Fog of war on the campaign map

[The Yogi]

FoW is overdone, I belive. It feels slightly silly that I have no idea about who owns what beyond my immediate vicinity. The original situation would be known to the rulers and news of conquests and peace treaties would find their way home with traders, pilgrims and other travellers.

Also, it would increase my feeling of being one actor in a world that doesn't evolve around me if I could see other nations expand or contract with me having nothing to do with it.

I'd like the option to tone down fog of war so that province ownership is always displayed.

[Rnold]

first: build towers, so you can see what is happening in neighbouring provinces/countries.
second: why dont you send your own emissaries around?
i always have agents in the provinces that borders my bordering provinces, so i can see 2 provinces away. in the end i have agents everywhere. it helps you setting up a strategy who to attack next (the strongest ai opponent of course - divide et impera!)
unlike armies, agents have no upkeep costs.

[Ktonos]

Well,you sure have a point,but consider that the news of what is happening around the world were mostly spread by merchants or travelers and they wheren't always truth.Travelers where few.Most of the medieval population rarely traveled a few miles away his village or town apart from going to the biggest town of his region for the market or something.So if you start trading, or use emmisaries, spies and priests you will start having some knowledge of what is going around the world without having to conquer it.And it is realistic.But I agree that from time to time there should be pop up windows with rumors about major battles and the advance of the huge armies armies of a distand civilization. It would add some to an already epic atmosphere.

[econ21]

Yes, you should have display of who owns what provinces. They had this in Shogun and it makes the game more fun, as you can see how the balance of AI forces is shifting during the game. It makes no sense not to have it, as you can already get that information by holding an emissary over a province - it will tell you who owns that province without the emissary having to actually go there.

[econ21]

Duplicate post - moderators please delete, thanks.

[This message has been edited by Simon Appleton (edited 10-23-2002).]

[Wart]

The code .matteosartori. lets you see the whole map. It's not quite the throne room, but it's quicker than holding an emissary over every province! http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

[econ21]

Wart - dumb question, but how exactly do you use that code you mentioned? Is it a cheat code or something? I've never used or seen described cheat codes in TW. Thanks for any advice,
Simon

[The Green Knight]

i agree that seeing the whole map in colour would be a great OPTION so that those who wnat to continue with the patchwork (no disrepect intended) map at present (unless you have agents everywhere) can do so.

[maroule]

Quote Originally posted by Simon Appleton:
Wart - dumb question, but how exactly do you use that code you mentioned? Is it a cheat code or something? I've never used or seen described cheat codes in TW. Thanks for any advice,
Simon[/QUOTE]


I don't know either, and that's the only cheat I'd like to use : it's boring not to see what happens around, and it's not much of an help. I agree that we should know more anyway : despite the fact that news travelled in a fairly unreliable way, they did travel, and extremely fast.

[The Yogi]

I tried that cheat, its neat.

Just type .matteosartori. (exactly like that) while in the strategy map.

Unfortunately, it also lets me see were there are armies and castles. Castles might be OK, but armies I should not see. Oh well, better than without the cheat at least.

[solypsist]

once you get boats in the water, you get a better reading of who own what, since you can read shoreline provinces.
the only alternative to cheating is having agents, lots of 'em

[Odyssey of War]

To see what is going all around the continent, use strategic agents such as emissaries, priests, spies, princesses to know what is going on in other provinces. This will also help some of your strategic agents get better, which is even more useful as the game progresses and you want those higher level agents for even more useful missions.

Also having ships along most of the coasts helps too, provided that you have sea dominance (you have the most ships in a sea area). Having ships around will also add extra trade income and the ability to send troops and agents by sea (which happens to be quicker than sending them by land when the distance is great).

[querulously]

Although all those emissaries will annoy those they are sitting on, causing war and general hatred of the player (though not as much as spies and priests)

[Lord Romulous]

Quote Originally posted by Ktonos:
.But I agree that from time to time there should be pop up windows with rumors about major battles and the advance of the huge armies armies of a distand civilization. It would add some to an already epic atmosphere.[/QUOTE]

I love this idea !!

My Lord

I write to you to warn of the gravest peril approaching our shores. the sea horses of atlantis are gathering and will attack our defenceless fire galleys in a months time.

signed bert the crazy fisherman.

[Alrowan]

the batle reports would be cool..

also i try to train up enough emisiarys to have one in every prov on the map, and when i get boats its good too. this lets me see the patchwork from about 50 turns into the game

[Papa Bear!]

I started a thread a long time ago about the lack of the throne room and the map... (maybe that was on .com though)

Its definetely a loss to not have a vague idea of the changing world climate.

Now what I do is check for wars, and then send emissaries into the area.

(having emissaries all over is impractical: it forces you to watch far too many computer moves, and since people don't have the sixth sense the computers do, its hard to avoid assasins)

but, at least for me, the throne room map was small enough that I didn't have an exact idea of what was going on... I could simply tell that a color was getting bigger in a certain direction. (that provided just exactly the kinda vague info that I wanted)

in lieu of that, a system where you could see changing borders, or perhaps maybe the old borders, (they don't update until you've sent someone new to the area), would be nice.

[The Green Knight]

re messages

this does happen. i have been infomed several times that the so and sos are massing forces and they are likely to target the other so and sos in a year (or two years). i believe this info was generated by having a spy somewhere - perhaps in the same province as the faction leader?

[ToranagaSama]

Yo! Why don't y'all trust the Devs.

I think all the STW vets felt the same way at first, but after awhile when you get more used to the game, get to know and use your agents and ships better you'll find that its not that big a deal.

Once you really get the hang of things, you may find that there's so much to do, you'll be primarily focused on your immediate surroundings, say your the English, who cares what the Byzantines and the Turks are up to. They're too far away to effect you, in the early to mid game.

Only on Expert is keeping an eye on the Elmo horde a real concern.

Admittedly, if your not progressing as well as you might, it can be pshycologically irrating not knowing how/what the other factions are doing. It gets better!

P.S., don't cheat! Playing the game "straight up" is where the most enjoyment lies.

[deejayvee]

Quote i believe this info was generated by having a spy somewhere[/QUOTE]
This is correct.

[This message has been edited by deejayvee (edited 10-24-2002).]

[The Yogi]

Quote Originally posted by querulously:
Although all those emissaries will annoy those they are sitting on, causing war and general hatred of the player (though not as much as spies and priests)[/QUOTE]

I didn't know emissaries angered the countries they visit. It doesn't say so in the manual, does it?