Rome: Total War is Out

[Arnelos]

Game is out and I have a copy.

Having never played the first two Total War games, my only real response right now is the following:

Information Overload

In non sumarized form:

As with MoO3, I find that this game belongs in a category of relatively rare games where I am forced to take one, more likely two, evenings just to sit down and read the manual, the read me's, and any information I can obtain regarding even the most basic elements of strategy.

Thankfully, UNLIKE MoO3, I've already played the tutorial (they actually have one!!!) and it definately makes this game OBVIOUSLY very very cool. I've also fought two custom battles on top of playing those in the demo and the tutorial, just for kicks. I wasn't really sure what the devil I was doing for the most part, but at least I could see that this is going to be a really cool game once I figure the whole bloody thing out.

I'm looking forward to getting a grasp on this game and really starting to play it.

Oh, and one other thing to note. The manual (and the promotions for the game) say that you can play the Imperial Campaign as any of the factions Roman and Non-Roman (though victory conditions are different for the Non-Roman factions). Maybe I'm just missing it, but I didn't see the option to select anything other than the three Roman factions for the Imperial Campaign option. Perhaps it's under another button?

[Kassiopeia]

You have to unlock the non-Roman campaigns by either winning the Roman campaign as one of the families or beating that particular non-Roman faction in the actual Roman campaign.

[Flip McWho]

Awesome game so far. I went and brought it today (was gonna pre-order it but discovered it was already out) Came home, installed and started playing the prologue. Seems pretty cool. Typical total war in that battles are huge and epic. The campaign map is very cool in 3D and the wealth of empire type detail is superb.

So far it gets /


With one of my flatmates we loaded up a lan game. All I gotta say from that experience is that War Elephants rock. I was a faction that had war elephants as a part of their force and well thats almost all you need. (well at least with a couple of people not really familiar with the game). Watching those war elephants just bowl through the enemy is hellishly satisfying. Just gotta be careful with them though as they will go through your own troops to get to them, as I found out on a couple of occassions. But yeah I'd recommend this game on initial impressions.

Anyone else got it? Thinking about getting it? Thoughts?

[The diplomat]

I bought R:TW yesterday. The game is indeed fantastic. The campaign map is beautiful. I could not put the game down. I played for over 2 hours and I could have kept playing for another 3 hours easily. The game is so addictative and engaging. I love how your general gives a speech before the battle. They are really good little speeches. When my general was yelling something about "saving Rome from the barbarian horde" and your troops cheer, I found myself cheering with them. It's little things like that really add atmosphere to the game. Oh and the music is wonderful.

I just need to learn better battle tactics cause I really suck as a Roman general. The funny thing is that sometimes I auto-resolve a battle and I win when I thought I'd lose or I play a battle myself because I outnumber the enemy and figure it will be an easy battle, and I lose. Guess I'll read the manual and play some more practice custom battles.

[The diplomat]

Morale is actually really key in battles. You can be outnumbered but if you manage to get the enemy to break formation and run, you'll probably win. Conversely, if the enemy manages to get you to break formation and run, it can be very tough to turn your troops around to win. So in that sense, battles are very "realistic". In a lot of ways, battles come down to who will cut and run first.

[alva]

When my general was yelling something about "saving Rome from the barbarian horde" and your troops cheer, I found myself cheering with them.

nice touch indeed.

/me mumbers something about getting a new vidcard as priority number1

[reds4ever]

Originally posted by Flip McWho


Anyone else got it? Thinking about getting it? Thoughts?

Comes out the UK on the 1/10, waiting.............

[Flip McWho]

Hey wow. We get something before the UK does. What the hell is up with that.

[Cookie Monster]

Finally a great thread in the other games forum!!!!! No offense to the other threads but those games just don't interest me.

Anyway on to why I'm posting here. How does the game perform and what are your hardware specs.

I have a P4 1.8GHZ with a Geforce (64mb) and 512mb system ram. Medieval Total War ran ok on my system with little or no lag.
I know what the recommended system requirements are but I'm looking to hear what real world personal experiences are.

I want this game but am hesitating because if my system can't handle it I need to upgrade first.

[reds4ever]

Yout system should be fine, I can't remeber where but the developers have said it needs similar spec to MTW.

[duke o' york]

Originally posted by Flip McWho
All I gotta say from that experience is that War Elephants rock. I was a faction that had war elephants as a part of their force and well thats almost all you need.

I'm pretty positive that war elephants won't be that great once you've got a hang on the game. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that they're worshipped by the n00bs, but that more experienced players will be delighted to see them in the opposing ranks because they'll know how to turn them and to ensure they only cause havoc in their own ranks, not those of the experienced player's troops. Once the secret's out with regard to being able to "turn" elephants, then they will become more of a liability than a potent weapon.

[Traianvs]

Originally posted by duke o' york


I'm pretty positive that war elephants won't be that great once you've got a hang on the game. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that they're worshipped by the n00bs, but that more experienced players will be delighted to see them in the opposing ranks because they'll know how to turn them and to ensure they only cause havoc in their own ranks, not those of the experienced player's troops. Once the secret's out with regard to being able to "turn" elephants, then they will become more of a liability than a potent weapon.

Just like they were in ancient times. After the novelty weared off, war elephants were not really that effective anymore, and were disabled easily. I have to say though, in that tutorial, those elephants were impossible to defeat. I just let them charge and maul the enemy, without having losses

Morale is actually really key in battles. You can be outnumbered but if you manage to get the enemy to break formation and run, you'll probably win. Conversely, if the enemy manages to get you to break formation and run, it can be very tough to turn your troops around to win. So in that sense, battles are very "realistic". In a lot of ways, battles come down to who will cut and run first.

Great, because that's what a battle comes down to: who runs first... Which is why disciplined armies always had an advantage

[Jamski]

Darn - I have to wait for a UK release

Better than waiting for a DE release though

Erm... make me HOT for this game! I want some Battle Reports and screenshots and stuff!

-Jam

[Kassiopeia]

Screenshots! http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/anttinor/images/rtw/

Alas, only from the demo. I'll get to play the game soon enough though, as in a few hours, and I'll flood you with info.

[Jamski]

I have to admit to a certain amount of drooling.

-Jam

[Stuie]

My wife just called to tell me she's on her way home to play RTW. Hahaha. At least I know my copy is waiting for me after work...

[Solver]

Hmm, sounds like I should download the demo. The game looks like it's worth the hassle of starting up Windows .

[Cookie Monster]

While there is no doubt that a woman who enjoys gaming is cool, a woman who enjoys strat games such as the total war series is truely superior!

[reds4ever]

a review

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/...ar/review.html

[General Ludd]

I should be geting it later this afternoon.


I'm looking forward to it.

[Kassiopeia]

Whoo! I've been playing the tutorial campaign, "Prologue". I crushed SPQR pretty quickly but now I'm having trouble with the damn Greeks. They took a city from me by sheer numbers (I did manage to stave it off to just a moderate defeat), but in one siege they had only a moderate advantage and I was able to drive their hoplites away with some light cavalry and the town militia (!). The enemy generals seem quite suicidal. I hope the Imperial Campaign will be more challenging (but not too challenging, of course).

[Arnelos]

Oh my god is this game is addicting! Help!

I have the worst case of "Just One More Turn" Syndrome I've had in years. I only got 2 hours of sleep last night (finally went to bed at 5:30 a.m. local time) before I had to get up for work this morning (yeah, I work on Saturdays... it's political campaign season). I completely lost track of time because of how engrossed I was in this game.

After I'd spent considerable time just getting up to speed (since I've never played a "Total War" game before), I came to absolutely love this game. I haven't been so addicted to a strategy game in years. This game actually implements a number of features reminiscent of those advertised for MoO3 (the senate, the governors/generals, etc.) that either never made it in or which were horribly implemented. It does all that while still being pretty easy to understand AND even the peripherals (especially the graphics) are great.

This is to say nothing of the battles, which are just unbelievably cool and could, quite literally, be their own game.

If this doesn't win Strategy Game of the Year, something is seriously wrong with people's heads.

[The diplomat]

I started an imperial campiagn as the Julius faction. I am playing on moderate with heavy advice. So far the game is just incredible. It's about 245 BC, and I have conquered all of Gaul plus some other regions that the Senate asked me to take.

Well, I thought I had wiped the Gauls out. I have taken all what is now modern France. I think I have taken every Gaul settlement. Yet, after a couple turns of quiet, a huge Gaul army led by a Gaul family member pops out of nowhere in the middle of Gaul and is now laying siege to a Gaul settlement that I have taken. The Gaul army is about 800. I have about 700 in the settlement with about 200 reinforcements on their way. I am predicting another epic battle coming soon...

[Kassiopeia]

I wonder though, you can have only so many unit cards in an army, how are you supposed to get really big battles with thousands of soldiers? Do the numbers represented by a card get bigger later on or something? Or will you have to use the reinforcements trick to bring in several different armies (does make sense)?

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Its almost unbearable waiting for this one to drop through the letterbox, a game Ive followed all through its development

Can some of you lucky lucky people put some screenies up please

[The diplomat]

Originally posted by Kassiopeia
I wonder though, you can have only so many unit cards in an army, how are you supposed to get really big battles with thousands of soldiers? Do the numbers represented by a card get bigger later on or something? Or will you have to use the reinforcements trick to bring in several different armies (does make sense)?

In a custom battle, you can probably set any number you want.

In a campaign game, you are right, you would need reinforcements to have the really big battles. With reinforcements, imagine having 3 armies all with the max number of unit cards. That'd probably give you want you want.

[Falconne]

Been playing it since yesterday... I've put any semblence of a life I've got on hold for the next couple of weeks.

I'm wondering, Apolyton has forums for Civ, MOO, GalCiv, SMAC and um... RON even... would have been cool if it had a Total War forum.

[laurentius]

I have too much work to play this game now

[General Ludd]

Great game.



I kinda wish you didn't have to complete the campaign as a roman faction to unlock the others, though.

[Kassiopeia]

I haven't run into some truly nifty screenshot moments yet, but here are a few screenies anyways.

http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/antt..._principes.jpg Principes, heavy infantry, marching out of the woods to charge at the Gauls waiting on the plains outside - the buggers wouldn't make the first move no matter how I tried to lure them with my light cavalry.

http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/antt..._tarquinii.jpg The rebel army has taken Tarquine and the Faction Leader himself has picked up his sword and ridden with the elite forces to crush it.

http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/antt...tering_ram.jpg

http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/antt...rban_chase.jpg Chasing the defending rebel soldiers down the streets to the central plaza, which you must occupy to take the city (or alternatively just crush all of the enemy soldiers).

http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/antt...tw/victory.jpg The soldiers cry out, stomp their feet and throw their arms up after victory. Nice touch.

I should have taken some screenies of Rome when I took it, but it wasn't too epic a battle, there were 40 Town Watchmen against my army numbering over 300. It helps immersion a lot when the cities each look a bit different; a city with a Pro-Consul's Palace built will have a Pro-Consul's palace in the cityscape when you defend or attack it; Rome had the Colosseum and the Imperial Palace in it.