I don't think anyone wants dom4 to be a real time strategy game.
But don't be so quick to dismiss real time games. Does anyone remember the great game
Warhammer: Dark Omen?
It came out two years before the first total war game and it already contained all the tactical aspects of Shogun. In my opinion Dark Omen did the "realistic battles" better and on a more suitable scale for real time. A dominion spin-off made with the Dark Omen engine is a game I would certainly buy
But Eximius Sus is right. What makes dominions such a great game is the game model. Still, it has many nicely made nations with a great a great feel to them and that certainly helps.