Features Of a RTS Game

[Con7con]

Hey guys, i'm currently creating a simple 2D RTS game in XNA C# and was wondering what you thought the best features of a RTS game are?

For example the ones I can thing of right now include-

Base Building.
Large or non-existant unit cap.
Resources.

Which is about it which is rather amusing considering how much I play the games, right now I have a simple 2D based art-style and was hoping for idea on what features I should include into my game?

For anyone interested, some examples of my simple artstyle are below in the form of 2 types of tanks:

[Boris28]

As a red alert veteran mostly what I love about rts games is resources, upgrading units after a long hard work gathering resources, super weapons.

Building your large forces, defenses also secondary energy resources or secondary buildings like generators. This is all I can think about right now. Your game sounds interesting

[Shadowsun]

when i think of an RTS, i think of Supreme Commander

lots of units (types)
lots of units (numbers) a single tank should have a low value,
factories that accept build-templates, repeat-build and pause-build
factories with exit waypoints (shift-click multiple waypoints)

upgrade-able factories, to produce higher-tier units

a unit limit defined per-type (i.e. max 100 Basic Tanks, max 40 Artillery, (encouraging mixed armies)

resource gathering,
either through strategic points (supreme commander Mass Extractors)
or through harvesters (older C&C games)
secondary resource
either in form of powering base-structures / defensive towers
or as an actual resource (Supreme commander)

passive / supportive unit abilities (no offensive / abusable abilities)
shield generator tanks, cloaking tanks, point defense tanks)

Superweapons... (nukes... or super-units)

and perhaps.. Air / naval units (altough i think this will be to much if you desire a "simple rts" )


this is what i think any "large scale RTS" should have

-Shas

[Con7con]

Thanks the replies, both of you. Shadowsun I probably wont have naval units but air units was something I was considering, like some sort of drones from a land based aircraft carrier which can fly over all type of terrain and obstacles. Thanks for the suggestions though.

[Timmah!]

Hey guys, i'm currently creating a simple 2D RTS game in XNA C# and was wondering what you thought the best features of a RTS game are?

For example the ones I can thing of right now include-

Base Building.
Large or non-existant unit cap.
Resources.

Which is about it which is rather amusing considering how much I play the games, right now I have a simple 2D based art-style and was hoping for idea on what features I should include into my game?

For anyone interested, some examples of my simple artstyle are below in the form of 2 types of tanks:

I would add to those 3 aspects you mentioned faction diversity, this is pretty important feature to me. Otherwise, given the fact, you called the game "simple", i would not go any further, obviously i have no idea, how dedicated you are to it, but perhaps keeping it as simple as it gets is a good idea, even if the final game will be just classic Dune2 clone without any unique feature, its always better than trying to implement too much features and ultimately get overwhelmed.

BTW, is there any particular reason for the stylized graphics? I mean, you chose deliberately to do it that way, because you like it, or is it more thing of a necessity?

[Con7con]

Oh it's more that I kind of like it that way, I actually got the idea when I saw the gui icon at the bottom of the screen when you got into a tank in Bad Company 2, I was driving along and thought that something like that wquld look pretty good in a similar stylised RTS.

If you don't know what i'm talking about here is a pic.



As you can see, at the mid bottom of the pic it looks just like the first non-mammoth tank.

[BigB]

Pretty much what everyone said, and :
Immersion, which is quite hard to do, and a good storyline (if you are into campaign things)., a good storyline I believe it's important to make your title come out, getting people to connect with your universe, what's happening in the universe, etc
I can play RTS games, but without getting into the universe of the game, it's like just moving units around, and that just turns me off into playing that game.
If you feel a connection with the game, if you feel you are making a difference, then you want to keep playing to know what's coming next.
Wing Commander did this in a perfect way (not a rts I know), Command and Conquer did a great job too, and Dune 2.., ohh Dune 2

[Boris28]

Yep came into my mind when you put it, but make the terrain as well in this lines if possible. Would be interesting to see it.

[dezgard]

I think to really get into an rts you need to care about your units (skills xp and so on) names crew names ect, what i do love is when you carry your select units from one battle to another.

on a side note i do love the idea of a flagship a persistant upgradable ship that can complete a single role if killed it loses its expencive upgrades

[Shadowsun]

I think to really get into an rts you need to care about your units (skills xp and so on) names crew names ect, what i do love is when you carry your select units from one battle to another.

on a side note i do love the idea of a flagship a persistant upgradable ship that can complete a single role if killed it loses its expencive upgrades

these are qualities i sometimes like to see in small unit-count RTS's
i usually asociate them with "unpleasant" thou..