Rome: Total War Demo

[Cantacuzene]

Its out and I played through it. One word: amazing. If you played and liked the previous games in the series you'll be in heaven. Everything is taken up a notch and polished. I cannot wait for this game to be released.

::goes back to play the demo again::

[cheapie]

when's constantinople:total war coming out?

[Cantacuzene]

MEdieval: Total War came out 2 years ago.

[Blitz]

I want shogun total war to come out with a new version, that kicked ass

[revil]

I want got|apex?: total war

[ialsohaveadream]

If there's a G|A total war, can I be ShawnLee? I'll have God on my side. :heh:

[Blitz]

Maybe Ill start refreshing on my programming again and try to made a G|A mod if I have time, ha

[slaus]

I wouldnt mind total war based in ancient china

[slaus]

I cant wait for the game to come out after playing the demo and looking through the game info.

[Blitz]

Was fun, but I dont know if Id buy it.

[slaus]

Anyone else preorder it? I'm trying to find a good place to order because ebgames is charging a lot for shipping right now

[eSDee]

cool

[ialsohaveadream]

Slaus, use the code "SAVER" to get free shipping from EB. And if you're buying used, use AFF15 for 15% off. They can be used together.

[slaus]

I might just pick it up from the store because EB wants to be annoying like that.

[slaus]

Remember to pick up your copy on Wednesday

[Cantacuzene]

I'll be getting mine wednesday after work.

[Blitz]

Anyone get it? How is it

[slaus]

The game is amazing but difficult even on medium difficulty. In Shogun and Medieval Total war, I could always outmanuever the computer on the global level. I'm having trouble keeping my empire/faction in control of the lands I've already taken. I have Thracians going crazy in the east, Britons expanding through modern day Germany, and if I subdue them somehow I might have a civil war against the other 2 Roman Factions.

[Cantacuzene]

Got it teh day it came out. I havent gotten a chance to really sink my teeth into it until just now. Well 5 hours of constant game play later I can tell you its amazing. This game is in a whole league by itself. Nothing equals it in the genre. Its so far ahead of anything else. Simply amazing.

[slaus]

You have to love the senate portion of hte game. While they want to advance Rome's causes they also want to embarass you. I just beat the game on the easiest level but I was hoping to conquer the world but I took Rome too early during the civil war. The Senate requested that my faction leader commit suicide and I disobeyd which prompted the other two factions to declare war.

[slaus]

Playing as the Greeks is challenging because the Romans constantly invade and since the hoplites dont seem to be as good as hastati units. But I was able to draw a major Brutii army into a mountain pass which I sealed both ends with major units. The Romans started in the valley in the pass and were forced to charge towards my end since my other army advanced from the Northern Pass. Charging into Hoplites wasnt a good idea for the Romans because the combined effect of Hoplite Spears and Archers behind them completely annihilated the romans. My two armies combined suffered 55 dead while killing 1768 soldiers. This game rules!

[Blitz]

post some pictures!

I think I might get this game later today or tomorrow.

hows multiplayer?

[slaus]

I never play multiplayer because its only the battlefield and not the campaign map. I guess they figure people wont sit down for that many hours to play. I used to play civ3 online for 12 hours a time but long strategic games have limited online fan bases.

[Cantacuzene]

I beat the single player last night campaign as the Scipii last night. Wow this game is good. I'm going to play as the Greeks next.

However, I got Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War so I'm going to play through that then go back and play Rome again.

This really is the first time in months where I've had more good games than I have time to play them.

[mcs328]

I've only played Shogun Total War and the old DOS Ancient Art Of War.

[Blitz]

I never play multiplayer because its only the battlefield and not the campaign map. I guess they figure people wont sit down for that many hours to play. I used to play civ3 online for 12 hours a time but long strategic games have limited online fan bases.




dam....12 hour game?

[Grafalgar]

I've only played Shogun Total War and the old DOS Ancient Art Of War.

Man I loved Ancient Art of War. I remember playing that on a monochrome yellow on black monitor. --Way-- too much fun

[ski]

I played an hour of R:TW and found it to be mediocre on the fun factor. I was impressed with the battle scenes, though.

[Cantacuzene]

I played an hour of R:TW and found it to be mediocre on the fun factor. I was impressed with the battle scenes, though.

Obviously not a fan of the previous games in the series.

[Sesshomaru]

Does anyone else find that cavalry is cheesy? As Scipii, I breezed through on medium difficulty. As the Carthaginians on hard difficulty, it's me against the Greeks, Romans, Gauls, Egytians, and I'm killing them all. All because half of my army is always cavalry.

They should limit how many cavalry units you can have, because in real life I think it's would be impossible to sustain a large amount of cavalry.

That said, they made the hardest difficulty level a doozy. I charged this unit from BEHIND with two CATARACT units (15 charge bonus), and killed a whopping 1 unit on the initial charge.

[slaus]

Some cultures were really reliant on calvary such as the Scythians who almost always used calvary first.

[Cantacuzene]

Cavalry are meant to be strong. Read Polybius or Livy. They make it pretty clear that the general who has the most cavalry and doesn't waste them stupidly almost always wins. But that said, there are ways to defeat a cavalry army, especially if you are the greeks.

[Sesshomaru]

Cavalry are meant to be strong. Read Polybius or Livy. They make it pretty clear that the general who has the most cavalry and doesn't waste them stupidly almost always wins. But that said, there are ways to defeat a cavalry army, especially if you are the greeks.

How would you do it? The Greeks by far were the easiest for me to defeat. Their Spartan hoplites were too slow, and even if I didn't have infantry to tie them up b4 I charged them from behind, I could still outmanuveur and flank them. This is why I can't stand to play the Greeks.

The Roman infantry is reputed to be the strength of that army (in real life), but in the game, cavalry is the way to go.

Also, I obliterated the scythii, but couldn't play them. Has anyone been able too?

PS I find it hard to believe that the Urban Cohort is the most powerful Roman infantry. They were formed to protect cities, and I just don't think they could stand up the the legionaries. Can any history majors shed any light?

[Cantacuzene]

I have a degree in history, and classics are one of my foci, so here goes...

Urban cohorts were never really considered "elite" troops in Roman times. In fact, they were the crappiest. When Spartacus revolted, the urban cohorts were the first troops sent against him, and he crushed them with ease. The best troops in Roman infantry history were the northern italian legions of the 1st century b.c. to 1st century a.d. After that the gallic legions were reputed to be the best.

The strength of rome was its infantry... when fighting other infantry. This was because their tactics (i.e. short stabbing sword + large tower shield+ pilum) was great at defeating not only the greek phalanxes but also the long sword armed celts. Those were Rome's neighbors so rome could easily conquer them with plain old infantry.

Rome had more trouble when fighting cavalry based opponents. Carthage gave them fits, until they got good cavalry of their own. Parthia/Persia gave them trouble always due to their horse archers and cataphractoi. The goths were heavy cavalry and the hunnic/steppe light cavalry always beat the roman legion.

The battle of Adrianople in 387a.d shows what happens when a roman army has too much infantry and not enough cavalry and tries to fight a horse based people: they get crushed.

Bottom line: you have to bring an army tailored to beat your opponent's strategy. Against the greeks/gauls/germans/spanish an infantry army will be fine to crush them. Against the persians/poeni/scyths you had better bring lots of foot archers and heavy cavalry.

As far as the game is concerned, the greeks can form an infantry square with foot archers in the middle which no cavarly based army can beat. Heavy cavalry will die on the pikes and missle cavarly will be outshot by the archers inthe middle. Its the ultimate for defensive battles. For offensive battles replace half of the archers in the middle with heavy cavalry and march the square right at the enemy and when the time is right let the heavy cavalry burst forth.

[cheapie]

ha! i always thought canta's vast knowledge of this subject matter would eventually be of some use. :heh:

[Cantacuzene]

It does puzzle me why they made urban cohorts so good. Really, the unit in the game called "Town Watch" was really what urban cohorts were.

[slaus]

I have no trouble winning with the greeks against the romans. It gets repetitive setting up the perfect phalanx and watching them decimate legion after legion.

[Blitz]

Ok ok, Im breaking down and buying this game either now right before class, or tomorrow morning. Friend had a lan with a few computers, it was mad :)

[Cantacuzene]

ha! i always thought canta's vast knowledge of this subject matter would eventually be of some use. :heh:

Not even scratching the surface.

[cheapie]

hahaha....why do i totally believe you?

[Cantacuzene]

All the results of my commitment to never reading fiction novel again. If you're going to read a novel, read a history book instead. The stories are just as good, plus you are more educated when you finish.

OR

Just read the Da Vinci Code, assume you then know everything about medieval and ancient history and spout off about it endlessly. Like everyone else in this country.

[Blitz]

How do you beat War Elephants?

I usually end up getting a victory, but have most of my men trampled beforehand. Dam this game is so addicting, and I was still playing Shogun: Total War up to this point :rolleyes:

Also another question...I take it you can play another faction once you defeat that faction? Im almost done defeating Carthage, so I would be able to select them when I restart? Or would I have to finish the entire campaign first.

[Sesshomaru]

How do you beat War Elephants?

I usually end up getting a victory, but have most of my men trampled beforehand. Dam this game is so addicting, and I was still playing Shogun: Total War up to this point :rolleyes:

Also another question...I take it you can play another faction once you defeat that faction? Im almost done defeating Carthage, so I would be able to select them when I restart? Or would I have to finish the entire campaign first.

For elephants, incendiary pigs if you're Roman, good spear/phalanx units if you're anybody else, but don't let them flank you.

I was able to play the Carthaginians, Gauls, and Greeks before becoming emperor of Rome. After becoming emperor, a lot of the others became available like the Britons, Germans, Egytians, Seleucians, and Parthians. I was disappointed in not being able to play the Scythians.

[Cantacuzene]

You can unlock the the others lke Scythians and Armenians by editting the text files that power the game. You just change them to "major" factions and switch one of the playable factions to "minor" factions to take their place. But like Sess said, when you beat the imperial campaign it unlocks all the major factions, if you want to play the minor ones too, you gotta edit the files.

The Armenians have the best units in the game btw, but some of the worst terroritory. Their combination of Legions, Cataphract cavalry, and cataphract horse archers are unbeatable.

Blitz, velites/light auxilia will beat elephants if you are roman, assuming the rest of your army can keep the elephants support from smashing your velites.

[Sesshomaru]

You can unlock the the others lke Scythians and Armenians by editting the text files that power the game. You just change them to "major" factions and switch one of the playable factions to "minor" factions to take their place. But like Sess said, when you beat the imperial campaign it unlocks all the major factions, if you want to play the minor ones too, you gotta edit the files.

The Armenians have the best units in the game btw, but some of the worst terroritory. Their combination of Legions, Cataphract cavalry, and cataphract horse archers are unbeatable.

Good stuff, Canta. I find I want to play factions that are weak strategically (not weak militarily) and take them to victory. I just broke Rome with the Carthiginians on Hard Difficulty, and it just isn't fun anymore.

I just wish the AI was more intelligent. They have no backup plan, because once you break their main force, their done.

[Blitz]

You can unlock the the others lke Scythians and Armenians by editting the text files that power the game. You just change them to "major" factions and switch one of the playable factions to "minor" factions to take their place. But like Sess said, when you beat the imperial campaign it unlocks all the major factions, if you want to play the minor ones too, you gotta edit the files.

The Armenians have the best units in the game btw, but some of the worst terroritory. Their combination of Legions, Cataphract cavalry, and cataphract horse archers are unbeatable.

Blitz, velites/light auxilia will beat elephants if you are roman, assuming the rest of your army can keep the elephants support from smashing your velites.

which files under which folder?

[Cantacuzene]

Honestly, I don't know for sure. Poke around the TotalWar.org forums and do a search. Should tell ya fairly easily. Please let me know when you do.

[Sesshomaru]

Honestly, I don't know for sure. Poke around the TotalWar.org forums and do a search. Should tell ya fairly easily. Please let me know when you do.

It's in the Imperial Campaign folder, which is buried somewhere in the World folder. The file is something like desc_strat.txt.

[slaus]

Theres a ton of mods at twcenter.net

[Grafalgar]

Between working way too much & not sleeping and whatnot I finally beat the Julii campaign fair & square :) Was a huge p.i.t.a, especially since I had to suicide about 20 of my faction leaders before I was ready to take on the rest of Rome.

I've been able to (finally) effectively use my Assassins and Diplomats to swing the war in my favor :) Basically what happened is I laid siege to about three towns in one turn, exterminated the populations of all three towns in the next turn (gaining something like 60,000 denarii), then quickly bribing enemy armies with heaps of cash and in that same turn attack nearby cities, thereby securing more cash the next turn and so on. I fought very few battles myself and just plowed through my enemies ... it was awesome :D

I love this game, I'mma play as the Carthagians next :D Must .. have .. elephants! :D

[le_stick]

Hi people,

I just down loaded the demo last night and going thru the tutorial. I'm not sure because it the demo or what, but as soon as the battle start the AI will take over and I cannot control troops movement anymore. Could some of you who playing the full version shred some light to me about this. Thanks

[Sesshomaru]

Hi people,

I just down loaded the demo last night and going thru the tutorial. I'm not sure because it the demo or what, but as soon as the battle start the AI will take over and I cannot control troops movement anymore. Could some of you who playing the full version shred some light to me about this. Thanks

In the game, you have total control over the main attack force, unless you designate them to the AI, either in game or (I may be wrong) in pregame config. For your reinforcements, if that group has a leader, AI controls, if not, then you control. Word of caution, if your main battle group is full, your reinforcements won't be able to join the attach unless they have a leader, or you lose a unit during battle, in which case the 1 reinforcement unit will replace that unit.

[le_stick]

That's what I want to hear. Thanks