The Org - Total War: Rome 2

The Org - Total War: Rome 2 http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/ Discussion forum for the upcoming game. en Mon, 20 May 2013 09:12:01 GMT vBulletin 15 http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/images/kagemusha/TW2S/misc/rss.png The Org - Total War: Rome 2 http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/ <![CDATA[We Still Don't Know...]]> http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144199-We-Still-Don-t-Know&goto=newpost Fri, 17 May 2013 16:53:50 GMT ...a whole heck of a lot. We ae approx 4.5 months away from release and we have no real concrete details/screens/vids showing: - The Campaign map - Naval battles - Diplomacy - Unit rosters - Agent characters ...a whole heck of a lot.

We ae approx 4.5 months away from release and we have no real concrete details/screens/vids showing:
- The Campaign map
- Naval battles
- Diplomacy
- Unit rosters
- Agent characters

It's just odd that we're so close and all this is still a mystery.

C'mon CA, come clean on this stuff, especially the first two items. ]]> Total War: Rome 2 Barkhorn1x http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144199-We-Still-Don-t-Know <![CDATA[Collector's Edition]]> http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144138-Collector-s-Edition&goto=newpost Sun, 12 May 2013 19:00:03 GMT So I was looking over the Collector's Edition, it looks really cool. BUT. $155+$25 S&H...

$180 for a computer game with immersive accessories? vs $60 for the reg game...

So I'm paying $120 for all of those accessories?

Don't get me wrong, they look COOL, but dude...$120 extra...
They should have ditched the Steel Case to bring it down, the weight alone is likely adding alot not just in materials costs but on the shipping side.

Who knows, maybe I win the lottery between here and Sep 3, but other than that I cannot see myself ponying up the extra cash. This forum is pretty hardcore in terms of TW Players, what are you guys thoughts?

I suspect it came out so expensive b/c they limited production to 22,000 copies, still, I don't view that as mass marketable. I like the toys, would consider it if it gets a nice sale. I doubt I will get that opportunity at launch, maybe a few years down the road after the next game is released. ]]> Total War: Rome 2 dracop http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144138-Collector-s-Edition Rome 2 now available on Steam for Pre-Order http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144122-Rome-2-now-available-on-Steam-for-Pre-Order&goto=newpost Fri, 10 May 2013 11:34:20 GMT http://store.steampowered.com/app/214950 I logged on Steam to have that delightfully pop up, then I saw the price tag and my jaw dropped. Looks like I am definitely not buying it on release. The normal edition is being listed as the same price as my Shogun 2 Collectors Edition with Samurai... http://store.steampowered.com/app/214950

I logged on Steam to have that delightfully pop up, then I saw the price tag and my jaw dropped.

Looks like I am definitely not buying it on release. The normal edition is being listed as the same price as my Shogun 2 Collectors Edition with Samurai Model. It is 50% more expensive than any other new release I have seen this year, such as Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed, and other triple A rated titles. It is also more expensive then the overpriced garbage series, such as Call of Duty.

Looks like they have taken a big risk on this pricing strategy. ]]> Total War: Rome 2 Tiaexz http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144122-Rome-2-now-available-on-Steam-for-Pre-Order Modding Forum http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144120-Modding-Forum&goto=newpost Fri, 10 May 2013 01:26:14 GMT Can we get a modding forum for RomeII as a place to start planning for the various mods that will be required. I expect that a RII:TR and so on must be on the cards? I look forward to the game, but I generally find TW games a lot more interesting once they have been modded. Can we get a modding forum for RomeII as a place to start planning for the various mods that will be required. I expect that a RII:TR and so on must be on the cards?

I look forward to the game, but I generally find TW games a lot more interesting once they have been modded. ]]> Total War: Rome 2 Southern Hunter http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144120-Modding-Forum 3 new factions! Epirus, Sparta, Athens (DLC) http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144092-3-new-factions%21-Epirus-Sparta-Athens-%28DLC%29&goto=newpost Wed, 08 May 2013 15:01:36 GMT Image: http://i.imgur.com/FiO4lnK.jpg Official trailer: http://www.shacknews.com/game/total-war-rome-ii/videos/15284/total-war-rome-ii-greek-states-culture-pack-trailer I think it is not a fake: - Fraction icons are made stylistically similar to 9 main factions, - Warriors faces are...

Official trailer:

http://www.shacknews.com/game/total-...e-pack-trailer

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

]]> Total War: Rome 2 King Louise Assurbanipal http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144092-3-new-factions%21-Epirus-Sparta-Athens-%28DLC%29 Combat Changes, Morale Changes, Unit Scales, and Greek Shields http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144049-Combat-Changes-Morale-Changes-Unit-Scales-and-Greek-Shields&goto=newpost Wed, 01 May 2013 13:39:57 GMT Source (http://www.reddit.com/r/totalwar/comments/1dh4z4/rome_2_update_via_jack_lusted_combat_changes/), via Jack Lusted First post for a while and I want to take this opportunity to talk about the changes we have made to the combat system and tweaks we have made to the morale system as well. ... Source, via Jack Lusted

First post for a while and I want to take this opportunity to talk about the changes we have made to the combat system and tweaks we have made to the morale system as well.

Combat changes

There have been big changes to the combat system for Rome II. I will talk about these changes in the context of some new stats: weapon damage and health.

Weapon damage is split into two parts, base damage and armour piercing damage (referred to as AP damage from here on out). AP damage is always applied but base damage can be blocked by armour. Melee weapons and projectiles have this damage split. Health is the amount of hit points a soldier in a unit has, and damage dealt reduces a soldiers hit points.

This system gives us a lot more flexibility in how we balance units. Whereas before an axe may have been set as armour piercing which would reduce target armour by half, the new system allows us to give axes lots of AP damage but little base damage so that most of their damage cannot be blocked by armour. Other weapons may have the other extreme, lots of base damage but low AP damage which would make them fantastic against units with low armour but weak against more heavily armoured opponents.

All weapons do some AP damage so you can always guarantee that no matter who is fighting who some damage will always be done, though this may be very little.

Health has been introduced as the system that damage affects, most units will have a similar amount of health (more for cavalry when mounted to show the hit points of horses) and armour will be a bigger factor in a unit’s survivability as that can block damage whereas health can only absorb so much.

Melee defence is still a factor and is matched against melee attack to determine if a unit will hit and then see if it does damage.

Shields in Rome II do not just provide a bonus to melee defence, they now can provide a bonus to both melee defence and armour when a soldier is attacked from the front or left. How much of a bonus is given to melee defence or armour is dependent on the shield a unit has in the database. So a hoplite shield will give a big bonus to armour but less to melee defence due to how it was held close to the body and could not be moved around lots, but a celtic shield will give a big bonus to melee defence showing how it was used much more actively.

Charge bonus now affects both melee attack and damage to reflect the changes made to the combat system.

All these changes allow for a lot more flexibility and more depth to be portrayed in the unit balancing and combat calculations. This system has more depth to it than any previous Total War games whilst keeping the rules simple so players can grasp what each stat means. All the complexity of the previous system has been retained with more added to it

A brief note here on ranged combat. With the way we display arcs to show the range of missile units, dynamic height based range bonuses are basically impossible to do as it is entirely dependent on who the unit is targeting. Instead we have implemented a damage bonus for ranged units firing down on enemies, and a damage reduction for ranged units firing up on enemies. This allows us to have an advantage for ranged units on high ground without massively complicated code for dynamic firing arcs with very few benefits.

The new combat rules also have one v many combat coded into them. The animations may look 1v1, but under the hood every available additional attacker is factored in and will result in a person surrounded by enemies dying a lot faster.

Morale Changes

There have been less code changes to the morale system, the big one being a smoothing mechanism to soften some of the big jumps between different morale values that can be caused by balancing. This, when combined with units being in the wavering state for longer will allow players more time to react to units in trouble and to try and boost their morale.

The morale values themselves have had a lot of changes, for example the morale penalty from being under missile fire is much greater in Rome II to emphasise the harassment nature of missile units and allow those ranged units to be less focused on just killing opponents and so offer a wider array of tactical uses. The morale effects for lost casualties and flanking have also ben tweaked to help make the cause and effect of player actions more clear in the battlefield and put more emphasis on good movement and positioning.

Unit Stat Scales

As some people noticed in the Teutoberg trailer, the stats for units are a lot bigger now. This is because we are using a wider range of stats for units in Rome II. For example in Shogun 2 morale may have gone from 4 to 15 for most units (excluding heroes). In Rome II it can go from 10 to 75.

This greater range allows us much more granularity in the bonuses we give from experience and in the campaign and also a greater range to differentiate units over.

Additionally, I should point out that the Teutoberg video certainly showed barbarian units breaking earlier and Roman units surviving longer than they will do in the final game. We tweaked this for the video so that the guy demoing it could actually get through the battle to the end without dying horribly halfway through. It can be hilarious when that happens for the fifth time in a row, but maybe not so much when we are trying to record a video to show you….

Greek shields:

I hope you have enjoyed todays update,

Jack ]]> Total War: Rome 2 Lemur http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144049-Combat-Changes-Morale-Changes-Unit-Scales-and-Greek-Shields Rome 2 Map http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144045-Rome-2-Map&goto=newpost Wed, 01 May 2013 02:30:50 GMT This is a coposite map of Rome 2: Total War

]]> Total War: Rome 2 alexmak http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144045-Rome-2-Map Faction 9: Pontus http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144025-Faction-9-Pontus&goto=newpost Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:34:47 GMT

Pontus

“Ambition, Independence, Profit”

A mountainous region bordering the Black Sea, Pontus contains many fertile river valleys and ports upon which its largely agricultural and trade economy is based. This geography and location also dictate a military focus on infantry and warships. However, a mixture of Greek and Persian influences ensures the forces of Pontus are both advanced and reliable. Their bronze-shield pikemen represent a formidable military backbone, and their swift, deadly scythed chariots are rightly feared.

Its prized commodities, and the opportunism of its well-informed rulers, have enabled Pontus to remain one of the strongest Hellenistic states in existence. With connections throughout the ancient world, largely due to control of Black Sea trade and exports of timber, precious metals and valuable steel, Pontic agents are perfectly placed to gather information on their enemies abroad.

Originally of Persian origin and part of the former satrapy of Cappadocia, Pontus became a client state under Antigonus in 333 BC, after Alexander swept Darius' empire away. Essentially, Pontus is now a collection of Greek colonies, ruled by a re-emergent Persian dynasty. In 302 BC, under Mithridates Ktistes (‘The Founder’), it split from the Macedonian empire during the turmoil of the Wars of the Successors. Having successfully repulsed an invasion by Ptolemy of Egypt, Pontus is now poised to expand across Asia Minor, on into mainland Greece and beyond.

A progressive kingdom, Pontus enjoys healthy diplomatic dialogue with Greek states and successor kingdoms, and is noted for its resolution in battle, particularly against barbarian forces. However, the forsaking of its Persian origins means that eastern cultural influences within its provinces yield diminished public order benefits.

Pontus will be available day one through a free content update to the core Total War: ROME II game.

]]> Total War: Rome 2 Lemur http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144025-Faction-9-Pontus How hard is modding just AI? http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144011-How-hard-is-modding-just-AI&goto=newpost Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:42:49 GMT RTW2 has been getting me in the mood for TW and the engine looks amazing on the new Teutoborg walkthru. However, the game has gotten downright stupid in terms of AI (battlefield, strategy map, and diplomacy) over the last few games. How hard is it to mod AI for these things in the previous... RTW2 has been getting me in the mood for TW and the engine looks amazing on the new Teutoborg walkthru. However, the game has gotten downright stupid in terms of AI (battlefield, strategy map, and diplomacy) over the last few games.

How hard is it to mod AI for these things in the previous games? I long ago figured out that if I simply scripted faction specific AI sequences I could create a mathematically driven AI that is FAR better than the garbage AI CA likes to put out.

Basically, I program the computer to weigh opportunities to take things important to a faction (setup a faction wishlist), create a running score in terms of desire to do something (+s) and costs/risks to do it (-s) to drive AI action. Funny thing, I can program it in Excel formulas using tables/arrays of commands based on state of the world, faction desires, etc. I just don't know what CA uses for AI (assuming there is more than 10 lines of behavioral scripting other than "Attack Player without regard").

I've also never understood the lack of a basic Battle AI - on defense, plant spears up front, have archers on skirmish in thin line up front, let them fall back behind spears. Swords in mid reserve, cavalry on flanks. Such a basic position yet the AI doesn't quite get the concept, choosing worthless formations that break morale and lose 3-4x casualties. ]]> Total War: Rome 2 dracop http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144011-How-hard-is-modding-just-AI Teutoburg Forest walkthrough http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144006-Teutoburg-Forest-walkthrough&goto=newpost Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:23:23 GMT http://uk.gamespot.com/total-war-rome-ii/videos/total-war-rome-ii-battle-of-teutoburg-forest-walkthrough-6407363/?tag=Topslot%3BTotalWarRomeIi%3BTotalWarRomeIiBatt Gamespot released a video of the historical battle of Teutoburg Forest, around 10 minutes long. Thoughts? http://uk.gamespot.com/total-war-rom...lWarRomeIiBatt

Gamespot released a video of the historical battle of Teutoburg Forest, around 10 minutes long.

Thoughts? ]]> Total War: Rome 2 edyzmedieval http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?144006-Teutoburg-Forest-walkthrough