File: aRTS.jpg (90 KB, 1200x850)

90 KB JPG

What's your favorite action strategy game and why? What makes an action strategy game?

I use a similar definition as aRPGs. An RPG is an aRPG if the player's hand-eye coordination can have a disproportionate impact on the resolution of the character's action (i.e. if you can't hack and slash, even the best swordsman character dies to random mooks, or if you jump/move into a gap in trees or a rock formation, your character can shoot or even hack an enemy to death that he wouldn't be able to beat stat-wise).

Now, with action RTS games specifically, one could argue that hand-eye coordination is already important because of the impact of high APM micromanagement. So just having an emphasis on micromanagement isn't enough. I'd say the best example is something like Mount & Blade, where you can do third person micromanagement of your troops and it would probably have a big impact on battles. For most players, however, the big impact on battles comes from their own action RPG combat performance during battles. Like if you're skilled enough, it is hypothetically possible for the player to wipe out entire armies while barely interacting with the strategy segment / barely commanding his troops. But Mount & Blade has far more dominant RPG elements to be just an aRTS.

I'd say the most famous aRTS examples are Sacrifice and Black & White (pic related).