$20 for Special Forces? No way.

[Sheogorath]

So, the 'Elite Units' addition is up on Steam, going for twenty dollars. That's ON TOP of plain ol' ETW.

Seriously? These guys expect us to pay $20 for far, FAR, less than we could get for free from the mod community? Makes me consider employing some hairpins.

From the description on Steam, six units is all you get. Nothing more or less, and only one of those units (the Ottoman Organ Gun, which appears to be some sort of flintlock gatling gun), is actually original and not something that could be achieved with a reskin.

True, it's only ten bucks more if purchased together with ETW, but even then it's rather expensive. Bethesda's model (2-4 bucks for FAR more content) beats this with a sack of oranges.

Caeser says 'nay'

EDIT:
This is especially galling consider that, since this is on Steam, we wont get the fancy map promised in the retail version, nor any other collectors edition goodies.

[Sir Beane]

Boo! Hiss!

I don't see how they expect the online version to sell at that price. The map is the draw for me, and I think it is for many others as well.

6 units? 6 UNITS? Surely they jest? That isn't even one unit per playable faction.

If they aren't going to put a bit more effort in I don't really see the point of this Special Forces addition.

And I hate to say it but, guys? Your fancy new units are going to be up for download within days, possibly hours, of your game going gold. You can't get the map for for free but it will definitely be possible to download the bonus units. (Please don't though, or at least feel bad about it if you do. It is illegal after all)

[Sol Invictus]

CA can keep their fancy gee whiz units. I never buy Special Edition games.

[PBI]

That's an insane amount to charge for a few extra units.

How exactly will it add anything more to the game than if I just use the new ability to rename units to name one of my most experienced first-rates "HMS Victory"?

[ULC]

Or, if modding is as easy as they say it is, take a first-rate template and create a special "HMS Victory" unit? With precisely the same stats? Unreal...

[Monk]

And I hate to say it but, guys? Your fancy new units are going to be up for download within days, possibly hours, of your game going gold. You can't get the map for for free but it will definitely be possible to download the bonus units. (Please don't though, or at least feel bad about it if you do. It is illegal after all)

A very real possibility, but such things are not encouraged here in any way and are heavily frowned upon by CA.

I have to admit personally that I expected more than just six units. Maybe one for each faction would have made the DLC a bit more justifiable in many fans' eyes. That way you would get the benefit of the special edition no matter who you like to play.

[Sir Beane]

A very real possibility, but such things are not encouraged here in any way and are heavily frowned upon by CA.

I have to admit personally that I expected more than just six units. Maybe one for each faction would have made the DLC a bit more justifiable in many fans' eyes. That way you would get the benefit of the special edition no matter who you like to play.

I certainly would not encourage people to download the units. But I thiink that the possibility is a very real one that surely CA are aware of and have planned for.

Not being a victim of piracy means offering good content at a fair price, not inadequate content that is overpriced.

[Monk]

I certainly would not encourage people to download the units. But I thiink that the possibility is a very real one that surely CA are aware of and have planned for.

Not being a victim of piracy means offering good content at a fair price, not inadequate content that is overpriced.

Unless the units are god units, in that case I could maybe understand the very few unit count. But I would admit to being in the same boat as everyone else in that I expected much more than six for $20. I'm also surprised that you need the steam version of ETW to get them to work... I don't remember that leading up to their reveal at all.

Empire: Total War - Elite Units requires the Steam version of Empire: Total War to play. This content is available on Steam for a limited time. Pre-purchase your Elite Units today!

[Sir Beane]

Unless the units are god units, in that case I could maybe understand the very few unit count. But I would admit to being in the same boat as everyone else in that I expected much more than six for $20. I'm also surprised that you need the steam version of ETW to get them to work... I don't remember that leading up to their reveal at all.

You need the Steam version to make them work? That is unbelievable.

I wonder how interesting they can really make the new units? Even with new models, voices, stats etc. they will still look very similar to all of the other units in the game. It really is nothing that modders couldn't add in if they wanted to. In this case I really think that quantity and quality are going to have to go hand in hand to make this worthwhile.

I think overall there are nine special units if you count the ones that are being offered as store exclusives. Even that number isn't really high enough to make me consider $20.

If we think about it mathematically $20 is about one third of a game (at UK prices anyway). So if they want to charge 1/3 of a games price then there had better be at least a large fraction of a game as content.

This is like horse armor all over again :(

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

This is especially galling consider that, since this is on Steam, we wont get the fancy map promised in the retail version, nor any other collectors edition goodies.

This sums up my thoughts. CA, either you or your publishers have a lot of nerve.

[Hosakawa Tito]

This is especially galling consider that, since this is on Steam, we wont get the fancy map promised in the retail version, nor any other collectors edition goodies.

Yes. I want a hard copy not a downloaded version minus the map.Looks like it's vanilla ETW for me.

[Sheogorath]

I think overall there are nine special units if you count the ones that are being offered as store exclusives. Even that number isn't really high enough to make me consider $20.

This is like horse armor all over again :(

The Steam page only lists six. Nine units would make me a bit more understanding...personally, I'd think it was an alright deal (even if the units were fairly generic) if it had 20 units. $1 per unit wouldn't be too bad.

However, I dont think even Horse Armor was this bad a deal. Even if it was useless, at least it was only, what, $2?

[Sir Beane]

The Steam page only lists six. Nine units would make me a bit more understanding...personally, I'd think it was an alright deal (even if the units were fairly generic) if it had 20 units. $1 per unit wouldn't be too bad.

However, I dont think even Horse Armor was this bad a deal. Even if it was useless, at least it was only, what, $2?

Yeah I think it was about that. I agree that 20 units would be nice. 2 units per faction would definitely be acceptable at that price.

Do you think if we make enough fuss someone from CA will drop by and explain the reasoning behind the madness? It would be nice to hear a reason, even if its something along the lines of 'practical joke, we were all drunk, It's because we hate you all, Satan made us do it' etc.

[Sheogorath]

Hopefully.

Jaaaack? Where aaaaaaaaaaare you?

[Azlahn]

One of my worst fears is that these units will have godlike powers, even though they will not be available in multiplayer. 2 out of 6 of them apparently belong to Britain, which would give this already overpowered (don't tell me I don't know CA) faction a severe advantage. At least they will probably be unique so you can't build several "HMS Victories."

[Sir Beane]

One of my worst fears is that these units will have godlike powers, even though they will not be available in multiplayer. 2 out of 6 of them apparently belong to Britain, which would give this already overpowered (don't tell me I don't know CA) faction a severe advantage. At least they will probably be unique so you can't build several "HMS Victories."

Since they only appear in single player you could always just not build them if you are worried about balance. The A.I might use them, but come on, it needs all the help it can get.

Of course at the price they are asking there is no danger my game is going to be unbalanced because of them.

For those who are wondering what all this talk of special units is about. Here they are in all their glory. All six of them (plus the store exclusives earned by pre-ordering with a certain store)

HMS Victory:

The Royal Navy’s most distinguished and formidable first rate ship of the line; Lord Nelson’s 104 gun flagship is one of the most heavily armed ships of the 18th Century.

Rogers’ Rangers:

Major Robert Rogers’ company of rangers are highly trained elite light infantry, specialising in reconnaissance and special operations. They are extremely mobile in even the most challenging environments.

Ottoman Organ Gun:

A viciously powerful field gun, able to inflict incredible damage on the opposing army. Emphatic proof of the Ottoman Empire’s advanced knowledge of gunpowder and firearms technology.

Ghoorkas:

"Better to die than be a coward" has been the motto of these elite Nepalese soldiers for centuries. Disciplined, tough and courageous, they carry a deadly 18-inch long, curved knife known as the kukri.

Corso Terrestre Guerillas:

An independent light infantry guerrilla regiment, experienced in skirmish and stealth tactics. Surprise raids and ambushes are the guerillas’ favoured tactics, a way to compensate for their limited number and light armour.

Bulkeley's Regiment:

A French unit of Irish mercenaries with a fearsome reputation for hardiness. Exceptionally tough and resilient, they make for a highly flexible and dependable regiment.

The Dahomey Amazons: (Amazon.com Exclusive Unit):

An elite female-only military regiment from West Africa. Disciplined both in rifle drills and close combat, they are rightly feared for their incredible courage and their practice of decapitating their captives.

U.S.S Constitution (Play.com Exclusive Unit)

The pride of the US navy. Heavily armed super-frigate.

Death's Head Hussars (Game.com Exclusive Unit

Fancy Prussian cavalry with awesome sounding name, they look pretty good to. (This is the only pre-order unit I actually like)

[Fisherking]

I don’t think you are going to get the CA guys to touch this one!

It is a bit more than I paid for a preordered hard copy.

CA has licensed Steam to handle the game, and hard copy or soft we have to go through Steam to unlock the units. There are also signature units coming from various retailers as you already know.

While Steam is licensed to distribute the game, I doubt CA or Sega tells them exactly what to charge. Some of the hard copies are deeply discounted and others are not so the retailers set their own pricing. My guess is Steam does too and they are charging what they think people will pay.

All I can say is don’t get it from Steam if you want the SF Edition. Get it some place else for a bit less, but with Steam I think you are supposed to get the game up to 3 days early…I guess that is ok if you don’t want a hard copy.

I do wonder if we can now play with out the DVD in the machine since we have to go through Steam anyway?

Also, It is possible that the units could be added to over the life of the game or on a promotional basis. I hope there is a way to share the codes with friends too.

[Polemists]

All I can say is don’t get it from Steam if you want the SF Edition. Get it some place else for a bit less, but with Steam I think you are supposed to get the game up to 3 days early…I guess that is ok if you don’t want a hard copy.

Firstly it's hard to be "What a great advantage I get the game a month late and 3 days earlier." I mean after a month delay it will be hard to convince yourself your getting the game early come March 20 something.

I'd like to see this game playable without a cd, I mean every other developer is doing it, why not CA/Sega.

The units will most likely be tossed around, since they arn't on mutliplayer I don't see any method or check CA has to block the eventual possibility that people will hand this stuff out outside of the game. There will probably be a activation code, but those things never last.

I'd say most people are better off just buying it from one of the websites/stores and getting one exclusive unit, and not dealing with the steam hassles.

[Fondor_Yards]

What he means by 3 days early is that 3 days before you can pre-download it, so that on the day it's out all you need is a 5-10 minute unlocking and bam your playing at 12:10.

[Husar]

Eh, that you need the Steam version means that you cannot buy a normal ETW in a store and then get the elite unit pack from Steam. If I'm not mistaken all addon packs on Steam work that way.

It's "only" 10 EUR here, alone or together with ETW, since ETW is quite not so cheap at 50 EUR already, I am not very eager to spend 60 just to get those 6 units, although they do look pretty nice.

[Fisherking]

It's "only" 10 EUR here, alone or together with ETW, since ETW is quite not so cheap at 50 EUR already, I am not very eager to spend 60 just to get those 6 units, although they do look pretty nice.

If the German version is that much I suggest you order it from the UK! Mine was under €40 for the SF edition.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

If one of those special units would've been dancing elephant unit I would've considered buying it!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

- Dancing elephants. Enemy will laugh themselves death and you get easiest victories in the game!!

[Husar]

If the German version is that much I suggest you order it from the UK! Mine was under €40 for the SF edition.

Ah, yes, funny I didn't think of that now, after all I bought almost all my PS3 games from the UK.
Guess I'm just used to buying Steam games from Steam but since the price here is that inflated I guess I will indeed buy it from the UK. That way I also avoid any kind of censorship.

[Azlahn]

Since they only appear in single player you could always just not build them if you are worried about balance. The A.I might use them, but come on, it needs all the help it can get.

Good point :)

Personally I will be buying the game the game off Amazon as I appreciate any step to include some African history in the game (and yes, the Dahomey Amazons were actually real).

The Death's Head Hussars sound cool, but I can't seem to find any screen shots of them.

[Fisherking]

The Dahomey Amazons: (Amazon.com Exclusive Unit):

An elite female-only military regiment from West Africa. Disciplined both in rifle drills and close combat, they are rightly feared for their incredible courage and their practice of decapitating their captives.

U.S.S Constitution (Play.com Exclusive Unit)

The pride of the US navy. Heavily armed super-frigate.

Death's Head Hussars (Game.com Exclusive Unit

Fancy Prussian cavalry with awesome sounding name, they look pretty good to. (This is the only pre-order unit I actually like)

So we know of at least three units that come with specific retailers’ editions. I wonder what others are out there?

It would be nice if there was one place that listed all the various units and which retailers have them, wouldn’t you think?

I am sure that other retailers have the clout to rate their own units! We know the UK retailers, are there any listed from other countries?

Who are the top distributors in some of the other lands?
Top French?
Top Dutch?
Top Spanish?
Top US/Canadian?
You get the idea?

Maybe you want to get a Russian copy for the cool Cossacks or something. Does anyone know some one at CA that might be willing to provide such a list for us?

[Sir Beane]

So we know of at least three units that come with specific retailers’ editions. I wonder what others are out there?

It would be nice if there was one place that listed all the various units and which retailers have them, wouldn’t you think?

I am sure that other retailers have the clout to rate their own units! We know the UK retailers, are there any listed from other countries?

Who are the top distributors in some of the other lands?
Top French?
Top Dutch?
Top Spanish?
Top US/Canadian?
You get the idea?

Maybe you want to get a Russian copy for the cool Cossacks or something. Does anyone know some one at CA that might be willing to provide such a list for us?

As far as I have been able to find out from trawling the internet those are the only three retailers which are offering an exclusive unit. I'm not sure if any other retailer has a deal with CA/thinks it's worth bothering.

Since CA is English it makes sense they have deals with English speaking retailers.

We can always hope other units might turn up later though.

[Sheogorath]

IMO, dividing up the special edition units in that way will only encourage people to download them, or very close variations of them made by modders, rather than get the specific versions. Since it's impossible to get all of them legitimately without 1) Buying all of the various editions (which would cost about $200) and 2) Modding the game to let you use all the various units somehow from all the installations.


As to Cossacks, I do hope they'd be a standard unit for Russia. And hopefully not just a standard 'Cossacks' unit. There's way too much variation among the different tribes to leave them as just plain ol' Cossacks.

[Thermal]

Not only is it a rip off, i think not getting all 9 units are insulting, unless i buy 3 games from 3 different sites i dont get all 9 units? oh right so the price goes to what....$120 now i think they should have a unique unit for every faction, the map as many assume we will get anyway, i also think there should be an added feature i.e: historical campaigns (like there were in shogun) or something like that which the original wouldnt get, or a free modding tool (unlikely i know) or just something...



Yours sincerely ~ Jack Lusted

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

The Dahomey Amazaons are extra insulting. I might use them in game if I was paid $20 to do so...

[Tomisama]

Cha, ya-know this just “doesn’t” make any sense

It’s not Total War standard operating procedure.

Judging by the economic disaster that the whole world is in, with people loosing their jobs as a short term means to keep companies afloat (this has just happened where I work). This may be an effort to help the developers weather the storm ahead (past the third quarter). Sales are down everywhere, and plans made on survivable bottom lines may not be sufficient now.

They probably can’t realistically ask for an increase in price at this point, so came up with an emergency advanced partial expansion release. Now this “does” make sense to me.

Thinking that I may just buy it anyway, even though I am not interested in it at all (strict multiplayer), as a show of support for the folks who have brought us years of fun.

It’s not that much, but could mean a lot to them if we just went along for the ride.