Summary
The very firstreal-time strategy gameswere quite simple titles. Even popular RTS games such as StarCraft were not particularly complex from a gameplay viewpoint. Modern games often mix genres, adding a turn-based strategic layer on top of real-time battles to overcome this. Others intertwine RPG aspects to flesh out the gameplay.
Of course, one way to improve an already established game, is to publish an expansion for it.Strategy gamesof all kinds are commonly extended in this way, as it is fairly simple to add additional factions and extra units. However, some expansions went far beyond this, making the original games so much better in every way.
7Sins Of A Solar Empire: Rebellion
Refined Enemy AI
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, is an expansion for the original game, but in a standalone format, meaning that gamers do not need to own the original game to play the expansion. TheRebellionexpansion extended the gameplay features, most notably adding two new factions, the rebels and the loyalists.
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellionalso revamped theenemy AI, and the way that large-scale battles unfold. This resulted in a galaxy that was more adaptive and seemed to be more alive than in the first game. Overall,Rebellionwas well received, and many of the features formed the basis ofSins Of A Solar Empire 2.
6Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath
Kane Is Back!
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Warswas a fantastic RTS game in its own right.Kane’s Wrathadded to the quality, resulting in a fully fleshed-out campaign mode. Kane is one of the most widely acclaimed villains in gaming history, so creating an expansion for an already great game that leveraged his popularity was pure genius.
Something thatKane’s Wrathadded to theCommand & Conquerfranchise was sub-factions within the primary factions, and this added an additional level of gameplay. Furthermore, the new strategic,turn-basedmap mode entirely transformed the gameplay. The narrative was slick and well-produced, and Kane was his usual enigmatic self.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of Warwas a well-received game in its own right, that set the standards for the franchise that developed over the coming years. And then came theDark Crusadeexpansion. It was released as a standalone product, with no need for gamers to own or buy the original game.Dark Crusadeadded two new races, the Tau, and the Necrons.
However, it wasn’t the new races that madeDark Crusadestand out. It was the addition of the new dynamic campaign mode, giving players the freedom to approach the main story in several ways. To this day, Dark Crusade is known as arguably the best expansion in the entire franchise.
Epic Battles On A Large Scale
Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
The last days of man are at hand.. Two years after the Infinite War the once great warring nations now lie in ruins, and humanity’s hope for a brighter future is nothing but a bitter memory. A new, seemingly unstoppable enemy, supported by the zealots of The Order, now seeks to eradicate mankind: UEF, Aeon Loyalist, and Cybran alike. With their backs against the wall and staring into the abyss, the tattered remnants of Humanity’s forces must put aside old hatreds and band together as they prepare to make one last desperate stand. One last chance. An alliance forged in blood, steel and hope, they turn to face the dark.Key Features:New Playable Faction: A completely new playable faction will be available in multiplayer games and serve as the main threat during the new single-player campaign. This new threat is a cunning and devious race with advanced technology and are true masters of quantum technology. New weapons, new strategies, new conquests!New Units: 110 new land, sea, air, base and experimental units evolve armies to address strategic weakness or become the ultimate expressions of factional military doctrine.Warfare on an Epic Scale: Fully realized navies, orbital weaponry and advanced counter intelligence technologies give commanders unprecedented, deadly new capabilities in what is already the most strategic RTS on the market today.New Multiplayer Maps: New multiplayer battlefields provide new grounds for players to prove their supremacy.New Single Player Campaign: Play through a brand new single player campaign as you gather your forces to save mankind from extinction.
Supreme Commander: Forged Allianceis a standalone expansion for the original game. It took the already successful recipe, and extended it to add more tactical options. A new alien race was added, the Seraphim, and existing factions were given new units and ability upgrades.
The game graphics were improved, and performance was increased, adding to smoother gameplay during themassive battlesthat take place. Enemy AI was improved, to make battles on the huge maps much more challenging. Overall,Supreme Commander: Forged Alliancewas a huge improvement over an already great game.
3Homeworld: Cataclysm
Introducing Kiith Somtaaw
Considering how the campaign ended in the originalHomeworldgame, the community speculated that there could never be an expansion. They were proven wrong whenHomeworld: Cataclysmwas released. Rather than try and find a way to extend the original storyline, the expansion simply introduced a new faction, the Kiith Somtaaw, with their own campaign.
The expansion added new ships, and also new abilities such as being able to capture enemy ships. One of the best features of the expansion was the improvements to the UI. The original game was criticized as being overly complex to play, and the expansion addressed this with UI improvements.
A Humorous Expansion To Red Alert 2
Command & Conquer: Yuri’s Revenge
EXPANSION IS THE PATHI TO ID DIVIINIATIOINIA NEW THIRD SIDE TO THE WARTake command of Yuri’s Army and wield devastating weapons built onforbidden technologies. Enslave minds, create genetically mutated Brutes,spread biological viruses, and inflict a variety of exotic punishments on your enemies.DEFEAT YURI WITH YOUR NEW ARSENALBoth the Allied and Soviet armies get new, powerful weapons including the Allies' Robot Control Center and the Guardian Gl. The new Soviet weaponry includes the Siege Chopper and Boris, a machine-gun toting commando who can call down MiG bombing strikes.NEW MULTIPLAYER FEATURESWith 10 new cooperative missions and enhanced matchmaking through Westwood Online' gamers have more interesting options than just fighting head-to-head.NEW STORYLINENew in-name movies tell the story of Yuri and his insidious plot, bringing back popular characters from Red Alert 2, including Tanya, Eva. Romanoy and Uugan.FIGHT IN EXOTIC LOCALESWage war throughout time as you fight from the Jurassic Era to the Space Age. Battles take place variety of terrain such as deserts, jungles, Icebergs and even the moon.
Red AlertandRed Alert 2took theCommand & Conquerfranchise in a new direction. Both titles were less serious than otherC&Cgames, and both games used much more compact battle maps. The result was a pair of RTS games that were incredibly fun to play whilst still being challenging.
Yuri’s Revengewas more of the same, but better. The expansion added completely new campaigns for both the Soviets and the Allies. With an overarching story arc related to Yuri’s endeavors to control the entire world through mind control. Overall,Yuri’s Revengedid an excellent job of giving RA fans many hours of more gameplay.
1StarCraft: Brood War
Well Balanced And Challenging
StarCraftwas a massive hit for Blizzard. A game that did much to define the RTS genre that players still enjoy today. Blizzard decided to shake things up with theStarCraft: Brood Warexpansion. Part of the attraction of the original title was its simplicity. However, due to this simplicity, players very quickly found certain tactics that worked far better than others. TheBrood Warexpansion changed this.
StarCraft: Brood Waradded new units to all three factions. This resulted in a completely new tactical situation, with older battle tactics no longer being effective. Players had to take the time to learn the newgame mechanics, to overcome the additional challenges thatStarCraft: Brood Waroffers. The result is one of the most popular expansions for a video game ever made.
