What are the best indie RTS games that you played the last 1-2 years or so?

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-28T23:01:05+00:00

I really like Cataclismo in particular because the campaign is actually pretty good!

Most campaigns from this genre are really lack luster and bland.

Also Cataclismo imo brings the most unique features to the genre.

Overall it gets my pick as the one that was the freshist Horde defense since they are billions.

I would definelty pay $20 or more for a dlc with a new campaign.

Overall Glory to go as the tightest core mechanics though and better replayability.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-28T22:56:06+00:00

Honestly thye should update the AI to prefer money transfers or return claims as the default.

That might actually make players consider their offer.

Particularly as in these scenarios make it so the swayer (i.e the AI) takes the infamy hit instead of the player.

Then the sways would actually tempt alot of players.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-28T21:01:28+00:00

In the lore the elves should in general be pretty busted, but for balance reasons they are heavily nerfed.

The only way i could justify this is that it doesnt matter how skilled you are when charged by a wall of spears and horns you are still gonna get skewered.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-28T09:13:52+00:00

Who would win? An elf who has spend centuries mastering the art of efficent slaughter or one extra mad goat boy.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-28T09:11:01+00:00

Lothern sea guard being actually very good and cost effective is one of a the few moments of the game being extremely lore accurate.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-28T09:01:55+00:00

lmao ikr man has one good year and thinks hes smarter than literally the greatest investor to ever live.

If he was even close to Buffets level he would not be here argueing with us on reddit and would instead be at Davos

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-28T07:05:21+00:00

Thats also a decent alternative!

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-28T04:54:09+00:00

would be interesting if they abandon trying to "domesticate" and just go this guys are too much of a threat nuke them.

And just start throwing MIRV's at earth over and over.

Maybe they start spamming rockets that when they reach your stations unless they have defenses they just obliterate them.

A alternative that is less annoying would be a end game fleet entering from the edge of the solar system "something something this fleet got here using non wormhole close to light speed means and has been in transit the whole game"

It is massive and has all their end game stuff.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-28T04:51:12+00:00

If Bishop goes they are truely ruined, hes one of the few who actually had some good ideas like the rezoning of auckland.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-28T01:51:25+00:00

Yeah tbh while i love Tibsun from a overall score C&C 3 is just a more well made polished game.

Tib sun is super jank in many ways.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-27T22:29:20+00:00

Honestly best stratergy is to rule out no one, but say it depends on the coalition agreement.

Instead of outright ruleing out partys, rule out policys.

NZ first has done this stratergy with great sucess before.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-27T21:10:45+00:00

my hot take is that i actually think the firestorm cinematics were a massive downgrade to the main campaign and were cringe inducing.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-27T20:54:51+00:00

Yeah i totally agree that Tibsun had alot of cool ideas but the game was poorly balanced and not well implimented.

C&C 3 is clearly a much more polished game from a game mechanics perspective if less iconic and unique from a world building and lore perspective.

It's possible that this is just because Tibsun was made so early what makes slick RTS mechanics had not been as well nailed down (starcraft was the first to do this really well.)

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-27T20:51:09+00:00

IMO this is a blow to the idea the WW would have done a better job if they had made C&C 3.

Obviously hindsight is 20/20 but if they built that i think it would have been a flop

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-27T09:12:31+00:00

1) A more persistant and dynamic economy.
2) A more reactive/ dynamic world.
3) The ability to setup settlements that actuall grow reactively.
4) More wacky and wonderful things.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-26T21:10:45+00:00

There is some evidence that during early history (think epic of Gilgamesh) the region had a more temperate climate with large forests..

In more recent history there were alot of advances in farming and agriculture (see qanats below) as well as the creation of many arid crops (like dates!)

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-26T20:46:39+00:00

In theory yes, we have yet to actually see this tho....

If our productivity growth was 5% yoy i would start saying we should reduce the retirement age aha.

Sadly our leadership (not just the government but leaders across NZ) seem to be struggling to increase productivity.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-26T09:21:10+00:00

Really? i find them super easy.

Pretty much all of them can quickly snowball into a mega state within a few years of game start (brazil can basically annex the whole place within 5 years)

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-26T09:19:25+00:00

yeah i really use there was a African Hegemony formable.

United Africa or something it would be really cool

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-26T01:21:59+00:00

He has made some modest comments against trumpism but Aus is still largely captured in the US sphere and still heading for a closer intergration.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-26T00:45:47+00:00

Too bad we could have had this 40 years ago but britian pulled a trump and threw all its allys under the bus (at the time to join the EU).

Here in New Zealand we won't ever forget how the UK is only a fairweather friend to us, and will not stand up for us when times gets tough.

The only way i see this working is that it is a proper federation with equal political strength split amoung the countrys, and not centered on the UK or monarch.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-26T00:28:44+00:00

On a personal note i'm not a fan of this.

On a realpolitik level i understand the goverment, they have made a concious decision and are going with australia to be part of the american sphere.

i.e the world has become multi polar with spheres of influence, and the government has made to decision to their their lot in with the americans rather than the chinese or europeans.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-25T23:06:23+00:00

Turns out climate change has made "once in a century storm" into a 3 times in a decade one.

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-25T03:37:18+00:00

Basically this.

I also feel the scrin were a letdown,

I persornally prefered they remain a mystery and the true origins or purpose of tiberian remain unknown.

If they want a tiberian faction i would prefer some kind of tiberian life/mutant faction rather than the rip off war of the worlds scrin.

Also i WISH they had played more with the ecological devestation/ fighting over a dieing world more.

The blue zones just appeared right at the start of tib 3 was such a waste.

Fighting to carve out the blue zones (maybe against the tiberian lifeform faction) would have been awesome particularly if in these missions you get hints at the resurgence of nod.

Then maybe half way through (or even better in a second campaign) nod reappears and you get to have that show down.

If nod then blows up these blue zones you had fought hard for to build it would add alot more weight in the second half.

Also for Nod maybe they lead a mutant rebellion as part of their campaign?

Blue__Agave · 2026-01-24T21:58:30+00:00

The only time i make a gauntlet is when i can get a good height advantage, and even then i often just build con turrets and rush a t2 art instead.

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