Herzog

The Good
More interaction between the controlled unit and the game, compared to Nether Earth (where it was an invincible brick).

The Bad
Slow, dull gameplay, only minorly improved by the increased interactivity of the controlled unit. Removal of customization of units. Need to airlift units off the base (build at ground level in NE).

The Bottom Line
Take Nether Earth. Change the view from isometric to straight (northeastern corner, not northern corner of a tile), make the control unit able to carry other units and transform into a battle unit. Add friendly fire - and here it is, one of the first missing steps from early RTS to modern RTS. There are other missing steps to uncover, but this game introduces gradual transition from NE to Herzog Zwei (considered the first RTS by many). In fact, NE was the first RTS.