What are the basic elements of a RTS?
I.E.: What are the features without which it is not an RTS?
I have played games like Age of Empires and Warcraft, but I’m still not sure which are the defining elements of the genre.
Answer
Lazyweb answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_strategy
Excerpt copy/pasted here:
Real-time strategy (RTS) is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II.
In a RTS, as in other wargames, the participants position and maneuver units and structures under their control to secure areas of the map and/or destroy their opponents’ assets. In a typical RTS, it is possible to create additional units and structures during the course of a game. This is generally limited by a requirement to expend accumulated resources. These resources are in turn garnered by controlling special points on the map and/or possessing certain types of units and structures devoted to this purpose. More specifically, the typical game of the RTS genre features resource gathering, base building, in-game technological development and indirect control of units.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Ritwik Bose , Answer Author : Pureferret
