Netherland is confirmed! And requirements!

[seireikhaan]

I'm scared now. I've only got 2.27 GHz (dual core), Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB RAM), & 4 Gigs'o RAM. Do you guys think my processor will bring my performance down significantly?

You'll probably have some slowdown issues with any kind of heavy forests, possibly towns as well depending on how those get laid out. If you get into any REALLY massive battles, you might run into issues also. However, I'm not quite an expert on the issue.

[Belgolas]

I'm scared now. I've only got 2.27 GHz (dual core), Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB RAM), & 4 Gigs'o RAM. Do you guys think my processor will bring my performance down significantly?

I think you will be fine on medium settings. This game is going to be more optimized then medieval 2. I would say wait till the game comes out then decide if you want/need to upgrade. By that time hardware prices will be cheaper and you could get a better computer for the same price if you bought today.

[CrackedAxe]

I'm scared now. I've only got 2.27 GHz (dual core), Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB RAM), & 4 Gigs'o RAM. Do you guys think my processor will bring my performance down significantly?

Surely that CPU is 2x 2.27 Ghz, which is almost twice the quoted specs as they state 'single core'. I really don't think you'll have a problem with that system on medium settings, even for large battles. If you did, then the devs are going to have a problem with sales. According to a recent Nvidia survey over 60% of PC gamers still have single core CPU's and rather mid to low specs. I'm betting the devs are smarter than to req themselves out of the market.

[Nelson]

You never look at the minimum specs anyway. You look at recommended ones, and usually even that is not enough.

Amen to that. CA always leaves gobs of room for future PC enhancements.

[Megas Methuselah]

Surely that CPU is 2x 2.27 Ghz

I'm not sure, how can you tell? It's a Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU P8400, btw...

[Husar]

I'm not sure, how can you tell? It's a Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU P8400, btw...

Eh, you said dual core and since it's a Core 2 Duo it is certainly a dual core and he is right.

[Slammer]

guys i could run me2 at high settings and only time it bog down when i tryed massive battle with around 12000 or more men fighting i have quad core 6700 4 gig ram 2 8800gtx in sli with 2 10000 speed raptor hard drives . From what yall have seen where do you think this will go thanks

[Megas Methuselah]

A little bird told me you can murder Empires with a blink of your eye.

Yeah, I was concerned about my processor. Thanks for the help, guys.

[Dutch_guy]

guys i could run me2 at high settings and only time it bog down when i tryed massive battle with around 12000 or more men fighting

I think you just answered your own question right there.

[Pinxit]

guys i could run me2 at high settings and only time it bog down when i tryed massive battle with around 12000 or more men fighting i have quad core 6700 4 gig ram 2 8800gtx in sli with 2 10000 speed raptor hard drives . From what yall have seen where do you think this will go thanks

Oh, Im so sorry to be the one tell you this. Your computer is to slow. Its nothing but a miracle that you can play even ME2 on that computer...

[TevashSzat]

guys i could run me2 at high settings and only time it bog down when i tryed massive battle with around 12000 or more men fighting i have quad core 6700 4 gig ram 2 8800gtx in sli with 2 10000 speed raptor hard drives . From what yall have seen where do you think this will go thanks

/sarcasm

What the hell? The intel i7 965 has been out for 3 weeks already and you still don't have it? Quad cores are a joke when compared to it.

4 Gigs? Hell, you can get 16 gigs on some computers already.....4 gigs is so last year

Also, why didn't you upgrade your GPUs already? You should have at least Crossfire 4870 X2s by now....

You would be lucky to run ETW on min resolution with min settings with at max 2 men on the field....

/end sarcasm

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

TevashSzat - my suitemate is building your sarcastic computer, just with 3 nVidias instead of 2 ATI's. :P

[Belgolas]

2 months, 1 day and 17 hours till the game comes out :)

[Slammer]

Well when i fixed this one i was going to buy a falcon northwest mach 5 to play med2 . did not want it to bog down like my last compute did .

[Martok]

I'm contemplating upgrading my video card. I *really* don't want to, as I'm paranoid about a new card not being able to run Shogun and MTW (which I still play), but I only barely meet the requirements as it is right now.

I suppose if nothing else, I can try out the demo (whenever it comes out) and see how well my computer handles it. I can then make a decision after that.

[Arcana]

@Martok: I believe ATi, much as I loathe their hardware (they're just not as good as nVidia...), is probably the video card company of choice for you if you want to upgrade and still play STW and MTW.


But in any case: Hell, I think even MTW2 had steeper requirements than that (IIRC)! Even I was worried about having to upgun my two-year-old rig for ETW on max settings. Then I remembered it's playing Dead Space in all its horrifying glory on max settings =P

But wow, I didn't know that about the Dutch Navy burning the British Fleet at anchor...I must read up on that. The Dutch shall be among the first of my conquests... (insert evil laugh here)

[ULC]

Hehehe...I will have just enough money to buy another set of computer parts, to smoothly run ETW on both machines for a mere $500 at medium high settings on one, high to very high an another. This of course means I must cannibalize a third computer, but eh, sacrifices must be made

[TevashSzat]

I loathe their hardware (they're just not as good as nVidia...)

That would be true maybe 6 months ago, but it is hardly the case now.

The ATI Radeon 4870 X2 easily beats the Nvidia GTX 280 in terms of performance. Also, Nvidia doesn't seem to have any plans of releasing a videocard that can beat the 4870 X2 anytime close in the future

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

My comp can run it, just need to cut down settings like I had to do for M2TW MP.

[Belgolas]

@Martok: I believe ATi, much as I loathe their hardware (they're just not as good as nVidia...), is probably the video card company of choice for you if you want to upgrade and still play STW and MTW.

That simply isn't true. I have has plenty of cards from both companies and all of them were good except for one ATI card I had to RMA. Right now for price/performance you would get an ATI card. A year ago you would have gotten a Nvidea card. Things change about every six months. But if I could go back in time I would have got 2 GTX 280 in SLI instead of a 4870 X2 only because it is easier to find after market cooling for the 280. But that has nothing to do with what company is better. All in all just go for the best price/performance with a few minor variables included like warranty and heat/power. I just don't care about brand names anymore.

Oh and if ya want to continue playing STW then I would skip out on any modern computer because you will get graphical errors in STW. But it is still playable. Him though there is one thing I haven't tried yet and that is turning crossfire off. So maybe that will help. Well got to install STW again :p.

[Arcana]

I suppose it depends what you play. My experience of ATi has been a much rockier road than my experience with nVidia - Knights of the Old Republic being the key example. I presume they've probably sorted this out in the years I've stuck with nVidia but back then their cards just couldn't make KotOR work right...something to do with OpenGL or whatnot (not just a Vista thing - this was before Vista was even released, though I suppose it can't help matters much). Got a nVidia, worked like a dream.

On the other hand, players of old Total War games had better experience with ATi. I believe they fixed their problems whereas nVidia didn't really bother. I'm sure it's somewhere on this forum or on twcenter that I read it...not sure, but this is just one example. There was uproar on the nvidia forums about it too but their tech support gurus subscribe to the Apple iPod school of hardware support - 'They'll eventually shut up and get with the times. It's only an old game/model anyway.'

ATi, on the other hand, fixed the problem when it was brought up, which is why I advise them to anyone who wants to keep playing the old one when they upgrade...personally I've never taken the opportunity so I don't know what I'm missing all I know is they both crash when I try and load them up and it's apparently a problem with my nvidia's graphics card drivers. KotOR playability's more important to me than STW or MTW playability (I've never played them, only been playing since Rome which works dandy) so I just roll with it :P

[gardibolt]

I think you will be fine on medium settings. This game is going to be more optimized then medieval 2. I would say wait till the game comes out then decide if you want/need to upgrade. By that time hardware prices will be cheaper and you could get a better computer for the same price if you bought today.

I do hope that CA have done their optimization work properly, since M2TW only used one core of dual core machines---if Empire does that a dual core 2.2 isn't going to do you any good at all.