EB in this months PC Gamer UK [Archive]

Gaivs

01-17-2008, 14:43

Blah.

Like you've never done anything illegal before :P

Everyone has.

I bet you stole candy once as a kid.

haha exactly. I hate keyboard warriors like him, jumping on the high horse when i bet he has burnt cds and dvds galore. Downloads music from p2p sources and allsorts.

Anthony II

01-17-2008, 14:47

Congrats guys

blacksnail

01-17-2008, 15:03

Thanks for the tip, Lusted!

Geoffrey S

01-17-2008, 15:10

haha exactly. I hate keyboard warriors like him, jumping on the high horse when i bet he has burnt cds and dvds galore. Downloads music from p2p sources and allsorts.
This is not the topic at hand so I won't make this long. In reaction to your unfounded statements, no I haven't done any of those things you listed. I merely warn against an action which has been made clear to be illegal several times by forum moderators, and must kindly ask you to piss off if you haven't got anything constructive to say.

mAIOR

01-17-2008, 15:48

Just upload the pages with the EB review for us non-UKers who won't have access to the magazine.

Cheers...

Megalos

01-17-2008, 15:58

This is not the topic at hand so I won't make this long. In reaction to your unfounded statements, no I haven't done any of those things you listed. I merely warn against an action which has been made clear to be illegal several times by forum moderators, and must kindly ask you to piss off if you haven't got anything constructive to say.

:2thumbsup: Quote of the day for me so far!

HFox

01-17-2008, 16:19

Hi

You may tend to find they don't mind...as it will probably increase their sales (damn even I may buy it) BUT a quick email to the editor asking if its all right to publish just that article is only polite.
:)

Lusted

01-17-2008, 16:25

As just pulling a few quotes from the article is allowed, i'll do that. I will not scan/uploaded it.

"You want Rome 2: Total War? Start here. I'll say this carefully for fear of outrage, but EB feels like a whole new Total War game".

"This is not just Rome in a fright wig, speaking in a funny accent - the game itself is altered and deepended."

"The result is a huge kick up the bum of the strategic map - it's a more satisfyingly complex affair than in any official Total War game".

The rest of the article basically explains the origins of the mod, and what the mod does. Also some nice pics, including one of the Colossus wonder.

eirik

01-17-2008, 16:52

Hi, everybody!

I live in Norway, but I was able to get my hands on a copy through a British mate in my MUN class. It was a very good article, it speaks warmly of your work (as would any right-minded person who's tried it -- It may not be everyone's cuppatea, but one would be hard-pressed to disregard the hard work which is so evident).

Back to lurking "moar".

blacksnail

01-17-2008, 16:53

Wow!

Mouzafphaerre

01-17-2008, 17:11

.
Thanks Jack Lusted! :medievalcheers:
.

hellenes

01-17-2008, 17:41

Lusted I hope youll pass these remarks to SEGA beancounters...EB is the ultra hard setting that is missing from all TW games...

Kikosemmek

01-17-2008, 17:42

Hah! I'm going out and buying an issue today.

I Am Herenow

01-17-2008, 17:56

contrary to what the article says the mod is not on the disk that came with the mag.

Thanks for the heads-up! Presumably they'll fix that in their second reprint?

wumpus

02-06-2008, 03:37

Thanks for the heads-up! Presumably they'll fix that in their second reprint?
Do they issue a second reprint? Most mags I know don't reprint issues as a matter of practice--not even for their own in-house consumption.
Yes! Congrats EB team--now things are slowly getting there. Great show. (It's a pity that I'll NEVER have a chance to see that issue: we're at the other end of the world from UK.)

wumpus

02-06-2008, 03:50

Lusted I hope youll pass these remarks to SEGA beancounters...EB is the ultra hard setting that is missing from all TW games...
SEGA (and other commercial orgs like them) runs on profits, money, etc.; the EB team (and other non-income orgs) runs on LOVE for the game--how the game ought to REALLY be. I know of many gamers who play only if they win. (People like us, we don't mind losing--we'll just start a new campaign, avoid our past mistakes, swap tips and stuff, until we win.) People who want to play only if they win, they'd abandon a difficult game and play something like SuperMario or Zuma or Sims. And if SEGA et al were to publish ultra-hard games, how many people would buy it? A few like us, maybe, and they couldn't show a profit to their stockholders. But yes, it wouldn't do any harm if these remarks are passed to SEGA--maybe some good will yet result. Don't bother with this one. Hawooh.

bovi

02-06-2008, 08:34

RTW/M2TW have four difficulty settings now, which are Cakewalk, Breeze, Piece of cake and Easy (and that's two cakes, which means you can have the cake and eat it too :clown:). What's the point of calling an easy setting Very Hard?

Take notice from Galactic Civilizations II's many difficulty settings, which leaves everyone satisfied. The first 5-6 settings involve adding more AI routines, while the higher ones mean the AI gets bonuses. I could tackle every AI getting 25% more resources, but not more than that, and the worst setting gives them 200% more IIRC.

General Appo

02-06-2008, 09:34

zooeyglass

02-06-2008, 11:18

Congrats to the EB team, you deserve it.
The worst (or best) difficulty settings I´ve ecnountered has got to be in Lord of the Ring: Battle for Middle-Earth 2, you can give the AI a up to 100 % handicap, meaning that what normally would die from one arrow now dies from about 50. It is truly impossible to win with these settings.

i found the difficulty very variable on LOTR - some maps, especially any fortress map, were very easy to compete on, and holding off the enemy wouldn't be too hard, until one's economy was rolling. other maps seemed impossible to me also.

but congrats EB - you definitely deserve all the praise you get.

Geoffrey S

02-06-2008, 12:57

Well done guys. You managed to turn the steaming heap of crap that was Rome: Total War into one of the best RTS games in existance, and this article in PC gamer is more than deserved.
There you go again. EB is great, but it would have been nothing without the basis of an already great game in the form of RTW. I don't think comments like the above are welcome here.

pezhetairoi

02-06-2008, 13:12

It's a free world, Geoffrey S. I think people accept that RTW, for all that it was the basis and platform for EB, is crap, now that we've played EB. You don't welcome these comments perhaps, but notice how you seem to be a solitary voice? That says something, you know.

Geoffrey S

02-06-2008, 13:31

It says something? Put it this way. When I first played MTW, and RTW, I had nothing to do with any kind of online community. I enjoyed the games immensely. Upon finding these forums, one of the most noticeable things was the harsh critique of the bugs in RTW. None of these had until that point bothered me in the slightest, nor have they really since. It's a complex type of game, of the kind I have yet to see any company other than CA produce well, if even at all.

It has been made clear time and time again by the EB team that they cannot change the fundamental way in which the game plays. A tweak here, a tweak there, and a huge amount of new content: fundamentally however the game is and remains RTW.

In that sense I find qualifying RTW as 'steaming heap of crap' a thoroughly ungrateful and unproductive comment, completely ignoring the fact that all EB can do is build upon and refine said game. I really don't see the need for such a bashing of the game, same as with M2TW or as already is happening by people with preconceived opinions on Empire.

Subedei

02-06-2008, 13:35

To put it simple: No RTW -> No EB.

Look, I just bought a 2nd Copy of RTW Gold + BI for 10 €. I already own both, but I love the mods [esp. EB, as soon as I am able to play it again :no: ] so much, I do not mind RTW being not as good as EB.

Not everybody is part of our exquisite circle of historically interested gamers.

SEGA wants to earn a buck or two with those "Cooool, I can command 10.000 Roman knights and give hell to those Gallic vikings!"-players....so what?

We know about Naked guys and the druggies they were on, the Arveni's eternal love to the Aeidu, the propper look of Eastern Baktrian Elephant mahuds, the MIC of Quarhadast, Nomad civilisation, the fact that armies on the road cost more compared to the ones in towns etc....

But not EVERYBODY else has to be interested in these facts. Without the above mentioned customers it would be hardly possible to develope a game like the ones in the TW series. :2cents: :smash:

Hax

02-06-2008, 13:55

Hang on, I think Dayve tried to say 'compared with EB, RTW is a complete heap of crap'

Well, I believe RTW is one of the best turn-based strategy games ever made, but EB simply lifted it higher and made RTW pale in comparison.

Dayve

02-06-2008, 14:08

There you go again. EB is great, but it would have been nothing without the basis of an already great game in the form of RTW. I don't think comments like the above are welcome here.

RTW wasn't a great game, it was the basis for a great mod. An empty box that EB filled with lovely goodies if you will. Putting aside the fact that it was completely inaccurate history-wise, which i found hard to do being such a fan of all era's of history, it was a decent game for about a week, when it just got old.

Teleklos Archelaou

02-06-2008, 14:22

We really don't tolerate CA bashing like that here. Dayve, I'd advise you not to go that far on the matter again.

bovi

02-06-2008, 18:12

I would easily buy Rome Total War 2 if they simply took RTW, loosened their hardcoded limits somewhat and put in a really good AI. The challenge is basically what has been missing since MTW. I had some really tough campaigns in Shogun, but there were a lot less factors for the AI to consider in that game too.

Wandarah

02-06-2008, 18:20

From what I understand, you can reproduce a certain percentage of a publication. Something around 10% isnt it? As long as it is duly credited, etc.

In any case, you can certainly transcribe the article without the pictures without arousing anyones ire.

So, if you'd be so kind...

akbolling

02-06-2008, 18:55

^^ could not have put it better.

The General

02-06-2008, 19:08

There you go again. EB is great, but it would have been nothing without the basis of an already great game in the form of RTW. I don't think comments like the above are welcome here.
RTW wasn't all that great.

I absolutely loved Shogun, liked the first Medieval a lot, but RTW... Meh. Slow (compared to M:TW) campaign with not a lot to do, stupid AI, ahistoricality, WAY too short and easy battles (cavalry in the back -> all enemy units rout within 5 seconds)...

It just got boring within a week. EB, on the other hand... Dayumn. I'm lovin' it. Complex, historically correct, more realistic battles, etc about everything that can be better has been.

Had it not been for EB, I would've called my purchase of R:TW waste of money. And no, I'm not "bashing CA", simply criticizing a product, which I'd hope was allowed. Free speech, and stuff, y'know. 8)

The Wandering Scholar

02-06-2008, 19:30

WAY too short and easy battles (cavalry in the back -> all enemy units rout within 5 seconds)...

It is not the fact that cav charges in the back routing infantry in 5 seconds, it would have done in 'real' battles. It is the fact that it is too easy to put them there.

Dayve

02-06-2008, 19:44

We really don't tolerate CA bashing like that here. Dayve, I'd advise you not to go that far on the matter again.

What i said was not bashing, it was extreme criticism. Bashing would be saying CA sucks, but i enjoyed Shogun and Medieval 1 and 2 immensely, and nowhere in my posts have i said CA sucks, therefore i was not bashing, i was criticizing a badly made game. It was an empty box, but if it'll make you feel any better it was a good empty box, because at least EB could open it up and fill it with goodies.

Copperknickers

02-06-2008, 20:24

You like med 2? I actually noticed some of the bugs in med 2 without the help of the online community. Anyway, Rtw was a work of pure genius.

Only one criticism to CA; why do they think that making their games ahistorical will make their games better than making it very historically accurate? Do the part timers care? No, but we more historically inclined people are more likely to play it. Don't try and do an EE3 and try to please everyone, therefore pleasing noone, but at least try and make the possibilities (in Romes case historical education and ultra-realistic simulation) go with each other.

Dayve

02-06-2008, 20:36

I don't see why making them realistic wouldn't appeal to the general gamer who doesn't care about the historical aspect of it. When people buy an ancient or medieval RTS game they want to see men in armour stabbing each other. You will see this with historical accuracy or without. The game could have been fast paced even with historical accuracy. They could have made two settings, one for quick battles and one for longer, more realistic battles. I've been through the necessary files and changed the morale and defense/attack of each unit individually and i know it only takes 4 or 5 hours to make battles longer and less unrealistic, and i did it single-handed, so i know with all the people working for them CA could have had it done in a much shorter time.

You can't deny that the game was rushed and made to bring in lots of money, rather than made to be a good game like EB is, which is understandable, but it could have had a second setting to make it more realistic like EB is.

If anybody here doesn't welcome criticism like that which i have posted then all i can say to you is... Sieg Heil.

bovi

02-06-2008, 20:55

Your post was fine until the last line :thumbsdown:.

Admetos

02-06-2008, 20:59

Is it possible that I could be missing the funny part?

Sassem

02-06-2008, 21:07

sorry for going off topic

Where can i recruit the Mosquito unit that turns into a Elephant unit after the vanilla RTW reforms

ok i know :focus:

Geoffrey S

02-06-2008, 22:34

Had it not been for EB, I would've called my purchase of R:TW waste of money. And no, I'm not "bashing CA", simply criticizing a product, which I'd hope was allowed. Free speech, and stuff, y'know. 8)
And that's fine by me. Polite, and clearly your opinion.

However, calling the game a 'stinking piece of crap' as Dayve did takes things several steps too far. His final comment also shows that despite his attempts to appear civil, he's immature at heart.

I must reiterate my point earlier: RTW was already a great game in my opinion, a cut above most others. It took the time a mod team like EB can offer to make it nigh-on perfect, and this wouldn't have been possible if RTW wasn't a great base. Sure, stuff like balancing and historical accuracy wasn't too everyone's taste, but I know I enjoyed myself (without mods) in the many months before EB was released. And for some reason, thousands of other PC gamers managed to do exactly the same, and I think it's a cheap implication that all are misinformed and incapable of recognizing a supposed bad game.

Sassem, I'm tempted to agree. It's not a subject I can be bothered to argue about any longer, much as the surprisingly large amount of Ron Paul supporters on the internet...

Dayve

02-06-2008, 22:48

However, calling the game a 'stinking piece of crap' as Dayve did takes things several steps too far. His final comment also shows that despite his attempts to appear civil, he's immature at heart.

The fact you got so butthurt over someone elses opinion shows you're immature at heart.

I thought the game was crap, that's my opinion. If somebody doesn't like that, tough. I don't see anything in the rules that says criticism isn't allowed on these forums. I see swearing is not, which is why i didn't say steaming pile of s***.

The Wandering Scholar

02-06-2008, 22:50

http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/rometotalwar/review.html

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/rome-total-war/550385p1.html

http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/550/550373p1.html

http://www.guru3d.com/article/gamereviews/166/

http://compactiongames.about.com/od/reviews/fr/rometw_rev.htm

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=56767

It is not a bad game. Infact it is rather good. :yes: