Editing Real-time strategy (section)

===1992–1998: Seminal titles===
Although real-time strategy games have an extensive history, some titles have served to define the popular perception of the genre and expectations of the genre more than others,<ref name=bgeryk_gspot/> in particular the games released between 1992 and 1998 by [[Westwood Studios]] and [[Blizzard Entertainment]].

Drawing influence from ''[[Herzog Zwei]]'',<ref name="Edge 2008"/><ref name="origin_rts">{{cite web|last=Clarke-Willson|first=Stephen|title=The Origin of Realtime Strategy Games on the PC|url=http://www.above-the-garage.com/blog/1998/8/18/the-origin-of-realtime-strategy-games-on-the-pc|work=The Rise and Fall of Virgin Interactive|publisher=Above the Garage Productions|access-date=30 January 2012|author-link=Stephen Clarke-Willson|date=August 18, 1998|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030504034920/http://www.above-the-garage.com/rblts/vie16b.htm|archive-date=2003-05-04 }}</ref> ''[[Populous (video game)|Populous]]'',<ref name="making_dune2">{{cite web|last=Winstanley|first=Cam|title=The Making of Dune II - The birth of the real-time strategy game|date=June 9, 2020 |url=https://readonlymemory.vg/the-making-of-dune-ii/|publisher=Read-Only Memory|access-date=6 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227071053/https://readonlymemory.vg/the-making-of-dune-ii/|archive-date=2023-02-27 }}</ref> ''[[Eye of the Beholder (video game)|Eye of the Beholder]]'', and the [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]] [[user interface]],<ref name="Edge 2008"/> Westwood's ''[[Dune II|Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty]]'' (1992) featured all the core concepts and mechanics of modern real-time strategy games that are still used today,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3134179 | title=The Essential 50 Part 31: Herzog Zwei | access-date=December 17, 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040913063641/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3134179 | archive-date=September 13, 2004 | df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name=gspystrategy1>{{cite web | last =Walker | first =Mark | title =Strategy Gaming: Part I – A Primer | publisher =GameSpy | url =http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/february02/strategy1/ | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100810204341/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/february02/strategy1/ | archive-date=August 10, 2010| access-date=October 28, 2007}}</ref> such as using the mouse to move units and gathering resources,<ref name=ignstate/> and as such served as the prototype for later real-time strategy games. According to its co-designer and lead programmer, Joe Bostic, a "benefit over ''Herzog Zwei'' is that we had the advantage of a mouse and keyboard. This greatly facilitated precise player control, which enabled the player to give orders to individual units. The mouse, and the direct control it allowed, was critical in making the RTS genre possible.”<ref name="Edge 2008"/><ref>{{cite web|title=The History of Command & Conquer|url=http://www.nowgamer.com/features/894724/the_history_of_command_conquer.html|work=NowGamer|access-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref>

The success of ''Dune II'' encouraged several games that became influential in their own right.<ref name=ignstate/><ref name=gspystrategy1/>'' [[Warcraft: Orcs & Humans]]'' (1994) achieved great prominence upon its release, owing in part to its use of a fantasy setting and also to its depiction of a wide variety of buildings (such as farms) which approximated a full fictitious society and not just a military force.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} ''[[Command & Conquer (1995 video game)|Command & Conquer]]'' (1995), as well as ''[[Command & Conquer: Red Alert]]'' (1996), became the most popular early RTS games. These two games contended with ''[[Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness]]'' after its release in late 1995.

''[[Total Annihilation]]'', released by [[Cavedog Entertainment]] in 1997, introduced 3D units and terrain and focused on huge battles that emphasized [[Macromanagement (gameplay)|macromanagement]] over [[Micromanagement (gameplay)|micromanagement]]. It featured a streamlined interface that would influence many RTS games in later years. ''[[Age of Empires (video game)|Age of Empires]]'', released by [[Ensemble Studios]] in 1997, tried to put a game in a slower pace, combining elements of ''[[Civilization (series)|Civilization]]'' with the real-time strategy concept by introducing ages of technologies. In 1998, Blizzard released the game ''[[StarCraft]]'', which became an international phenomenon and is still played in large professional leagues to this day. Collectively, all of these games defined the genre, providing the ''de facto'' benchmark against which new real-time strategy games are measured{{fact|date=October 2022}}.