Empire Total War

[Tactics]

If anyone is interested they have a min-mod that is ruff and unpolished - It allows you to play any faction. Fun to mess around with until a real mod comes out, and there seems to be some good ones in the oven. The initial release is prety crappy, both from an AI perspective and number of playable nations, but lots of Matrix games are crappy too.

The difference is that Total War has a strong and capable core of modders as opposed to the many abandoned forum sections for Matrix games.

Here is the link to that TW Center

[Terminus]

Erm, there's more than a few Matrix games with a strong and capable core of modders. Let's not get carried away here...[:-]

[Crimguy]

What are you talking about? AE does not exist. Ask anyone.

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Erm, there's more than a few Matrix games with a strong and capable core of modders. Let's not get carried away here...[:-]

[Tactics]

Yeah,  go back to work on the vaporware. [:D]

[pasternakski]

ORIGINAL: Tactics
but lots of Matrix games are crappy too.

"Now, son," says Pappy to Eustis, "Far be it from me to be critical of your choice of a bride, but don't ye think Junie Sue there lacks a little somethin' in the purtyness department?"

"Yes, Pappy, I own that Junie be a mite ugly."

"And them big ole buck teeth, boy, what's yer thinkin' about that?"

"Well, Pappy, I figure as how a man always grows tired of his life mate, I mean judgin' from the likes of you and Maw and all ..."

"Don't be insinuatin' on the dearly departed, now, boy ..."

"No, Pappy, I's just sayin' that, even then, Junie'd still be good fer openin' my bottle of Schlitz, so I'd as soon keep 'er around even without the gruntin' game and sech."

"Now, dogged if'n I didn't raise a boy with at least a peck sack o' sense about him! But ye can't have 'er, boy."

"Why not, Pappy?"

"Cause I'm a-keepin' 'er for my own, that's why. You'll just have to go get yer own church key, son."

"Yes, Pappy. Would WitP-AE be a good 'un, do ye think?"

"Dunno if she's got 'nuff overbite yet, boy."

[Terminus]

And may I venture to add a small "Yee-Haw"?[:D]

[mack2]

Default difficulty seems a bit easy.

Started a Grand Campaign as Sweden (after doing the first 3 RTI campaigns, as I didn't realise to start a new one as the US you had to do it manually), default difficulty, after playing for a few days, I own Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Poland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Gibraltar, Morocco, Austria*, Serbia, Croatia, all those little ex-USSR states in Eastern Europe, Florida, Texas, Mexico, Cuba, Panama, all of South America, Leeward (Pirate) Islands, and would have knocked over all the Cherokee nations in a few turns, plus going across North Africa with some of the armies I sent to Morocco.

Basically I owned all of Southern and Central Europe, the Balkans, Scandinavia, South America, parts of North Africa, Latin America, the Lower United States and the Caribbean.

I didn't bother with England because Naval stuff causes crashes for me, and didn't attack Russia because I didn't want to end the campaign.

Was making 40,000 a turn (by this stage I was at the end of the tech tree) even with my 70,000 Army Upkeep, had 3x fleets full of 2nd rates, if I wanted could produce a fleet of super 1st rates, had over 15 full stack armies across Europe and America, full of Line Infantry, 24 Pound Artillery, Puckle Guns and Heavy Cavalary, and the ability to raise a new army every 2 turns in Poland, France, Sweden, Denmark and Mexico.

*They were allied with me, was quite nice of them to let 6 of my armies setup camp outside everyone of their regions and destroy their nation in one go).

I'll probably wait for a few patches to play another GC, with the difficulty up a notch.

[killroyishere]

but lots of Matrix games are crappy too.

Lots? Name me ten?

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: killroyishere

but lots of Matrix games are crappy too.

Lots? Name me ten?

It was a trolling style post, I've let it go since he hasn't followed up. No point in turning the discussion into this though, let it go and keep on topic.

Regards,

- Erik

[Titanwarrior89]

I bought both!   Empire:Totalwar and Crown of Glory EE.  Both are great games.  Crown is more historical.  If I could only buy one, I would buy Crown of Glory EE.
 
 
I have to admit I like the way they did the Naval battles in Empire.
 

[Crimguy]

If the battles in CoG are in the same vain as their civil war title, I'll probably pass. I found Forge of Freedom's battles to be incredibly plodding.

[JamesM]

So is this game worth getting?

[Joram]

Depends...

[Zakhal]

ORIGINAL: Titanwarrior89

I have to admit I like the way they did the Naval battles in Empire.

The AI puts up a good fight in naval battles (or then i just suck). However I dont think its possible to loose a ground battle though.

Once Im finished with Empire Ill start up the new crown of glory. I hope I have received the manual by then. Excellent bathroom reading.

[Crimguy]

Price drop to $39.95 at Best Buy. Didn't get it yet . . . Football Manager 09 is taking ahold of me. Might get Crystal Palace promoted despite the organization being wrecked by takeover talks and no transfer budget! No mean feat.

BTW, I had Rome Total War and Shogun Total War, but don't remember there being too much in the way of patches from the devs. Are we sure ETW will be patched?

[Jevhaddah]

Rome Total War is at version 1.5 or 1.6 atm, I know they patched it before and after the expansions came out along with the Alexander Dl only scenario.

Shogun has a 1.12 patch.

As for Empires.. I dont like the online activation system sooo I am going to wait a bit to see how it pans out.. and the price drops.

Just bought CoG:EE soo no time to play anyway [:)]



Cheers

Jev

[Tactics]

If you lust for it, get it, but it's bug ridden and as noted above - Way too easy right now.  Here is some wonky clipping. Which wouldnt be too terrible, but it was during a boarding fight....except both parties just stared at each other for abuot 10 min....while clipping and not fighting.

In land battles I've had AI stand with their backs to my forces and not move, even while I shoot them down. AI cannons (theirs and mine) regularly shoot their own citybuildings and fort walls. Routed units also have the tendency to just move to the maps edge and wait to be slaughtered rather than actually exit.  Too much to name really. Hopefully a patch this week.



I'd follow up more, but until we see that patch for CCMT to remove the 1 + year old skid while prone bug...lets just let it go and stay on topic.

[Terminus]

As far as I know, Empire has had two patches already. I'm not sure where you get other impressions from, but my game has been updated at least twice.

[Tactics]

One was a real patch, the second was a patch to fix what steam broke. Some game clients got updated with a different language, like French updated with English - The second patch fixed it. So you actually only got 1 patch. It's all very documented. Visit the CA forums or TW Center.

Do my impressions vary from yours? You find the AI to be challenging, money to not rain from the sky, no memory leaks, every countries 'line infantry' has the same stats (as in English Infantry not better than France) you don't notice that stuff? Seriously? You're working on AE, right? [&:]

[NefariousKoel]

Well, no need for me to say "I told you so" on the Steam fugliness.