>>43667
>you describe is just RTS in it's most basic form.
Nö. The list of the steps is specific for games liek Dune II (this was first), Warcraft, C&C and all iterations, Starcraft, Dune 2000, I think Total Annihilation too (I've never played this so not sure), and god knows how many other clones.
And AoE is the sames just worse because it gives the illusion that now you're gonna build liek ancient and medieval cities then you realize your buildings are lifeless, and the interactive ones just serve to give units on clicks (or keyboard shortcut for moar efficiency). The other ones will stand there empty shoved in into a corner, or had some shit in it to click on (research), but by the end they'll stand empty too. No reason to build roads (leave gaps), or take a good care of the placement or anything like that.
Stronghold kinda sames.
For example Settlers is different because while there is resource gathering, and upgrading units (with gold), the player has to take care of building placement, build the roads, the production line of the goods have to be set up, and you don't gather the units together with the mouse and send them wherever.
Knights and Merchants a step beyond that with needs of the serfs and soldiers, little faggots go stuff themselves with sausage and wine in the Inn, also soldiers are in units, and move as units, and attack as units. Although 90% of the game is tedium, these are pretty neat details, the Dune II clones don't have.