Guess I'm not getting this game...

[tempName]

ca knows that most of us are going to get the game no matter what they do. hopefully they put an honest effort into so its not a lunchbag let down.

[Powermonger]

@Powermonger - personally, I'd be happy with a nicely done 2D map. And I agree with you that the giant armies towering over the other landscape features looked pretty weird.

As for the zoomable 3d map - no, it's overkill. That's what we got in Civ4 and the system overhead was scary. (Although now that it occurs to me, the RTW map was already zoomable, wasn't it? Oh well...)

The "county" concept has occurred to me as well. It might have some advantages. But I think there are probably heaps of ways to achieve the same desired result.

I agree that it might be overkill but as a compromise between those wanting to move back to more of map and those who demand 3D, I think it suits both parties well. I also think it allows for greater expansion and inclusion of features in future versions.

The MTW map was superior though, not so much cosmetically (although that's debatable I guess when it comes to RTW) but just functionality. As IceTorque said, it was simple, fast and direct and suited a wargame perfectly. You actually felt like you had accomplished something as a ruler when you saw your colour spread across the map.

Perhaps CA will surprise us with the MTW2 map and deliver something that is agreeable to all.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I really want to get from France to Palestine in under 4 years. They did it all the time in real life. MTW - dozens of years. Rome - half dozen, maybe? Never needed to do that.

[Rosacrux redux]

Going back to the Risk style would be a huge step back and would destroy the franchise. I am quite sure they won't touch this prospect even with a stick.

[kataphraktoi]

"Because, the RTW map just gets too busy. Every turn you need to scan your entire empire for unrest, rebels, agents and wandering enemy armies. With too many small time wasting battles and sieges. Combined with the need to micro-manage and manually move every piece on the board is too much tedium and not enough fun for me. So after I have conquered 30 or so provinces I get tired of it all and stop playing. "

Now you know hard it is to rule an empire

Some people want realistic games without the realistic drudgery of the small things :P

You conquer an empire in a day do you? (unless of course in games :P) hehe

[Pontifex Rex]

I've been gaming (table top and computer) since about 1974 and I just love the RTW map. The 'big' units do not bother me, it makes them easier to find the troops. Picking where to fight is easy if you zoom down tight on an area, you can spot hills, valleys, rough ground and so on. There are many provinces where I know the terrian and try to force the battle in certain squares and from certain directions to take advantage of the terrain found therein.

The idea of haveing to hold all the counties in a province is *not* really historical. Individual castles dominated entire regions in the middle ages and there possession were the keys to a campaign. Field battles were only fought when one side did not feel secure enough to withstand a seige or they neededto expel a foreign army that was only raising a little hell. Most of the time one side would retreat to the fortress and the other would lay seige. The castles were that important to control of territory.

IMO, the game works surprisingly well as it is (but it does need tweaking) and the occupation of part of a province by the AI forces the player to make a choice go out and chase them off (if strong enough) or hold up in your fortress. Works for me. I also like the fact that policing of the empire and the need to "pay attention to the details" is very important,...that is what empire building (and wargaming) is all about. I see no problem with having to leave behind "patrol" group to watch for and fight rebel bands. I happily construct towers to warn of approaching raiders (small enemy armies) which are also handled by "patrols" send to see them off.

My request to CA is simple,...more of the same with improvements to AI, please.

Cheers.

[fallen851]

ca knows that most of us are going to get the game no matter what they do.

If MTW2 is a letdown, this is exactly the reason why. I'm really afriad this sequel is going to be like, well Myth 3: The Wolf Age, exploiting the name of a good series for profit by producing a junk game.