@Campaigner:
I really feel sorry for you for judging the gameplay of a game based on videos and screenshots rather than playing the game itself. That shows what an expert Total Annihilation: Kingdoms player you are! Sorry for my sacrasm, but the least you have to do before applying a negative comment on a game is to give this game a really serious gameplay. If you don't play the game at all or if you play the game for very few hours, then you cannot have a true opinion about it.
3D graphics are always considered more advanced graphics than their 2D counterpart. I say it is "considered" and not that they always are. However, most importantly, I don't care at all about graphics and you should do the same.
It is impossible to play every single game around, however if you judge the games you play by its graphics, I truly feel sorry for you. Usually, the games which have the best gameplay around are the less good-looking ones, because their designers spend more time in gameplay programming than graphics designing.
Personally, I find old RTS graphics just fine, no matter if they are Warlords Battlecry, TA:Kingdoms, Starcarft, Age of Empires, Command & Conquer. I just think Total Annihilation: Kingdoms have better graphics from those because of the detail and variety in the 3D animations of the units. Let me explain myslelf:
* TA:Kingdoms is probably the first RTS game in which the units strike with different animation each time. In AoeII, for example, each unit attacks wih exacly the same way each time, but in TA:Kingdoms the Swordsmen, Warriors, Trolls, Blade Deamons etc. have three different animations for their attack; one for a pierecing strike, one for a slashing strike coming from the left and one for a slashing strike coming from the right. What's more, the ship models of the game were very detailed in every aspect (for its time), especially the magnifient Verunan Man o War battleships, and the four holy dragons of each race had very beautiful animations too. Finally, as the units advanced in veterancy status, they were visually changed and golden equipment appeared on them, much like in Age of Mythology when you research better armor in the blacksmith building. There are also a few other things because of which I believe graphics were pretty good for its time.
The videos you have seen is the Inspector Vids, you cannot get a thing about TA:Kngdoms gameplay by just watching these, so give me a break!
About the green/brown mix, keep looking for green/brown mixes in other games, that's where the gameplay is, LMAO!!!!!