I like real time strategy games that involve resource gathering and have tactical elements (rather than just tank rushing all the time), I have played the majority of the Command and Conquer series (Generals and C&C 3 are the only versions I have not played the full versions).
I would like to go online with this game as well, I would prefer the game not to have cheaters (such as those who have units walking out of their construction units constantly) and one with a friendly community.
Garfield360UK
While they are great games and etc, you can probably rule out the first decade right away. It is a tank rusher, and it's not very popular online. While C&C3 is much more popular online, it is still a tank rusher. If you really like C&C - then get either/or, but as you've played them all, almost, you know what you're getting.
So I would say rule them out. It's either supcom or coh. I own both (originals, not expansions) and I think it's fair to say they are both great RTS games with solid online communities. Given that they both have demos, I'd say go and try both demos right now - they will convey the game experience far better than anyone is able with words.
SupCom is really all about macromanagement. You have huge maps, you build units in huge swarms, you have few (or no) special abilities to worry about. Large scale unit control is simple. The biggest thing you have to concern yourself with is making sure the right units are attacking the right units.
The game relies very heavily on counters - and that's really what makes the game great. You send in tanks, so I send in artillery. So you send in bombers, so I send in fighters. You send in fighters so I send in AAA, so you send in artillery. All of a sudden, you have these huge, epic battles waging on land, air and sea, with massive numbers of units. It's not just great to fight and win, when a big battle comes together, it's just great to watch and play. Regardless of the outcome.
The economy is a little broken, in my opinion. One of the neat things is that units don't cost x to make upfront, they cost so much per second (or some similar delay) of production. This means that you can strike a balance between your income and your expenditure, and alter your production as such. It also means that if you don't have the cabbage, you can still build stuff - it just builds slower. But the good aside, this is a game where most of your economy is centered around your base, something I think is bad. I think resources should be territory based.
There's also a ton of building to do. I gather the expansion reduced that a bit, with templates, but you're still gonna spend a ton of time building buildings. This may appeal to you, but I personally dislike it.
Some other flaws with the game that may or may not bother you - firstly, the single player campaign is awful. Secondly, there's no infantry - it's all unmanned robots in space. Thirdly, the AI is SAI - special AI, if you know what I mean. You buy SupCom, you're playing it online.
SupCom, in short, is about large scale battles on huge maps. It's about being able to intelligently plan an attack using a large number of different units collaboratively which each have very specific roles and counter-roles.
CoH is almost the polar opposite. It's all about micromanagement. You'll use a much smaller number of units which serve very specific roles and which need to be managed closely. The game has a cover mechanic in play which means infantry needs to be micromanaged constantly. You need to keep your units in good cover, and make use of your special abilities. The cover mechanic also means that you may find yourself trying to suppress and flank an enemy while he does the same thing, which leads to moderate clickfests.
The game also has zonal damage - hitting something from the side or rear will probably do more damage. So charging a tank head on will probably get you killed, while using a diversion and ambushing a tank on the rear will likely spell victory. A lot of thought and planning goes into your attacks.
The resource system is based on territory control, which means that you will have to play a relatively aggressive, expansionist game. There is also an intricate supply line system in play, whereby you only receive resources from particular zones if they are supplied to your main HQ. This means that clear territorial zones become apparent, which means that front lines emerge. It's great to be battling for something other than simple attrition in RTS games. It's how war should be. The supply line also means you can cut off your enemy's frontlines by launching invasions deep into their territory. Dangerous, but it may spell victory if you win.
The game has a very minimalist building model. You have a slightly pre-built base, and can only build major buildings at that spot. Certain defences can be built in the field, and some buildings (all of which may be garrisoned) can be converted into front-line barracks, which means you can recruit and reinforce on the fly, meaning combat stays on the frontlines a lot more.
Everything is destructable, so once the big guns come out, the world starts getting blown apart. Buildings, hedges, walls. It all comes down. It's super exciting to see the world be torn apart by your battle, but it is also functional - as the world and its layout is used in your overall strategic approach, so how you use it, and how you prevent the enemy from using it, is key.
In classic Relic tradition, CoH has a great campaign and awesome AI. You can get a hell of a lot out of both singleplayer and multiplayer.
Both games are great, and ideally you would buy both - they both have a lot to offer. My personal favourite of the two is CoH, but mostly because I like war to be about men dying. I find robots in space just too distant and soulless for my taste - when it's meant to be a war game, anyway.
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