Well we started kind of in "reverse order", i.e C&C3. Main reason being that I wanted a "soft start", i.e a game more in line with modern RTS design. My friend comes more from the Warcraft/Starcraft world, so it was a big enough jump already. To have him suddenly have no build queue, no shift-clicking, no nothing (not to mention graphics with fewer pixels than its current age in years ) would have been a headache beyond all measure.
I should clarify two things though:
The "negative opinons" aren't really mine. I fully appreciate the C&C series for what it is, even with its shortcomings. It's just that I've already played the games as they were originally released, and wanted to see if the modding community had managed to boost it (but not via a total conversion)
My friend also really enjoys it, he says that TS and RA2 in particular were light years ahead of their time. The complaints we mention do not make the game "unplayable" in any sense, we just wanted to know if people have met these same issues, and if they did, have they managed to tackle them.
All that said, yes, I will eventually try and take him further back in time.
Responding to the other stuff:
Orca issue: Orca fighters are generally almost useless unless you mass like a dozen of them. They have a lot of trouble lining up for their shots, the missiles themselves can easily miss, and sometimes they do that good old thing straight from TD where their firing rate bugs out (they start firing their 2 missile salvo with a huge delay between each missile). For some reason they can also just refuse to take off and attack a target you select for them, in spite of being fully loaded.
Aircraft sight range: the Jumpjets' sight range kind of negates this argument. Yes, they are slow, but not that much compared to everything else in TS (which I don't mind). I think this issue could be managed by enabling Fog of War, IIRC that works in skirmish, but I don't know if that can be done for campaign.
Anti-armor weapons: TD's solution was fine for this imo, in fact they brought it back in C&C3. Rockets and tank shells have a hard time hitting infantry, but do good damage when they do land a hit. And yes, I know TS has a different engine, but as far as I could tell, it is possible to have projectiles that do not "snap" onto their target.
The terrain issue is a minor thing, but I feel so bad abusing it against Devil's Tongues
Unit voices: this is precisely why I made a reference to TS Retro. Also, this is by no means a "new feature". TD already gave each infantry and vehicle one of two voice sets randomly. It wasn't much, but it was some variety. By contrast, TS gives most infantry and vehicles the exact same voice. Personally I like the vibe they were going for, since most RTS games today feel obligated to give every unit a ton of "funny" lines. TS has more restraint, which I appreciate, but having to listen to the exact same voice all the time leaves one wanting.
Firestorm walls: they refuse to work at all. The only time they did was on the Hammerfest mission, where they could block any and all forms of attack. I then made one in the missile plant GDI mission, and every unit could shoot both over and into the wall while it was active. It also did not block chem missiles, though apparently that was intentional (although Kotovsky's video shows it being able to stop missiles)
