RTS for someone new to the genre

Hey, I was jsut wondering what  a good rts is for someone new to the rts genre.  I checked out CoH, SupCom, and Theater of War.  I thought SupCom looked pretty cool, as did the other two, but, like I said before, I'm new to the RTS stuff.

Also, if it matters, here's some basic specs of my comp:

AMD 64 x2 dual core 5200+

2 gb RAM

eVGA geforce 7600gt oc

the ones that spoke before me have said just about everything already.

command & conquer OR red alert series, total war series, warhammer(COH, why not?). these games RULE! these are the games that will set your future (high)standards on how an rts should be.enjoy!

Warcraft III - great game 8)

Starcraft 2 is in the works and i cant wait till it hits the store shelves :) 

for somebody starting out with rts games I recommend c&c 3, not because it's simple but because it's well presented and seems to be very helpful to new players.nutcrackr

Im actually pretty new to the whole PC gaming scene, and like you, I was looking for a good RTS to enjoy. 

Oddly enough, that game was Supreme Commander.  I had also bought Company of Heroes but couldn't get into it at first, to me, that game had a higher learning curve than SupCom. CoH is much more micro management intensive, but im sure once I get around to playing the game (one day) I'll love it too.

I never really liked any RTS until Dawn of War. The only RTS to hold my attention enough to warrant me buying it. The only other RTS I played was Herzog Zwei...now THAT was a fun game.

 Edit: I should say the only other RTS that I liked and could play for hours was Herzog.

command and conquer 3 is a great place to start with rts - not because it's good, but because it's simple - you'll be able to easily get to grips with the fundamentals of base building, resource collecting and army building / use

i wouldn't recommend command and conquer 3 as a long term rts though - it has a cool campaign and it's a good game to play if you want to learn the ropes, but if you eventually grow tired of it, it'll be games like dawn of war, company of heroes, starcraft, supreme commander and the total war series you'll want to look to

many of these games feature "advanced" rts elements such as unit counters (and by extension, need for combined arms), special abilities, unit positioning and strategic use of territory - much of which is collectively known as micromanagement

while rts veterans live for stuff like that, it can be overwhelming for a newcomer - command and conquer 3 caters perfectly while you've got your L plates, and will serve you well as a decent - but simple - fast paced rts, if you choose to stay with it once you're more experienced with the genre

From what I've read about SupCom, it's no game for someone new to the genre.kopyright

 Yeah, i agree. It's better to learn on a game like Age of Empires, a classic RTS. 

Dawn of War

Starcraft

Red Alert 2

Command and Conquer 3

Warcraft 3 

Supcom and COH are excellent games, but they are deffinetly not for someone new to RTS's.

C&C3, is good for someone new to the genre.   Starcraft is also great, its a decaded old, but its still one of the most popular RTS's around due to its incredible balance.

I'm fairly new to rts games as well and I loved Age of Mythology, great game with a good tutorial.Also, it runs very well on low to med. performance rigs. I haven't tried Warcraft 3 yet, but thats the next game on the list-it sounds great.Ken1a

Oh ya, Age of Mythology is great. I think its a little Uniqe from other RTS

Starcraft is the best RTS to date, although most people have long since become tired of it.  The problem with getting into it now, though, would be that if you intend to play it multiplayer online, you'll:

1.  Just get your rear end handed to you.

2.  Probably have a hard time finding people on it who actually speak English. (The game is still very popular in South Korea, or so I've read.)

You can pick up SC and its expansion pack, Brood War, very cheaply now though (if you can find it).  However, if you are interested in playing multiplayer online, I'd have to say go with Warcraft 3 at this point, also a very fine game.  It just somehow never seemed to have quite as much depth of strategy as Starcraft.

You guys are recommending games that are too difficult for a beginner of the RTS genre.  In fact, most of the rts games made in this generation are not that great as the ones made a long time ago, such games as Starcraft, Warcraft 3, and Age of Empires 2.  I have CoH, played it for just a week and got over it; the looks and graphics of the games made these days are VERY decieving and makes you want to buy the game, however the gameplay is either too complicated or too dull and boring. 

Starcraft, warcraft and age of empires 2 have excellent game play and you'll play them for a long time; talk about Starcraft, it was made in 1998 and they still hold tournaments for the game. 

Here's a random but really funny thing I heard somebody at EB games say:

"Hey I got Dawn of War, I thought it was a First Person Shooter because the graphics looked extremely good, I hate RTS games and I returned it."

I also read something very similar here in Gamespot about CoH...it was the dumbest thing I've ever read, LoL. 

I didn't realise that RTS was an elitist genre that was "too complex" for newcomers. Anyways if you are intrested in some history, massive battles and light civilization gameplay pick up Medieval 2: Total War or Rome: Total War. If not I suggest a game with a great campaign as playing them is the best way to get into the genre. So don't get Supreme Commander or Cossacks. Dawn of War has an average campaign.

These games however are amazing/good campaign wise, in semi-order

Homworld (one, not two and get Catacalysm later)

WarCraft III and expansion

StarCraft and Brood War expansion

C&C Red Alert 2

C&C3 Tiberium Wars 

well, after reading all these posts and stuff,  I decided i'll get Medieval II: Total War!!!

So, how will this run on my vista pc (specs in my first post)

Should run great with no problems. Ofcourse you need to experiment with the graphics options to find the settings that work best for you. You should be able to run with most (if not all) settings on high.

Don't forget to do the tutorials first. The game might seem complicated and difficult at first but don't be intimidated. Take the time to do the tutorials and once you start the first campaign you'll see how easy it is to manage everything. And start with the English/Brits (however they are called) because they start on an island so that makes the game much easier. Also don't forget to get the patch. Always get a patch if there's one available.

And don't forget that there are no other games like the Total War series so don't be disappointed when you try another RTS and it looks so simple and boring.

Starcraft

aka

Starcraft Battlechest for like 30 dollars. And soon Starcraft 2 will be out.

Wc3 - warcraft III

 It's cheap , simple - easy to learn, popular with a fun single player campaign & quite exciting.

It also has online multiplayer netplay to see that side of rts gaming. 

 So i would recommend that for beginners.

Dawn of War

Starcraft

Red Alert 2

Command and Conquer 3

Warcraft 3 

Lonelynight

you have my list there...just wanna add another 1, total war series...

Starcraft & more Starcraft.  Then later, some more Starcraft.joeamis

Company of Heroes, everything else is secondary. I am amazed people here keep mentioning games like starcraft, while being good back in the days, but don't mention perhaps the greatest RTS ever COH.

[QUOTE="joeamis"]Starcraft & more Starcraft. Then later, some more Starcraft.spiltmilk

Company of Heroes, everything else is secondary. I am amazed people here keep mentioning games like starcraft, while being good back in the days, but don't mention perhaps the greatest RTS ever COH.

COH is great, but not a noob friendly RTS, which is what he is looking for.