Standard or Special Unit Version?

[Colovion]

So what'll you be buying? The Standard package or the Special Unit Version?

I'm split on this one, as I don't want to buy the standard version and find I'm missing out on key elements of the game. On the other hand, I don't know it it would be worth it to buy it and find that the special units are really not that important or, alternately, are so overpowered that I'd begin wondering how I'd get along without them.

It seems as if the Special Unit Version is akin to the Collectors Edition of other games where you get a little extra. It might come down to deciding two things at once: DVD or Steam, where DVD I'd spring for the Bonus units and Steam I'd get just the standard copy. But I still need to do more soul searching, heh.

[Belgolas]

Well I am buying both lol. The standard for my guest comp and the special forces for my main comp. I can't simply miss out on this. I love the total war franchise so I will support them as much as possible. Even if that means 20 bucks more for 6 extra units( I really wished it was 12 one for each faction :( )

[Sheogorath]

ESPECIALLY considering that THREE of the special units are for one faction.

No thanks. I'm getting standard. You have to have to buy off Steam for the Special Forces anyway...to get it for a decent price, anyway (if you buy it in a pack with regular ETW it's onl $10)

[knoddy]

wheres the collectors edition option, ive pre ordered my little box and my hip flask and my compass! HELL YES!

[Fisherking]

For those of us in Europe it is less expensive to preorder the Special Forces Edition from Play.com or perhaps one of the others, than to buy the regular edition from Steam…and get a special unit…

When M2TW was released I received my copy at 09:00 on release day! I can’t complain about that.

I could get it a little cheaper if I ordered from Amazon UK but I would rather have the ship than the Amazons. It doesn’t coast much more to get the extras from them. It is actually less than going down to a shop and picking up the regular edition for us on the Continent.

[Ituralde]

Yeah, I preordered from Play.com as well. You don't pay more than you would pay for other games at release. And I don't care much for the extra units, but I do care about the map and such that is included in the Special Forces Edition.

[Polemists]

Special Forces edition is only being sold in europe at this point far as I can tell.

Amazon.co.uk
or
Play.com

Will ship to both on the 4th.


If you live in states you get in on 3rd but Amazon.com does not have a special forces edition up yet, so I dunno.

[Sir Beane]

I'm getting Special Forces from Play.com. It's only £35 to pre-order it, which is more or less as much as a normal game goes for over here.

The map is what I want, and the reason I'm getting a DVD copy. The Special Units seem interesting, thought it's a shame there are not more of them.

[pdoyle007]

It is the same price from Amazon but the release date says 27th March, I though both versions came out on the 3rd/4th?

I would go for the speical unit version, even if you hate the fact that 3 units are for one factor imagine the joy of crushing them

[Sir Beane]

It is the same price from Amazon but the release date says 27th March, I though both versions came out on the 3rd/4th?

I would go for the speical unit version, even if you hate the fact that 3 units are for one factor imagine the joy of crushing them

I think Amazon have just made a mistake. Also I should know this but which faction is it that gets three of the Special Units?

[Polemists]

For those of you in US or other countries waiting.

When the game goes gold (next week going by past trends) then they will probably post up a special edition to.

[Fisherking]

I think Amazon have just made a mistake. Also I should know this but which faction is it that gets three of the Special Units?

The Ghoorkas, HMS Victory, and Roger’s Rangers all belonged to one faction.

Can you guess which one?

[CountArach]

The Ghoorkas, HMS Victory, and Roger’s Rangers all belonged to one faction.

Can you guess which one?

Mysore?

[Merak]

standard edition it is for med (but i am whating for the demo before making the pre-purchase

[Fisherking]

Mysore?

yoursore What?

[knoddy]

u can get all 3 editions in Aus, cant believe nobody besides me is getting the collectors edition! hehe

[Polemists]

Actually I don't think collector's edition has been announced yet though it has been mentioned once or twice.

Again, when game goes gold next week I expect a annoucnement on types of editions you can get and where you can get them (America, Europe , Aus , etc).

Till then it's all just pre order jargon as no one has anything.

[Fisherking]

Actually I don't think collector's edition has been announced yet though it has been mentioned once or twice.

Again, when game goes gold next week I expect a annoucnement on types of editions you can get and where you can get them (America, Europe , Aus , etc).

Till then it's all just pre order jargon as no one has anything.

I searched it!

It was for sale on one site for $69.99

Six SF units , map, & Art Book "The Art of Empire: Total War“

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/Prod...oduct_id=73290

And the bigger model for big bucks…$139.95

http://www.ebgames.com.au/PC/product.cfm?ID=13712

Ship master’s wooden box
Stainless steel flask
Nautical compass

.

[SpencerH]

"Gold editions" are fine, if you want to pay more for a map, a figurine, or whatever, that's your business. OTOH the whole idea of a "special unit edition" that costs 40% more than the standard version is bogus and should be boycotted. Incremental game versions is a bad idea for us and for the game companies.

[Sir Beane]

I searched it!

It was for sale on one site for $69.99

Six SF units , map, & Art Book "The Art of Empire: Total War“

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/Prod...oduct_id=73290

And the bigger model for big bucks…$139.95

http://www.ebgames.com.au/PC/product.cfm?ID=13712

Ship master’s wooden box
Stainless steel flask
Nautical compass

.

Wow! If only I had the money to buy something like that. The compass and flask look great.

[Polemists]

It looks awesome, and I would buy it, but sadly collector's editions never ship to my part of the world....so sad....but so true.

I'm lucky games ship here at all

[Fisherking]

As some of us have pointed out. It is cheaper to buy the SF English Edition than it is to download the standard edition.

It is also much cheaper to buy the English version than a German version by about €20.00. And again that is the SF vs. the Regular. I get the SF for €48 or if I buy it here it costs me €70 for the Regular…

On line it is about 20% more expensive to buy the SF than the Regular and not 40%. And that is no map.

The collectors editions are likely put to gather with the vendors either selecting options or having the items prepared as added content themselves.

As much as some may dislike it, it is just marketing, plane and simple. Not buying it our boycotting it is not going to change anything but sails figures.

If it were going to add more content for less money I would be right there with you, but I don’t think that it would make a difference.

I don’t need a flask or compos. I wont miss an art book.

I will take extra units. Seven not six for €10. They will make money on the extra time for the extra units and that is great.

Others want the tip top most elite version possible and are willing to pay for it. It is their money and their choice.

I don’t see CA ripping us off. I see Sega trying new marketing tactics.
_______________________________________________________________________________________

And if anyone needs to know what would go into that flask, I would recommend Stroh 80.

It is a fortified Austrian Rum Spirit, and at 80% (160 proof) is also the best thing I have found for a Grog! Bar-none…

Pursers Rum! Baah! This is much better…

[Polemists]

Yes, and some of us can only order standard edition from amazon or download it from steam...because it is a cruel...cruel....silence....leaving me here on my ownnnnn....okay I'm done.

I do hope amazon will put up special edition soon though.

[Fisherking]

Yes, and some of us can only order standard edition from amazon or download it from steam...because it is a cruel...cruel....silence....leaving me here on my ownnnnn....okay I'm done.

I do hope amazon will put up special edition soon though.

So you can't get it from Amazon.co.uk? And no one else ships to there?

And I know you can't get STROH 80...

Man, I am so sorry! You may have to wait untill that R&R...

I know now why you want that Demo so much!

[Polemists]

Amazon.co.uk only ships to the European states, Aka (Not where I am)

Amazon.com ships to where I am, but they only ship the basic version of Empire Total War.

I can download it from steam, but 15 gigs at 20-30kb/s gonna be pretty darn slow, let's be honest.


I can only hope Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk get together and have tea at some point

[Durango]

"Gold editions" are fine, if you want to pay more for a map, a figurine, or whatever, that's your business. OTOH the whole idea of a "special unit edition" that costs 40% more than the standard version is bogus and should be boycotted. Incremental game versions is a bad idea for us and for the game companies.

I concur. I too will not buy the SF version, not out of disinterest, but of principle. Well, OK, the map would be nice but the special units are not terribly exciting.

But then again, since I'm not even going to buy the game on release (can't run it, in fact), I might as well wait to see if the extra units are available elsewhere or through modding. My approach here is to wait, read a lot of reviews, upgrade my rig eventually, see what others are saying, play the demo and then decide if the quality of the game warrants a purchase. Being that I didn't like RTW/M2TW, I'm cautious...

[SpencerH]

As some of us have pointed out. It is cheaper to buy the SF English Edition than it is to download the standard edition.

It is also much cheaper to buy the English version than a German version by about €20.00. And again that is the SF vs. the Regular. I get the SF for €48 or if I buy it here it costs me €70 for the Regular…

On line it is about 20% more expensive to buy the SF than the Regular and not 40%. And that is no map.

So the brits get a special price, for them it makes sense. For the rest of us, ie the majority of the sales, the online SF version is $70 and the standard is $50. 20/50 is 40% more expensive than the standard version.

As much as some may dislike it, it is just marketing, plane and simple. Not buying it our boycotting it is not going to change anything but sails figures.......

And effects on sales figures is what causes executive "bean-counters" to take notice. I believe that the online activities by those players who were disgusted with M2TW was eventually noted by the bean-counters" and that in turn had beneficial effects for the direction and development of ETW.

.....I don’t see CA ripping us off. I see Sega trying new marketing tactics.

I didnt suggest that CA was ripping anyone off, I just think that a tiered game price is foolish. Why should the Brits get them for free and everyone else pay out much more? Does anyone want to guess how quickly the units will be freely available as "mods" - less than 24hours? How many players will pay extra to SEGA for something freely available to others? What will SEGA's attitude then be? There will be gnashing of teeth, cries of piracy, and bad feelings all around.

IMO, this is an idea that was not well thought out.

[Sir Beane]

So the brits get a special price, for them it makes sense. For the rest of us, ie the majority of the sales, the online SF version is $70 and the standard is $50. 20/50 is 40% more expensive than the standard version.

It isn't just Britain. Play.com is not an exclusive British store, anyone can order from them.

And effects on sales figures is what causes executive "bean-counters" to take notice. I believe that the online activities by those players who were disgusted with M2TW was eventually noted by the bean-counters" and that in turn had beneficial effects for the direction and development of ETW.

Bean-counters will indeed take notice of poor sales of a Special Forces edition. Rather than deciding to add more content into the next one they will probably just decided to not make one at all however. Boycotting sends a message, but not a very clear one. You might be saying 'we want more content', you might be saying 'we want to pay less' or you might be saying 'I really hate Special Editions'. Sega has no way of knowing which message you were trying to get across. Of course you're perfectly within your rights not to purchase the Special Forces Edition, I'm just saying that it's unlikely to inform marketing decisions.

I didnt suggest that CA was ripping anyone off, I just think that a tiered game price is foolish. Why should the Brits get them for free and everyone else pay out much more? Does anyone want to guess how quickly the units will be freely available as "mods" - less than 24hours? How many players will pay extra to SEGA for something freely available to others? What will SEGA's attitude then be? There will be gnashing of teeth, cries of piracy, and bad feelings all around.

IMO, this is an idea that was not well thought out.

If $70 is the price for the SF edition where you are then you aren't paying much more for it than people ordering it from Play.com. Games in Britain tend to be more expensive than elsewhere due to VAT so $70 for a game is actually the standard price over here. If I remember correctly GTAIV and several other new PC releases are upwards of $80 for the standard game.

I'm buying the Special Forces edition for the map and not for the units. So pirates will find it much harder to make that available online for free. Personally I will take pride in the fact I got my extra content legally, and helped support CA.

[Fookison]

I was able to pre-order the Special Forces Edition from EB Games in Canada last week ($69.99 cdn). Now for the wait........

[Emperor of Graal]

Well I'm going to get standard unless something changes my mind