Empire: Total War Summary Thread

[PBI]

But was there really such a chance? Hopefully someone more versed in the history will correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding was that the powder magazine was generally heavily armoured and below the waterline, making it almost impossible to penetrate with a cannonball.

If this is the case, then magazine explosions should be in the game, but in the form of fire reaching it, when the ship is heavily damaged and burning out of control. Decapitating the enemy fleet with a lucky shot should still be possible, but in the form of taking out the enemy admiral, which should be much easier than hitting the magazine, especially if he is standing on the quarterdeck with all his medals on a la Nelson. Maybe you could have a choice of where to have the admiral stand, with a more visible position inspiring the sailors but also exposing him to harm.

[georgeman51]

my comp will never run this game all i got acer aspire 5315

[The_Reckoning]

This worries me a little; will it be possible to have my brilliant battle plan go catastrophically wrong because a lucky shot blew up my flagship at the very start?

I hope there's a separate 'realistic' mode where this can happen. I guess it's the equivalent of a critical hit from D&D. If it's not on hardcore difficulty, the player can't be hit critically.

I mean, if it really could happen, it shouldn't be omitted. Providing that the probability it happens in the game is realistic. Maybe 1/2000 cannon hits.

[KLAssurbanipal]

I added 7 new units to Spanish faction. :)

Here is Full Preview: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=100942

[Herkus]

Empire Total War teaser trailer
http://uk.gamespot.com/video/942966/...r-2Thumbs%20Up

[Flying Pig]

Do we know if the 'Waterloo Principle', in which a huge field battle leads to the surrender of the Head of State thus ending the war in massive favour to the agressor, and topples the other government, will ever work?

Also, will the gap between agressive and defensive tactics narrow? I mean, in 1487 a British army defended by offering an agressive battle while the foe did likewise (I refer to Bosworth), but in 1899 a Brisih army held position against attack relying on firepower (Omdurman). None of the previous games have made the latter happen when I've played them.

[Pinxit]

I hope there's a separate 'realistic' mode where this can happen. I guess it's the equivalent of a critical hit from D&D. If it's not on hardcore difficulty, the player can't be hit critically.

I mean, if it really could happen, it shouldn't be omitted. Providing that the probability it happens in the game is realistic. Maybe 1/2000 cannon hits.

It is realistic. I mean, Sweden lost an entire war because of this "oopsy with the flagshippy". Pure chance should be a part of the game, it should by no means be dominant but always be effectively in the background, and sometimes emerge in something extremely unlikely that changes the course of the battle in the most extraordinary of ways. As in this case: From Wikipedia:

"Kronan ("The Crown") was a Swedish warship, built in Stockholm by the English shipwright Francis Sheldon and launched in 1668, commissioned 1672. She was one of the largest ships at the time and the most heavily armed warship in the world.

Maneuvering to face the enemy during the battle of Öland in 1676 and lead the attack on the danish naval forces, Kronan turned sharply without closing her gunports or reefing her sails. This caused her to heel over and water started pouring into the gunports, capsizing her. As she was sinking, a lamp in the gunpowder store fell off its hook and ignited the gunpowder, causing a violent explosion that killed most of her crew (an estimated 800 men were on board). Only 42 men survived the sinking".

[Alerion]

Yea but that story isnt talking about a lucky hit with a cannonball. That was just stupidity by the captain or whoever...

The question is still: Was it really ever possible to hit thepowder storage with a cannon hit?

and the other question: Where will I get a Comp. that will play this game for not too much money? ^^

[pevergreen]

Here is not really the place to discuss that.



Hey mods, shouldn't you be updating this?

I would, but exams in 3 weeks.

[Wausser]

Great I can finally play with my own people(the Dutch) and dominate the world

[Genaral Julis]

Great I can finally play with my own people(the Dutch) and dominate the world

My thoughts exactly. Nice to see the Dutch getting their dues!

[Aradan]

Finally some great news for us modders. ETW will have no hardcoded region limit.

The good news for modders is: There will no longer be a hard-coded limit on regions.

Source: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...=214676#Thamis

[Martok]

Good find, Aradan!



Also from that same interview with Thamis:

Q: how many regions are there in E: TW?

A: At the moment, there are 137 regions in the game. This might still change before we release the game, but not drastically.

Q: There has been a bit of confusion as to how exactly players will get from Europe to India and vice versa, since South Africa is said not to be included in the game. How exactly will players get to India?

A: There will be transition zones between theatres. You sail into the transition zone, and some time later your ship arrives in the next theatre. To sail from Europe to India, for example, you would sail to the Canary Islands, transition of the Ivory Coast, transition of the Straits of Madagascar, and then transition to India. If you simply select India as target destination, your fleet will do all this automatically, but it can be intercepted on the way.

[Sir Beane]

Excellent find! In addition to what Martok already posted that little interview also clues us in to one of the non-playable factions.

Then, diplomatic relations are two-directional: While France might quite like Savoy, the dukes of Savoy might really hate France. This will make for some really interesting gameplay.

It also seems to suggest that a few areas will appear as sea only regions.

There are also some sea-only trade regions off the coasts of Brazil, Africa, and the East Indies (the Dutch Spice Islands).

[I Am Herenow]

There will be no hardcoded regions limit, according to this.

Edit: oops, it's already been mentioned. Several times. Ah well.

I Am Herenow

[Emperor of Graal]

So if there is no limit we can make lots of regions through modding!

[Megas Methuselah]

Yeah. This is supposedly going to be the most mod-friendly Total War game yet. Awesome, eh boy?

[Emperor of Graal]

Yes, Every other one seems to be awkward

[Megas Methuselah]

Awkward? No, boy; they're all unplayable.

[Sir Beane]

Unplayable? Thems be fightin' words sir. CA prefer the term 'Differently playable, filled with features'.

Total War games aren't that bad for modding really. I think the games series do quite well for the number and quality of mods produces for them. If Empire can be better then we might really see the modding community explode (either literally from excitement or figuratively from an increase in numbers, your pick).

[Polemists]

sail to the Canary Islands, transition of the Ivory Coast

So does this mean we can play on Canary Islands? Or we just get a little pop up side message of

"Your fleet sails through the ivory coast."

I assumed it would be a mini event. Aka small side pop up, you click it, if your fleet gets intercepted you click check and go into auto battle or you command battle. Etc, Etc.

Clearly, we need a demo to see how this feature works...(I'd really like a demo :P)

[Fisherking]

Clearly, we need a demo to see how this feature works...(I'd really like a demo :P)

Yep! A demo, an informative article, almost anything ; you might think that a game this far along would have fewer questions to ask about its workings.

But then again we never seem to be satisfied , do we? Even after the game is in hand we are going to want more information…

[Megas Methuselah]

If Empire can be better then we might really see the modding community explode (either literally from excitement or figuratively from an increase in numbers, your pick).

We're going to have to set up immigration laws for all those new modders.

[Sir Beane]

We're going to have to set up immigration laws for all those new modders.

Hah! You can be in charge of that :P Since I'm English I have a natural inability to deal with immigrants properly (atleast our government certainly does.)

(Oooh biting political satire, I should be a comedian )

Let's hope the influx are the good kind of modders, and not the kind who turn up and go:

"Hai I m tryin 2 start a mod that turns Empire in2 Halo. I kant mod or model or rite tho but I have lots of gud ideas and wud be projekt manger. Contact me if you wunt 2 do all mi work for me."

It's really annoying when someone turns up with a lame idea and tries to get actual talented people to do all the hard work for them.

Of course I can't really complain since I can't mod at all but still have loads of ideas for mods, I just resign myself to hopnig someone else has the same idea and makes it happen.

[Megas Methuselah]

In RTW Heaven (back when it was alive), some kid asked for "the modders" to make him a ww2 mod. Upon being told ww2 wouldn't function with the RTW engine, he asked for a ww1 mod.

*sigh*

Well, one of the guys lost patience and directly told him in a very angry tone about how it would take years for that to happen and that it is generally unpopular for someone to ask another to make a mod for him, and that if he wanted it that badly, he could do it himself.

[Martok]

Gentle hint: If you want to discuss modding, perhaps a new thread is in order?

[Megas Methuselah]

Perhaps.

Y'know, I'm beggining to wonder about whether CA can fill out all the provinces with factions in North America. Maybe they might just take the easy route and make one big rebel faction to take up all the extra provinces?! Gawd, I hope not...

[Martok]

Perhaps.

Y'know, I'm beggining to wonder about whether CA can fill out all the provinces with factions in North America. Maybe they might just take the easy route and make one big rebel faction to take up all the extra provinces?! Gawd, I hope not...

Well CA has already stated that there will be no "rebel" factions this time around, so I don't think we need worry about that at least.

Now as to how they *will* fill out all the provinces in NA, your guess is as good as mine.

[Megas Methuselah]

They had better not start rolling the dice. That'll piss me off. When I looked on the map and found the Ojibway didn't seem to make it in as a faction, I was surprised. They were the local powerhouse of the time, having acquired firearms earlier than the neighbouring tribes through trade. They went on to drive off their rival tribes and secured for themselves a considerable amount of territory.

Where are they, CA? This is like a Europe without France. Of course, I'll be lenient and give you guys more time. Fill up North America. Now.

[Fisherking]

They had better not start rolling the dice. That'll piss me off. When I looked on the map and found the Ojibway didn't seem to make it in as a faction, I was surprised. They were the local powerhouse of the time, having acquired firearms earlier than the neighbouring tribes through trade. They went on to drive off their rival tribes and secured for themselves a considerable amount of territory.

Where are they, CA? This is like a Europe without France. Of course, I'll be lenient and give you guys more time. Fill up North America. Now.

Let us hope they used Chippewa instead of Ojibway, Anishinaabe, or Ojibwa.

I am sure Pontiac‘s War would not be the same if you were going against the Apache.

I don‘t think CA understands that to those in North America it is the equivalent of confusing York with Bath, or London with Glasgow.

There are places where strict accuracy can be overlooked, but with the Tribes they had better watch their Ps and Qs.

If there are 50 factions they just need to double check their facts.

Lets just see what they give us and then we will see if we scalp them or burn them at the stake.