Rome : Total War

[Lare Kikkeli]

So i've been reading about this game a lot and decided to get it today. Should I Install both expansions right away?

 

Also some tips would be appreciated, as i'm new to the Total War series having only fiddled with Shogun back when it came out.

[Calax]

DON'T overexpand... it's the fastest way to get screwed.

 

Of course I'm a turtle so I usually have a massive overall garrison.

 

Don't hit rome until you're fairly well established and have an army bigger than anyone else.

 

ALWAYS lead the seiges.

[Lare Kikkeli]

Also I've heard a lot about the Total Realism mod. How does it compare to the original game? Is it worth getting, and if it is how long should i play the game without it?

[kumquatq3]

IMO, the "red" roman family is the the most difficult. You just make so much money of sea trade.

 

 

and installing the expansions shouldn't matter, other than they automatically install the patches

Edited July 10, 2006 by kumquatq3

[Enoch]

I'd play at least one full campaign before adding any mods or expansions.

 

The Brutii are probably the best family to start with. I find the Julii boring (fighting barbarians, all you really have to do is stand still while they charge you, get tired, and rout). The Scipii are fun, but I'd wait until you have some experience seiging walled cities and dealing with elephants before trying them out. As the Brutii, the chief challenge is dealing Greece and Macedon, both of which field a lot of phalanx units and light cavalry. The Greek provinces you'll be conquering are also very rich in trade, and frequently have Cretan Archers to hire (easily the best of the commonly found mercenaries).

Edited July 10, 2006 by Enoch

[Xard]

Also I've heard a lot about the Total Realism mod. How does it compare to the  original game? Is it worth getting, and if it is how long should i play the game without it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

IMO this game is much better with Total Realism, but I suggest that you play normal campaigns first.

 

Oh, and TWO expansions? Which is other one? I only know Barbarian Invasion.

 

BI is harder and better IMO, it is just pure awesomeness when your heavily fortified city (good walls and full garrison) is attacked by Horde at night. You kill and kill and kill them, but there is allways more. Firearrows piercing night sky (and hunn flesh, bwahahaa! ), struggle at walls, gates are broken down and last stand at city core, which ends to heroic victory and retreating of barbarians. Western Roman Empire stands still!

 

Once my city was attacked by 3 hordes (first came huns ((that fight above)) then those vandals, and last one I don't remember. My superior troops won every fight, but in the end I had only two battered units in city (can't remember which it was anymore) and then riot started Lost the city after all.

 

Nothing beats when playing as Western Roman Empire at hardest difficulty level. You're going to be screwed

 

Btw, is there any "Tolkien mods" to Rome Total War, like was for Medieval Total War? I haven't played RTW since last winter, so I don

Edited July 11, 2006 by Xard

[Musopticon?]

Man, don't let me start on Total Realism, or Total War in general, it's a hate/love thing and I'd bore you to tears. Suffice to say that the games are great beyond measure and with mods they are even greater.

 

Ahem, I suggest you play Rome without mods a couple of times(and I suggest installing 1.5 pathc only after you've played as a phalanx faction, since 1.5 nerfs phalanxes thanks to a push bug) preferably patched up to 1.2 or 1.3 since the initial version has too powerful elephants and the AI is kinda crappy. Brutii is probably the easiest, with Scipii and Julii coming next, both have different difficulties and foes to face.

 

Brutii is, as was already mentioned, fairly rich and you can safely strumble through Greece and much of Anatolia without a worry. Phalanx isn't that hard a foe(pin them down with hastati, attacks their backs with velites) and unmodded Rome has a really impotent Macedon, historically they'd be all over you with tons of cavalry and superior pikemen. Anyways, after solving the normal campaign, just breeze through some eastern or barbarian campaign and try these mods, since anything else except the Roman factions are really unfinished in RTW, ahistoricality aside:

 

Rome: Total Realism - a complete rework that concentrates on gameplay and visual quality

 

Europa Barbarorum - a total conversion that adds a wealth of new features, superhistoricality and hardness

 

Hegemonia - City States a total conversion that lets you control a polis in the Persian-Peloponnnesian War

 

LOTR: Total War - a half finished conversion about guess what

 

The Crusades - another conversion, well worth waiting for

 

Ran no Jidai - Shogun:Total War reloaded

 

Blue Lotus - more like Blue Awesomeness, a fantasy total conversion with a fascinating concept

 

I'd totally post pictahs if anyone wants.

[The.Donut]

I would recommend playing through one normal campaign and then trying out Total Realism or Europa Barbarorum. Haven't got the Barbarian Invasion expansion so I couldn't give you any info on that. Out of Total Realism and EB I would recommend EB but that's just me. Try them both and see which one you like, they are both top quality mods.

[Lare Kikkeli]

I'd totally post pictahs if anyone wants.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Go ahead, i want this thread to be at least 25 pages long

 

I tried the tutorial campaign last night, and while i won every one of the three fights i fought, it wasnt due my superior tactics or leadership, it was because i just attacked with everything i had . Looks like i have a lot to learn. The empire management seemed promising, too. I'll play some more tonight.

[Musopticon?]

Pictahs!

EB is cracking fun! So is touching pictures...*ahem*

 

So is RTR:

[Musopticon?]

A study into fantastic, here's Blue Lotus!:

 

RAN NO JIDAI

 

Edit: What do you mean "dynamic pages not allowed"?! No perkeleen helvetti.

Edited July 11, 2006 by Musopticon?

[Jumjalum]

Does Rome play better than the first two games? I think I'll get the Eras pack that has everything but I'm just curious.

[Pidesco]

For me, Rome is definetly better than Shogun. Comparing it to Medieval, I'll just say that they're different. Rome is more arcadey I guess. Of course, with the mods (which I haven't played) all that is probably different.

[The.Donut]

Wow those Blue Lotus pictures make it look really good. Mebbe I should try it out...

[Musopticon?]

RTW AI is kinda horrible, but otherwise the choice between the games is really about how much you like eyecandy or a certain period. MTW is probably the most intricate of the bunch.

[Fenghuang]

I don't think I was very good at that game.

 

I'd just get a whole bunch of War Dog units and spam everything with them. It was brutally effective, but it was kind of easy.

 

Then again watching an elephant fall to those little rottweilers was hilarious.

[Lare Kikkeli]

I don't think I was very good at that game. 

 

I'd just get a whole bunch of War Dog units and spam everything with them.  It was brutally effective, but it was kind of easy. 

 

Then again watching an elephant fall to those little rottweilers was hilarious.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

That's actually pretty realistic, imagine if you had an endless supply of rottweilers that had the intelligence of a human at your disposal. You'd be the King of USA or sumthing

Edited July 11, 2006 by Lare Kikkeli

[Calax]

just a suggestion but CONTROL THE ROADS!

 

If you can block all the roads with encampt armies. this would allow you to A) control your offence and B) know where your opponent will attack first.

[Musopticon?]

And if you block the port of the city you are sieging, the enemy losses by malnourishment are much worse. Nifty tip of advice if you ever attack Greece, since they have tons of powerful defence possibilities thanks to hoplites.

[alanschu]

So it has come to the Triar'ii?

 

I liked the Hastatii or whatever and their pilums before war. Always nice to see 20 or so guys drop prior to combat :D

[Deraldin]

So it has come to the Triar'ii?

 

I liked the Hastatii or whatever and their pilums before war.  Always nice to see 20 or so guys drop prior to combat :D

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I loved watching those Gauls turn and run before even getting to my front line. "

 

Gauls: "Charge! We will slaughter those Romans. Those puny arrows cannot hurt us!"

*Roman legions toss a volley of pila*

Gauls: "Eek! Big arrows! Run away!" *runs home screaming like a little girl*

 

[Musopticon?]

Hah, in EB it's other way around. Poor poor Romans.

 

Although Triarii are just overpowered and legionnaires never route. Never. When you attack past-Marian Roma, it's like hitting a brick wall, even though phalanx can pretty much consume every pila it gets thrown at, since you can't model the effect they had in reality; getting stuck on shields and bodies. Now they just make damage or don't and phalanx is pretty much invulnerable from the front.

Edited July 13, 2006 by Musopticon?

[mkreku]

Words cannot begin to describe the nerd-factor in this thread.

[Musopticon?]

Ehmm...huge?

[mkreku]

Are you daydreaming about my **** again?

 

WE'RE TALKING NERD-FACTOR HERE, PERV!