Quote Originally Posted by orangat
What other RTS games with somewhat realistic battlefield maneuvers like RTW/MTW are worth taking a look at?

Alexander looked interesting but reviews said it sucked.
LOL The discussion has somewhat deviated from the original question but I suppose that's a good sign . Allow me to join in!

To answer the question, Total War stands PROUD and APART, hands down. For some reason, nobody else (AND that really means nobody) has gotten the formula right, even if it's so logical. Traditional RTS games have been around for quite some time, but none (until Shogun) have truly captured what many players have been clamoring for.

Comparing Total War with the Traditional RTS:
- Battles weren't fought by a handful of troops, they were epic, massive affairs.
- Soldiers didn't stand/walk around then start shooting/hitting each other when they met. They did maneuvers, they flanked their opponents, archers didn't shoot their arrows in melee, cavalry didn't run up to their opponents and started wacking them - they charged! ... (you get the point...)
- Soldiers never got lost because of poor pathfinding, they marched together in formations, side-by-side, in a line facing the enemy.
- Battles weren't decided by how fast your reflexes are to tell that mage to cast his healing spell or those peasants to start building, but by your skill in the battlefield, the skill of your troops, you luck, etc... but really not your reflexes.
- Plus a lot of other things I can't remember right now...

All of the above apply in particular to games with ancient settings, or settings loosely based on ancient times like fantasy. Total War somehow captured it right, and everyone agreed, and it was all good from then on . I've played so many RTS games until I got Shogun, and I never got another RTS after that (except Homeworld 2 but that's different )