Animation

[wodin]

Are the soldiers animated in anyway?

Do they fire the bows or wield their swords?

Is their a death animation? (Trusty bit of gore. Severed arm/decapitation)!

Do they walk/ride?

This cosmetic would enhance the game for myself.

[Deride]

ORIGINAL: wodin

Are the soldiers animated in anyway?

Do they fire the bows or wield their swords?

Is their a death animation? (Trusty bit of gore. Severed arm/decapitation)!

Do they walk/ride?

This cosmetic would enhance the game for myself.

Wodin,

There are animations in the game as appropriate. For example, arrows and stones fly. Units are "pushed" as they move. Death tolls animate above the units as well as killed commanders or loss of morale.

The units themselves do not animate as we want the game to be a simulation of playing with miniatures -- the real life things don't animate and neither do our units. Equally, the terrain remains static -- i.e., flowing water or swaying trees is just not realistic.

Deride

[wodin]

No problem. I can understand this. As arrows fly surely you can have them move their swords??:)

I still want the game.

How about sound?

Im sure the close combat battles those days were very noisey. Shouts/screams etc etc.

[Hertston]

I think you are missing the point a little, as Deride hints. TS is supposed to reproduce the "feel" of a tabletop miniatures game. Alexander actually does that very well.

IMHO (only that) sword waggling would look completely out of place, and in the context of the game just naff, frankly. Miniatures don't do that... except during the occasional 48 hour drunken gaming session anyway ! I take the point about arrows, but you need something to indicate missile fire.

Alex is OK with battle and movement type sounds, so I'm sure Caesar will be.

Have you tried the Alexander demo? If not I strongly suggest you do, even if you are only interested in buying Caesar. You'll get a good feel for what the series is about.. no to mention seeing that criticism of the graphics are without foundation. The screenies never do TS:A justice.

[wodin]

Arrows and flying stnes arent often seen on the tabletop either.

However I get the point. I understand its trying to emulate a tabletop game. Thats what I like about it.

I have no interest in Alex.

However I do have in the system. I will buy Ceaser.

[Ola Berli]

Gents,

a little strange for me[&:] It looks like the interest for Roman warfare is
much bigger than warfare during Alexander the Great.

Could an Armchair General try to tell me why?[;)]

Regards
Ola Berli

[Hertston]

ORIGINAL: Ola Berli

Gents,

a little strange for me[&:] It looks like the interest for Roman warfare is
much bigger than warfare during Alexander the Great.

Could an Armchair General try to tell me why?[;)]

I have no idea. Personally, its the opposite... Alexander offers four great armies to play (and fight) in the Macedonians, Greek Hoplite, Persian and Indian, which in the short timespan it covers is about as much variety as you can get.

In miniatures gaming, oddly, Roman armies don't tend to be particularly popular... party because painting all those legionaries gets a little tedious, but mostly because compared with many others (including Macedonians) they lack tactical variety unless you stray (when rules permit) rather a long way from realistic army compositions. Macedonians (and Indians, if not Persians) are simply more fun to play. None of which has much to do with TS, of course.

I think Caesar will be the better game but only because the game system has evolved and improved, not because the subject matter is inherently more interesting. If I had to make a guess it would be that, even though Alexander is far from obscure, the Roman period is the better known, perhaps particularly since Rome: Total War was released.

I find it a little frustrating. Alex is just such a fun game, and whether there is an interest in the period or not I think those wargamers who havn't played it have really missed out. Its the fun factor that, despite the hugely different setting, reminds me of Civil War Generals 2 and Age of Rifles - both huge favourites for many here. If I had to pick one potential wargame above all others that I would like to play it would be a "Tin Soldiers: The Civil War". Whether that's a possibility or not I don't know, but I hope Caesar sells well enough that further titles in other eras are on the agenda. I'd settle for Napoleon, honest.. [:D]

[wodin]

It will be down to popular culture. Nothing about how wargames play.

Growing up watching all those old Roman epics. Also fighting the celtic hordes in northern europe brings it closer to home.

[anarchyintheuk]

ORIGINAL: Ola Berli

Gents,

a little strange for me[&:] It looks like the interest for Roman warfare is
much bigger than warfare during Alexander the Great.

Could an Armchair General try to tell me why?[;)]

Regards
Ola Berli

It's for people like me who rooted for the Empire to win in Star Wars. [;)]