Metal Fatigue on the PC was damn near perfect. A Starcraft clone for sure but it had it's own merits.
Basically, if I were you, I would look at Warcraft 1 & 2. Start there.
To me, what would make it better is if your individual units could "gain levels". Some RTS PC games do this.
RTTS - real time tactical strategy is a more fitting game. Look at the 'tactics' games on the GBA/DS/PSP as well as the AdvanceWars series for inspiration. Those are turn-based. The genre is tactical stragedy because you don't only control 1 avatar...but many. That's where the stragedy is. How you build them up, where you place them, etc.
