R: Types beginning with R

[Bytor]

RTS: Real Time Strategy Games are games which, in a nutshell, are not turn based games. Instead you position and place your structures, resources and armies/units in order to maximize the damage done to your enemies while minimizing the damage done to you. The games are typically set up with a small map showing where your units etc are and then a larger closer up screen of those units as well as a small section designed to control the growth and/or movements of your units. Typically RTS games are all militaristic in nature, although some do categorize city/world building games and other SIM type games as RTS games most gamers agree that a true RTS is at heart a military game. The term itself was first used in 1992 to describe the newly released game Dune II but the history of the genre actually stretches back much further, depending upon who you ask either 1982 (with the release of Legionnaire on the Atari system, although many consider it to actually be a fore-runner of the RTT genre) or 1983 (with the release of Stonkers for the ZX Spectrum) but most consider the first true RTS to be Herzog Zwei (released for the Sega Genesis in 1989) this was the first game to not only utilize RTS battles but also force the gamer to control both economic factors and military units. It was with the 1992 release of Dune II that the genre we recognize today as RTS games saw it's culmination of the previous games components and developed into what we recognize today as true RTS games. The next evolution of the genre occurred in 1998 (with the release of Populous: The Beginning) and 1999 (with the release of Homeworld) with the advent of 3D gaming and by 2002 3D was the rule and no longer the exception. Most RTS games released now are for the PC (as most think the keyboard/mouse combo is better suited for the genre than game pads) but there have been a few exceptions, most notably Xbox360's Halo Wars which was released in 2009. RTS have been criticized for the fact that quick decisions are needed (and often the player with quicker building of resources will win) as well as the need for micro-management, but advocates of the game still thing it is the best genre out there.

[Bytor]

RTT: Real Time Tactics are games which by definition fit under the RTS video games but are widely considered to be a sub-genre. The major differences are that typically individual units are much more important being used in battles which require much more concise movements and advance planning. Typically this requires the player to focus much more on the planning and logistics of the upcoming battle much more than a typical RTS game. The player will need to take into account terrain, possible resources, various units size, strengths and weakness as well as formations and possible movements. Typically resources (including reinforcements are limited at best) and the player is required to plan ahead much more than in a typical RTS game. Winning battles is most often due much more in favor of planning ahead and understanding the enemies strengths and weaknesses much more so as well.
The first true example of the genre is considered by most to be Legionaire (released for the Atari in 1982 by Avalon Hill) quickly followed by Archon (released in 1983 by Free Fall Associates for the Apple II, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, and IBM PC just to name a few) which was loosely based on the first true RTT game; Chess, lol. The genre became somewhat stagnant, due in part to developers ignoring it and in an even larger part to the slow gameplay and need for complex and time consuming maneuvers in order to achieve success until the next evolution occurred in 1995. This was the release of Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat (released by Mindscape for the PC and Playstation One) which incorporated true 3-D as well as a truly real time battle which greatly your position of units and placed vast importance on the terrain. Two years later Sid Meier released Gettysburg which added another element to the genre, it used true American Civil War battlegrounds and scenarios to the enhance the genre and give it a true historical feel. The next "great" release was Myth (released in 1997 by Bungie) which added a much, much larger scale than had been used to date. To date the historical aspect of the genre seems to be more prevalent with many releases based on real battles (Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Battle , Cossacks 2, Faces of War, Kessen, and XIII Century just to name a few) although the genre also does have some releases which are more futuristic in nature (MechCommander 2 and Star Wolves just to name two) as well as some which fit more in the fantasy realm. The genre is not as popular as RTS games due to various factors such as intense planning and long gameplay but it still has it's share of die-hard fans.