Empire Total War

[sol_invictus]

Well my installation and activation completed flawlessly and quickly; thank God.[&o] Played for five hours last night with only one crash. Game seems very stable and runs surprisingly well on my mediocre system on High Settings. Easily the best TW game since Shogun. Even better I would say. I would definitely recommend that after activation, Players run the game with Steam in Offline mode so that you can disconnect from the internet and turn off your Firewall, Anti-Virus, and any other internet security programs running in the background.

[Chad Harrison]

Hey Speedy,
 
Just looked at your screenshot. It is trying to download all your HL2 stuff at the same time also?

[Arctic Blast]

ORIGINAL: Chad Harrison

Hey Speedy,

Just looked at your screenshot. It is trying to download all your HL2 stuff at the same time also?

Hey, you're right. Good catch, I totally missed that. Might wanna look in to that, Speedy.

[Grell]

ORIGINAL: Grell

Has anybody in Canada got this game yet?

Regards,

Grell

Just wanted to let my fellow Canadians know, I got the game from EB Games in Burlington on Brant street.

Regards,

Grell

[Prince of Eckmühl]

Okay, I've purchased the game as well. The "Best Buy" version comes with two DVD and a license key. In spite of all the data capacity on the DVD, I still was required to download additional data from STEAM before I can play it. When I go to initialize the game, STEAM rears its head again. I don't like this, not one bit. Its a bunch of malarkey. My advice? Save your money.

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

[Terminus]

My advice is the exact opposite: calm down and let the steam from Steam wash over you, until you get to what is actually quite a good little game. Not bad at all.

[vonRocko]

ORIGINAL: Prince of Eckmühl

Okay, I've purchased the game as well. The "Best Buy" version comes with two DVD and a license key. In spite of all the data capacity on the DVD, I still was required to download additional data from STEAM before I can play it. When I go to initialize the game, STEAM rears its head again. I don't like this, not one bit. Its a bunch of malarkey. My advice? Save your money.

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

I also bought from best buy. I wish I had read these posts before I did. I had the same experience you did. It does mention steam on the box,but you need a magnifying glass to see it!
This is total BS. What an invasion of my system! I swear I will never again buy a game that FORCES something like steam down your throat. Even if it runs problem free, the whole principle of it is offensive!
I now have a legally purchased game, but steam controls where and when I can play. Call me paranoid, but who knows what other information steam is getting from me!
If this is the future of computer games, I will stick to boardgames.

Please Matrix,don't ever go this route![:-]

[Terminus]

I'm not a big fan of this whole beef-up-the-copy-protection-schemes schtick that all the big publishers are on, but if you "didn't know this", then you've only got yourself to blame. It's been clearly said that ETW needed Steam activation many, many months ago.

If you want to stop buying computer games, that's your prerogative, but that won't stop stuff like Steam activation and Games for Windows Live.

[JudgeDredd]

ORIGINAL: vonRocko

ORIGINAL: Prince of Eckmühl

Okay, I've purchased the game as well. The "Best Buy" version comes with two DVD and a license key. In spite of all the data capacity on the DVD, I still was required to download additional data from STEAM before I can play it. When I go to initialize the game, STEAM rears its head again. I don't like this, not one bit. Its a bunch of malarkey. My advice? Save your money.

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

I also bought from best buy. I wish I had read these posts before I did. I had the same experience you did. It does mention steam on the box,but you need a magnifying glass to see it!
This is total BS. What an invasion of my system! I swear I will never again buy a game that FORCES something like steam down your throat. Even if it runs problem free, the whole principle of it is offensive!
I now have a legally purchased game, but steam controls where and when I can play. Call me paranoid, but who knows what other information steam is getting from me!
If this is the future of computer games, I will stick to boardgames.

Please Matrix,don't ever go this route![:-]

Without intentionally trying to take this off topic, you do understand that privacy is no more? I mean there are hundreds of institutions who have a profile of you...worst offender is credit card. Everytime you use that to buy something, where you bought it, when you bought it, how much you spent - it's all stored. Supermarkets? They know what you buy!

I think I'll be picking this up tomorrow for my birthday...if T says it's good enough, that's fine for me! I have steam anyways, I just didn't want the download version!

[Terminus]

Don't give me that much credit, Judge. I'm nobody special.

However, I do like it (for now; I suspect it doesn't have much longevity). I played a couple of test games as Britain to get my hand in, and have now begun my first "real" game, this time as Prussia. Not so many overseas territories to mess with; I can get to those later.

Currently beating up Poland-Lithuania, and have just taken their minor ally, Saxony.

[JudgeDredd]

Well, I have some vouchers to spend at Game (my wifes parents always get me game vouchers!), and I know there aint much else in there. I could hold onto them, but there's nothing on the horizon (that will be in Game stores) that looks like interesting me.
 
tbh T, if someone who likes WitP can like this then it's got to be worth a punt.

[Crimguy]

I think the Steam rants are a bit overblown. I installed Steam when HL2 came out. Here I am 2 years later and had the urge to fire it up. New computer - no problem. I was able to log in and download the game and was playing in short order.

I do have a fat pipe and can download at 2MB/sec. I can imagine being infuriated if I had a dial-up or 128k dsl.

[Phatguy]

ORIGINAL: Crimguy

I think the Steam rants are a bit overblown. I installed Steam when HL2 came out. Here I am 2 years later and had the urge to fire it up. New computer - no problem. I was able to log in and download the game and was playing in short order.

I do have a fat pipe and can download at 2MB/sec. I can imagine being infuriated if I had a dial-up or 128k dsl.

Well, Some like you never had a problem...Some have..It's the luck of the draw

[mack2]

It installed fine for me today. Took about 10 minutes to install it from the disks no problems, and then add the 2 special forces packs.

[JudgeDredd]

Just wanted to add I installed it and activated it fine (retail version). Ran it, went into a quick seige battle it it bombed to desktop, no error nothing. I thought "oh no"
 
I fired it up again and it's been running for varying lengths ever since without a single crash to desktop.
 
It looks amazing with everything on high and I see no slow downs at all which is amazing given the graphics and the number of units.
 
Currently I am playing the Road to Independence scenario which, I hear, is more of a tutorial scenario in so much as it's showing you the game piecemeal
 
The first part of the RtI scenario you get a few units, little to do in the way of building, lots of income and take a village from the Indians, next step take a couple of villages and fight the French. Next "chapter", build a fleet and take a far off town...that kind of thing. So it's easing you in...and with good reason. I've heard plenty of people starting the Grand Campaign and thinking "OMG...what do I do".
 
As for the AI? In the RtI scenario, it isn't too clever...but I think people are saying you are meant to win these scenarios so you can learn the game. I have heard the tactical AI is a mixed bag in the Grand Campaign and it's not too bad strategically.
 
It is gorgeous though.

[doomtrader]

It took me three hours to install my special units retail version.
The good thing is that I can play in english even if I bough polish version
Also I can play without DVD inserted.
 
The bad thing is that I can only play with the lowest details and comparing it to everything maximized in Medieval II, Empire looks worse.
I've got ATI X1950Pro (with February 2009 drivers) and Core Duo 6300, so my PC is not most modern but is also not a piece of junk.
 
My overall opinion is generally positive and I think that after few things will be patched, the game will be very good and with some mods it will be great. Good work CA

[Joram]

I haven't had any issues with Steam really but the game itself is a bit of a nightmare.  Besides looking gorgeous, it is extraordinairily buggy.  And I don't just mean typos.  Here's a quick list that affected me in my first weekend of play.
 
A) AI constantly rushes out of the fort to attack you when you besiege it
B) Line of sight issues in such the AI will think it has a line of site to fire at you but it doesn't.  I have seen the AI demolish it's own fort with cannon because of this.
C) Lots of pathing issues in combat including units split up and being spread out over the map.  When you try to attack it your units can't always figure out where to go.
D)&nbsp;Passive strategic AI.&nbsp; <- This may vary by level but it's extremely passive on 'normal'.&nbsp; On Hard I've seen some improvement but not much.
E) Trade zone bugs where your fleet either doesn't get the benefit from trade or actually can get stuck.
F) And the most recent one to annoy me is spending half a day on the 4th RTI scenario only for not one but both saves I had made get corrupted for it thus crashing the whole game.
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I won't even get into the balance issues because that's more subjective but I'm seriously disappointed with the state of the game on release.&nbsp; There are a lot of things I want to like and think this game can be good soon but if you are on the fence, I suggest waiting a few more weeks or you'll just get frustrated with it.

[JudgeDredd]

...but I'm seriously disappointed with the state of the game on release

I don't know why, m8...it's the norm.

Some of the stuff you've pointed out I haven't noticed yet, but I will say...
1) Yep...AI does rush out. Amazing really. You'd think they would be happy to sit behind the walls and bombard...there's enough canons there and that means the pressure would be on the player to get into the fort. What a bizarre programming path. Why oh why would you want to leave the safety of the fort if you could bombard the troops with your canon?

2) I have seen issues where the AI hides some units...but they always seem to be too little and do something too late. Last night I found them with my Cav and moved my Cav away and moved my troops forward...the enemy basically sat there whilst I shelled them with Arty, then moved forward and attacked but I feel they should've moved sooner.

I am playing RtI which is meant to be (apparently) a tutorial and so not very challenging. nor have I ramped the AI up...but I suspect ramping the AI up may give it more units and resources...not necessarily make it smarter.

I will definitely post here if I find out otherwise.

Sieges are the worst though. Just move your troops in a kind of "Zulu" fashion around the main gate and wait for them to come out!

I have seen some positives though. I mean keeping some units back it does, although it doesn't determine when is best to do this, so it's not always a smart move. Also hiding units...but again, too little and they don't appear to do much of anything and when they do, it's too late.

I think I'll stop commenting now [:D] until I get to ramp it up and try it on harder, but I don't want to do that until after this "tutorial".

[undercovergeek]

what are you playing it on JD? spec wise i mean

[Joram]

Agreed, and I'm embarrassed I helped perpetuate that norm, lol.
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I actually like the AI trying to trick you into rushing into it's hidden units.&nbsp; One of the few instances where I was mildly impressed with the AI but once you figure out the pattern, there's no challenge.&nbsp;&nbsp; I got surprised exactly once, sorta since my advance was cautious anyway.
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Yeah, it feels like there are two primary tools they used to help increase the difficulty.&nbsp; The tactical battles in general are much faster than before.&nbsp; Too fast in my opinion.&nbsp; You have no time to think really especially if the AI goes on the attack.&nbsp; On the strategic side the AI seems to get a ton of bonus resources.&nbsp; I'm not terribly concerned about that up to a point.&nbsp; But since tactical battles are more closely balanced (which would be good except its to the point of battles almost being dull) the resources making the vast quantity of troops available on the strategic side are a bit over the top.
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