Dark Reign: The Future of War

Dark Reign narrowly beat Total Annihilation as the first RTS to incorporate 3D movement and positioning. This increases the strategic advantage of hills and mountains. In each mission you take on the role of commander of either the Imperial Army or the Freedom Fighters, trying to undermine and eventually destroy the enemy force. This game has many unusual features for the RTS genre. In the AI patterns, you simply give a unit the command "search and destroy" and it travels to the enemy's last known location, looking for something to kill. There is also an "exploration" mode where your units do all the map exploration for you. A mission/campaign editor is also available.