Jump to Rome or expand with VI?

[Weebeast]

What do you think? I've played neither so I can't make the call. I guess VI expands the vanilla version, in the other hand, Rome is a whole new game.

Did you enjoy Viking expansion for quite a while?

[Dutch_guy]

yes, I did.

And I got it after RTW.

You should play VI first, enjoy it , which you will, then when you feel you need something different , go RTW.

you can go from not so good graphics to great graphics, but not the other way around.
Well speaking from experience it wasn;t easy.

:balloon2:

[Antagonist]

I agree. It's quite a jump from MTW to RTW, especially in things like interface and graphics. If you enjoy MTW I would definately recommend getting VI first and then, when you begin to tire of it, perhaps move on to Rome.

Antagonist

[The Stranger]

yup, i lke MTW better than RTW but after seeing RTW''s graphics i couldt play the MTW battles anymore cuz i thought them ugly

[Weebeast]

LoL yeah, I've seen some screens of of Rome, etc; they look nice. They can get on walls and stuff too.

So it be Viking then. ~D I can always resize the units again like I always do to improve graphics (plus units and buildings aren't proportional in vanilla on battlemaps).

[teja]

I love both: VI and RTW/BI ~:cool:

[Viking]

I played RTW first and couldn`t fully enjoy MTW/VI because of the poor battle graphics. But after playing MTW I couldn`t really enjoy RTW fully either beacuse of the much more challenging and in some parts better(the load/save bug speaks for itself) strategic part of MTW. :dizzy2:

[Rilder]

i dunno... i may just be a sucker for graphics but after i got rome total war i just couldnt get over the graphics/features and other stuff... and i can't go back to Medieval Total War, i even have to push myself to help my dad who plays plays medieval total war since his computer sucks so bad he can only play m:tw

[Dagobert II]

Well, I have been wondering if I should go back
and get a copy of MTW again, since I miss the
music, but yeah, if graphics are a premium, I'll
keep my money, but MTW's map interface is so
much more robust than RTW's.
~:handball:

[LestaT]

I have boths installed MTW:VI and RTR:BI plus various mods for RTW esp. RTR. Currently playing Roman in RTR 6.2 but once in a while I go back to MTW to finish my Turkish campaign.

Cheers...

[Ciaran]

I got MTW/VI after Rome as well and for the time being, I enjoy it more than RTW, despite the graphics - heck, I even enjoy playing games like Dune II or Master of Magic, and they´re over ten years old, so go figure.

I just wished MTW had the more diverse diplomacy RTW - or the aforementioned Master of Magic, for that matter - had; that part is a bit too simplicistic, in my opinion. One can argue about the boardgame strategic map, personally I consider it not the worst solution, the naval movement makes a lot more sense than the one in Rome (eight years to cross the mediterrean ~:rolleyes: ).
And the sieges - well now, that´s some issue that´s suboptimal in both games: The MTW sieges are nice and simple, no pathfinding issues or such, but they lack all the nice equipment you can get in RTW. Besieging a huge city in RTW, however, is a major pain, because the cities all have a labyrinth layout and the nice siege equipment only helps getting over or through the walls - and the real trouble starts with that accomplished. Dito, you cannot end a siege by starving the enemy out, in their last turn they always sally forth, so you´re left with no choice but to do those siege battles.

[PseRamesses]

What do you think? I've played neither so I can't make the call. I guess VI expands the vanilla version, in the other hand, Rome is a whole new game.
Did you enjoy Viking expansion for quite a while?

You can´t neglect VI - it´s simply the best expansion for the TW-series and it makes MTW soooo much better. RTW/BI however is a completely different game alltogether with a completely new interface, superb graphics and takes battles to a whole new level. Soon enough a RTW/BI edition will be released so enjoy VI until then.

[econ21]

I appreciated VI more as a patch for MTW than for the new campaign. It depends how much you like MTW, but if you are a fan - as most Org members presumably are - then the improvements in the patch are essential. By contrast, the VI campaign itself is ok, but rather strategically limited (it reminds me a lot of Shogun - kind of like a bar room brawl, last man standing).

RTW is a whole other thing and will vastly increase your potential gaming experience. Personally, I would jump to RTW on the principle that life is too short. However, once you get over the "shock and awe" of dealing with a whole new historical period, the new campaign map, the great graphics etc. you might find yourself being disillusioned by the lack of challenge. So I would pretty promptly get the Rome Total Realism mod to enjoy gameplay up to MTW standards. Also keep a look out for the EB mod (see the faction previews on the sub-forum here and drool). Also the BI add-on is probably even more of a must-have then the VI one (the add-on campaigns are much more interesting than VI although unlike VI you don't need to buy the game to patch vanilla).

I guess it depends on how much life you think there is in MTW for you. If you want to play it more, get VI. If you want something new, get RTW. There is definitely a problem of going back to MTW after RTW. I suspect MTW might be the better game, but I have not gone back to it yet.

[Melmoth the Wanderer]

I am glad that others have had the same experience as me.

I have been playing RTW for a couple of months only, but I was so delighted with it that I went out and bought second-hand copies of Shogun and MTW from Games Exchange hoping for a similar experience. I was disappointed when I saw the graphics - they reminded me of the times I use my friend's computer which is still running Windows 3.1~;p

I don't think I will be playing those games again so have given them to my neighbour, Medieval Mike.

I now have Barbarian Invasion but I am a bit fed up as I seem to be spending all my time managing towns and cities to stop them revolting - and then they do! Its not easy being an empire in decline!

[Weebeast]

I just got the copy today earlier this morning. It has new buildings and stuff. The viking campaign coulda been sweet if it came with GA mode. Well, it's cool nonetheless. The tech tree is more complicated, I noticed.


Besieging a huge city in RTW, however, is a major pain, because the cities all have a labyrinth layout and the nice siege equipment only helps getting over or through the walls - and the real trouble starts with that accomplished. Dito, you cannot end a siege by starving the enemy out, in their last turn they always sally forth, so you´re left with no choice but to do those siege battles.
That sounds like fun. Well, I'll catch up with Rome later. The good thing with picking up VI first is that I get to play 3 games instead of just 2 lol.

[Rilder]

what i especialy like about RTW tho is the movment point system the fact that an army can have like tons of battles in a turn unlike M:TW were1 army can have only 1 battle a turn

[}|{COR}|{EmperorMustard]

I used to love MTW and thought the graphics were reasonable, but when i got RTW the graphics were so much better. I ahve tryed to get back into MTW but the graphics make such a difference to the game that i have never been able to go back

[ichi]

VI, for the new factions, new eras, improved gameplay (minor but important changes) and access to really great mods.

Plus the online game is better in VI

ichi:bow:

[AmbrosiusAurelianus]

VI is most certainly worth the purchase. If you are going to buy it, do so before Rome, because you will enjoy it, but might not be able to go back after playing Rome if you buy that first. Moreover many of the great medieval mods are for VI so you could play them too.

[Just A Girl]

I bought MTW and Vi almost same time,
So the diferences i noticed were the adition of celts, And new periods for game play.

I enjoy VI in single player. And i did not enjoy rome so much I sold the cd's,

"The complaints about the game did not seem to Reach The right people at ca or activision" whicherevr they needed to reach.
So i contacted the Trading standards about there policy of Dont patch Make em pay for an expantion,
they then told me That My best course of action was to return the game, And they would Look in to the matter.
So i sold it on.

However....

I always played Stw And still beleve it to be the best out of the Seriese. And in all honesty neither Rome nor MTW were ever going to fufill my expectations "Although MTW VI came close"
(I only Play STW/WE MP, And Only Play MTW/VI SP)

So i guess.

If you like Nice looking GFX. and have read about all the problems and complaints That have been posted,
And think you could live with them
"As many happily do"
you would want to buy RTW.
As VI is really More of the same.
But unlike STW and MI Your likley to play the VI periods.

In the end though .
Its really your decision :)

[Zarax]

After you got a taste of VI you also have the greates experience extender available to you: the vast array of mods for VI, worth months of extra gameplay.
If you want an easy start with them just try the MOD in my sig, it's a game rebalancing that uses the available units and allows to play with all factions plus a few extra tricks.