At first blush (NTW)

When I was a kid, I always enjoyed the cafeteria food at my school. Now, there were some kids that didn't, but in my case I thought that pizza and a salad for a buck wasn't such a bad deal. I always thought that the kids that didn't like it wouldn't have liked much of anything, and (perhaps because I played alot of sports and would have eaten anything/fought about anything at the time) were probably a bunch of negative pansy nellies anyway.

With this in mind, I chafe at my opinions on NTW, and will attempt to recognize it in the context with which it was created. NTW, in my opinion, does not seem to work adequately (at least as far as the development) with the total war engine.

Before people get out their ropes and start searching for a tall tree though, I've got to explain myself: The Napoleanic Era, probably far more than the Medieval era, was known for secret treaties, shared alliances, etcetera. The miniscule observance to the idea of diplomacy exhibited in MTW becomes painfully obvious in NTW.

Second, Unlike in MTW, where there is a fair amount of play-testing and literature to document what units do what, there is very little in my opinion with regard to NTW: You've got guys that shoot, you've got guys on horses, and you've got artillery. But who is better, and for what situations?

Third, You start out with an exorbitant amount of money, and this simply grows exponentially as the (few) years in the game pass. I'd be willing to bet it's virtually impossible to run out of money playing NTW.

However, despite this, there are many things the developers did correctly (and I realize, lest others remind me, that they were working with their hands tied behind their backs) -
1. Castle fights (what little I saw of them) were far more interesting, as units had to enter fortified villages, or attack something approaching a 19th century fortress.
2. Artillery, artillery, artillery! - Not only can they move, but they shoot more than the standard (paltry) one shot per battery! Fantastic. Artillery realistically becomes far more a part of the action than in the past.
3. The map - Man, o, man, does it bring me back to the days when me and my buddies would pull something out of a National Geographic and create a game out of it: Cigarette burns, Coffee stains, it's all there! In a way, it's kind of plain vanilla, but in these days of "over the top" colors and cartoon characters, it was a pleasant surprise.
4. Improved tech tree: Not only can one build farms, but now they can improve the infrastructure, etc..!!! That's good, and - it's more realistic.

What could be improved:
1. Despite the fact that I'm not a huge fan of "cartoonish" drawings, it can be very difficult to understand what buildings do what: Why not at least "colorize" a little bit? (Green for farms, Black for infrastructure, Red for War/Military, Blue for Diplomacy/Spies). Trying to disseminate a picture that measures an inch by an inch on my screen is difficult.
2. I don't know of any 19th century units "armed with bows"..... but it's right there on my screen. Perhaps this is something that couldn't have been fixed, I dunno, but if it could be, it'd be nice to see it changed. Same goes for a number of other inconspicuous insertions that I saw.
3. What's the point of generals?!? I understand what the point was in real life, and again realize that perhaps this stuff couldn't have been changed, but why in the heck have a general when you could simply use a "line infantry" with similar stats? If anything, it's too bad you couldn't simply pick a line infantry -for- a general, after which the line infantry loses one man and now you've got your general.
4. Overly generous statistics: It's my opinion that the reason this was done was to "balance out the game", so that you didn't have eight star generals continously fighting against two star generals (think: the Byzantines). Still, just for picking up some backwater province some guy gets not only stars, but loyalty, as well as various other traits.... it just seemed a bit overboard, and it made the other entitlements (chamberlain, master of the kings horse, etc...) a little redundant.

Well, those are my thoughts. Again, I realize the developers had alot working against them, and bear this in mind while I play the mod. Still, if there were things that could be done/problems that could be fixed.....

Like you said, they were working with their hands tied behind their backs. This NTW is very enjoyable, as a mod, it is BIG.
There is one thing I as a player would ask of the creators of NTW to fix, if they could please:
some factions at the start of the game that you can choose to play as (like the Swedes) work in the campaign until you click on the little red flashing chalice to find out your objectives and score. Then all hell breaks loose, thegame crashes and you end up back at your desktop!!!
Maybe these new minor factions were only ever meant to be easy opponents. But in that case, they should be listed as barbarians, and not available as a chosen playable faction. Or maybe it was just an oversight.
Either way, very frustrating, as I like starting a campaign as the underdog.
Also, if I continue with these minor factions, I will never know what their overall score is. So even if I conquered most of the map, I don't know if I will win. Or even if I ever CAN win a campaign.
A big investment in time if I don't know that answer.....
If I could wish for one fix to NTW, this would be it. :yes:

I started off as the Poles in my first campaign. Excited, and anxious for combat, I started to off building a military building and a whole stack of infantry (forget which kind)... Upon ending turn one, I was immediately attacked by the Prussians, and was subsequently crushed. Thus ended adventure number one in NTW.

Adventure number two I chose the Russians, and was bound and determined to "tech up" early.... I subsequently smashed any army that opposed me, and was earning nearly $150K annually. It was great.

Still, I never had problems with the French (which I had been hoping for), and although I didn't really know the units, figured the more expensive ones to be better. Having in excess of Four Million Francs (or Florins, Dollars, etc.) I was in more than an adequate position to create whatever I wanted.

Herein reigns the ugly head of the MTW engine..... my "Grande Armees" could never field more than the standard number of units, and this wasn't so much a problem with the Modders as it was with the developers. Probably it was meant to make the "Game" balanced, but when it comes to "War", there's no such thing as a balanced affair (In fact, one of the basic precepts of war is that when attacking, always try to maintain a three to one advantage.... if not at the strategic level, than hopefully at the tactical).

I tried as best I could to "challenge" the game - I wanted to see some of my mighty fortresses (fully teched) assaulted, but to no avail. I wanted to see "epic battles", but to no avail.

Still, as I said before, the modders worked in rather awkward conditions. These people should be not only commended for their efforts, but also given the opportunity to put their collective intelligence to use in a full scale production of the Napoleanic Wars, as despite the fact that the manufacturer may have "encouraged" their efforts, they were never truly granted the opportunity to turn this mod into what it could be.... and it could be something fantastic.

Guys check this out,

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/...w_6107461.html

Something called Imperial Glory.