mur'phon Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Looking at the demo factions I have a bad feeling that we might end up with two uber factions of no freaking weaknesses (a la how the Romans and English was in earlier games). Oh well, will make the (allready monstrous) challenge of the ottomans and ruskies that much sweeter:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted February 21, 2009 Author Share Posted February 21, 2009 Looking at the demo factions I have a bad feeling that we might end up with two uber factions of no freaking weaknesses (a la how the Romans and English was in earlier games). Oh well' date=' will make the (allready monstrous) challenge of the ottomans and ruskies that much sweeter:D[/quote'] The English do get it pretty easy in the Naval demo - The French, while having one more vessel than them, don't have a ship above Third Rate, while the English have a First and Second Rate in addition to their own Third Rates. I look forward to seeing the full game, so that we can find out how each faction is balanced (I know that Poland gets the best cavalry because CA decided to make Winged Hussars super awesome ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 Only three days left until we can unleash our Revolutionary (or Imperialistic) fervour upon the civilised world. There's been some promising reviews, with it receiving 94% from PC Gamer (US and UK), and a 95/100 from IGN (review here). So far, review averages are shaping Empire up to be the best Total War title yet (average so far - 91.55). But, the best review by far is from NOWGamer's Martin Korda, who has heralded Empire as 'The Greatest Strategy Game of all time' (review here). Kieran Bridgen (Creative Assembly Staff) has been writing an account of his Grand Campaign exploits playing as the Prussian Empire. Some excerpts: The end of the winter season brings terrible, tragic news. My king is dead. The United Provinces, immediately lay claim to my throne. "A war of succesion" they cry. I am at war. A full scale revolution begins. Armies of the people smash into the gates of Brandenburg palace, throwing the iron backward and forward as a desperate royal guard fire on them from inside the palace. With whom will I side? The city of Paris has fallen to the Dutch and the world will never be the same. The United Provinces have expanded so far into western europe that they now threaten Portugal. The French fought a bitter battle for their survival but were no match for the United Provinces. Glancing at the map of Europe I see it painted orange. Everywhere west of Saxony and Hannover is Dutch save for a small piece of Spain and Portugal. It's not clear how much of it actually occurs in the game, and how much is embellished, but it's certainly an interesting read. You can find the whole thing here, and more updates are in progress. AK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I'm actually surprised France didn't surrender. >.> <.< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 I'm actually surprised France didn't surrender. >.> <.< It is surprising. A lot of people are getting upset about countries being destroyed/taken over - but, at it's core, that's what Total War is about - conquering the world. Ok, so countries didn't rise and fall during this era, but a game where all the major powers can't be finally defeated would be pretty boring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctrl Alt Del Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Ok, so countries didn't rise and fall during this era, but a game where all the major powers can't be finally defeated would be pretty boring. Exactly. One of my major complaints on the series is the fact that some events always happen, at the same time, at the same place (someone remembers the plagues that affected the Macedonians every time you started a game on Rome?). More random stuff wouldn't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litofsky Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 A most interesting story, definitely. I can almost taste the devastating military and political alliances. I have a strange need to order a bayonet charge, now. Thanks for the update, Astor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 A most interesting story, definitely. I can almost taste the devastating military and political alliances. I have a strange need to order a bayonet charge, now. Thanks for the update, Astor! I'm particularly looking forward to crushing any revolution under the boots of my grenadiers - I'm going to try it as an Absolute Monarchy at first, and see how long it takes before my ministers are plotting to get rid of me! And i've got a way of preventing the 13 Colonies from rising against me - exempt them from taxes! That way I protect my Tea and get more land! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litofsky Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Apologies to you, Astor, but, upon rechecking the site that you had posted in the previous update, I found that the story had been updated, and was filled with most excellent details of the game. Just a few that I found worthy: With a roar the fifth line charge the houses door' date=' their new screw bayonettes allowing them to use their guns as spears without the need to fix blades beforehand. They push through the doorway and begin the bloody trial of stabbing and cutting their way to the upper floors.[/quote'] A great example of what new research can bring. Who doesn't like a nice bayonet charge every now and again? With nothing to deflect or protect them from cannon fire the massive 12lb balls slam into the stone house' date=' tearing off its chimney stack and partially demolishing a wall. I pull the forces from the building, the last one making it out as the beams give and the whole structure collapses in smoke and flame.[/quote'] Although previously stated, just more information on the destroyable/usable terrain. I have a weapon they do not suppose of' date=' a recent advance in artillery and manufacturing technology that I think will see their ruin. I set up mortar teams on the small hills close to the fort but beyond its range. The mortars I have adapted will outrange their units by a large margin.[/quote'] Just another example of the importance of technology, and what research makes the difference. A high pitched scream announces a huge barrage of shells sailing into the sky. With a deafening roar they slam into the walls. A creak. A groan. Then an almighty crash as the northern wall comes down. My personal favorite of the selected excerpts: mortar shells bring a massive fort to its doom, and sealing the fate of the defenders. At any rate, we've but one more day to wait before the destruction carnage game is released! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Apologies to you, Astor, but, upon rechecking the site that you had posted in the previous update, I found that the story had been updated, and was filled with most excellent details of the game. Just a few that I found worthy: The whole story is written brilliantly, and his fightto take Amsterdam seemed liked it was a very hard fought (and won) battle! At any rate, we've but one more day to wait before the destruction carnage game is released! Indeed! And then it's our turn to achieve the same, if not greater glory! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctrl Alt Del Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Ah, I can't wait to get back home and see if my download has finished already. Damned be Steam, for failing one me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingerhs Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 well, i just picked the game up and completed the installation. jeez, even with a disc, the game easily took almost 30mins to install on my system. it was about 10min to get Steam working (why they chose to use Steam on a disc installation i'll never understand), and another 20min for the actual installation. that was ridiculous, even for a game with this much data (about 1.5GB). i'm not off to a very good start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ztalker Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 The city of Paris has fallen to the Dutch and the world will never be the same. The United Provinces have expanded so far into western europe that they now threaten Portugal. The French fought a bitter battle for their survival but were no match for the United Provinces. Glancing at the map of Europe I see it painted orange. Everywhere west of Saxony and Hannover is Dutch save for a small piece of Spain and Portugal. Game is mine. the mighty Dutch shall prevail!!! Fetch me my sword, Jan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 well, i just picked the game up and completed the installation. jeez, even with a disc, the game easily took almost 30mins to install on my system. it was about 10min to get Steam working (why they chose to use Steam on a disc installation i'll never understand), and another 20min for the actual installation. that was ridiculous, even for a game with this much data (about 1.5GB). i'm not off to a very good start. It took me three goes to install from my disc last night (courtesy of my Pre-Order). When it works, however, it's brilliant. I'm 22 years into a British campaign - I'm sweeping through Upper Canada, dominating the Ivory Coast through trade, and my armies are the most advanced in the world - just ask Sweden . I can't understand why they want Stockholm back... I'm surprised, but it seems to be living up to the hype at the moment - it's everything I'd expected, and everything I could want from a Strategy game. Of course, a little more realism would be nice, but it's pretty good as is. I think i'll conquer Portugal next, and see if Spain will let me buy Gibraltar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingerhs Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 installation issues aside, i've been playing this game for a while now. its just as fun and addictive as the Total War games of old and perhaps a bit more. the changes made to the game just make sense with the farms and forts and so on. it makes it so that an invading army can incite a lot more havoc this time around since you can bypass the actual city and focus on destroying infrastructure like the farms and even ports. of course, the AI isn't going to just let you get away with it as they'll try to intercept your army, but if they can't field an army big enough to challenge yours, then you can literally choke the life out them which you never really could do in the old TW games. the sea battles are as much amazing as they are breathtaking to look at. the ships ride some of the most realistic looking water ever seen in a video game outside of Crysis, and said ships actually move with the waves which can make battles in stormy weather even more challenging in addition to the added epic feel. the ability to directly control the ships is useful as well, and it really adds a nice touch when you only have one ship in your fleet. performance wise, this game runs very well on my system. with no AA or AF @ 1900x1080, Default High settings, the game seems to run at a steady 45-60 FPS during battle sequences which is the most demanding graphically. i've adjusted the settings, though, by reducing the shadow effects to Medium and then maxed everything else. the FPS then dropped to about 35-45 which is more than acceptable for a strategy game. my only complaint so far: the AI pathfinding in the realtime battles sucks. you'll give an order for an army to move to a certain spot, and its almost a given that they'll try to take the scenic route. you can, however, use this to your advantage in the battles since your troops can easily pick apart an approaching unit that's crossing perpendicular to your units in order to attack one of your flanking units on the other side of your line. so far, so good, though. most of the changes are welcome ones, and i'm currently enjoying my chance to mop the floor with the Ottomans as France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rake Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I have a quick question for those that have the game? I recently bought it, and in my first battle, my artillery moved a bit, and then just stopped. I could not get them to move again; however, I read online that there is an "unpack" button, yet I wasn't able to find this anywhere. Just saw, fire at will, round shots, group formation, nothing else. So, is there a reason my cannons just stopped; how can I get them to move again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 I have a quick question for those that have the game? I recently bought it, and in my first battle, my artillery moved a bit, and then just stopped. I could not get them to move again; however, I read online that there is an "unpack" button, yet I wasn't able to find this anywhere. Just saw, fire at will, round shots, group formation, nothing else. So, is there a reason my cannons just stopped; how can I get them to move again? Is this early in the game? If so, the only artillery options (usually demi-cannon and sakers) are fixed batteries (they won't move after deployment). I'm not sure, but I think you need to build a more advanced cannon workshop in order to gain access to limbered artillery. Has anyone else been playing around with the Government types? I'm enjoying the fun of switching ministers around in an absolute monarchy - and elections are just as thrilling - Britain's had the same Parliament (with the ocassional Royal dismissal) for the past 23 years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litofsky Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Just ordered my copy last night, and it should be here by mid-next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingerhs Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Has anyone else been playing around with the Government types? I'm enjoying the fun of switching ministers around in an absolute monarchy - and elections are just as thrilling - Britain's had the same Parliament (with the ocassional Royal dismissal) for the past 23 years!it makes me wish they had a similar system in place for RTW. could you imagine what you could accomplish if you were able to keep Senators in power that supported your family (and thus not get stuck with them hating you after you built an empire of about 20+ territories)?? heck, it might then be possible to establish the empire without an Emperor for once!! still, i'm really starting to enjoy ETW. there's so much to do, and quite honestly, i'm glad they didn't load up the manual with everything the game has. they would've had to give you extra packaging so they could include the novel manual!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 it makes me wish they had a similar system in place for RTW. could you imagine what you could accomplish if you were able to keep Senators in power that supported your family (and thus not get stuck with them hating you after you built an empire of about 20+ territories)?? heck, it might then be possible to establish the empire without an Emperor for once!! Who knows... they might go the way of Medieval and make a 'Rome II' after this... still, i'm really starting to enjoy ETW. there's so much to do, and quite honestly, i'm glad they didn't load up the manual with everything the game has. they would've had to give you extra packaging so they could include the novel manual!! The amount of stuff to do is overwhelming at first - I was afraid to do anything in case I messed things up! It's not like previous TW titles where if you're played one, you can pretty much play the others - it really has refreshed the series. The only thing that gets me is that the manual warns against promoting Generals from the ranks - but that seems to be the only way to do it. There's a new patch out next week, which will address some of the problems people have been having (such as the game not working properly with last weeks Nvidia drivers) - and apparently appease the Spanish fans who are rather upset about being lumped with a generic yellow for their uniforms (when Spanish uniforms of the period, and up to the Peninsular were White with red facings). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingerhs Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 well, there is one thing that i'm a bit disappointed with. they're still using generic cities that are only based around the in-game terrain. i was rather disappointed when the Spanish decided to invade Paris only to discover that Paris was a rather small collection of a couple of farms, houses, and a small church. there was no Notre Dame Cathedral or even a single river running through it. i guess that means that if i invade Rome, it'll look about the same with no 7 hills or remains of the Coliseum. and news of a patch is a good thing. there is a couple of odd bugs around. one of the worst is when i tried to attack a Pirate fleet that was sitting on a trading post in Madagascar. instead of our ships going into battle, our fleets are now occupying the exact same spot on the map for no apparent reason. now i've lost a small flotilla of about 1 ship of the line, 4 frigates, and a couple of brigs and sloops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral_Thrawn Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Well I for one am impressed. The stunning graphics combined with the mouse clicking gameplay really came together, allowing an amazing game. I decided to play as Prussia and quickly made my allegiance's with neighbouring factions. Within four turn's I invaded western Prussia, crushing the Polish occupation there. My military tech focus allowed for a fast push, giving me oppurtunities and options that I would not otherwise be allowed. Austria has thankfully focused on France, with Russia destroying the Ottoman Empire. Poland's protectorates have grown weak, crippled by my disciplined legion's. Even now armies of Hussar's, Grenadier's and Line Infantry push into the heart of Poland, breaking their economy down the center. I was really impressed by the dynamic gameplay. The siege of Berlin was especially gripping, as Poland attempted one final strike. As Death's Head Hussar's clashed with Winged Hussar's I truly wondered if I could win this one. In the end I prevailed, albeit barely, by the timely arrival of my flanking cavalry. CA has really done it this time, creating the ultimate strategy combined with the era of the age's! Even now my armies turn east, intent on securing trade in the Black Sea. But the Ottoman's aren't finished yet . . . new legion's await upon the horizon, Organ Guns eagerly awaiting to shred the ranks of Prussia. The Jannisaries of the Ottoman's against the Guard's of Prussia. I can barely wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingerhs Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 nice oh, and if anyone is interested in a multiplayer match, my Steam username is "stingerhs". i'd love to go toe-to-toe with a human opponent in a battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rake Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Playing as Prussia, I'm stuck in a two front war against Austria and Poland. My 2 main armies on each side are slowly weakening as well . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral_Thrawn Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 So I've put the Prussian campaign on hold, opting for the British. I quickly deployed entire legion's of just Line Infantry, coupled with some Cannons. After a while I had secured all of North-Western Europe, with Sweden, Denmark, Holland and Hannover under my iron grip. In one match I was paticulary challenged, against the Legions of France. I had lined up my Infantry, forming a huge line. Each unit was three line's deep, not too weak, not too strong. With line firing recently developed I was able to unleash wave after wave upon their legions. Unfortunately the Cuirasser's ruined my day, but it was a great challenge none-the-less. Canada is mostly secured, with New France being the last resistance. The Carribean is contested by myself and Spain, vying for power in a naval conflict. I have, however, secured the Ivory Coast and Brazil, bringing in huge funds for my war machine. The loss to France has weakened me considerably, forcing me to abandon my long-time ally Prussia, to the waves of Austria. I don't plan to leave for long however, as HMS Victory sail's even now towards the Capital of France . . . Paris. I can't wait to siege the great city itself. Well Astor, thanks alot. I didn't even know this game existed until I read your thread! If Rome was amazing, then I don't really know how to place Empire on the scale. 9/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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