Editing Real-time strategy (section)

{{short description|Strategy video game sub-genre}}
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'''Real-time strategy''' ('''RTS''') is a [[Video game genre|subgenre]] of [[strategy video game]]s that does not progress incrementally in [[turn-based game|turns]],<ref name="c">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/real_time/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427052656/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/real_time/ |archive-date=April 27, 2011 |title=A History of Real-Time Strategy Games |access-date=March 31, 2008 |author=Bruce Geryk |website=GameSpot |quote=Early computer strategy games adhered firmly to the turn-based concepts of their board game ancestors, where—by necessity—players had time to plan their turns before their opponents had a chance to move. Real-time strategy changed all of that so that games would begin to more closely resemble reality: Time was limited, and if you wasted yours, your opponents would probably be taking advantage of theirs. }}</ref> but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time." By contrast, in [[Turn-based strategy|turn-based strategy (TBS)]] games, players take turns to play. The term "real-time strategy" was coined by [[Brett Sperry]] to market ''[[Dune II]]'' in the early 1990s.<ref name="a">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/real_time/ |title=A History of Real-Time Strategy Games |access-date=March 31, 2008 |author=Bruce Geryk |website=GameSpot |quote=It wasn't until some time after the game was in development that I decided to call it "real-time strategy"--it seems obvious now, but there was a lot of back and forth between calling it a "real-time war game", "real-time war", "wargame", or "strategy game". I was deeply concerned that words like "strategy" and "wargame" would keep many players from even trying this completely new game dynamic. Before 1992, wargames and strategy games were very much niche markets—with the exception of [[Sid Meier]]'s work—so my fears were justified. But in the end, it was best to call it an "RTS" because that is exactly what it was. |archive-date=April 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427052656/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/real_time/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="b">{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/top10/february04/rts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616031405/http://archive.gamespy.com/top10/february04/rts |archive-date=June 16, 2010 | title=Top ten real-time strategy games of all time | publisher=GameSpy | quote=You can't really talk about the real-time strategy genre without giving a nod to Dune II, the title that kicked off the phenomena. | access-date=December 2, 2008}}</ref>

In a real-time strategy game, each participant positions structures and maneuvers multiple units under their indirect control to secure areas of the map and destroy their opponents' assets. In a typical RTS game, it is possible to create additional units and structures generally limited by a requirement to [[Resource management (gaming)|expend accumulated resources]]. These resources are in turn garnered by controlling special points on the map or possessing certain types of units and structures devoted to this purpose. More specifically, the typical game in the RTS genre features [[resource gathering|resource-gathering]], base-building, in-game technological development, and indirect control of units.<ref name=bgeryk_gspot>{{cite web |last=Geryk |first=Bruce |title=A History of Real-Time Strategy Games |website=[[GameSpot]] |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/real_time/ |access-date=May 29, 2007 |archive-date=April 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427052656/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/real_time/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=ignstate/>

The tasks a player must perform to win an RTS game can be very demanding, and complex [[user interface]]s have evolved for them. Some features have been borrowed from [[desktop environment]]s; for example, the technique of "clicking and dragging" to create a box that selects all units under a given area. Though some video game genres share conceptual and gameplay similarities with the RTS template, recognized genres are generally not subsumed as RTS games.<ref name = ignstate>{{cite web |last=Adams |first=Dan |title=The State of the RTS |website=IGN |date=April 7, 2006 |url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/700/700747p1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060409154749/http://pc.ign.com/articles/700/700747p1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 9, 2006 |access-date=May 31, 2007}}</ref> For instance, [[city-building game]]s, [[construction and management simulation]]s, and games of [[real-time tactics]] are generally not considered real-time strategy per se. This would only apply to anything considered a [[god game]], where the player assumes a god-like role of creation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/real_time/ |title=A History of Real-Time Strategy Games |access-date=March 31, 2008 |author=Bruce Geryk |website=GameSpot |quote=Although games such as Populous and SimCity are certainly played in real time, these give rise to the "god game" genre, which includes such titles as the city-builder series from Impressions, Will Wright's innovative designs, and much of Peter Molyneux's work, including the upcoming Black & White. Games in this genre tend to appeal to their own fans, and while there definitely is an overlap between these two genres, gamers generally see them as distinct from one another. |archive-date=April 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427052656/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/real_time/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>