Since you guys seem all very into Rome: Total War, this is another game that might pick your interest in the future. So try to keep an eye out on this game.

It will be something for 2006 though.

Mm, graphics look véry nice, a little too nice to be coming out soon yeah. But thanks for the heads up anyway!

Changed the title a bit, since i wouldn't want to flood the general with games coming out, i might as well make one general topic about RTS-games (or whatever they are called).

SO another one to look forward to (?): Cossacks II - Napoleonic Wars

Saw some screens here: http://games.telenet.be/index.php?act=screen&nid=16797
Don't expect things to be very fancy, they focus on gameplay (not that it looks bad, just read the next part)

This (next) part might interest you as well:
One of the key gameplay parts of the game will be the importance of using realistic Napoleonic formations - hooray for that - and the battles will feature up to 64,000 units on the map

Dunno what your units in RTW are, but 64k, that's MASSIVE armies i'd think.
The latter part came from here btw: http://www.napoleonguide.com/wargames_cossacks2.htm

I really like this screenshot, especially how the ships appear from the mist.

That Sparta looks a bit like Age of Empires 3.

ugh, I hate it when games don't draw their units to scale. Seriously breaks my immersion. I've heard the Cossacks games are really good. I just can't get into the stereotypical strategy wargames. Too abstract. Looks like that new cossacks game is dumping some of that baggage, at least.

Yeh and another thing i dont like about that Sparta, is that it look more like an RPG becauese it looks like 12 Vs 12.

More screenies for the Cossacks II title can be found here and also here.

Also read something about Sparta: Total War but i forgot the details about it.
Oh i just checked and mixed up some things: There is a game coming out on console Spartan: Total Warrior which will be the counterpart for RTW but on console, so you'll only control one character or something.
And there are rumours about an expantion for RTW to be expected somewhere in october. Maybe. Nothing official though.

Gimme an example!

most real time strategy games.

Specific example? How about age of empires. Horrid game. Empire earth also.

I think AoE was a great game. Empire earth blows a bit.

yea, well, they're meant to portray stuff semi-accurately (sorta kinda) but don't, at all. IMO, it's just stereo-typical RTS play, which is all about the massed tank charge. Basically. But I digress.

Yeh well, the fact that when playing AoE a Trireme was the same size as an elephant really pissed me off.

Mind you, i do have to stress that AoE2 wasnt an entirely "massed tank charge" style game.

Mm, isn't it even ALL rts games apart from the Total War series? And some fancy 3d RTS's in space that usually fail to draw you in because they look so unfamiliar.

I agree to a certain degree btw, but in some games you hardly are bothered because of great gameplay. Starcraft and WC III come to mind. But the latter is part fantasy/RPG so might not suffer so much from it.

Starcraft was amazing. Mind you, theres still quite a large community out there. Mostly far eastern though!