Total war series

[ramza]

Are all the mods for Rome compatible with each other or should I just install just one?

I have found various "fixpacks" and AI enhancement mods but I do not know which to install and which are incompatible with EB...

 

And I am wondering the exact same thing for Medieval II... There is the Stainless steel mod and some others...

 

What to choose, what to choose...

[Leferd]

Just stick with the vanilla game for your first playthrough at the very least. I would recommend against modding the game until you are very familiar with it. The vanilla game by itself is excellent.

 

After you've been seasoned, then you may want to try out the mods, which are generally incompatible -as the two big ones: EB and Total Realism are mutually exclusive from each other.

 

For Medieval 2, I would heartily recommend either the Retrofit or Custom Campaign Mod, dependent on whether you have the Kingdoms XP. They were made by a Creative Assembly developer with the help of other CA staff to make the vanilla game more in-line with a more hardcore Total War audience (as opposed to casual fans). They don't diverge greatly from the vanilla version (like Stainless Steel) but is improved in so many little ways to make an already great game...better.

[Tigranes]

The new patch brought in aggressive AI and naval invasions, but apparently broke peace-making diplomacy and battle AI. I'm still going to try it again, with the Rights of Man mod that apparently makes things a bit more 'historical' and fixes some quirks.

 

Took me like 24 hours to patch through the terror-crime that is Steam, so it better not be a broken game again...

[Monte Carlo]

What I'd say about the bigger mods is lag in strategy mod (cf. Stainless Steel or Dus Lo Volt! for example). I run a fairly powerful gaming rig and had problems with that one.

 

I can't comment on EB, haven't played it but it does look good in a sort of obsessively detailed way.

 

The beauty of Retrofit / Grand Campaign mods is that they happily co-exist - i.e. you can choose to play either vanilla or modded. I'm sure this is true of some of the other big mods. Generally, the standard of TW modding is fairly high, but as ever do your research before installing.

 

Cheers

MC

[Tigranes]

Played as France a bit using Rights of Man. It's clear that the patch changed a lot of things. Money is much harder to come by, and if someone takes your port or disrupts your trade routes it is a quick way to lose the war (which is awesome)... but of course, as ever, I've been able to raid GB trade routes for 5 years without them building up a navy to retaliate (maybe they can't afford it).

 

I haven't seen any naval invasions yet, though the Dutch took Ceylon without ever being at war with Portugal. The AI is a lot more aggressive however; Austria contested my succession in 1705 and started a continent-wide war, though they've been too busy with Serbian rebels and their war with the Ottomans to do otherwise. Prussia and Poland-Lithuania are locked in an eternal war with lots of territories being exchanged. Norway broke free from Sweden, and the Indians are running rampant, especially the Cherokee.

 

It's all a little TOO aggressive though. It's like MTW2 where everyone hates you, except here they do actually accept peace if you thump them (thank God).

 

But finally, the battle AI does seem to be borked in comparison to pre-patch. Whereas pre-patch they'd set up a line, do some side maneuvres, then charge and fire roughly in that line, now they do a lot more back and forth, milling about, screwing up the line, etc. Hmm...it might make the game unplayable if it keeps up, but I haven't played a lot yet.

[ramza]

I found Empire for 30 euros at my local store. Should I buy it or is it buggy as hell? Will there be an expansion that will include the latest patch?

[Monte Carlo]

Ain't touching Empires until they de-Steam it.

 

You have to submit to Steam / online activation to play it, which is my line in the sand.

 

Cheers

MC

[Rosbjerg]

I found Empire for 30 euros at my local store. Should I buy it or is it buggy as hell? Will there be an expansion that will include the latest patch?

 

I would rate the Total War series as follows

 

1. Rome as the best of the series (it was revolutionary in many ways and set the standard for the genre afterwards)

2. Shogun as the most charming (the map, the videos and the style are miles ahead of the other games)

3. Medieval II as the most complete (in incorporates all the best features of Rome and I find the setting more interesting)

4. Empire as the most experimenting (it tries to do things very different and usually succeeds, but all in all it's not as good as the other games the AI is a bit messy and the factions are very unbalanced.. if you like Rome and Medival very much you'll most likely enjoy it, but try waiting for the Napoleon expansion coming in Q1 2010 and see what that brings to the game)

 

Mod wise:

RTW:

Europa Barbarorum (EB) as Mus mentioned

Total Realism as MC mentioned

 

MTW2:

Kingdoms Grand Campaign Mod - this is the only mod I really play with.. it brings all the units and factions from the expansion into the vanilla campaign and expands the map extensively. It also brings back some cool featurs from MTW1, like land titles (prince of Antioch, Duke of Normandy etc) for Generals. Other than that it remains very true to the original game.

 

Third Age - Total War - Lord of the Rings.. nuff said

 

Broken Crescent - If you enjoy the Middle Eastern setting.

 

Empire:

Imperial Splendour - is the mod I play with in Empie TW.. It makes the game a littler more difficuelt like The Rights of Man, but I think it's more balanced.. I also highly recommend the AUM (or Additonal Units Mod) which works for IS, TRM and Darth's mod.. For anyone playing Empire.

[Purkake]

Damn Steam haters! You are a dying breed.

 

From what I've seen Empire is even more complicated than Medieval 2. I don't want to manage towns/fortresses let alone schools/farms/sawmills/mines and whatever else there are in Empire.

 

The sea battles were pretty bad ass in the demo, though.

 

Rome FTW!

Edited September 12, 2009 by Purkake

[ramza]

If I need a Steam account, I won't be buying that game. What happened to the old times when you simply had to purchase a game and insert the CDs to simply be able to play it?

[Monte Carlo]

^ Piracy is being used as an excuse to make all us submit to registration / marketing / data harvesting opportunities. When I buy a game I only want to buy the data transfered onto the disc without any necessity to go online whatsoever. I don't want any other relationship with any other third party unless I choose to do so.

 

Another example: I was in the apple store the other day. A guy asks me for my email address so he can send me an e-receipt and help save the polar bears by not printing out a tiny square of paper.

 

Who, in the name of assorted deities, are they trying to kid?

 

Cheers

MC

[Purkake]

Don your tinfoil hats, kids. Things are changing, we are becoming more connected all the time. There's no stopping this.

 

Living in the UK must be pretty tough for you then, it being the Nanny State and all.

 

And who could argue with the convenience of digital distribution?

Edited September 12, 2009 by Purkake

[ramza]

The thing is that some people don't realize that not everyone has access to the internet, and usually this is not by choice. Even in western european countries, there's approximately 40% of the population that doesn't have access to it. So, unless things change, game developers should offer an alternative. Oh, and don't go telling me these people don't even have a pc. Many of them have but cannot afford to pay a monthly internet fee. In other cases, they live in some remote place where there is no possibility for them to have an internet connection. The world is not as developed as you may think...

[Purkake]

If it was enough of a detriment to their profits, they would think of something else. Apparently it isn't.

 

You aren't entitled to the game, the publisher doesn't owe you anything. As long as the internet requirement is clearly marked on the box.

Edited September 12, 2009 by Purkake

[Monte Carlo]

No tinfoil hat, just a POV.

 

Privacy is a precious commodity, especially in the 21st Century. The stuff people in their twenties post online about themselves is, to my mind, bizarre. For example, if you Google my name I don't appear anywhere. I like that, not because I've got anything to hide, but because I'm a bit of a libertarian and I value my privacy as a commodity. I've grown up watching the internet develop as an adult - it simply wasn't around when I was younger so maybe that informs my view. But the stuff younger people put on social networking sites never ceases to amaze me - you're giving all your private data away to these folks for free.

 

 

I have friends in work in IT who are agog at how cavalier companies are with the data we provide them everyday. They just treat it as another bulk commodity. I don't like that, so I'm innately suspicious of attempts to harvest data about me - why does, for example, a cell phone company want a copy of my driving licence? I told them they couldn't have it and guess what? They backed down. They just wanted to try it on. Same as the bloke in the apple shop. Same as the loyalty supermarket card whereby your purchases are analysed and used to build a picture about you for 'focussed marketing opportunities.' Their ain't one of those cards in my wallet.

 

However... as well as being a libertarian, I'm also a free-market capitalist. You want my data? Maybe I'll let you have it, but what will you give me for it? Same with Steam - you want me to register with a third party to use your product? What's in it for me? I do give my data to companies I trust, but it's an informed decision I make on a case-by-case basis. If more people were like me, companies would be less irresponsible with personal data and treat consumers with a bit more respect.

 

Cheers

MC

[Purkake]

There's a difference between giving someone a copy of your driver's license and putting your cell number on facebook and signing up to Steam with an email account and a credit card number which you need to give out anyway when you're buying something.

 

The most you have to give anyone here to sign up for a cell contract etc. is an ID of some sort.

 

You do know that by posting here you are also giving out information and it is far from anonymous.

Edited September 12, 2009 by Purkake

[Calax]

The biggest thing that people are worried about with steam and similar systems is the fact that if it's online system goes down do we have a guarantee that we still own those games. Honestly I'm willing to bet if that happens there'll be enough of a public outcry from the media and fans that SOMEBODY will step in and fix the games and basically hand out copies of the games to people. But this probably won't happen because the devs LOVE steam because they get more per unit sold on steam then they do on the ones sold at gamestop in a box (packaging costs etc).

[Purkake]

It's a legitimate concern. That's why I don't get stuff from places like EA Link which is dead now AFAIK. If Steam goes down permanently, all hope is lost.

 

Of course Good Old Games has the most awesome model ever with each game coming in their own DRM-free guaranteed-to-work installer package that you can copy and backup as much as you like.

[Monte Carlo]

You do know that by posting here you are also giving out information and it is far from anonymous.

 

My IP? No big deal, like I said, I don't mind people knowing that I have trenchant views on video games and am geeky enough to be posting about it If Obsidian want to dump a cookie so it's easier to post here, they're welcome.

 

Cheers

MC

[Purkake]

But you really care about Steam logging your playtime and making a pretty graph out of it?

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Of course Good Old Games has the most awesome model ever with each game coming in their own DRM-free guaranteed-to-work installer package that you can copy and backup as much as you like.

 

And you can make customized DVD/CD versions that are just liek the ones you might buy in the store!

[Purkake]

Of course Good Old Games has the most awesome model ever with each game coming in their own DRM-free guaranteed-to-work installer package that you can copy and backup as much as you like.

 

And you can make customized DVD/CD versions that are just liek the ones you might buy in the store!

 

Didn't know that, I hardly write any CDs/DVDs these days, memory sticks and external HDDs are just so much more convenient.

 

Trying to bait Lord of Flies with that signature?

[entrerix]

ok couple questions!

 

1. Has anyone played the warpath expansion? is it any good? worth the money?

 

2. i tried finding some reviews of it online but could only find one, does anyone know where i can find some?

 

3. what is this "napoleon" game i'm hearing about? it looks just like empire - what's the difference?

[Calax]

3. what is this "napoleon" game i'm hearing about? it looks just like empire - what's the difference?

Well, I'd guess it'd be some upgrades (probably a better AI and ship combat) but the biggest difference will be you're in the Napoleonic era.

[entrerix]

erm, isnt that the same time period as empire? just shorter?