Rise of Nations

Rise of Nations feels like a natural progression of the AoE inspired games but does so without mimicking them. In contrast to AoE; however, RoN is much grander in scale and it utilizes historical intricacies much better. RoN is among my favorites in the RTS genre, I love its blend of tactical warfare with the refined micromanaging of resources.It asserts depth by offering a variety of different playstyles through the many different playable nations which all offer a unique experience to the game

God, I haven't played this in forever, but it was definitely my favourite RTS ever

[PC] Rise of Nations takes a more detail-oriented approach to the RTS genre. With a large array of civilisations to choose from, each with their own specialities; more research upgrades and resources; and a Risk style campaign to conquer the world. Probably my best experiences with an RTS, and one of my last. It was always fun to take a fleet of helicopters to square of against medieval knights, but in the end, nothing was more fun than nuking an enemy city.