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Comment by pyromine | Hacker News Reader

This is completely off-topic, but in the vein of talking about old games. Does anyone have any suggestions for games that scratched the same itch as the old school RTS games like Age of Empires and Rise of Nations?

I've been searching for years but never found anything that eclipses the classics.

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0ad: https://play0ad.com/

Is an open source game very similar to AoE, I've enjoyed playing it.

It may be only tangentially related to the genre, but Factorio has stolen far too many of my hours and is definitely worth the $20. It is engaging and challenging like no other game I've played in the past couple of years.

Factorio is good, but drones are cheat.

The drones are only available after a certain tech level and require a lot of power to operate on a large scale. They have pros and cons like all the other tech. You need a balance of drones with well planned conveyer belt layouts to do really well. +1 for factorio, biggest non-baby timesink I've had in years

Create very compact base, with 3 drone towers around it, so drones will be in fly for much less time. Automate everything, up to drones. Profit. Solar power solves problem with energy. Only mining is left, which is easy to layout with drones. Most of the time after drones I'm watching or laying out solar panels and batteries just for fun, until launch.

>...and is definitely worth the $20

One thing I love about Factorio (aside from everything else), is the pricing model. It never goes on sale, and never will. That means the usual agonizing over "should I buy it or wait until a sale?" is non-existent. More developers should adopt that model.

> It never goes on sale

I'm betting it will one day. I'm waiting.

https://www.factorio.com/blog/post/fff-140

That's fine. I still think it will. It's not like I don't have 10,000 other ways to spend my time and money while I wait.

Maybe try Planetary Annihilation: Titans?

The original Planetary Annihilation was developed by the people that made the classic Total Annihilation RTS. After delivering the Kickstarted game, they further revised it into the "Titans" verison, and gifted the upgrade to the initial backers.

http://www.uberent.com/pa/

Currently on sale for $6 on Steam too!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/386070/

Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance[0] is, IMHO far superior. I've put far too many hours into both.

Only play the community-maintained version[1], Forged Alliance Forever. Over the years it's improved upon and polished the Steam version in virtually every respect.

PA: Titans is still a good game, different enough to be fun, and a great deal for the money. It's just not quite in the same league as games like SC:FA, Age of Empires II: HD or Factorio.

[0] http://store.steampowered.com/app/9420/

[1] http://www.faforever.com

They are still publishing updates to Age Of Empires, not sure the quality though:

http://store.steampowered.com/bundle/2148/

To quote a review: I grew up on AoE2, and these expansions have really brought life into the game as a whole.

The AOE2HD port is reasonably well done, and they've even released new content for it. It holds up.

Maybe the single player campaign but 3vPC multiplayer just sucks and will dc/hang easily.

Unfortunately the same holds true for 0AD as recommend by someone else.

But both still wonderful games.

AoE2 has been a staple of my entire family gamers and non-gamers alike for 20 years now. My ~50 year old parents played with my wife an I in a big 4 person game over Christmas. The updates have definitely improved the balance. Huns cav archers are a little more expensive, fire ships beat galleys beat demo ships beat fire ships, better AI. All great improvements imo.

Most of this year, i have been busy being a benevolent ruler of my tropical islands in Tropico 4. Got it for free on some sale (i think Humble Bundle).

Planning to finish the campaign by the end of this year and then will probably proceed onto "Tropico 5 - Complete Collection" on Steam.

Maybe take a peek at the Wargame series. The latest is Red Dragon, but my personal favorite is AirLand Battle.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/251060/

If you're looking for something more sci-fi, Sins of a Solar Empire is pretty good:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/204880/

I recommend relatively obscure game Magic & Mayhem. Although not 100% strategy, it has controllable units and isometric view and that feel.

Also Majesty and Dungeon Keeper.

How about AoE and RoN? AoE II (the remastered HD version) is available on Steam as in RoN. AoE II HD currently 75% off.

Try Cossacks 3. It can simulate 10 000 units in one battle.

http://wz2100.net/

Check out Empire Earth and its sequels.

The Civilization and Anno games let me scratch that same itch

Zero-k? www.zero-k.info

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