i really like rts games and have played some i mostly like age of emp series along a couple others just wanted to see if anyone has any good ones they would recommend

Super RTS with the longest experience is probably https://www.gog.com/game/total_anihilation_commander_pack
This game is for months or years until one play everything what is possible.

Might I suggest Warzone2100 for someone who has an actual schedule?

Please explain what that means. (I've played a couple of missions of Warzone 2100, but got distracted).

Lately I've played Dark Reign, but so far I feel it is too vanilla RTS. Build a dozen or two biggest tanks you have, and then attack the enemy base. It is too clearly s direct C&C clone, I guess Activision felt the need to make a carbon copy of C&C. Maybe the most interesting thing was how I could get to enemy base from behind with foot soldiers and destroy their energy power plants from there (tanks were too big to get there), but this "foot soldiers can get to places where big units can't" isn't really that original idea either.

I recall someone in the past (TinyE?) saying Dark Reign is hard as nails, but at least so far that hasn't been the case, just build big enough attack army and attack, that's it. If you want challenge, try playing KKND Extreme. It's expansion pack's last mission "Hand of God" is probably the hardest classic RTS single-player mission I've ever played. Ok maybe the last mission of Warcraft 3 was too, but there the computer AI seemed to be cheating, and there was a trick to make the level easy (ambush and kill early on the specific enemy units which build new buildings).

Unfortunately the best RTS I've played lately was (again) Starcraft, which I replayed as Blizzard released the new version as a freebie. Age of Empires is great too. After those two, everything else just feels... meh, at least as far as a decade or more older RTS games go. They don't have the same spirit and soul as those two RTS classics.

The above poster suggested an RTS that, "This game is for months or years until one play everything what is possible".

So I'm here suggesting Warzone2100 can be done in less than years.

The ones you can't buy on GOG:
- Celtic Kings: The Punic Wars(also known as Nemesis of the Roman Empire)
- Company of Heroes
- Rise of Nations
- Rise of Legends
- Rising Kingdoms
- Warcraft 3

The ones you can buy on GOG:
- Celtic Kings: Rage of War
- Codename Panzers: Phase One/Two(you don't build a base in these games)
- maybe Dragonshard
- Empire Earth
- Faces of War(you don't build a base in this game)
- Warlords Battlecry
- Warrior Kings(: Battles)

There are also other good strategy games that are played in real-time(like building or trading strategy games), but you mentioned Age of Empires, so I thought you were looking for similar games.

Ah ok. I thought that by "schedule" you meant that it is easier to drop and start playing again Warzone 2100, than other RTS games. As in, having a schedule like going to work daily etc., can't play all day long...

I personally don't consider Total Annihilation + expansion packs quite that big, I am unsure how one could really use years to finish it. I think it took a similar time for me to finish as e.g. Age of Empires + the Rome expansion (just a guess and gut-feeling, no I haven't timed it or measured in any other way, like the number of missions and number of mouse clicks you have to do overall).

Not sure if that person was referring also to multiplayer and/or skirmish against the computer. Of course then you can spend even the rest of your life with the game, playing the same scenarios over and over again. I am talking about only playing the single-player campaigns.

I admit though I didn't finish the last 5% of Total Annihilation (the second expansion pack, i think it was the Battle Tactics expansion which is not a campaign but a series of single-player missions). There was this naval mission which I felt was just stupid and too much about luck, so I said phuck it and let it be. I didn't like how the enemy could destroy almost my whole fleet with the long range cannons before I could even reach their shores. You could only pray it keeps missing your ships while you try to get there. A stupid mission.

I think the best missions in the whole TA were the last missions (for each side) in the Core Contingency expansion pack. It is the two missions with that enormous mega robot size of a house (either you try to destroy it, or get to use it, depending on which side you are on). I liked those two missions a lot, otherwise TA was a bit meh to me. I disliked those Big Bertha cannons, they were just as bad as e.g. the Harkonnen nuclear missiles in Dune 2 or Dune 2000. There's nothing fun in enemy destroying half of your base from afar with sheer luck.

I like this a lot: https://www.gog.com/game/cossacks_anthology

Empire Earth... the random maps mostly stink but with the correct setup those can be enjoyed too. The campaigns were a lot of fun though.

Homeworld, noone can have missed they are on sale right now.

I enjoy those Anno type of games occasionally where trading and building are major parts. There are a lot of good ones among those, many sold here too. Personally I like Port Royale.

Nobody mentioned stronghold series,pretty fine rts if not my favorite in all.Especially stronghold crusader.
But don't see stronghold 2 or legends here.
If you like a mix of rpg and rts i would suggest spellforce series.
Cultures also isn't bad but it's rather lightweight.
Can you name more games you played?

Do you like sci-fi rts?

Since this one hasn't been mentioned yet Grey Goo from Steam
http://store.steampowered.com/app/290790/Grey_Goo/

And with the sale on, it currently has an 84% discount.

Recommended games: Must Have RTS

The man says he liked the AOE games and not one you mentions Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds?! :O

I WEEP!

Now I hope he does take over Gotham and I hope he kills your precious Batman!

I fart on all of you!

If you like fantasy settings I recommend you Tzar.

GOOD ONE

Amazing game.