Real Time Strategy (RTS) is a genre of video games that require fast reflexes and spatial awareness. Players control a large military force and destroy the opposing forces. They are then able to take action and move forward on their own.
RTS has developed a long history in gaming. Although many of the early titles were simplistic, later real-time strategy games became more sophisticated. These games have many unique features.
One of the first games to introduce the concept of real-time strategy was Dune II: The Battle for Arrakis. This game featured three noble houses and a number of unique units. It was released at the end of 1992.
Dune II was praised for popularizing the new genre. However, it also had a few glaring weaknesses. For instance, it only allowed players to command four units. Also, there was no way to use magic in this game.
Dune II was a critical success and was considered a precursor to real-time tactics. It featured several different types of unit and a supply chain.
Another game that paved the way for the real-time strategy genre was StarCraft. StarCraft is the most successful RTS of all time. The game sold 20 million copies. In fact, it was the most sold video game ever, beating out the original WarCraft.
A few other examples of early real-time strategy games are Cytron Masters (1982) and Utopia (1981). Many of these games have been forgotten, but the genre started to gain prominence in the 1990s.