Good Game?

[CrusaderJohn]

I know you guys are probably all gunna give me good reviews of how much you love this game, and stuff like that. But I'm hoping to get the game, and I'm not sure. I can't find anywhere that sells the game for less than $40. And this is alot for me. I have way more than enough money, but I have spent so much money on games in the last 5 years, that I look back and noticed that I could have saved 100s of dollars by not spending money on games that only kept me interested for a few months.

So my question is, is the game really worth the money? And if so, is it worth $40, or should I wate until Best Buy has it on a special or something? So, whats you guys opinions on the game?

[el_slapper]

Depends on what you're expecting of a game. That one is rather tough, & needs much investment. He offers average graphics. And tactics are tricky if you're not used to them.

But once you've got the thing, it's excellent. The gameplay is very addictive, as various opponents will require innovative tactics from you...

[Baron von Beer]

This game is horrible. Completely and utterly terrible If you buy it, you should have your head examined.

I have noticed many bad things since buying it. A dramatic decrease in social activities. A dramatic decrease in sleep. A dramatic increase in empty beer cans in the waste can by the PC... It is just hard to leave the PC. It sucks you in, and takes over your brain.... it's 2am, and you gotta be up at 6, but too bad, you can't. If you do, you will feel the magnetic force of the game eminating from your PC, and the torment will not stop untill the slight glow of your monitor is beaming on your face in the darkened room. Only then will the beast be at rest, and your mind at ease. It's power is incomprehensible. It WANTS to be played, and it expects only what it wants. It will haunt you until it gets what it wants. Once you implant it into your hardrive, you will unleash it's power, and then your fate is sealed..... you have been warned.....

[CrusaderJohn]

LOL Good one, however, that doesn't really seem to help me much. I have heard several games described this way, and I bought them, thinking it would be a good game, sometimes right, not always. Anyway, I'm still open to positive comments.

Anyone?

[Marco]

Well if you have a budget on games then you might want to wait for the expansion pack - Viking Invasion. However Im not sure if you need the original MTW to play it.

If all goes well it should be out in May/June

[CrusaderJohn]

Well, with expansion packs they generally need the game to play. Anyway, its not like I'm really on a budget. I have tons of lose cash. The thing is, I don't want to get sucked into buying a game that will keep me occupied for a month.

[Striker]

@Marco- I'm almost positive you'll need the original M:TW to play Viking Invasion, if for no other reason than that it's altering the original game as well. Correct me if I'm wrong, someone who knows more than I do.

[Marco]

For me personally SP lasted about a week, 1 uncompleted campaign. Got bored and couldnt be bothered

MP has kept me occupied for half a year now.

[ToranagaSama]

In order to answer your question, you need to tell us what you like in games; or what you find questionable about this game.

Do you like SP, MP or both? Do you like Strategy games, RTS, TBS?

Is this game good? Depends on what you like.

[CrusaderJohn]

Basically, I like war games, but I also sort of like strategy. I like to be able to manage my troops, but micromanagement is just to time consuming for me, I want something that is moderately fast paced. I liked both the stronghold games, but I have the civilization games. So far, from what I have said, do you guys think I would like this game. And do you need more from me?

[ichi]

John:

Now that you have provided us with an idea of what you like/are looking for, I think I can help.

I have Civ, MTW (and STW) is similar; not as much micromanagement, so not as complex. I think more fun.

I like Strategy, this game has that in spades. You build up your Empire and increase your capability. You must decide between guns and butter (Castles or troops).

But the battles . . .

oh, the battles.

In single player you get a wide variety of circumstances, makes it very interesting. The multiplayer, which works well, allows you to fight online against a very talented bunch of opponents.

Very frustrating to get real good. . . takes a while to master.

But don't worry, you'll be spending that time, and then some.

So, bottom line.

Is this, in my opinion, the best game out there? YES

Will you stay with it more than a month? You won't know until you go buy it and try.

That my friend, is what life is all about.

Hope to see you in GameSpy kicking @ss soon.

ichi

[desdichado]

CrusaderJohn,

I think you would probably like the game but even if you don't can't you just sell the game at a second hand store?

Not sure about the rules on this in the US but if I buy a game that is very sucky I'll sell it for $20-30 (australian) less than what I paid. Games out here cost approx $100 aussie so its better than just leaving it on my shelf.

Or borrow it from a friend if they'll let you pull it out of their hard drive.

Since buying the game back in Novemeber it has left my hard drive for a grand total of 2 days. If I could put as much time into my study as i do into mtw I could do multiple degrees no problem http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Kensai Achilles]

I found STW and hooked, though I only play online with MTW. And i'm addicted to online MTW now.

I'm not sure what your preference is but I found that my friends who have similar preference to mine love total war sequels more than most other games. The games that I like is something like Panzer General and its family (yeah its old), Heroes n Might Magic, Civilization, Warcraft, AoE, Starcraft, Disciples, Alpha Centaury, C&C and its family, PS/PS2 RPG games etc. In short most of my fave are turn based, RPG, Adventure, or Strategy/War games.

I personally like TW series because the units are discipline, unlike warcraft units (or other games alike) that can run on their own wandering here and there unnoticed when we get busy. Well perhaps it's also because I like the way the controls are designed better with TW series than the other war games.

So if u like the games above then u gonna love this one too.

[TheViking]

if your going online and play it can keep you busy for a long time, but be prepared for alot of crashes and disconnections, single player was only fun for about a month,

the game still need more patches, but we wont get any, the add-on will solve some of the bugs, but then you have to pay more money,

[Dimeola]

Check the price at www.msbcd.com and if its still $40 then do a search for the game, you can find it cheaper. If you like this time period you MUST buy this game. It`s easy to start but as deep as you want to go. I have bought other games since MTW came out, but this is the only one I still play.
Dimeolas

[Gregoshi]

Welcome CrusaderJohn. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif Thanks for coming here and asking about our (and soon to be your http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif ) game.

Like many things, if you have 10 people, you will get 10 different opinions. Same holds true with MTW. Just scan the Main Hall forum and look at some of the threads. You will find many differing points of view:

Rebellions: some say they are too strong, others too weak.
Rebellions: some find them annoying and oft without reason, others like the challenge they present and know how to prevent them from happening
AI: some say it is really stupid, others think it is an improvement over Shogun and can be challenging
Strategic Agents (spies, bishops, etc): some say they aren't worth the hassle, other like using them to accomplish their goals
The Pope: some say the Pope is annoying, others say the Pope is annoying http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

Anyway, you get the idea.

The thing that gets me about the game is how human the AI is sometimes in battle. There are times when your elite units flee the battlefield as if they'd never seen a battle before and other times when the units you expect the least from perform extrodinary deeds. There are many stories people have written about battles they have fought or campaigns they have played. My all time favourite is Bloody Khazar (http://www.totalwar.org/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=7;t=4468). There is a point in this marvelous battle where 4 units die to the man (rather than fleeing) and delay the Mongol horde long enough for the player to get his battered army back into fighting order. I was teary-eyed reading the account of those gallant pixels that sacrificed themselves to make the Turkish victory over the Mongols possible. Each man and each unit has its own AI - they are not mindless robots who will continue fighting until they are dead or there are no more targets.

Ah, well, more food for thought. Good luck with your decision. May it be the right one for you.

[Gaius Julius]

CJ
Download the demo, and try it.
Read as many reviews of the game as you can.
In the end, your opinion is the one that counts, because it's your money.
My guess is that you'll get hooked on this game, just like everyone else. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[pdoan8]

Quote[/b] (Gaius Julius @ Mar. 13 2003,22:39)]CJ
Download the demo, and try it.
Read as many reviews of the game as you can.
In the end, your opinion is the one that counts, because it's your money.
My guess is that you'll get hooked on this game, just like everyone else. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
It's a good start.

The MTW demo is only present a small fraction of the full game. Unlike demo for many other games, MTW demo is not a shortened version or a full version with less options. IIRC, the demo was the Tutorial part plus a few historical battles.

Another thing you might want to try is playing STW first. You can find STW (v1.0) for as low as $10 or the STW:WE for $15. If you really like STW (shallow trategy), you will like MTW (improved but still a bit simplified trategy).

The tactical battle is the part that makes the TW stand above the rest of the RTS games. However, IMHO, MTW battle is a little less intense than STW battle.

[TheViking]

Forgot to say that even if the game doesnt work satisfying enuff in my opinion, its the second best game i ever played after STW/MI.

[wordsmith]

If your into single player stradegy games, buy civ3
If your into Multiplayer battle field commanding ranks of spearmen and ordering cavelry to flank your enemy who foolishly left the archers in the rear of his line unguarded then buy MTW.

MTW is a must have for a serious MP game lover but dont expect much from single player.

[Knight_Yellow]

lets just say i bought this in september? and its now march still not done playing it and with VI coming soon ill be playing this till chriatmas.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

The Total war series is fantastic and the chances of ever getting bored with it are very slim. Also try some other interesting PC games such as Gangsters(for god's sake don't buy the second one) and Hooligans.

[LeeJackson]

Personally I view my game purchase in “movie units”.

A movie unit is the price and amount of entertainment I get form seeing one movie. For the sake of the unit I assume that the movie is good.

In my area the average movie price is 8 dollars and the average movie is around 2 hours.

So a game that cost 40 dollars should provide me with at least 10 hours of solid entertainment.

Oh course we would all like more, but if it meets that minim standard I don't feel I like I have completely wasted my money.

Now I have probably played MTW for around 100 hours. That works out to .40 cents an hour for entertainment. That’s cheaper than playing PAC man at pizza hutt. You'd have to spend $400.00 to get the same amount of entertainment time out of the movies.

So is MTW worth it?... hells yeah:D

[Jeff]

LeeJackson has a very good point. Pound for Pound Total War is better than anything else at giving you your money's worth. I have the Warlord Edition of STW and hopefully I'll win the auction for MTW I bid on this morning. Oh yeah try Ebay for MTW. It seems to be going for an average of $20-25 including Shipping & Handling. That way your spending half as much for a game than you wanted and getting twice as much for the money you just spent.

[CrusaderJohn]

I just played the demo, and all things taken into account, I loved it. The only thing is, the demo was one of those demos that only give you the tip of the iceberg. All it showed was battle with troops that they gave you right off the bat. I know there has to be more to the game than this, and thats what scares me. If I've liked what I've play so far, and found it almost easy, do you guys think I'll like the rest?

[cugel]

Simply put, this is the best wargame out there for sheer fun. No, it's not the most historically accurate or as much sheer action as a first person shooter. But, I like wargames and have been playing them for many years. The strategy component is nice but there are other games out there that do this as well or better. The real-time 3d battles however, are simply unmatched by any other computer game ever. Rome TW promises to be even better. I bought Shogun & Mongol Edition, and as soon as MTW came out, I knew I would never be happy unless I bought it too. I've been playing this exclusively since October and I don't see any chance I'll get bored with it soon. There are numerous player designed mod campaigns available if you get tired of the official one. I can't even go on a date for $40, let alone 4 months worth. . . .

[LeeJackson]

CrusaderJohn if you liked your first taste you'll love the rest. CA like drug dealers always get ya on the come back.

In many ways I see MTW as 2 games. The first, which you get to try in the demo, is a real time tactical battlefield simulator. The second is a big complex game of risk. Where you take turns building, training, bribing, assassinating, infiltrating, and of course conquering. And if you are worried about the game being to easy you can does scale up the difficulty quite a bit.

(Though the vets in here might say it can be too easy at time, I say after 100's of hours of play it better get easier or I am doing something wrong.)
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif

[ToranagaSama]

Well see, give a little info, get a lot of responses. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

My comment is that if you liked Civ, but found the micromanagement a bit too much, there is a *chance* you might find the micomanagement of MTW too much as well. It seems many in the forum feel that way.

The thing to realize is that the TW games are really TWO games sorta combined. All the micromanagement is involved with the Single Play strategic portion of MTW; and it is Turn-Based like Civ.

The Multiplay side and the Custom Battles do not involve *any* micromanagement. There are many who NEVER play SP, strictly prefering the real-time aspect of MP. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/rolleyes.gif So you may be that type of player. You can download the demo to get a flavor for the Battles which is what MP and Custom Battles are all about.

Unfortunately, the demo does not allow you to try the strategic portion which is where most of your time in SP is spent.

I agree with Pardon8, find a copy of Shogun Total War. You should get it for really cheap. The battles in Shogun are very much similar to Medieval, but the Strategy portion has MUCH less micromanagement. While there aren't as many people still going online to play Shogun you can still get games; and there are those who *prefer* Shogun to Medieval.

The best way to think of the Total War games, is that there are Civ with real battles; and you as the general must develop your battle skills, because the outcome of the battle is completely dependant upon your skills (much like in RTS games); and the outcome of battles *totally* influences what happens in the Strategy portion, as well as, the move you make in the Strategy portion effecting your ability to prevail in battles. Get it?

Bottom Line, sound to me that with MTW you'll become primarily a MPer.

Good Luck http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif Have Fun

[Doug-Thompson]

Yes.

The next best option would be to save your money and check out Rome: Total War in November. That is expected to be an improvement on this game in every way. We'll see if the promise holds out.

==============

The great advantage of the Total War system is that you can have as much or as little battle as you like.

You can play the strategy game without touching the tactical game at all.

You can play the strategy game and fight as many of your battles as you want.

You can do an historical campaign.

You can set up custom battles based on points. You give each side a certain number of points to spend on units. The computer selects its own units and leaders. You also select which faction is on each side.

You can just hit the quick battle mode and have a good fight.

The strength of this game is its flexibility, in my opinion. The enormous number of factions is another aspect of that. And then there is the Viking Expansion kit.

I will say this: going through a full-scale campaign game can give you a lot of micro. Or you can put the game on autopilot. You'll pay a heavy price in efficiency, but have less hassle.

The Vikings expansion seems to strike a good balance, and can apparently be played in a reasonable length of time.

[The_Emperor]

This is a great game... hell it hasn't been awarded game of the year for nothing you know

You'll love it. *Gives a Zombiefied look* JOIN US... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Mount Suribachi]

Quote[/b] (Gregoshi @ Mar. 14 2003,03:55)]Welcome CrusaderJohn.
My all time favourite is Bloody Khazar (http://www.totalwar.org/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=7;t=4468).
Hey, Gregoshi, I tried that link and it said

Sorry, some required files are missing, if you intended to view a topic, it's possible that it's been moved or deleted. Please go back and try again.

What gives? I really wanted to read that story after you waxed lyrical about it...

[cugel]

MTW is a must have for a serious MP game lover but dont expect much from single player.

That just AIN'T SO http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

I just couldn't let that opinion pass without objecting http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

Actually this game is very moddable and any number of players have produced mods that dramatically improve or change gameplay or add new campaigns. I've been playing this game exclusively for 6 months (SP&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif and whenever I started to get bored with the campaign game I can always switch to Patrician (the Roman era mod downloadable from this site) for a completely different gameplay experience.

Check out the dungeon to see some of the ongoing mod efforts. There's Napoleonic Campaign mods, Roman mods, mods to improve the AI, mods to add playable factions including the Golden Horde With all the added gameplay provided by people here at the org, there's no reason to give up on the SP game All these mods plus the variety of different factions and unit choices and campaigns from different eras makes for a wide variety of experiences.

(And this doesn't even mention VI and the added gameplay from the expansion&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Really the best feature is, of course, the 3-D panoramic battlefield with marching soldiers that you can stop the action and view from any angle. Watching replays of your crushing victories is also a kick (especially for MP players who are able to relive destroying their human opponents)

[Heraclius]

Quote[/b] (CrusaderJohn @ Mar. 15 2003,17:58)] If I've liked what I've play so far, and found it almost easy, do you guys think I'll like the rest?
the rest is an indepth Risk style strategy map that really gives the game some flavor. If you'd like that then this is the game for you. If you like history (or even if you don't) the game can also be quite intriguing. I know someone said it before but the battles are really superb. I'm not much of a gamer (Medieval and Fifa 2003 are basically it) but this is one the best games out there, for people who like strategy games and battles.


PS-I noticed you live in Pittsburgh. I'm a Greek but I got interested in baseball when I moved to the US (football (soccer, to you Americans, will always be number one for me though) and became an avid Pirates fan. Are you one too? too bad things are going bad for them right now but if Kendall and Giles start hitting and the pitchers don't blow games we may end up in third. Not the best but a victory for the Pirates.

[Gregoshi]

Suribachi, it seems like the forums get re-indexed or something and the links get broken. Here is the correct link to Bloody Khazar (http://www.totalwar.org/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=7;t=3571;hl=bloody)

Enjoy.

[komninos]

Hi all,

The Total War series is one of the best strategy games I have ever played and I have played a fue (all the way back to Nether Earth an ~1988 RTS on ZX Spectrum). As all games it has its ups and its down sides. It was not the first game to mix the RTS and turn based strategy elements but did it in stile. One of it’s best parts is the battle that for the first time it looks realistic Some would say it is the best part of the game.

For me and I would guess many of as the truly best part is that the game is very open to the modes. The CA has also backed the moders a lot unlike other companies that did there best to make the presses as difficult as it can get or even worse impossible.

The down side of the game on the other hand that it’s the slightly weak on the options in the “Big Game”. Trade, Culture, Politics are not the strongest point’s of the game. Further more and please can you fix this there are (I have not seen the VI) no initial conditions in the campaign files.

You can’t ask every thing from a game for me this is a game well worth the money. The engine is grate and you can emulate combat spanning from 3000AD till 1900BC with little effort. This gives the game infinite playability and with the Rome:Total War it all goes to 3D http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif . What I would like to see in the future is a Global:Total War starting at 3000AD – 1900BC on a huge global map ... but then again these are dreams. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Nowake]

Just buy anything that is part of TW series, I say ...

[Mount Suribachi]

Thanks Gregoshi, that was a good read. Haven't come across the Golden Horde in any of my games yet...I may d'load a mod and play them tho...

[Sir Robin]

While the strategic elements of the Total War series are weak. The focus of the game is on the tactical battles.

This is where the engine and even the AI shine.

The reason I still purchase pc instead of console games is because of their usually greater replay value.

I will normally play a game for a couple of weeks and then leave it alone for a few months. MTW, besides the first CIV, is the only game I will consistently come back to play. While others may spend months before reload. I have spent at least a week each month playing this game since it was released. It has in fact never left my hardrive and probably won't for many months to come.

The best comparison for decision would be Europa Universalis and Lords of the Realm. If you are more of a EU fan then you might not like MTW. If you are more of a LOR fan then you will probably like MTW.

[ChaosLord]

Thread that convinced me to buy M:TW (http://www.forumplanet.com/gamespy/topic.asp?fid=1422&tid=897757&p=1)

Its really a great read. The demo didn't impress me that much. It was decent, but there just didn't seem alot to it. I of course didn't bother to read actual reviews, so I didn't know how about the strategic side. Once I found out about that, and then saw the further depth battles had to offer I had to buy it. Haven't regretted my decesion since and i've been playing SP ever since. I'd play MP, but without being able to play the campaign online it just doesn't seem any fun.

I'm more of a Civ person in that regard. I like building up my nation and planning my wars carefully. I'll take some risks if the situation demands it, but usually my attacks are meticulously planned for years beforehand. But thats part of what makes the game great, you're given so many different strategys to use. For a change I once played Byzantine as raiders. Just attacking and destroying, no actual conquering. Wiped out the Turks in short order and started harassing the Hungarians/Egyptians. You end up fighting alot of battles that way, heh.

But anyway, just read that thread, theres others who put it in to better words then I can. For now i'm gonna go back to seeing if my Irish can defeat the Saxon superpower for control of England. I've got loyalty problems and only one general worth the armor he wears, but its all good.

[Sjakihata]

Now you have to purchase Viking Invasion as well, gah it never ends...

I would say leave, I have never been impressed with mtw. Really thought CA would enable more.

And do not be fooled, it is not 3D, only 2D yet http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Bane]

Comparing MTW to Civ3 is easy -- Civ3 has no multiplayer -- granted you can get in an unworking 'offical expansion'. At least MTW gives you some multi which is better than none in my book.

Civ2 I enjoyed for the fact of getting some beers and a couiple of freinds to hot seat world conquest -- that was enjoyable.

Comparing MTW to Civ outright -- to me -- can't really be done. They are two different games that are approaching 'civing/conquesting a world' in their own light. I never truly finshed a civ game -- just got bored after a certain period.

Now MTW has two games which changes things up and makes it very interesting and challenging -- at least for me at this stage...

Now if MTW had multi for the campaign portion that would be the cats meow -- but I think you guys have discussed that a little... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif

[Gregoshi]

Aloha Bane. Thanks signing up with us. I gather you've lurked here awhile since you are intimate with the multi-player campaign campaign. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Losfalos]

I'm a Collector...

I collect pc games...

I have about 3,000 (goes back 30 years)

MTW is definitely collectable
(er... maybe ive collected everything? hmm...)