Real-time strategy

Real-time strategy, often abbreviated RTS, is a genre of computer games characterized by being wargames which take place in real-time, where resource gathering, base building, technology development and direct control over individual units are key components. more...

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Real-time strategy titles do not involve \"turns\" like turn-based strategy video or board games. Rather, game time progresses in \"real time;\" it is continuous rather than turn-by-turn, and all players may give orders to their troops at any time. While the word \"strategy\" originally referred to high-level war planning such as armies, campaigns, and entire wars, in real-time strategy games individual units or persons are given orders. Also integral to the gameplay of real-time strategy games are economic and production aspects, and though military confrontation is a significant part of real-time strategy gameplay, it is most often heavily stylised with relatively little emphasis placed on simulating real warfare.

History

1983 – 1992: the beginning

In the UK, the genre's beginning can be traced to Stonkers by John Gibson, published in 1983 by Imagine Software for the ZX Spectrum, and Nether Earth published on ZX Spectrum in 1987. In North America, the first game retrospectively classified as real-time strategy by most sources is The Ancient Art of War (1984), designed by Evryware's Dave and Barry Murry, followed by the sequel The Ancient Art of War at Sea in 1987. Some writers list Intellivision's Utopia by Don Daglow (1982) as the first real-time strategy game.

None of these titles would today be recognized as real-time strategy games. However, Herzog Zwei for the Sega Genesis in 1989 and Battle Master for the Amiga and Atari ST in 1990 are perhaps the earliest examples of relatively full-featured real-time strategy games. Real-time strategy became recognized as a genre with the release of Dune II from Westwood Studios in 1992. Dune II also was the first to create a format for real-time strategy games that is still used today, such as using the mouse to move units, and gathering resouces.

1992 – 1998: defining the popular perception of real-time strategy games

Although real-time strategy games have an extensive history, some titles have served to define the popular perception of the genre and expectations of real-time strategy titles more than others, and the games released between 1992 and 1998 by Blizzard Entertainment and Westwood Studios have, in particular, contributed to this. Westwood's Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (1992) introduced in one sweep all the core concepts of modern real-time strategy games, and as such acted as the first significant prototype for the \"modern\" real-time strategy game with the features described in the definition above.

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