Things you learned from playing vanilla RTW

[Zeibek]

From BI I learnt that the Sarmatians employed a huge number of female virgins in their army.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Mmmm... Virgins..

[ludwag]

It looks like you dont like vanilla rome. Not in this thread only, but everywhere. I really looks like you all really hate it. Yes i know it is very bad historicaly, but remember it is just a game. And it is good someone make a mod like this. But it is the best game in the world, i think. Even if it is very much historicly inaccurate. I really bellieved that gaul was a unified country, and so was germania and all others. I believed that for long time, but i found out, and got very intrested in history. You act like you hate it, but dont forget that noone else would make a game like that.

[Ibrahim]

I learnt that the Carthaginians spoke like stereotypal Arabs

@Connacht: no they don't. they sound like those B-movie actors trying to imitate stareotypical Arabs speaking english

I agree with Ludwag: its just a game. but whose to say we can't pick on it? I even have a series of diatribes against every mod I have

no I won't read them.

[Eduorius]

I learned a lot of stuff from Rome Total War and was very important for me to get interested in military history.

I learned stuff like:
- There was a King named Pyrrhus that tryed to invade Italy before Hannibal.
- That Parthians used armored cavalry before the Medieval timeframe.
- I learned there was a hairstyle known as the Swebian knot.


Rome Total War and all the Total War series are excellent games because they teach you more about history than most documentaries. For example, you at least know that there were units known as Hastati, Principes, and Triarii and not only Hollywood legionaries. If it would be for some documentaries, I would believe that Hannibal fought Lorica Segmentata legionaries.

[Aemilius Paulus]

I learned a lot of stuff from Rome Total War and was very important for me to get interested in military history.

I learned stuff like:
- There was a King named Pyrrhus that tryed to invade Italy before Hannibal.
- That Parthians used armored cavalry before the Medieval timeframe.
- I learned there was a hairstyle known as the Swebian knot.


Rome Total War and all the Total War series are excellent games because they teach you more about history than most documentaries. For example, you at least know that there were units known as Hastati, Principes, and Triarii and not only Hollywood legionaries. If it would be for some documentaries, I would believe that Hannibal fought Lorica Segmentata legionaries.

Yeah, despite the fact that RTW had *numerous* historical inaccuracies, it still taught people some stuff. A lot of stuff, if you consider some people's level of history proficiency. It is simply horrifying. Quite a bit of people have virtually no idea what happened 100 years ago. Especially considering the kind of people I met here, in America. It seems that no one around here knows any history, or geography for that matter.

Is this normal for European countries? Kids in Russia seemed much smarter. Europe is better than US in geography, but then any country is. What about history though? How much better are Europeans in history? I have traveled to almost very European country, but it is very difficult to tell how smart the people are in a certain country just after spending week in there. BTW, according to the stuff I read in the Economist as well as Time magazines, British students were just as bad as the American ones. Continental Europe was much better and Asian countries such as China, Japan and South Korea were the best, of course.

[Eduorius]

I am from Latin America is very few what is teached about ancient history or any history at all. Mostly is about the discover of America and their independence from Spain.

[General Appo]

I learned a lot of stuff from Rome Total War and was very important for me to get interested in military history.

I learned stuff like:
- There was a King named Pyrrhus that tryed to invade Italy before Hannibal.

Ummm... Pyrrhus wasn´t in RTW Vanilla, right?

But yeah, RTW really helped me get interested in ancient history.

[Recoil]

Is this normal for European countries? Kids in Russia seemed much smarter. Europe is better than US in geography, but then any country is. What about history though? How much better are Europeans in history? I have traveled to almost very European country, but it is very difficult to tell how smart the people are in a certain country just after spending week in there. BTW, according to the stuff I read in the Economist as well as Time magazines, British students were just as bad as the American ones. Continental Europe was much better and Asian countries such as China, Japan and South Korea were the best, of course.

People here in the UK just seem to be getting dumber. One example is that 3/4 of the students in my year have no idea where Austria is ("your family are from where?") and another example is that, on finding out that one of my friends was Polish someone asked if he could speak "Poland."

[General Appo]

Let´s just say that were I to ask anyone in my class who Hannibal was they´d think I was talking about the cannibal. One or two might after a while realise that there is someone else known as Hannibal, but it´s doubtful.

I´d say Julius Ceasar is the only Roman who´s name most would recognise, unless they´ve just watched Gladiator, in which case they might recognise at most 2 or 3 more names.
The Seleukids, Parthians, Ptolemy´s, Carthaginians... all totally unheard of. Alexander the Great is only known as "that gay guy who conquered a lot of shit", and knowledge about ancient Gaul, Germania or Britain is completely unexistant.
Well, some might recognise that Asterix and Obelix were Gauls and lived in France, but that´s about it.

[gamegeek2]

Yeah, ur right. I found this game because I was interested in military history, found a peer, and showed me the Total War series. I got rome, thought it was awesome, and then thought, "y'know, those lances are too short," etc. When I saw a YouTube video made with EB, I went around for an hour trying to find the mod, and found it. And I'm glad as hell that I did.

[Eduorius]

Ummm... Pyrrhus wasn´t in RTW Vanilla, right?

But yeah, RTW really helped me get interested in ancient history.

He was in the Historical Battles section in The Battle of Ausculum and the Siege of Sparta.

[bobbin]

I learned the only form of population control was revolt followed by massacre.
I learned that all the people in a nation wore the same coloured clothes.
I learned that all romans were in fact very bad american voice actors.
I learned that walls, farms and granaries are indestructable.

[Maksimus]

I learned how to finish my campaign in 10 turns

[Moosemanmoo]

I learnt that the average 18 year old would die of old age whilst marching from Germany to Italy
I also learnt spring and autumn are modern inventions

[Majd il-Romani]

I learned that the RTW team got their inspiration for Egypt from the Mummy Returns
I learned that, so long as you have conquered a province, in 5 seconds people from your homeland will be there waiting to be trained.
I learned that the Roman generals had a modern sense of humor.
I learned that all of the Greek City-states were united, even in Syracuse.
I learned that, by 242 BC (or whenever the game starts) Parthia is already at its full extent
I learned that, when Alexander the Great died, the Seleucids got all of the crappy weapons, armor, and units, Egypt was practically untouched from the days of Ramesses II, and Macedon started worshipping Sparta

[Narhon]

Lorica segmentata

[Hax]

I learned that the world was flat 2000 years ago.

[Mithridates VI Eupator]

Let´s just say that were I to ask anyone in my class who Hannibal was they´d think I was talking about the cannibal. One or two might after a while realise that there is someone else known as Hannibal, but it´s doubtful.

I´d say Julius Ceasar is the only Roman who´s name most would recognise, unless they´ve just watched Gladiator, in which case they might recognise at most 2 or 3 more names.
The Seleukids, Parthians, Ptolemy´s, Carthaginians... all totally unheard of. Alexander the Great is only known as "that gay guy who conquered a lot of shit", and knowledge about ancient Gaul, Germania or Britain is completely unexistant.
Well, some might recognise that Asterix and Obelix were Gauls and lived in France, but that´s about it.

Thats just so on the spot!!!

Sometimes, you marvel at the historical ignorance of some people...

Having been passionately facinated by ancient history for more than a decade, I always assumed that people knew, at least to some extent, who Hannibal or Attila was. So when in High School, upon discussing ancient Rome, I made a reference to the former's crossing of the alps, people basicly asked in which of the movies that was...

Or when, upon discussing the death of king Charles XII, (Swedish king, killed at Halden, Norway, in 1718, alledgedly shot with a uniform's button by a friendly soldier), someone asked why they didn't use a DNA-swab to expose the murderer...

Really, I think its sad that some people so completely lack knowledge of large parts of the history of the world, as this, in many ways, still influence the world today.

[Zradha Pahlavan]

I learned that parthians loved the color purple.
And that when a group of horsemen charged a group of spearmen, many spearmen go flying across the battlefield.
I also learned that flaming missiles launched from primitive catapults could make walls explode.

History is amazing, isn't it?

I'll willing to bet you guys money that you can't find a person [who isn't on this forum and who isn't a historian or archaeologist] who knows who Ashurbanipal was.

[Mithridates VI Eupator]

Assurbanipal: Neo-Assyrian king, ca. 668-626 b.C.
He finished the conquest of Egypt, and reinforced the empire's eastern borders, conquering the Elamites in 639, marking Assyrias greatest extent.
During his reign, culture flourished in Assyria, one example of which is that he had many Babylonian inscriptions copied, and brought to Nineveh, where they were made into the city's library. The capital also housed Assurbanipal's palace. Militarily, however, the empire was in decline, primarily due to increased pressure from the emerging Median empire. Egypt was also lost, and rebellions flared up, due to Assurbanipal's opressive ruling-style. After his death in 626 b.C, the empire rapidly declined, and was conquered in 612 b.C, and Nineveh sacked, by an alliance of Nabopolassar of Babylonia and Kyaxares(sp?) of Media.

But then again, I'm a forum user...

[Tellos Athenaios]

I'll willing to bet you guys money that you can't find a person [who isn't on this forum and who isn't a historian or archaeologist] who knows who Ashurbanipal was.

Yes. He's that other guy from AoE.

[Hax]

Ashurbanipal is in the Axis of Evil?!

/me puts on his Bush-accent

Ladies and gentlemen, we need to invade Assyria.

[Onehandstan]

I learnt that two thousand years ago all the people in France were unites, had moustaches, only wore stripy pyjama bottoms and spoke english with a british accent.

[General Appo]

Ashurbanipal is in the Axis of Evil?!

/me puts on his Bush-accent

Ladies and gentlemen, we need to invade Assyria.

You mean Mexico! Ashurbanipal sounds kinda Mexican, right? *Dick nods and grins in evil fashion from a dark corner*

[theoldbelgian]

i am new here on the forum and english is not my first language so please forgive me
well here is what i learned from playing RTW
-once the mighty seqoia growed in the forests of germany
-we belgians were once britisch ,tally ho lad
-archers in the carthaginean army were solely trained to sit on the back of elephants
-i learned that you can rout any gaul by charging it in the front with equites
-that epeiros was a piece of cake to take by the start of the game this also goes up for those guys in segesta
-that sparta conquered all of greece before the romans started messing with them
-that scythians werent nomads at all, they lived in setlements wich could have walls
-i learned that the world was a whole lot bigger then
-i learned that the seleucids where a bunch of copycats without any originality

[Majd il-Romani]

I learned that the celts in Gaul, Britain, Spain, ans well as the Germans all looked, fought, spoke, and dressed almost exactly alike, with variation only in color and flag
that (in BI) the Berbers spoke Arabic, used the star-and-crescent-moon symbol of Islam, and had Islamic names about 300 years before muhammad was born
that the Romans came up with ninjas waaaaaaaaaay before Japan did
that druids were frontline soldiers and so were priests and other religious figures
that the Greek City-States used the Macedonian-style Phalanx and so did the Germans

[penguinking]

I learned that the Seleucid Empire fielded armies of militia hoplites in 272 BC. Their archenemies, the New Kingdom of Egypt, fielded armies of chariot archers and Pharaoh's bowmen.

[theoldbelgian]

I learned that the Seleucid Empire fielded armies of militia hoplites in 272 BC. Their archenemies, the New Kingdom of Egypt, fielded armies of chariot archers and Pharaoh's bowmen.

should't that be the old kingdom?

[Zeibek]

Having been passionately facinated by ancient history for more than a decade, I always assumed that people knew, at least to some extent, who Hannibal or Attila was. So when in High School, upon discussing ancient Rome, I made a reference to the former's crossing of the alps, people basicly asked in which of the movies that was...

I'm in High School and we just finished our first history course (out of two, the other one focusing solely on Finnish history), which astoundingly dealt with everything from the rise of civilization to the beginning of the 18th century. Anyway, most people did know that Hannibal was a military leader who crossed the Alps in order to invade Italy, but when we got to the part that he was Punic everyone besides me asked in unison what on earth that meant. It's sort of disappointing, since I'm completeing the IB diplomma program in one of the most demanding schools in the country and even here people have only a rudimentary grasp of history. I know that the IB is natural sciences oriented but still, one would assume that Carthage is something everybody has heard of.