Screenshot

[TosaInu]

[Sheogorath]

Goan blast thum !

[TosaInu]

[TosaInu]

[Thermal]

sweet

[Haxorsist]

I see you can easily identify on the mini map if a unit is infantry, artillery or cavalry. Nice. I wonder if the little icons on the unit cards in the first picture means that they're hidden.

[Incongruous]

Interesting unit numbers, also, on the minimap the opposing armies look like they are right next to each other, however they clearly are not. This suggests that CA have implemented maps which are truly huge in scale, also, notice the predominace of hills?
This is very good.

[Sir Beane]

Wow! These screens are fantastic. The game looks beautiful,. Especially from long range. Close up the graphics are only slightly better than Med 2. But from far away, wow.

And that last screenshot, Spain vs. Austria. The fields, hills, fences bushes and walls really bring the battlefield to life.

I really, really want to see a demo now.

[Thermal]

The Spanish one looks especially authentic, the mini map has lots of detail and textures in it, if the game is to be released in March, if there is to be a demo it should come out imminently, well we can hope that it does.
Also the battle speed is interesting, it looks like you can have half time as well as pause, incredible visuals too naturally.

[Lusitani]

Nice screenshots, many thanks.

Two things seem odd to me though:

-Cavalry seems too neatly deployed

-The pirate ship is a 15th/16th Centuries Galleon

Terrain looks great.

[Sir Beane]

Nice screenshots, many thanks.

Two things seem odd to me though:

-Cavalry seems too neatly deployed

-The pirate ship is a 15th/16th Centuries Galleon

Terrain looks great.

I suppose the cavalry or in quite neat ranks, but the formation may loosen once they get moving.

It was much more common that you might think for Galleons to be around, especially during the early 1700's. Galleons, Caravels and other old styles stuck around in the form of old ships and even some new ones built in the old style. It makes sense for pirates to be using outdated technology, they couldn't afford newer, sleeker designs.

[Mailman653]

I think the US units are, the general, two army units, two minutemen units, four army units, two green units which I can't figure out, two dragoons, one cav unit I can't put a name on, two arty units, two militia and two rocket units (captured from the English maybe?).

That's just speculation on my behalf. The minimap in the screenshot with the Spanish is massive, I can't imagine what it would look like with more armies on the field.

[Sol Invictus]

Majestic!

[Sir Beane]

Majestic!

Thats a very good way of describing the third screen shot. There's just something... stately and grand about the art style and graphics. Colourful uniforms, fantastic hats and fearsome facial hair, it really captures the spirit of the period.

[Nelson]

As good as the screen shots are, my first thought was “Yikes! Turn off all of those unit flags! They ruin the scene!”.

I’ve been turning them off for as long as the option has existed. Do folks usually leave them on during play? They annoy me to no end.

[Sol Invictus]

Yeah, the giant banners are an eyesore. Always the first thing I turn off.



Sir Beane, yeah, if it weren't for the giant banners, I can almost imagine that I'm standing on a hill watching a battle.

[bloodshed]

Where do you go to turn off the banners?

[Megas Methuselah]

I absolutely love the graphics, zoomed in, but particularly zoomed-out! And, moreover, I love how the units are spread across a large swatch of land, much like in NTW. This will be pretty sweeeet!!!!

Interesting unit numbers, also, on the minimap the opposing armies look like they are right next to each other, however they clearly are not. This suggests that CA have implemented maps which are truly huge in scale, also, notice the predominace of hills?
This is very good.

Yes, I noticed this! Awesome!

Where do you go to turn off the banners?

Well, I can't really answer for Empires, but in previous total war games, you can turn them off in the preferences.txt document just outside of the RTW main directory. Do a search in the RTW and M2TW forums for it.

[bloodshed]

Thanks med2 is much better.

[Megas Methuselah]

Don't thank me. Thank TosaInu for presenting these fantastic screenies for me, and me alone.

Or give me a balloon...

[Fondor_Yards]

Are those 2 units of Colonial Cuirassiers in the first picture? Did they even have such a unit?

[Polemists]

For some reason I can't see the screenshots, but i'l assume it's just some software issue.

I shall assume they are awesome and await the awesome demo soon to come.

[Megas Methuselah]

They are sooo awesome, Polemists. Godly, even. Their glory shines greater than that of even the sun itself, so magnificient are they. All the wonders of bygone days stading together would be nothing in comparison to these miraculous works of art.

It is too bad you cannot view them.

[sassbarman]

the pocket watch for the timer in the first screenshot is a nice touch. doesn't appear in the others though maybe they where from battles with no time limit.

[Veho Nex]

WHY DO YOU TORTURE ME SO!!! I CANT EVER PLAY THIS GAME ON MY CURRENT RIG!!! WHY TOSA WHYYYYY?!?!?!

*Cries in a cornor pulls hair over to one side and finds razor blade*

[Incongruous]

I really cannot get over the unit numbers, they are so much smaller than I expected, the average unit being 60-120 men. The graphics look very nice, but not in a way which makes my wallet suffer from internal bleeding.

It seems that perhaps this time CA have taken the speed off the GFX just a bit, I also like the way the overall look of the game is far more, ummm, limited? minimal? mature? than the previous two titles. Colours look more refrained and realistic, it looks grayer, dare I say it, it is reminding me a bit of MTW...

[pdoyle007]

The artillery units do not appear to have an ammunition level, does this mean unlimited ammo for your artillery? (see rockets and cannons on screen 1)

Also on the third ('SPAIN') screenshot there are two units on the bottom row, I presume dragoons, same unit card, one with an ammo level and one without?

[Incongruous]

Also on the third ('SPAIN') screenshot there are two units on the bottom row, I presume dragoons, same unit card, one with an ammo level and one without?

Yes, they are indeed dragoons, I believe they differ in that certain respect because one unit is dismounted, thus the ammo level, and one is still playing the role of cavalry, thus no ammo level as it would be impossoble to shoot from the saddle.

[Martok]

Nice screenies, Tosa. Me likey.

The artillery units do not appear to have an ammunition level, does this mean unlimited ammo for your artillery? (see rockets and cannons on screen 1)

Perhaps it was so rare for artillery to run out of ammo in battles that CA decided it was easier to just not include it in the game? Not sure.

Also on the third ('SPAIN') screenshot there are two units on the bottom row, I presume dragoons, same unit card, one with an ammo level and one without?

Heh; nice catch. I hadn't even noticed that.

My first guess is that it's a bug of some kind. Unless there are two separate dragoon units, one more focused on skirmishing....

[SwordsMaster]

I don't know if my eyes are deceiving me, but those look like cuirasseurs to me. I can clearly see the brass helmet with horsehair and the cuirasse. I'd say one has drawn pistols while the other is drawn swords or exhausted ammo, but they both look like cuirasseurs. The one next to the second cuirasseur (with the three-corner hat) does look like a dragoon unit.