Real-Time Strategy

About this template

Picture two bases on opposite sides of a map. Both players are gathering resources, building structures, and producing units simultaneously. The first skirmish happens at the two-minute mark. By the five-minute mark someone's expansion is burning. That is the RTS heartbeat: constant decision pressure with no pause.

Summer Engine helps you build the resource system, unit production chain, base construction, and unit AI through conversation. You design the factions, their unit rosters, and the maps. The AI scaffolds the real-time systems that make those factions clash.

An RTS is won in the first ten minutes by players who understand build orders. It is won in the late game by players who multi-task well and make fewer mistakes. Design your game around teaching the first and rewarding the second.

Who it's for

  • Designers inspired by StarCraft, Age of Empires, or Command and Conquer who want to build their own RTS.
  • Teams building an RTS with a distinct faction asymmetry and unit roster.
  • Solo devs who want a competitive RTS with online multiplayer as the primary mode.
  • Studios targeting the resurgent RTS audience that has been underserved since the genre peaked.

Highlights

  • Faction Prototype

    Get one fully working faction with resource gathering, base construction, and a unit roster to test against an AI opponent.

  • Multiplayer Demo

    Build a complete 1v1 map with two asymmetric factions, balanced economy, and a ranked match structure.

  • Campaign Mission

    Create a scripted campaign mission with objectives, enemy AI escalation, and a story-driven scenario wrapper.

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