QA from CA for the Org-ites

I'm not sure about the unit sizes slowing things down. I've played a bunch of games (with Rodeo) where units had 0 valor, weapon and armor, and 120 men (which, afaik, is the "normal" unit size), but the fights still finished in less than 30 seconds. By the time you move your screen over to your flanking forces, part of one players line had already broken (I hadn't even started moving my flankers yet). The killing speeds are just insane, but it's easy enough to mod (luckily I don't play MP, although I was planning starting). Just double every units defense and you (hopefully) have fights that last a while.

So, who's collating these questions and deciding on the winners? 24 hours till answer time (if Roxy's feeling really kind, that is).

Well here's a collection of (IMHO) good questions that have been asked (listed in no particular order). Apologies to anyone who feels I have unduly overlooked their question(s). As I said, this is just MHO!

1. How is Multiplayer different in RTW from MTW? (e.g. new options/features/game types) Will you be able to host historical or custom battles for online play?

2. How will logistics be handed in RTW? Will it be like in MTW, where armies could get cut off and it wouldn't matter? Or will we be encouraged to maintain lines of supply?

3. Do ships have a limited troop capacity? Or can one ship transport an entire army?

4. Can you give some example of how moddable RTW will be? Will there be modding tools released (e.g. a campaign-map editor)?

5. With army movement on the campaign map, do different units have different 'movement points'? i.e. can an army with just cavalry in it move further in one turn than an army with just infantry, which can in turn move further than an army with artillery?

6. How is it determined whether you fight during the day or at night?

7. Will faction re-emergences still be in like they were in MTW (tied to loyalty of province etc) and will they re-emerge with good quality troops?

8. How has the Mercenary system changed from MTW?

9. Are there plans to release historical battles after the game hits the shelves? Like a monthly new map release akin to some RTS's, which release new maps to battle upon every few weeks or so?

and my personal favourite question:
10. Can Wardogs (or Incendiary Pigs for that matter!) climb ladders during siege? ~;p

Perhaps someone more officious than myself would like to cull that down to the requisite 5 questions. ~:)

I like the suggestion that someone else posted before about having a mix of multiplayer and single player questions. I think it should be 2 multiplayer themed and 3 single player themed, as nearly everyone will play single player but not so many multiplayer (but multiplayer is stil a very important aspect). Maybe if one of the moderators can be decisive for us (pleeeaaaase!!) and post what they think the final 5 questions should be, taking into account all of the posts done so far. I like the questions Encaiter has posted above (using a mix of everyone elses) so maybe they can just cut down on that list. I am sure everyone will be happy with the moderators decision, and if what we want to know doesn't get asked we will find out in just over a weeks time anyway ~:)

Perhaps if someone made a shortlist of say 15 or so questions, opened the floor to a vote - the five highest voted would be the questions put forward...

Of course, could a tad tricky with the current system of making a poll...

I think a question about the interface and the old ALT Click command should be included.

I know many people other than me have been asking about this feature.

What I want to know is...
... DO YOU HAVE TO UNLOCK FACTIONS! I WANT BRUTII FROM THE START!

I like the mercanary one, the movement speed on the campmap and the logistics one.

I’ll know how the game is in a few days. I want to know how design decisions are made at CA. Is there a single master planner who calls the shots or one guy for the tactical game and one for the strategy game? Does CA have brainstorming sessions about things such as how the trade will work on the strategy map or about what the units will look like?

Here’s why I ask. There are obviously people around CA who know their history because so much of the game reveals as much. But it is equally obvious when these persons are over ridden or out of the loop. When Egyptian forces look a thousand years out of place this can’t have been an accident because whoever knows about pila and lorica hamata also knows about Ptolemaic Egypt. I’m curious as to how these things come to pass. I suspect that with Greeks already looking Greek, someone with clout determined that Egyptians must look different and voila! we get Yule Brenner’s army from The Ten Commandments. I know it’s a game not a simulation but does friction ever occur or does dispassionate professionalism always prevail among the staff?

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Originally Posted by Nelson

I know it’s a game not a simulation but does friction ever occur or does dispassionate professionalism always prevail among the staff?

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Pretty much everyone involved with design at CA knows a fair bit about the history of the periods we tackle, so it's not nearly as seggregated as you suggest. And the discussions range from dispassionate "hmm let's give that a try" to extremely passionate stomping-off-in-a-huff, with apologies tendered the following day - everyone has subjects that they care passionately about. It's a bit like a marriage ;) The main thing that makes it work is that everyone involved in the design process is willing to admit that they may have been wrong, and just about everyone is able to identify when an idea has 'worked'. It's a culture that takes time and energy to foster and maintain, but we never stop talking, and never stop tinkering in order to find something better.

Then amongst all of that we try to find a middle road between what's popular with the public as a whole (old-style Egyptian units), historical accuracy (Marius), what we can sell to the publisher (HUGE elephants! THOUSANDS of men! TREMENDOUS explosions!), and what can actually be done given the resources we have (three complete sets of destructable walls rather than one per culture). Lots of people have input into this, each with their unique perspective on things, and the secret really is in the blend, and not going crazy on any one aspect. It's not a simple process...

:) CA answers questions on their free day of the week. That's awesome.

I think making a poll now is kinda pointless. There is not enough time before Roxy will try to answer us to get sufficient votes for a nice poll I think.
I don't have an alternative however :( Maybe the mods have an idea or can just select 5? It should be done soon, before the offer is void.

Here's an idea to keep it simple: let the three folks with the highest number of total Org posts who are participating in this thread decide via private messaging and just post the questions.


That's simple, and no one will be able to specifically blame anyone when their specific questions are not asked

Just an idea. I haven't participated in the thread much but I've been following it.


Exactly when is the deadline? In GMT. let's say.

Well, SouthwaterPanda said we should discuss it on the weekend, then someone should post up a clearly-marked official list for them to look at on Monday morning. I had assumed one of the mods would take care of this, but it appears I may have been wrong?

Just in case anyone missed it, it's Monday morning.

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Originally Posted by Tamur

Just in case anyone missed it, it's Monday morning.

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It is always morning somwehere on the globe ~;)

However, by Panda Mean Time (the time that matters to me :-) it's just gone midnight.

None of the questions I've seen so far look completely out of order except the one about how many hours we work... which I would file under "not really game-related". So if you'd care to figure out which of the suggestions are collectively the most interesting, I'll look again on Monday evening, i.e. in about nineteen hours' time, and point Roxy at it on Tuesday morning.

Great, thank you SP!

OK if I were to choose 5 of the most commonly re-occuring ones these are the ones I would do

1. How is Multiplayer different in RTW from MTW? (e.g. new options/features/game types) Will you be able to host historical or custom battles for online play?

2. In the developer interview video on (gamespot? gamespy? one of those two) it was said that there was a total war style control system. Is this just for the camera or for units too, and are there any major differences compared to MTW? ******

3. With army movement on the campaign map, do different units have different 'movement points'? i.e. can an army with just cavalry in it move further in one turn than an army with just infantry, which can in turn move further than an army with artillery?

4. How has the Mercenary system changed from MTW?

5. Will faction re-emergences still be in like they were in MTW (tied to loyalty of province etc) and will they re-emerge with good quality troops?


****** - There have been lots of questions about controls for RTW, so rather than just ask one at the expense of others, I thought it would be better to combine them into one big question. If the total war style cotrol interface is exactly the same as MTW, then everyone will have nothing to worry about at all! I guess this is more a multiplayer question.

So what does everyone think about these? Obviously not everyones questions will be answered, and some will be left out but these ones will be quite interesting I think.

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Originally Posted by Armchair Athlete

OK if I were to choose 5 of the most commonly re-occuring ones these are the ones I would do

1. How is Multiplayer different in RTW from MTW? (e.g. new options/features/game types) Will you be able to host historical or custom battles for online play?

2. In the developer interview video on (gamespot? gamespy? one of those two) it was said that there was a total war style control system. Is this just for the camera or for units too, and are there any major differences compared to MTW? ******

3. With army movement on the campaign map, do different units have different 'movement points'? i.e. can an army with just cavalry in it move further in one turn than an army with just infantry, which can in turn move further than an army with artillery?

4. How has the Mercenary system changed from MTW?

5. Will faction re-emergences still be in like they were in MTW (tied to loyalty of province etc) and will they re-emerge with good quality troops?


****** - There have been lots of questions about controls for RTW, so rather than just ask one at the expense of others, I thought it would be better to combine them into one big question. If the total war style cotrol interface is exactly the same as MTW, then everyone will have nothing to worry about at all! I guess this is more a multiplayer question.

So what does everyone think about these? Obviously not everyones questions will be answered, and some will be left out but these ones will be quite interesting I think.

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All those are good IMO except take out #5 and put in the stuff after the *****

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Originally Posted by Colovion

All those are good IMO except take out #5 and put in the stuff after the *****

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actually what I meant by all the stars is that that stuff would be answered by question 2 (which has all the stars at the end of it). I apologise if I didn't make it clear.

Ah.,

I'd like to take this time to say that if it's called the Total War Style Interface/Camera - then it should probably function exactly as teh previous Total War Inferface or Camera functioned. The Demo's camera system is rather flawed in execution as I can no longer easily navigate the battlefield with only the mouse as I was used to doing in MTW...

To be honest I agree with you that if it is called total war style interface it should be exactly the same as MTW and thus we shouldn't need a question on it but there are so many people clamouring for this one to get answered I put it in. I guess they just want reassurance.

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Originally Posted by Armchair Athlete

To be honest I agree with you that if it is called total war style interface it should be exactly the same as MTW and thus we shouldn't need a question on it but there are so many people clamouring for this one to get answered I put it in. I guess they just want reassurance.

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As do I. I have no problem with the RTS cam they have implimented, but I'd really like to start playing the game with that comofort that comes from knowing something inside and out and not having to learn everything from scratch again. I might like the RTS camera in time, but the MTW camera interface was so well done that I'd like to stick with that (and having the option to change between the two gives versatility). Some of you might be saying that it is all the same - but it's not. GO play the Demo and then go play MTW.

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If the total war style cotrol interface is exactly the same as MTW, then everyone will have nothing to worry about at all! I guess this is more a multiplayer question.

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Again with the false conceit that only MP players are concerned with the controls ~:rolleyes: :furious3:

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Originally Posted by hoom

Again with the false conceit that only MP players are concerned with the controls ~:rolleyes: :furious3:

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true story

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Originally Posted by hoom

Again with the false conceit that only MP players are concerned with the controls ~:rolleyes: :furious3:

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In single player you can pause as often as you like and issue commands/re-align camera whatever. You have more time to adjust. Multiplayer you cannot use pause to gain time. That is why easy to use controls are of primary concern to multiplayers. If you only play single player, use pause smartly and STILL cannot get the hang of the controls then there is a problem with you.

No.
Easy to use controls are of primary concern to me specifically because I do play SP, use pause smartly and really like easy to use controls BECAUSE then I get to spend most of my time watching the cool battle :duel:

Just because the controls are different does not mean they are difficult to use. They are different, and may take some adjustment. It is a common complaint that this game is aimed at 13 year old noobs. Well if a 13 year old noob can work the controls perfectly fine and you cannot, that doesn't say much for you now does it? Are you going to playing mostly MTW afterwards or RTW? If you are sticking with MTW, you don't need to worry about Rome's control system. If going with mostly Rome, then transitioning is not going to be a big deal because you will not go back to the previous much.

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Originally Posted by Armchair Athlete

In single player you can pause as often as you like and issue commands/re-align camera whatever. You have more time to adjust. Multiplayer you cannot use pause to gain time. That is why easy to use controls are of primary concern to multiplayers. If you only play single player, use pause smartly and STILL cannot get the hang of the controls then there is a problem with you.

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Yes, in SP we can pause all we like, but generally pausing is not fun when you have to do it all the time. Then the battles are not that fun anymore, they need to be more flowing to be fun. I only used pause to coordinate charges perfectly or safe the day. Never was I a pause-whore, and that it seems is about to chance if I want to have a chance. No fun...
So in MP I can't, but in SP I won't use pause.

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Originally Posted by JeromeGrasdyke

the discussions range from dispassionate "hmm let's give that a try" to extremely passionate stomping-off-in-a-huff, with apologies tendered the following day - everyone has subjects that they care passionately about. It's a bit like a marriage ;)

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Nothing great can be accomplished without passion.

Thanks for the back stage insight.