There has been much talk as of late about Real Time Strategy games being dead. People say that there is nothing noteworthy being done with the genre and what you see now is largely death throes, the golden age before the sun sets. Others, of course, disagree. Opinions seem rampant on the subject and I know you are probably thinking "I wonder what Carcas has to say about this." *shrugs* Okay, maybe not, but I will tell you just the same.

The RTS game we all know and love has been around for a while now largely updated and repackaged, most of the modernizations being done on the graphics and sound and very little in the playability. In fact, the playability has seemed to be something ignored by developers who seem to forget there was meant to be strategy in RTS games.

The bulk of the RTS games are the market have a formulae strategy: build a bigger army and wipe out your opponent. There is a little strategy in the choice of forces and defensive stance, but things such as maneuvering and position become rapidly irrelevant with the often inane AI that runs one's own units. Such as when one little scout runs by your position and every defender spreads out in a long train all trying to take a shot at the fleeing unit, ultimately leading the string of defenders from their position into an enemy position (usually their base) where a cluster f-... a cluster fight, yes, that's it, where a cluster fight begins. Some may say that is strategy, but I find it annoying, more like trying to babysit while do housework about at the same time... and really about as fun.

The absentminded AI often makes the player have to take it's hand and lead it through the most basic tasks, directing workers to work, patrollers to patrol, few allow really good menus for setting tasks and leaving them at it. This means a flurry of clicking and keystrokes, trying to get some of the more basic tasks handled, complicated greatly by the occasional combat or raid. There is little time to enjoy the tactical game as things often degenerate into a brawl between two hordes rather than a clash of two armies. All the while, the computer players are simultaneously doing everything without so much as a mis-click. In general, they quickly dominate in the resource management game.

Some claim that the game truly enters it own in multiplayer. While there are exceptions, for the most part I find this to be untrue. It largely turns into a race of who can field the most units until someone gets an overwhelming force of whatever their choice uber-unit is with a lot of waiting and resource hunting continuing while you build your preferred forces.