Replays (consolidated thread)

[ToranagaSama]

Detailed poll questions:

Q1: Have you ever uploaded or downloaded a battle replay?

Q2: Do you record and replay YOUR battles for your personal review?

Q3: (STW/MTW vets only) Have Replays played a significant part in developing your battle skills?

Q4: Does the capability to record and replay your battles add to your enjoyment of the game and/or to the value of your MTW2 purchase?

Q5: Does the lack of a Record and Replay feature indicate that The Creative Assembly is not interested in cultivating and supporting a *Hard-Core* Community of Players?

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


Am I the only one who find that CA is still asking about the importance of Replays inane?

It makes one wonder, if 'they' are plays of their own game; and whether its important ANYTHING that said in these forums. Is anybody in charge? Because it really sounds like a 'group-think' environment.

Where and WHO is the visionary leader? Do Carmack, Newell or Tayler *debate* and *question* or do think as Gamers think? Are they're any Gamers left at CA?

Are Replays important? The question is insulting to any true gamer.

Talented coders within CA, but where are the Gamers?

---

Thank you for your partiticipation.

TS

[ToranagaSama]

The Poll mechanism is a bit limiting, so I hope I've composed the Poll properly and usefully.

Have you ever uploaded or downloaded a battle replay?

[ToranagaSama]

Do you record and replay YOUR battles for your personal review?

I ask this question, because I can only speculate that the powers that be at CA must figure, incorrectly, that (proportionately) with STW/MTW there were so few Replay uploads that people must not utilize the feature.

Personally, I figure that the majority record their replays, but never upload. Using them for their personal use.

---

Dear CA:

I believe it would be prudent to put in some 'code' that would anonymously track when a replay is being made, the number of replays, what province the battle takes place in, the ending battle statistics (then you'd have some hard data as to just how hard or easy battles are for players, as well as, possibly,[with permission] individuals' stats could be posted to a site allowing Single Players to compare battles stats.) I'm sure there's a lot more information that could be collected regarding replays and the game in general.

Of course, this would have to be 'voluntary' on the part of each game owner.

This way, in the future, you all wouldn't have to **wonder** if Replays are important.

BTW, CA, a **true** gamer would know that replays are important.

[hoom]

I did on STW/MTW, not often but when it was a great battle I would & I'd like to be able to for RTW/M2TW.

What I most liked was filtering through the battle stats in the log file trying to work out which line might have related to a particular soldier I had focussed on in one part of a fight (mostly only useful with Kensai or depleted units)

[ToranagaSama]

To STW and/or MTW players ONLY:

Have Replays played a significant part in developing your battle skils?


[BTW, is there a way to put multiple questions in a Poll?]

[ToranagaSama]

To all, does the capability to record and replay your battles add to your enjoyment of the game and/or to the value of your MTW2 purchase?

[ToranagaSama]

To all TWers:

Does the lack of a Record and Replay feature indicate that The Creative Assembly is not interested in cultivating and supporting a *Hard-Core* Community of Players?


Thank you for participating.

TS

[Polemists]

Yea, with RTW I'll point out one of the major benefits is usually during a battle you were to busy with tactics to actually watch the fight. I'd love to be able to save the battles and then go back and watch my units whoop butt.

[patlv23]

I don't want to sound like a troll, cinsidering that I'm just a lowly "Member" while you're a "Senior Member"...

But you just posted 6 topics with regards to replays in less than an hour :)

But to answer your answer, yes, I do record replays in MTW when I remember to, so I hope we can do that with M2TW

[Stig]

Replays don't work on the RTW engine.
In RTW every battle is fought on a different battle map. That's why you can't take campaign replays. Because that map can't be saved (for some reason I don't know). Custom battles and MP games can be saved, for the simple fact that they always have the same battle map.

[Stig]

no it's because it doesn't work on the RTW engine

and I answered in another thread if I'm correct

[Orda Khan]

Replays don't work on the RTW engine.
In RTW every battle is fought on a different battle map. That's why you can't take campaign replays. Because that map can't be saved (for some reason I don't know). Custom battles and MP games can be saved, for the simple fact that they always have the same battle map.
The reason is simple, it was an oversight by CA. The replay feature could work if they had made it work but they were too hung up with eye candy graphics. So while new TW players wowed about pretty pictures, some were asking why a feature of the TW game had been removed

........Orda

[econ21]

Merging six threads on one topic (replays) started by the same poster. Adding a multiple question poll (as none of the original poster's polls worked).

[doc_bean]

It was fun feature, but not really that important really...

[Ciaran]

Replays don't work on the RTW engine.
In RTW every battle is fought on a different battle map. That's why you can't take campaign replays. Because that map can't be saved (for some reason I don't know). Custom battles and MP games can be saved, for the simple fact that they always have the same battle map.

Yes, the terrain in RTW battles is generated from the data in the map folder (terrain, climate etc...), but isn´t that also true for the custom battle maps? Why else would require any mod a working world folder for custom battles to function?

All in all, I don´t mind the lack of the replay feature that much, but some especially memorable campaign battles I´d really like to preserve or exchange. Though exchanging might fast become difficult, when modding enters the equation.

[Bob the Insane]

Well we only lost replays from the Campaign game; historic battles, custom battles and MP still have them.

Do I miss being able to record and rewatch my most important campaign battles? Yes I do...

I think Polemists said it right, often you are so busy during a big battle that you miss a lot of stuff so it would be nice to go back a watch it again.

Do I think it is impossible to do? No because once you have fought on a certain point on the campaign map, whenever you fight there again it is the same map so the game must have some way of capturing these on the fly maps and generating the same one again...

Is it a deal breaker? Certainly not, a minor feature was lost in the conversion to a new engine. Did not stop me getting and enjoying RTW, BI and Alexander and will not stop me getting M2TW...

[Bob the Insane]

Yes, the terrain in RTW battles is generated from the data in the map folder (terrain, climate etc...), but isn´t that also true for the custom battle maps? Why else would require any mod a working world folder for custom battles to function?

No, there are a bunch of pregenerated maps for the custom battles. It is one of the first things you select when you start one...

[Orda Khan]

.......And you can 'create' a map from any area on the campaign map and use that in a custom, historical or MP battle. It is just down to an oversight, the information is stored and a 'random' map can be called up more than once so it IS possible to include campaign replays; blaming the engine is an excuse

......Orda

[Stig]

Yeah it is possible to do it. But that means they need to add extra lines of coding, in which this map is stored (so I can send it to you and you can watch it) This however was never coded as it was loads of work with the RTW engine ... afaik

[Hobot]

I think that replays were certainly a cool feature, and I definately enjoyed their use. In fact I showed multiple replays to friends of mine who were interested in historical battles, since it is cool to demonstrate medieval tactics using the Total War graphics engines (which you have to admit, for their time are always damned impressive). However this is a gimmick feature that does not in any way shape or form make the game worse for not existing. If there is a legitamate reason for why it is too difficult/costly to include them in MTW2 because of the new engine, that's fine by me. I seriously doubt that CA ever does or doesn't do anything with the intension of pissing of the hardcore community randomly...

[ToranagaSama]

My Poll question got totally messed up.

I didn't know that:


You can only add a poll to a thread within 30 minutes of posting the thread.

Creating Polls has always been a PITA for me, as the software is so limiting, and the instructions---what instructions?? The software shouldn't require the a Post and then have the *Poll* added to it. Particularly, when the only way to create a Poll is to Post first!!!!

Anyways,

The question is supposed to be:

Are battle replays important?

a) Yes.

b) No.

c) The answer is so numbingly obvious, its insulting to be asked. Of course, YES!

d) What's a Replay?

Oh well, maybe i'll try again later.

Actually, I had five Polls lined up, thinking I'd post them one right after the other, but the 30 minute limit screwed that up. I would say delete this thread, but people are responding. Moderator do as you think best. I really wanted the Poll questions answered but.....

[econ21]

When you create a thread, I think there is an option at the bottom "add poll to this thread" that you can tick. After you submit your post, you will then be taken to a page to set up the poll, where you can set up to 30 options, so you can fit in multiple questions (you also need to tick the box to allow multiple responses though).

Please don't try again on this topic - I really think this thread is enough and the poll I added for you covered all five questions you asked in your six threads using exactly your own words.

[ToranagaSama]

I don't want to sound like a troll, cinsidering that I'm just a lowly "Member" while you're a "Senior Member"...

But you just posted 6 topics with regards to replays in less than an hour :)

But to answer your answer, yes, I do record replays in MTW when I remember to, so I hope we can do that with M2TW


Your point is what exactly?

Just for your "lowly" info, Replays are a point of topic for the developers.
Replays were a part of MTW, and were omitted in RTW, because, as one developer put it, 'they didn't realize it was important'.
So, the forum needs to provide evidence, in other words agitate for its inclusion.
The Polling software does not allow for multiple questions, so hence the need for multiple Polls.

The Polling software was and has always been a mystery to me. See my immediately previous post. I don't think I've ever created a Poll I was satisfied with.

Perhaps this thread s/b locked.

[econ21]

Thread closed on original poster's request.