30 Years Later, The Grandfather Of Real-Time Strategy Still Holds Up

"Real-time strategy is rich with history, decades of peaks and valleys as the genre changed, evolved, and waned in popularity. And while there are a number of influential RTS games you can point to, like and Age of Empires, the genre wouldn't in any way be what it is without one crucial game, Command & Conquer. It quite literally is the grandfather of modern RTS games, setting the stage in every way."

"Originally released on PC in 1995, Command & Conquer wasn't the first RTS game, but it advanced the formula to such a startling degree that it basically became the de facto blueprint. Developed by Westwood Studios, Command & Conquer didn't get made in a vacuum - but actually built upon a foundation created by one of the studio's previous games, Dune II (an adaptation of Frank Herbert's beloved sci-fi series)."

Command & Conquer released on PC in 1995 and became the de facto blueprint for modern real-time strategy games. Westwood Studios built the game on foundations from Dune II, simplifying complex mechanics into an easy-to-learn experience. The core gameplay loop centers on building a base, harvesting resources, constructing an army, and attacking the enemy repeatedly. Simplistic visual design makes battlefield actions easy to follow while gameplay emphasizes fast, offense-oriented decisions over methodical base-building. On-the-fly management and unit direction allowed rapid tactical adjustments and production changes to fill military gaps. That faster, more active style influenced later titles such as StarCraft.

Read at Inverse