First Impressions

[Fisherking]

The game is out world wide now but we seem to be hearing very little from our members here at the .org.

I got my copy today and loaded it up. It took me about 40 min. to load and activate. I had no problems either with the game or with Steam.

The intro played smoothly and the game seems to work fine with the auto-detect functions for settings. If my machine actually meets specs, it is only by the skin of my teeth, so it is a pleasant surprise.

I loaded one of the tutorials, then escaped out just a little way into it... of course that was a crushing defeat, but I still got some achievement or other from Steam. I didn't look at what it was...it could have been "you really suck" for all I know.

I then went on to the Coalition Campaigns, and loaded up Britain. Not that I finished or even intended to.

Everything is much more detailed, and I do mean everything. However, it also leave the impression that you are playing in a twilight setting and everything it a bit dark.

The Campaigns of Napoleon are not near so dark. Some of it could be the fog of war but even your own country in the Coalition Campaigns seems set at dusk.

I think you will find battles more challenging in NTW, both land and sea. The look and feel of the game is different but most of the controls are the same.

The trade spots are still there but they run along the edge of the map. There are also two types of trade ships I saw. Indiamen and merchant ships.

I am sure I have mist have of what is new and different but I have spent less than an hour looking things over.

[ShadesWolf]

Also got my version today, and at first looks quite impressed

found same problem took 40 mins to install, then played right away no problems, very smooth

Played a couple of historic battles and then straight into online play.
Had about 5 games so far, first three were fairly easy 1v1 and won all

then i progressed onto 2v2, bit of problem as none of my clan r around anymore so was totally wiped out, not coordinated to easy for them. well played boys

very impressed with game tho.

[antisocialmunky]

It has all the little things that make a game polished. It feels like a complete game like ETW should have been. :-p

My favorite one is that the loading screens now show information on how the deployment looks. I hope it also shows reenforcement direction. :)

[Warluster]

Yes, the game feels much more complete then ETW. All of the small additions add up to a much more enjoyale game *so far*. I've been playing for a day or so of the Italian campaign. I managed to get two heroic victories (which show on the map!!) which then gave me a special trait for Napoleon (a medal of some sort from the Consul) and increased war support in Paris which led to several more regiments joining the army.

The game runs really, really well. In ETW I could play at very low, but in NTW I can play at Medium - High. The small graphical additions which come from this are plentiful, and the game is really immersive. It deifntly isn't a 'revolution', but its such a 'evolution' that from how much I've played, I'm well impressed. (Things such as cannon marks in the ground and riderless horses running around and new smoke effects are well done.)


So far the AI is not bad. I'm playing on normal for battle and campaign. In the campaign I've thrown Napoleon and Massena at Turin and both times I won (Once outnumbered by 500 Sardinian line infantry, but I had a good position on a hill) but was forced to retreat to resupply and reinforce. Every time I snuck across the border they would throw full stacks at me, and once they were beaten off Turin was being constantly (every turn) reinforced by two line regiments from other Sardinian and Austrian cities. I have seen a army massing at the border preparing to strike at Nice (Which is essentially the flank of my campaign).

In the *infamous* BAI, its average so far. The battles I've played were fun and always involved more then 1500 which is already different to ETW for me. Two battles worth mentioning; one in the Alps. I'd sent four revolutionary regiments onto the flank of the Sardinians *Artillery is much more deadly now. It'll demolish your units* while I sent one chausseurs and dragoons to wear down the enemy, while hodling my flank with some militia. *Maybe I was just playing crap * but the enemy attacked my light infantry with artillery, sent the main army out of the city *no forts anymore?* which then advanced on my flanking main army, and meanwhile it slipped two squadrons of dragoons around my right flank and struck at my one milita reserves, killed them all and attempted to hit my main army in the back! I did manage to hold back my chasseurs and cut down their advance but it was a fun experince.

A bad battle was when I had six regiments of fusiliers and revolutionary line advancing on a artillery battery, some militia and a general. I had sent off my artillery towards a hill which the general attempted to attack (But Napoleon ambushed them, himself ) while the artillery fired straight into the side of a hill.

Overall, so far I feel I haven't wasted my money (In ETW I was horrified by it during the second RTI mission...) and its worth the $30 - $50 *I did buy the Emperor's Edition though. If there was an a award for game packaging and extras, CA should win it. ).

The only bugs I've encountered was a one CTD after 10 - 15 turns in the Italian campaign. I also had to download 6 GB of the game off Steam which is half of my Internet limit gone. Fun so far but I am not judging this game completely for another week or two.

[antisocialmunky]

The freaking AI killed me in Italy. I overextended myself and didn't really have a good supply network. Since hte 2 turn reinforcement is totally gone, you get totally killed by AI continually suiciding armies. It likes to just throw itself at you when it knows it has you during battles. They'll stop, shoot, move a few times and then charge your butt with their mass.

[Freedom Onanist]

Got to agree that everything does look a bit dark...

[Devastatin Dave]

The game is out world wide now but we seem to be hearing very little from our members here at the .org.

:

I think because people were so burned with ETW that they are holding off on NTW. I couldn't help myself and bought it when it first came out and have been pleasantly surprised. Its a very well polished game and I've only found one bug where I go into square formation over an earth work and the unit could not go back into a regular formation. Besides that, I'm loving this and Creative Assembly has won me back.