Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (2000), for instance, was effectively a modern version of Stronghold (the 1993 one) but with completely autonomous units (that you could affect by planting 'reward' flags wherever you hoped your heroes would go). Publishers were giving up on quick-and-dirty clones of Command & Conquer as real-time strategy coalesced into a core group of well-informed players who liked to compete online and who would learn the games inside out, with groups at the periphery who favored single-player campaigns or niche RTS hybrids like Anno, Settlers, and grand strategy series Europa Universalis.ĭevelopers and publishers trying to break into this scene changed their tack they started targeting a crossover audience-RTS fans interested in whatever other genre you can blend in, plus fans of that genre who are tolerant of RTS mechanics. The early 2000s were a much different visual time, but trust me- Warcraft III was a banger that has cast a bit of an industry legacy.īy the early 2000s, RTS mania was on the decline.
