Criminally underrated game, an absolute diamond in the rough.

It has slew of innovations to RTS gameplay and, once you get used to it using the advanced options, UI innovations to make large scale warzones more manageable.

The breadth of options you have is staggering compared to almost any other RTS:

Procedural projectiles, meaning small and fast units can dodge slower projectiles (and do so automatically thanks to advanced unit skirmish AI). There is no need for hardcoded rock-paper-scissors armour type bonus damage, light units beat anti-heavy units by virtue of their agility.

Player unit AI also makes them much smarter than the vast majority of RTS' out there. For example groups of units with slow firing weapons will now take into account each other's shots and hold fire if enough projectiles are in the air to kill the target, rather than all blow their payload to overkill the first target in range.

Unlimted map terraforming, along with a vast range of terrain tolerances between units. So you can build sloped trenches to allow your nimble walker bots through but block the enemy's tanks with lower slope tolerances. Or terraform a raised platform which will allow your units with ballistic projectiles to fire further.

Land, sea and air combat with unique mechanics for each. Sea has two layers of underwater and surface units an varying effectiveness between them. Air has a unit rearm and resupply mechanic that makes them a powerful strike force but requires a good logistics system and clear flightpaths to and from base.

Push/pull physics weapons and fall damage, which adds tremendously to the air transports which can hot drop units for the price of fall damage and units of destroyed transports can still survive the fall to the ground rather than being automatically destroyed. And also terraforming, where you can again build pits to push enemy units into or shallow ramps to create procedural unit cannons to launch your slow and sturdy units directly at the enemy.

A wide variety of unit special abilities, from amphibious units, to cloaked units, to minelayers, to self replicating suicide bombers, spawning tiny black-holes, or units with the ability to capture or resurrect enemy units for yourself. And that's not even a quarter of them.

Along with stun, fire DoT, disarming, slowing and penetrating hit effects on weapons. Penetration not only allows you to hit multiple units, but it also ricochets off terrain and does greater damage the longer the path it takes through the enemy, I.E. more damage to penetrating larger units at centre mass.

It's free and it has a significant amount of singleplayer and coop content as well as the sublime multiplayer, you're missing out on a treat if you don't try this masterpiece of layered and nuanced mechanics on a grand scale.

Criminally underrated game, an absolute diamond in the rough. It has slew of innovations to RTS gameplay and, once you get used to it using the advanced options, UI innovations to make large scale warzones more manageable. The breadth of options you have is staggering compared to almost any other RTS: Procedural projectiles, meaning small and fast units can dodge slower projectiles (and do so automatically thanks to advanced unit skirmish AI). There is no need for hardcoded rock-paper-scissors armour type bonus damage, light units beat anti-heavy units by virtue of their agility. Player unit AI also makes them much smarter than the vast majority of RTS' out there. For example groups of units with slow firing weapons will now take into account each other's shots and hold fire if enough projectiles are in the air to kill the target, rather than all blow their payload to overkill the first target in range. Unlimted map terraforming, along with a vast range of terrain tolerances between units. So you can build sloped trenches to allow your nimble walker bots through but block the enemy's tanks with lower slope tolerances. Or terraform a raised platform which will allow your units with ballistic projectiles to fire further. Land, sea and air combat with unique mechanics for each. Sea has two layers of underwater and surface units an varying effectiveness between them. Air has a unit rearm and resupply mechanic that makes them a powerful strike force but requires a good logistics system and clear flightpaths to and from base. Push/pull physics weapons and fall damage, which adds tremendously to the air transports which can hot drop units for the price of fall damage and units of destroyed transports can still survive the fall to the ground rather than being automatically destroyed. And also terraforming, where you can again build pits to push enemy units into or shallow ramps to create procedural unit cannons to launch your slow and sturdy units directly at the enemy. A wide variety of unit special abilities, from amphibious units, to cloaked units, to minelayers, to self replicating suicide bombers, spawning tiny black-holes, or units with the ability to capture or resurrect enemy units for yourself. And that's not even a quarter of them. Along with stun, fire DoT, disarming, slowing and penetrating hit effects on weapons. Penetration not only allows you to hit multiple units, but it also ricochets off terrain and does greater damage the longer the path it takes through the enemy, I.E. more damage to penetrating larger units at centre mass. It's free and it has a significant amount of singleplayer and coop content as well as the sublime multiplayer, you're missing out on a treat if you don't try this masterpiece of layered and nuanced mechanics on a grand scale.