What i think is wrong, not that it matters.

**MadKow** · 10-10-2013, 11:14

I have been having enough fun with Rome 2. That said, like apparently many others, I have this feeling that something is missing. I’m not one to make a big fuss about balance, some fantasy in the name of game play, or even bugs, as long as they are not too serious. So what was it?

The other day I think I discovered what I was missing. It can be summed up as an emotional bond. And I believe it’s directly related with the missing family tree, the loss of that feeling of taking a young 16 year boy and turning him into a King, by way of countless victories, on one side and on the other, the way units and legions are now integrated. You no longer get the sense that those man that do the fighting and win battles for you are endurable entities. Their glorious deeds are now share with every unit, old and new, In a way that makes everything too abstract.
Total War is about grand strategy and tactical prowess, but, at least for me, it was also about making heroes, and having small stories of great men, and women, on which an empire was built. Be them a great general, King or Emperor, or a bunch of battle hardened bad asses.
Now it is all too abstract. Maybe more realistic, in some ways, but lacking in drama.

**Bramborough** · 10-10-2013, 11:27

Many others feel the same, judging from past comments about lack of family tree and 1tpy.

For me, this has been one of the nice side effects of writing my Pontus AAR. Inventing a storyline, ruler's motivations for various moves, etc. Coming up with my own family tree. I've definitely found myself caring a lot more about many of my generals, even some of the agents. Still limited somewhat by 1tpy...can't get around that. But it sure helps.

I'm not suggesting that you need to keep up some long thread and spend as much time writing about a campaign as you do playing it. I'm not sure I'll even do that again myself. But there's no reason you can't make up your own family tree as you go along, and try to roleplay the faction leader's and generals' actions a bit.

**MadKow** · 10-10-2013, 11:31

Yes, much more if left for the player in that regard. And i concede that some sort of story is attempted in the whole internal politics mechanic, but if so is all but obvious to the player.

**Myth** · 10-10-2013, 11:48

I fully agree and I'm hoping for a patch which will add a family tree and an extended/refined politics system. That, and a more complex reserach system would really make my day. Whil I play really aggressively in total war games I also enjoy city building and research, and I especially enjoy the finer points of province balance.

**Sp4** · 10-10-2013, 12:12

Lack of family tree, lack of a way to identify with your faction, put your personal mark on it, that's what I would call it. I don't like the way the internal politics thing plays such a huge role but with everything about -your- faction eventually leading up to glorious civil war, it sort of has to. I am never really sure who I as a player am actually representing in the game. They said you chose a faction and you represent the ruling party in that faction. Does that ever change? Even if I play in such a way that I lose most of the support of my faction's internal politics meter? No, it doesn't civil war is random and unintuitive and just feels like realm divide. Oh you're having an easy time? Here, let me spawn a bunch of elite armies in a random location for you to deal with because you have been playing the internal politics game so well *pat pat*

Civil war should be a possibility and not an inevitability but anyways, with this whole thing, I am not entirely sure who I am representing, especially when I am playing Rome or any faction that has more than 2 political parties. It's like... I'm not really playing the house I chose, I am playing the senate! My job is to keep a healthy balance of power and then I start seeing civil war a failure on my part... but apparently it has to happen regardless of what I do. I dunno, it doesn't feel like there's any storytelling or RP element to it. The whole thing feels more like Congratulations! Level up! Warning, Stage Boss!