Announce your victory!

[Wilbo]

Since it takes so much time to complete Rome II, I thought it would be good to have a thread where you can announce your hard-fought victory to the world!

I've just finished my Roman campaign, in the year 89 BC. I took the Roman Empire to a Military Victory, holding all lands west of the euphrates, in a while under 100 hours. My only claim over the real Romans is that I shattered the Germans and northern nomads - though it really put into perspective what an achievement it was to hold the real empire together! Typically, my armies were 14 legionaries (evocati or praetorians), two aux cavalry, two heavy siege and two scorpions. I can't tell you how useful the siege weapons were!

This was on Normal difficulty, which was perhaps a touch too easy. However, I suspect that's because the legionaries are SO TOUGH, so other factions will be less of a walk over... Next up, Parthia or Macedon - either way, I've been reading about the wars of the Diadochi, so an eastern empire it is for me (one with greater focus on cavalry too).

[Bramborough]

Nice work! 89BC is, IMO, a pretty respectable end-date, regardless of difficulty level or Roman OP-ness. It's not as if on Normal the legions recruit faster or march farther. Speaks to some pretty aggressive campaign orchestration.

I've completed two Roman campaigns, one military and one cultural. Roughly 250-260ish turns for each, both also on Normal. Playing Rome is fun for me, I'm a bit of a Roman history buff. I will agree, however, that they're a bit over-strong. I suppose one might counter-argue that they should be...as history would seem to indicate that real legions were OP as well. In any case, I will certainly return to Rome in R2...but I won't play them on Normal again.



An odd thing here is that I actually had fewer settlements under my control for the military victory (the rather patchwork-looking map on the left). Reason: I used military allies and client states pretty heavily...over 25% of the final settlement count. Notice I had to "skip over" a big belt of MA/CSs in Balkans/Anatolia/Levant in order to gain more territory farther east. Also worth mentioning: through ignorance, I made a pretty big mistake in not directly taking over Mauretania and/or Syria....I learned on 2nd campaign the economic power of these provinces, thanks to their insanely profitable Purple Dye towns (Migdol and Tyros, respectively). If you're playing further east, Caucasus and Bactria have gold towns. Neither dye nor gold show up in the trade-resource windows or the strategic map, I finally caught a clue about them while perusing the online Campaign Planner. http://maps.totalwar.com/

On the second go for cultural, I never made alliances, not even NAPs. I did temporarily CS a couple of factions, with full intent to gobble them up later. I also made an effort to match as closely as I could the bounds of the historical empire. Note that if one takes into account never-quite-realized Roman aspirations in Mesopotamia and Persia, then the 35 province culture-victory requirement is very close (perhaps subtract Persis and add Dacia). Makes me wonder if 35 was arbitrary or if there was actually some thought behind that number.

I do recommend giving a Hellenic or Eastern faction a try. As you may have seen in my separate AAR thread, I'm having a go at Pontus now, and finding them more challenging than Rome at the same difficulty level. I'm still winning almost all the battles...but primarily because I'm much more careful about who/when/where/how I fight than I ever was with the legions. And victories or not, I seem to be losing an inordinate number of generals...gotta figure out what I'm doing wrong there.

[Sp4]

Can't remember when I finished mine, 80 or something BC?

-E- Nevermind, was 60.

[Slaists]

Never finished a campaign on RTW 2 yet. Always restart with each beta patch to see how the new changes affect gameplay. At least now, with patch IV beta, I have yet to spot any starving AI's, which makes starting expansion harder (and more fun).

[AntiDamascus]

I haven't even gotten close yet. I too, keep restarting games to see how stuff has changed.

[Jarmam]

Beat the Roman Junia campaign on Legendary with a military victory after 260 turns. It was primarily a messing-around-and-learning-playthrough, while also used for testing each new patch (except the newest). Didnt manage to get a single legion or general to max rank, but I played with the "rule" that if a legion is destroyed it cannot be re-instated, because that's just silly! Oh well, quadruple-stack-ambush on my highest ranked legion... erh... too bad for that achievement.

Rome is unfathomably powerful, which I can feel while playing my newest Parthia campaign and while trying to subdue Epirus, Sparta and Athens as Macedon. I suspect the new patch's changes to how flanking works on morale and fighting efficiency will make tactics more viable to overcome unit ineffeciency, but with Rome its hard to tell since even when limiting a legion to 2 Praetorians and 2 First Cohorts the strategy of walk-into-enemy-in-a-very-organised-straight-line-and-hit-in-flank-with-cavalry would win 99% of all fights. And once the AI finally teched up some goodness I had Armored Eagles and decided to give Ballistas a try. Ballistas are good. Use them. Especially against transport ships.

Off to fight Hellas with Macedon in preparation for the Seleucid patch!

[Kamakazi]

All Hail the Spartans!!!

I just finished my first campaign as the Spartans. It ended in military victory in 16BC Special Mention to Ares' Dread that finished 78-0 ove the course of the campaign!

If someone would refresh me on how to post a pic other than a thumbnail id appreciate it

[Sp4]

How did you deal with the melee infantry spam of the barbarian factions?

[Kamakazi]

I didn't really have that problem. All the barbs loaded up on peltasts and slingers for the most part. Rode those down with my cavs ;)

[Sp4]

I didn't really have that problem. All the barbs loaded up on peltasts and slingers for the most part. Rode those down with my cavs ;)

I just started a new campaign as Sparta and I find their lack of melee infantry really annoying when you go up against stacks of 4-5 Oathsworn and a bunch of short swords + a lot of other misc sh*t. There's really nothing your phalanx or hoplites can do to stop them or give you enough time to cav flank them early on. My mistake is probably starting a war with them before having teched up to heroes of Sparta =X

[Kamakazi]

I never even used heroes of Sparta. I used the white shielded hoplites (cant remember their name offhand) If your having a problem against them throw your guys in phalanx and keep em tight. You should be fine. On the other hand I just started a Parthia Campaign and holy hell I hate horse archers

[AntiDamascus]

Everyone hates horse archers except those who have horse archers.

[Myth]

I haven't even gotten close yet. I too, keep restarting games to see how stuff has changed.

Haha same thing

[Bramborough]

What is the reason for starting over with a new game for a patch? Genuine question: what am I missing?

[TargetSlayer]

Completed my first campaign as Roman (Julii). Vanilla on Normal. Keeping in mind I started this campaign and was well underway by the time patch 3 and 4 arrived, but I found Normal too easy - too easy to make lots of money and field elite units. Took me a while to really understand Shogun 2 on Normal. Even patched I think Rome 2 should be played by most on Hard and above. Anyway.

What I like about the campaign design is that there is no time limit! Great for folks like me who enjoy taking our time. Speaking of which, I achieved a Cultural Victory around 410 turns (told you I took my time). Mind you at this point I was just shy 5 settlements for a Military Victory. While I enjoy no time limit, I hope CA will provide Short and Long Campaigns, plus really tweak the Economic and Cultural Victory conditions so it doesn't just feel like another Military Victory.

Very much enjoy this era and I find Rome 2 fun, especially after patch 4. Really hope they add a video for each of the wonders they have placed on the campaign map (like the original Rome). Are there still bonuses capturing these settlements? I will need to check.

Love researching tech and wish they would return to something like Empire/Napoleon. We need more events happening besides the civil war. Notwithstanding everything since launch, I am enjoying the game on my laptop (Alienware) at Very High settings with AA on (30-40 fps). Like the provincial system and the cap on total armies. Still wish it was more obvious what settlements require further construction (i.e., the construction report is nice but still requires took much clicking back and forth - of course you can remember basically what newer settlements need upgrading). Agents seem too generic to me. It seems they are lasting longer since patch 4, right?

Being Rome and having 5+ seige weapons (not to mention praetorian guards) it is really easy. Sadly, this is not new. I found Shogun 2 (FOS) the same way (minus the praetorians of course :). Hoping factions will start fielding more seige/range weapons as they continue patching. Of course the Roman faction is the easiest to play, so maybe we won't see more of a challenge unless they do a "Barbarian Invasion" expansion of some sort. I have a hard time imposing "house rules" on myself.

Anyway. Great to read about the victories of other TW fans.

TS

[Kamakazi]

I have to agree with you on Shogun 2. It took me forever to figure out how to play without getting my a** handed to me by everyone because of diplomacy