In praise of the game.

[Elmar Bijlsma]

Noooo, not ETW. Don't be silly. But the naval aspect of Empire? Yes, I rather like it. Love it, actually.
Who could've foreseen that both the veteran tactical and strategic portions of Empire would stumble on stage causing great embarrassment, yet the rookie naval game shines proudly.

True, the naval game is a touch arcade out of the box, but the modders seem to have been purposely handed enough to make it more to my liking.
More importantly, the AI is pretty decent. Sure, you should be able to beat the AI even with fewer and smaller craft. It's not without it's flaws, like the AI's fleet getting itself in a confused and immobile pileup. But at no time will you see the mind boggling incompetence witnessed in the strategic or battlefield parts. If I make a move, the AI responds. If I try to cross the T, the AI tries to manoeuvre so that it can match me gun for gun. It just feels like the AI knows hows to win.
Thus, suspension of disbelief is maintained. Which is all I ever required, really.


Which makes it such a pity that the bulk of this very enjoyable naval game is hidden away in Empire. You have to wrestle your way through the early to mid game before the AI fields decent fleets and once you sink them, it's damnably reluctant to rebuild.
I would definitely buy a game where this naval engine gets used in it's own game where it's all about a naval campaign. Or something like Pirates! As the naval game is now, it can more then hold it's own against the current games in it's genre, like the offerings from Akella.

I really hope CA takes the Naval engine further then a mere Total War sideshow. It deserves more.