Because real time is more exciting.

I love turn based games, but there is definitely a different feel with a RTS that feels less ‘boardgamey’.

I know what OP means - ie StarCraft without the micro.

Age of Empires 4 removed a lot of the micro common in the previous games. You can now no longer dodge projectiles which is a major win for non micro gameplay.

I have played it for almost 50 hours now and I don't feel you have to do things too quickly if you aren't aiming to be in the top 100. If you have already memorized your plan and responses, it becomes pretty slow and stress free.

Because not every trade-off is best resolved by taking the extreme.

Personally I like the idea, it doesn’t need to be fully turn based - there would still be some skill involved in using your orders efficiently. Plus, there would be a new emergent gameplay mechanic to manage: not overflowing your order queue with extraneous commands.

Turn based games with too many players become boring when you're waiting for your turn.