Rise of Nations is a real time strategy game that I remember playing a lot at my friend's house 10 years ago. When I was picking up a few things on the last Steam sale, I decided to get it, even though it wasn't discounted. You see, I want Microsoft to know that it's OK to release its games on Steam, and I want to encourage that sort of behavior. Can haz Halo Collection, plz?^*

The game is sort of like Age of Empires, in that it features several groups of people from around the world, and goes through periods of time. It features wonder building, along with ground, naval, and aerial combat. I don't like the naval combat too much, since I was raised on an RTS that didn't have that.

When going from the Ancient Age through to the Information Age, new units and resources become available. Age advancement is not uniform. It is possible for ancient Greeks to fight modern Mayans. This game can put groups of people, who are actually separated by vast oceans and time, next to and fighting each other.

Resource gathering takes place mostly around cities. Some buildings increase the efficiency of resource gathering. Having wood and metal gathering close to a city also increases gather rate. Library research governs age advancement.

The version released on Steam is the "Extended Edition". It includes the only expansion for the game, and features updated graphics and Twitch support. I wondered who would watch an RTS on Twitch. Then I realized that DOTA and LoL are the biggest games since ever, and they don't fall far from the RTS genre, or so I've heard.

This is an RTS that I have yet to fully engross myself in, and it's been at least two months since I've got it.

^*If the Halo Collection comes to Steam, I will buy it. That is a threat. (EDIT 2020: It happened.)