.

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire

Advantages:

Incredible detail

7 Factions

Easily editable

Huge techtree

Decent AI

Faction and Map editor included

Neutral:

Turn-Based

2D Graphics

Old-ish

Based on Civilization

Disadvantages:

Repetitive

Slow

[Terror]

try it again, the singleplayer starts slowly but becomes very addictive later on. The story is pretty cool and the cutscenes are wicked

[Anathema]

Stronghold

Advangage

Good story

Lot's of medieval stuff

Realistic

Neutral

Has economical aspects

Unimpressive graphics

Disadvantage

I can't think of any

[Terror]

Stronghold:

disadvantage:

bad AI

[Anathema]

I suppose. I hope they fix the AI in the X pack.

Starcraft

Advantages

Good campaigns (less for Brood War X pack)

Good cut scenes for original (not Brood War)

Good balancing in general

Still reasonably large community

Lots of humor

Neutral

Reasonable AI

Disadvantage

Outdated graphics

[Terror]

Microsoft Chess ;)

Advantages:

old but addictive gameplay

lots of strategies

smart AI

Neutral:

it may not apply to everyone

Disadvantages:

cheesy graphix

irritating/bugging AI. the AI is so freaken good that i cannot win from the easiest skill :(

[Caid Ivik]

OK, Earthnuker, let's see MechCommander 2.

Advantages:

Much more 'mechs

Machine gun array, Swarm LRM and Long Tom

In-game 'mech salvage

Story

Mission Editor

Continuous beam lasers

Pilot specifications

Neutral

3D graphics

4 sides

Moderate missions

Disadvantages

Missing Masakari and Awesome

Horrible hardware requirements

Unstability (made by MicroSoft)

Pilot cameos

Camera handling

Bugs in Editor

AI

Bizzare heat handling

Unplayable multiplayer

[Anathema]

True, very true :'(.

I also miss the Sunder :'(.

[Terror]

Battlechess!

Advantages:

Obviously same advantages as normal chess games like strategy and stuff

A difference from normal chess here though is the awsome animations. Queens getting splatted by towers and knights disembodying each other, awsome

Neutral:

none

Disadvantages:

none

Conclusion:

this is a strategy game that every chess fan should have. hey what am i saying, even anti chess fans should have it. it's older than the trees but it's awsome.