Info about Rusted Warfare - RTS:

Official game description:
  
Rusted Warfare is an RTS inspired by classic real-time strategy games with modern tech.  
*   Built for Large Battles
    -----------------------
    *   Over 50 unique units with many upgrades  
    *   Optimised multi-core engine easily handles battles of 1000's of units.  
    *   Experimental units for the big late-game battles  
    *   Infinite zoom to view and issue commands across the whole battlefield  
    *   Create your own battles and scenarios in the sandbox editor then play them in multiplayer
*   Modern Multiplayer
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    *   Host your own game or play on the dedicated servers  
    *   Reconnect to disconnected multiplayer games  
    *   Steam friend matchmaking  
    *   Save and load multiplayer games for the quick lunch time battle  
    *   Enable shared unit control between allies.  
    *   Watch recorded multiplayer replays and save at any point to start playing from  
    *   Full cross-platform multiplayer between the Windows, Linux and Android versions

Release date: 14 Jul, 2017

Categories: Real-time Strategy, Multiplayer, Cooperative Multiplayer, Mod Support, Base Building, Unit Management, Large-Scale Combat, Sandbox Creation


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Exceptional RTS with Modding Potential (weight 1): Players overwhelmingly praise the game as an excellent, fun, and engaging RTS, often comparing it favorably to classics like Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander. A significant portion of its appeal and replayability comes from its extensive and easy-to-use modding support, which allows for vast content expansion and diverse gameplay experiences.
- Dynamic Multiplayer & Cross-Platform Play (weight 0.15): Multiplayer is a major highlight, offering engaging and often intense strategic battles with friends. The game's robust cross-platform support (PC, mobile, Linux) is highly appreciated, allowing players to easily connect and play together regardless of their device.
- Accessible and Cost-Effective (weight 0.14): The game is highly regarded for its simplicity, ease of learning, and low hardware requirements, making it accessible to new RTS players and those with older systems. Its low price point, often around $5, is frequently highlighted as offering exceptional value for the amount of content and entertainment provided.
- Massive Battles and Unit Variety (weight 0.13): The game excels in allowing for massive battles with thousands of units on screen without performance issues, even on lower-end hardware. It features a good variety of land, sea, and air units, with mods further expanding this diversity to include experimental and themed units.
- Strategic Depth Despite Simple Graphics (weight 0.12): Despite its simple pixel art style, the game offers considerable strategic depth, unit variety, and tactical possibilities. Players appreciate that the game prioritizes substance and core RTS mechanics over high-end visuals, providing a challenging and rewarding experience.
- Challenging AI and Consistent Updates (weight 0.07): The AI is noted for being surprisingly robust and challenging, especially on higher difficulties, providing a good single-player experience. The game also receives consistent, albeit sometimes slow, updates that add improvements and new content, contributing to its longevity.

Common complaints:
- Subpar AI Strategy & Pathfinding (weight 0.15): The AI is consistently described as limited, predictable, and unintelligent, often spamming small units or struggling with basic pathfinding. This leads to an uneven difficulty curve and an underwhelming late-game experience, even on higher difficulties.
- Poor Online & PC Performance (weight 0.13): Players frequently experience crashes, freezing, and significant lag, especially in multiplayer. The PC version is particularly criticized for its poor optimization, control issues, and high latency online experience, making online play often impossible or unenjoyable.
- Limited Base Game Content (weight 0.12): The core game is considered to have insufficient content and can quickly become boring or repetitive without modifications. Players feel the base experience is shallow and lacks strategic depth, leading to a short engagement time.
- Lack of Developer Updates (weight 0.08): A major concern is the perceived abandonment of the game by developers, with no significant updates for several years. This lack of ongoing support contributes to a feeling of stagnation and unfulfilled potential.
- Outdated Graphics & UI (weight 0.08): The game's visuals, UI, and controls are frequently described as simplistic, outdated, and clunky. This retro feel, while functional, can be unappealing to new players and detracts from the overall modern gaming experience.
- Problematic Modding Experience (weight 0.07): While mods are seen as essential for extending gameplay, the modding features are often incomplete, prone to bugs, and lack quality. There are also compatibility issues and a perception of a small or ineffective modding community.
- Incomplete Localization (weight 0.06): The game suffers from incomplete localization, particularly for non-English languages like Chinese and Japanese. This includes hardcoded English strings and difficulties with inputting certain languages, creating a barrier for international players.
- Poor Teammate Behavior (weight 0.05): Multiplayer is negatively impacted by uncooperative teammates who frequently quit, waste resources, or demonstrate a lack of strategic understanding. This behavior significantly detracts from the team-based experience.
- Confusing New Player Experience (weight 0.03): New players often feel lost or unsure of how to play, particularly in sandbox mode. This indicates a lack of clear guidance or tutorials, making the initial learning curve steep and potentially frustrating.
- Unbalanced Gameplay (weight 0.02): The game's vanilla balance is considered broken, with certain units being overly advantageous and a general lack of strategic depth. This can lead to repetitive gameplay and a less engaging experience.
- Unmanaged Official Servers (weight 0.02): There is a lack of official server management, with players reporting high latency and broken server lists. The absence of official servers pushes players to unofficial ones, which can have their own issues.

Gameplay feedback:
- Classic Cross-Platform RTS Gameplay (weight 0.11): The game is a classic real-time strategy (RTS) title, reminiscent of 90s era games like Red Alert, featuring base building, unit creation, and large-scale battles. It supports cross-platform play across Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows, offering Skirmish, Multiplayer, and Campaign modes.
- Multiplayer Focus & Long Matches (weight 0.1): The game is highly enjoyable in multiplayer, supporting up to 64 players, and is often considered best played with friends rather than against weak AI. Matches can be quite lengthy, ranging from 30 minutes to several hours, especially against bots or in large-scale engagements.
- Accessible Yet Deep Strategy (weight 0.1): The game is easy for new players to pick up due to its simple mechanics and single-resource economy. However, mastering the game requires learning complex strategies, unit management, and tactical experimentation, offering significant depth for dedicated players.
- Diverse Unit & Army Composition (weight 0.08): Players can assemble vast armies with a wide variety of units, including tanks, mechs, aircraft, naval forces, and powerful 'experimentals'. The game features multiple factories for different unit types and allows for diverse strategies in building and deploying forces.
- Varied Game Modes & AI Challenges (weight 0.07): The game offers a range of modes including Campaign, Survival, Sandbox, Battle, and Battle Royale. Players can challenge various AI difficulties, including 'Impossible' AI, and set custom objectives, providing diverse gameplay experiences.
- Extensive Modding Capabilities (weight 0.05): The game functions significantly as a modding engine, with thousands of mods available on platforms like Steam Workshop. Mods can drastically alter gameplay, add new content, stories, and even factions, extending the game's longevity and variety.
- Tiered Upgrades & Unit Production (weight 0.04): The game features a tiered upgrade system for production facilities, turrets, and factories, unlocking higher-tier units and improving performance. Builder units are crucial for construction, starting with basic structures and progressing to advanced tiers.
- Base Building & Defensive Strategies (weight 0.03): A core mechanic involves building and upgrading bases, including various turrets and defensive structures. Players can construct powerful defenses, but must also be wary of their base being captured or overwhelmed.
- Strategic Nuke Warfare (weight 0.02): Nuclear weapons are a significant late-game option, allowing players to 'nuke spam' opponents. Effective use of nukes and anti-nuke defenses adds a strategic layer to combat.
- Varied Map Sizes (weight 0.01): The game offers a range of map sizes, from smaller maps suitable for quick 2-player skirmishes to massive maps like Earth, China, and Japan, allowing for large-scale battles.

Performance notes:
- Stable Linux Performance (weight 0.08): Players report excellent performance and stability on Linux, with no significant rendering errors or conflicts with desktop environments. The game runs well on various Linux distributions and hardware configurations.
- Low System Requirements (weight 0.07): The game is highly optimized and runs smoothly on a wide range of hardware, including low-end PCs and even Chromebooks. It requires minimal memory and CPU resources, making it accessible to many players.
- Crashing Issues with Mods (weight 0.03): Some players experience frequent crashes, particularly when using many mods. Increasing RAM allocation via the game's batch file and launching as an administrator can mitigate these issues.
- High Frame Rates (weight 0.02): The game is capable of achieving very high frame rates, with reports of 140 FPS on 5K monitors and a setting available for up to 300 FPS, indicating strong performance optimization.
- Multi-Core & Graphics Compatibility (weight 0.02): The game is optimized for multi-core processors and shows good compatibility with Intel and NVIDIA graphics drivers on Linux. It also supports software rendering, enhancing its accessibility.
- Engine & Graphics Technology (weight 0.01): The game is built using the LWJGL/Java engine and utilizes OpenGL for its graphics rendering. This choice likely contributes to its cross-platform compatibility and performance.
- Pixel Art Enables Scale (weight 0.01): The game's pixel art style is noted as a key factor enabling large-scale unit combat and facilitating easy porting to mobile devices, leveraging its visual simplicity for performance.
- Cross-Platform Workshop (weight 0.01): The game supports cross-platform Workshop functionality, allowing users on different operating systems to share and access community-created content.
- Manual Game Saves (weight 0): The game features a manual save system, requiring players to actively save their progress rather than relying on automatic checkpoints.
- Mobile Version Perceived Smoother (weight 0): One reviewer noted that the mobile version running on an emulator felt smoother than the Steam PC version, suggesting potential minor performance discrepancies or optimization differences.
- Multiplayer Performance Consideration (weight 0): Players are advised to ensure their computer can handle the game when playing with friends on the world map, implying that multiplayer sessions might demand slightly more resources.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended RTS Experience (weight 0.3): Players overwhelmingly recommend the game, often giving it high ratings (8-11/10) and praising its value for money. It's seen as a must-play for fans of classic RTS games, especially those who enjoy titles like Command & Conquer, Starcraft, or Supreme Commander.
- Enhance Gameplay with Mods (weight 0.22): A significant portion of feedback emphasizes that mods are crucial for extending the game's lifespan and enhancing the experience. Players are strongly advised to explore the workshop and specific mods like AEA, Unrusted Warfare, and Major Experimentals for more dynamic gameplay and total conversions.
- Multiplayer with Friends Advised (weight 0.17): The game is recommended for playing with friends, as it enhances the overall experience. However, players are cautioned about official multiplayer servers, suggesting that those with low psychological tolerance should be wary, and it's better to find groups with 'normal people'.
- Support Developers & Buy Legitimately (weight 0.16): Several players express a desire to support the game's developers, either by buying the legitimate version or purchasing additional copies for friends. This indicates a strong appreciation for the game and its creators.
- PC Version Caution for Some (weight 0.1): While generally recommended, some players advise caution for those with poor PC configurations or those primarily interested in PvP, suggesting the game might not be ideal for them on PC. One reviewer even suggests playing the pirated version if not buying to support.
- Specific Gameplay Tips (weight 0.02): Players offer niche advice such as avoiding impossible difficulty, playing with specific unit types (e.g., ground and naval only), and trying to join 'system rooms' on PC.
- Consider Mobile for Convenience (weight 0.01): Some feedback suggests that the mobile version, particularly on tablets like an iPad, offers better control convenience for playing with friends. This implies a potential area for improvement in the PC version's controls or user experience.
- Infinite Replayability & Lifespan (weight 0.01): The game is praised for its infinite lifespan and replayability, suggesting a deep and engaging experience that can keep players invested for a long time.
- New Player Guidance Available (weight 0): New players are encouraged to familiarize themselves with game mechanics, unit characteristics, and missions, and to join chat groups for expert advice before diving deep into the game.
- Wait for Sale to Buy (weight 0): A minor point suggests that players can wait for the game to go on sale before purchasing, implying it's a good deal even at full price but an even better one on discount.
- No Grind, Liver-Friendly (weight 0): The game is noted for being 'liver-friendly' due to a lack of grind, which is a positive for players who dislike repetitive tasks.
- Update Status Noted (weight 0): One review mentions the last game update was in November 2022, which could be relevant for players looking for active development.

Other player notes:
- Strong Mobile Player Base (weight 0.1): Many players discovered and extensively played the game on mobile devices for years before purchasing it on PC. This indicates a significant and loyal mobile following that transitioned to the PC platform.
- Underappreciated Gem (weight 0.06): Many players feel the game is an 'underrated gem' and should be more popular. They express confusion about its lack of widespread recognition and wish for a sequel.
- Active Modding Community (weight 0.05): There is an active modding community, with players creating and using various modifications. The availability of mods, both in-game and externally, enhances replayability and customization.
- Nostalgic Value (weight 0.05): The game holds significant nostalgic value for many players, reminding them of their youth and past gaming experiences. This emotional connection often drives purchases and positive sentiment.
- RTS Genre Comparisons (weight 0.05): The game is frequently compared to classic RTS titles like Supreme Commander, C&C Red Alert, Total Annihilation, and StarCraft. This positions it within a well-loved genre and suggests its appeal to RTS veterans.
- Desire for New Features (weight 0.04): Players are actively requesting new mechanics, a tech-tree, improved AI, more unit types, and additional campaign maps. This indicates a strong interest in game expansion and deeper strategic options.
- Simplistic Pixel Graphics (weight 0.04): The game features simple pixel graphics, which some reviewers compare to older systems. While not 'exquisite,' these graphics are generally accepted and sometimes even appreciated for their retro feel.
- Flexible Playtime (weight 0.02): The game is suitable for varying playtimes, from short sessions to hundreds of hours. This flexibility makes it accessible to different player commitments.
- Control and UI Improvements (weight 0.01): Players desire optimized and fully customizable control settings, along with fixes for minor bugs like the main menu button. These quality-of-life improvements would enhance the user experience.
- New Faction Potential (weight 0.01): There are indications and community interest in a potential 'bug race' faction, with some units already present in sandbox mode and workshop maps. This suggests excitement for new content.
- Difficulty Settings Needed (weight 0.01): Novice players express a need for 'very easy' or 'easy' difficulty options to ease into the game. This indicates a desire for more accessible entry points for new players.
- Accessibility for All Ages (weight 0.01): The game is considered suitable for a wide range of audiences, from children to adults. This broad appeal suggests a non-offensive and engaging experience for diverse demographics.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.36): Players are highly satisfied with the game's overall quality, value for money, and extensive modding capabilities. The active and creative modding community, cross-platform play, and engaging gameplay (both vanilla and modded) contribute significantly to this positive sentiment, offering endless replayability and a rich experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.13): Excitement stems primarily from the vast and diverse modding possibilities, which enhance gameplay, introduce new content, and allow for large-scale destruction and strategic depth. Players also express excitement for the game's overall quality, sandbox potential, and the thrill of building massive armies and engaging in intense matches.
- Disappointment (weight 0.09): Disappointment is largely driven by the perceived lack of official developer updates, which leads to concerns about the game's abandoned potential and limited base content without mods. Issues like poor online compatibility, limited AI strategy, and incomplete localization also contribute to player dissatisfaction.
- Frustration (weight 0.08): Frustration is frequently caused by technical issues such as frequent crashes, especially on large maps or with mods, and poor pathfinding for units. Multiplayer problems, including server issues, difficult bots, and a messy or toxic community, also significantly contribute to player frustration.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Players find enjoyment in the game's simple yet engaging core gameplay, particularly when playing with friends. The ability to enhance the experience with mods and the game's suitability for casual play also contribute to a fun and entertaining experience that makes time pass quickly.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Joy is expressed through the sheer fun of the gameplay, often enhanced by mods and multiplayer experiences with friends or family. Players find deep engagement and happiness in the game's immersive qualities and its ability to deliver a classic RTS experience.
- Admiration (weight 0.03): Admiration is directed towards the game's high quality, strategic depth, and exceptional modding support, especially within a genre perceived to be declining. Players praise the talented modding community and the game's versatility, often considering it one of the greatest RTS titles.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciate the game's classic RTS style, its purity as a strategy game, and the lack of unnecessary frills. The contributions of the modding community in keeping the game alive and enhancing its features, along with its value for money and accessibility, are also highly valued.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Nostalgia arises from players revisiting the game, often recalling childhood memories of playing it with classmates or friends, particularly from its mobile origins. The game's ability to evoke feelings of classic RTS titles like Command and Conquer also contributes to this sentiment.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Amusement often comes from intense competitive gameplay, humorous outcomes, or memorable multiplayer scenarios, sometimes involving exaggerated or chaotic situations. The game's modding culture and specific gameplay mishaps also provide sources of lighthearted entertainment.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Players express a desire for more content, including additional game mechanics, new gameplay modes, and more base game features. There is also a strong wish for more updates and a higher unit cap to further enhance the game experience.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion typically arises from technical messages like 'Steam API not connected,' uncertainty about how to access certain game modes, or a lack of clear explanations for game mechanics. Some players also express confusion regarding the game's perceived lack of popularity.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope is centered on the potential for future updates, improvements, and the development of new content or features like a sequel with more depth or a diplomacy system. Players also hope for the game to gain more attention and for continued AI enhancements.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are often surprised by the game's unexpected quality, especially considering its mobile origins or simplistic appearance, leading to it being considered a 'sleeper hit.' The extent and quality of workshop mods, as well as the game's ability to run well on low-spec hardware, also generate positive surprise.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom sets in when playing the base game for extended periods without mods or friends, as the gameplay can become repetitive. Playing alone or for a long time can lead to a lack of engagement, even with some modded content.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement is driven by immersive gameplay that causes players to lose track of time, often enhanced by specific mods. There's also a strong desire for the game to continue thriving, indicating a deep connection to the experience.
- Recommendation (weight 0.01): Players recommend the game to others, especially lovers of classic RTS games, based on their overall positive experience. Specific recommendations often highlight the benefits of playing with mods or utilizing workshop content to enhance the gameplay.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger is expressed due to issues like poor optimization leading to unplayability, perceived theft of assets within the community, or a generally poor PC experience. Being consistently outmatched by friends or encountering insulting behavior in game rooms also triggers this emotion.
- Mild frustration (weight 0.01): Mild frustration arises from minor inconveniences such as the game requiring a lot of strategic thinking, AI pathing and collision detection issues, or unit imbalance. Inconvenient controls, often attributed to the game's mobile origin, and specific UI bugs also contribute to this feeling.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game is expressed through deep overall enjoyment, often spanning many years, and a strong appreciation for the modding community. The entire game experience, including its core gameplay and features, evokes this strong positive emotion.}