MTW's gameplay can be summed up in one line

[Koga No Goshi]

Thank you very much. I am truly honored that so many people seem to be going out of their way to say welcome back and remember who I am.

It sounds like a lot of the issues I am experiencing are simply symptomatic of vanilla MTW. I will admit that unless I am playing a game online and require to have the latest patch, I will typically play without patches or mods unless I get truly bored or there is something gamebreaking going on. It sounds like my game diversity would improve at least a little by patching, so I will make it a point to do that and try it out.

Thanks for all the detailed information about the behavior of the Almohads and Mongols, by the way.

[Martok]

Thank you very much. I am truly honored that so many people seem to be going out of their way to say welcome back and remember who I am.

Hey, you were a member of the original "Shogun class" back when I first started hanging around this joint. I was so intimidated/overawed by you guys that I lurked for almost two years before finally working up the courage to register and start posting.

In general, I think you'll find that veterans are very welcome here.

It sounds like a lot of the issues I am experiencing are simply symptomatic of vanilla MTW. I will admit that unless I am playing a game online and require to have the latest patch, I will typically play without patches or mods unless I get truly bored or there is something gamebreaking going on. It sounds like my game diversity would improve at least a little by patching, so I will make it a point to do that and try it out.

I would certainly recommend it, yes. The patches can definitely make a difference, and mods even more so.

Which version of MTW do you play, by the way? Do you have Viking Invasion, or just the original game?

Thanks for all the detailed information about the behavior of the Almohads and Mongols, by the way.

No problem. I'm always happy to be of help (not to mention have a chance to ramble on for a while).

[Roark]

My favourite line of all time is:

"The enemy general lies dead! A blackguard gone to his deserved grave..."

This is the moment in the battle when you know all the hard work has paid off. :-)

[Koga No Goshi]

On a totally unrelated side note, I think one of the coolest voiceover clips for attacking in a strategy war game are the French cavalry units in AOE III. I didn't like the game overall, but there's a line they use... and I don't know a lick of French, so I'm sure I'll mangle it, but it's something like alles attack! It sounds really cool the way the voice actor says it.

I do miss the old guard--- I can't remember everyone as it's been so long, but Kurando, ShaiHulud, TosaInu and a few others come to mind. If there's a place where the old regs tend to congregate, do let me know. ;)

Oh yes and I forgot to answer. I have vanilla MTW and vanilla RTW. I fell out of the cutting edge; the only reason I had Mongol Invasion the day it came out was because I was regularly playing online at the time. I tend to buy the Total War games as soon as they hit the shelves and then go off and happily amuse myself with them for awhile and totally forget to come back and check forums and sites to see if expansions are out soon. Since I am back into Total War at the moment, if anyone could let me know if the MTW or RTW expansions are worthwhile that would be appreciated.

[bondovic]

Since I am back into Total War at the moment, if anyone could let me know if the MTW or RTW expansions are worthwhile that would be appreciated.

If you mean the official expansion to MTW - MTW: VI, then absolutely. As I say this, I realize that I don't even remember how vanilla was back in the days... Bottom line; you get new viking units. That alone should do it.

After aquiring the MTW: VI expansion, you should look into the various mods. My favourite being MTW: XL with Tyberius' add on - that really does wonders for the unit graphics on the battle map. However, there are issues with this mod that not everyone likes, especially those who don't do any text modding for themselves:

1. Land bridges are removed, with the exception of the bridge between Denmark and Scania (added province for the mod at the southern tip of the swedish peninsula).

2. Unit balance is way different, not only in regards to fighting stats but price, support costs and tech reqs' as well.

3. There are a lot of new units added. Some of these are seriously overpowered and can disrupt the balance drastically. E.g. the 'Basque Warriors' of Navarre. Left unchecked, these dudes wins wars for you. Period. If you're delicate about balance and temperance, I recommend that you get your hands on a 'Gnome Editor' so that you'll be able to work it out for yourself.

4. Troop morale. For me, this is a serious downer. It just feels weird and unromantic to read the unit descriptions and see the Militia Sergeants: "Strong Charge, Armoured, Excellent morale". I don't like the switch from morale based battles to fighting skill based battles, though. I can understand if you do! But I don't.

5. Building time is reduced. Also, the factions start with more infrastructure. This means higher tech armies from the get go. Not as much peasant mauling, more pinning and flanking. Is this your cup of tea?

6. Trade is nerfed. Well, not to the point of redundancy, but enough to not give you a nitro boost into world domination from just a couple of provinces. Farm income is increased instead, meaning better balance between your economy and the AIs', since the AI just doesn't maintain trade routes effectively. For some, though, the 'trading empire' was a fun way to turtle but still remain competitive.

Can't really think of anything else at the moment, although I'm sure there are lots of things I've left out. Like, yeah, new factions. Meaning fewer rebel provinces. Meaning a more competitive early expansion phase. Now I'm done.