QA from CA for the Org-ites

[Steppe Merc]

It's not called pessimisim, it's called "being realistic".
And I'd suppose you'd rather listen to those dingbats at the com? Who just flame people all day, and make idiotic posts?

[Kraxis]

And I'd suppose you'd rather listen to those dingbats at the com? Who just flame people all day, and make idiotic posts?

And there we have it again... The superiority-complex stomping all over...

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

And there we have it again... The superiority-complex stomping all over...

Well, he has a point. In fact, more than just one...

[Steppe Merc]

Kraxis, have you ever actually tried and have a thoughtful disscussion there, attempting to point out constructive critisim? You try and point out historical information there, and they flip out on you!

[andrewt]

I don't think that observation about .com is entirely unwarranted. I've been active in the community of different games and the official forums are always worse than fansite forums. Too many rude people and flaming. Not to say there aren't any decent people but the level of discussion in anything "official" is always worse.

It's probably due to the fact that fansites can be stricter in moderating.

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Our enemies are resourceful and innovative, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. —George W. Bush, Washington D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

Your SIG is just beautifull, andrewt...

[hoom]

Just one more important answer & I'll be a happy chappie.

Please tell us that the camera controls/left click & drag/unit grouping etc will all be back to MTW standard for the full game

[Bob the Insane]

I have a question for the SP campaign game:

When you build buildings like palaces and barracks these building appear in your towns and citys on the game maps. How do the province improvements appear though? The mines and roads, etc? Additionally are the constuction of roads done on a per sqaure basis or are they built between defined locations??

[Daevyll]

Just one more important answer & I'll be a happy chappie.

Please tell us that the camera controls/left click & drag/unit grouping etc will all be back to MTW standard for the full game

You can already set the controls 'back' to MTW-style by using the options menu in the demo. Only a few things from the old MTW-control set are missing or solved differently, such asusing , and . instead of ALT-rc to set unit facing for example (I prefer the 'old' way, but I can certainly live with the 'new' mehod, and who knows perhaps once I've played RTW for some length of time I might even grow to like it better).

[Silver Rusher]

Will there ever be multiplayer campaigns for any total war game ever?

It'd be great if that was available in the ex pack. (with mods catered for of course! )

[Louis de la Ferte Ste Colombe]

I'll answer the killing-speed one out of the kindness of my heart... and not in any way because it's getting so I can't look at a thread on this forum without seeing the usual suspects grumbling about it :-)

In the demo, the units are high-valour and small-sized and are deployed close to one another, and they make mincemeat of one another as a result. The choice of unit size was made to help the demo frame rate on low-spec machines. If you have larger units then the melees will last longer - aside from the numbers themselves, the unit frontage will be different. I think I've seen people posting to that effect after experiments with modding the demo.

Note: as for why you haven't had an answer to this question until now, several possibilities are on offer:
- everyone here was *extremely* busy
- everyone here knew there was no problem because of the above reasons
- a few people grumbling at the .org every time we do something new is considered par for the course ;-)

Let's get some more grumbling going...

Unless the math of the killing formula has changed, high valour units or low valour units, that does not make any kind of difference.
In the demo, all units are high valour, but in theory, at low valour they'll kill each other just as fast (attack and defense dropping by the same value). At low valour the battle ought to be even shorter with units breaking faster with low morale.
I'd like Gil to explain where I am wrong; just like Kraxis, I quite don't get it and that would give a lot of insight on killing formula and valour upgrade if this has changed

Large units would indeed make the fight longer.
How would that help MPers, I am not sure. Larger unit size is more demanding for PCs. so playing on large unit size in 4v4 MP game might be something only those playing on uber PC would be able to afford. Might be a solution, or maybe not.
In MTW MP, large units make a very noticable difference. I'd be glad to hear that it won't be the case in RTW.
It's going to be a PC performance vs gameplay issue.

And eventually, I still see no answer about unit speed and the funny running speed of infantry. Or the discripancy between the cavalry running speed and the turning speed. So the game might be just as fast.

Thank you; it's like a weight has been lifted from my tiny amphibian mind. On the basis of that I will move to the 'buying on day of UK release' crowd; some of my concerns have been eased, the rest I will leave to faith in CA. Speed was a major issue to me as I couldn't keep up even with pause.

Well, as far as I can tell froggy, you'll still need to pause. Running speed has not changed. That's the bulk of the game speed issue

/rumbling off

Thanks for the feedback,

Louis,

[frogbeastegg]

Well, as far as I can tell froggy, you'll still need to pause. Running speed has not changed. That's the bulk of the game speed issue

But if it's that little bit slower I will be able to keep with with pause, which is better than not keeping up at all. Useless for MP and frustrating, sure, but at least I can play. It leaves me in the same boat as STW and MTW.

Run speeds are part of the problem, but in the demo everyone was dying and routing so quickly. Even with pause it was overwhelming. If that is slowed down I should be able to scrape by.

Scraping by is by no means ideal, but it's better than having a £35 game which I can barely play in battle mode.

Finally when it comes to kill calculations etc I ignore them; I'm too dyslexic to understand them. I couldn't say whether the high valour, upgrades, small units etc will or will not alter the killing speed in the demo; all I can do is trust that Giljaysmith knows what he is talking about, or wait until someone posts 'Da Moronz Guide to Da Sp33dz!!1!1'

[Kraxis]

Kraxis, have you ever actually tried and have a thoughtful disscussion there, attempting to point out constructive critisim? You try and point out historical information there, and they flip out on you!

If really want to know... That is my home. I have here just below 3000 posts, and those that know they have to a great degree been spamfree. Ovwere there I am the only patron with more than 6000 posts... I am the moderator Tarrak. Again, those that know me know I have basically not posted spam at all.

I think the number tell a tale about how much I have discussed over there.

You say the people flip out when you point out something that is not the best. Well I can say that it is equally true that here people are more interested in complaining for the reason of complaining (and trust me it has been like that with every release), some people just feel better when complaining, being happy actually hurts them. So it is up to you... Is it true that both sides are fully polarized (commies are fanbois only and here everybody are complaining nags) or is it that those who disagree with those at the other side inflates the issue too much?

[Steppe Merc]

Hmm... I didn't realise you were Tarrak. I respected your inisight in the histoical issues when I still was over there.

So it is up to you... Is it true that both sides are fully polarized (commies are fanbois only and here everybody are complaining nags) or is it that those who disagree with those at the other side inflates the issue too much?

I supose that both sides do inflate the issues, though I often feel justified in my critism. But both sides' image hasn't been sprung up from no where. And I'd rather be viewd as a complaining nag than a fanboy... mainly because this nag is going to help work on changing my complaints.

[KukriKhan]

These questions are out of left-field, I know. Just thinking of previous problems encountered when TW games/expansions have been issued (making much extra "helping" work for staff and patrons here):

1) Have the CD serial numbers all been double-checked and prepared for activation?

2) Is GameSpy playing host to MultiPlayer again? Is there any advantage to game buyers purchasing GameSpy memberships vs their free products?

3) Are we getting hard-copy documentation, or will it all be on disc?

4) What have been the installation problems encountered by CA staff or testers? If there were any, how were they resolved?

5) Is R:TW '-ian -able' ?

EDIT: To make certain I'm clear: none of the above questions should be construed as critical of the devs or publishers (past or present). I'm just trying to anticipate what sort of problems will need to be worked here when R:TW is released

[Nigel]

Many very good questions.
But also quite a few of them which will be answered anyway in a few days when the game comes out. I still think it is better to ask those things which can go beyond the current release.

Here is another one I would find interesting :

Cooperative multiplayer - i.e. 2 or more friends teaming up against the AI - is very popular with other strategy games. Has this been considered by CA, if not for this release, then perhaps for the expansion ?


Oh, and Gil, thanks a lot for your comments on this thread. It sure means a lot to us to know our posts don't fall on deaf ears (eyes rather ).

[Magraev]

Magraev, I am glad that you were wrong! The idea of speculating was to try to tease out an answer.

I'll get you for this...

My naturally pessimistic approach told me to expect no answers. For the record I'm glad i was wrong too.

[Quietus]

Since the best questions have already been taken, I'll ask the surreal one:

Can Wardogs climb ladders during siege?

[Kraellin]

hey gil :)

K.

[hoom]

Only a few things from the old MTW-control set are missing or solved differently

True, but those happen to be a few of the most important & most used parts of the control set.

[Psyco]

I'm not sure about the unit sizes slowing things down. I've played a bunch of games (with Rodeo) where units had 0 valor, weapon and armor, and 120 men (which, afaik, is the "normal" unit size), but the fights still finished in less than 30 seconds. By the time you move your screen over to your flanking forces, part of one players line had already broken (I hadn't even started moving my flankers yet). The killing speeds are just insane, but it's easy enough to mod (luckily I don't play MP, although I was planning starting). Just double every units defense and you (hopefully) have fights that last a while.

[Tamur]

So, who's collating these questions and deciding on the winners? 24 hours till answer time (if Roxy's feeling really kind, that is).

[Encaitar]

Well here's a collection of (IMHO) good questions that have been asked (listed in no particular order). Apologies to anyone who feels I have unduly overlooked their question(s). As I said, this is just MHO!

1. How is Multiplayer different in RTW from MTW? (e.g. new options/features/game types) Will you be able to host historical or custom battles for online play?

2. How will logistics be handed in RTW? Will it be like in MTW, where armies could get cut off and it wouldn't matter? Or will we be encouraged to maintain lines of supply?

3. Do ships have a limited troop capacity? Or can one ship transport an entire army?

4. Can you give some example of how moddable RTW will be? Will there be modding tools released (e.g. a campaign-map editor)?

5. With army movement on the campaign map, do different units have different 'movement points'? i.e. can an army with just cavalry in it move further in one turn than an army with just infantry, which can in turn move further than an army with artillery?

6. How is it determined whether you fight during the day or at night?

7. Will faction re-emergences still be in like they were in MTW (tied to loyalty of province etc) and will they re-emerge with good quality troops?

8. How has the Mercenary system changed from MTW?

9. Are there plans to release historical battles after the game hits the shelves? Like a monthly new map release akin to some RTS's, which release new maps to battle upon every few weeks or so?

and my personal favourite question:
10. Can Wardogs (or Incendiary Pigs for that matter!) climb ladders during siege?

Perhaps someone more officious than myself would like to cull that down to the requisite 5 questions.

[Armchair Athlete]

I like the suggestion that someone else posted before about having a mix of multiplayer and single player questions. I think it should be 2 multiplayer themed and 3 single player themed, as nearly everyone will play single player but not so many multiplayer (but multiplayer is stil a very important aspect). Maybe if one of the moderators can be decisive for us (pleeeaaaase!!) and post what they think the final 5 questions should be, taking into account all of the posts done so far. I like the questions Encaiter has posted above (using a mix of everyone elses) so maybe they can just cut down on that list. I am sure everyone will be happy with the moderators decision, and if what we want to know doesn't get asked we will find out in just over a weeks time anyway

[Somebody Else]

Perhaps if someone made a shortlist of say 15 or so questions, opened the floor to a vote - the five highest voted would be the questions put forward...

Of course, could a tad tricky with the current system of making a poll...

[The_Emperor]

I think a question about the interface and the old ALT Click command should be included.

I know many people other than me have been asking about this feature.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

What I want to know is...
... DO YOU HAVE TO UNLOCK FACTIONS! I WANT BRUTII FROM THE START!

[Steppe Merc]

I like the mercanary one, the movement speed on the campmap and the logistics one.

[Nelson]

I’ll know how the game is in a few days. I want to know how design decisions are made at CA. Is there a single master planner who calls the shots or one guy for the tactical game and one for the strategy game? Does CA have brainstorming sessions about things such as how the trade will work on the strategy map or about what the units will look like?

Here’s why I ask. There are obviously people around CA who know their history because so much of the game reveals as much. But it is equally obvious when these persons are over ridden or out of the loop. When Egyptian forces look a thousand years out of place this can’t have been an accident because whoever knows about pila and lorica hamata also knows about Ptolemaic Egypt. I’m curious as to how these things come to pass. I suspect that with Greeks already looking Greek, someone with clout determined that Egyptians must look different and voila! we get Yule Brenner’s army from The Ten Commandments. I know it’s a game not a simulation but does friction ever occur or does dispassionate professionalism always prevail among the staff?

[JeromeGrasdyke]

I know it’s a game not a simulation but does friction ever occur or does dispassionate professionalism always prevail among the staff?

Pretty much everyone involved with design at CA knows a fair bit about the history of the periods we tackle, so it's not nearly as seggregated as you suggest. And the discussions range from dispassionate "hmm let's give that a try" to extremely passionate stomping-off-in-a-huff, with apologies tendered the following day - everyone has subjects that they care passionately about. It's a bit like a marriage ;) The main thing that makes it work is that everyone involved in the design process is willing to admit that they may have been wrong, and just about everyone is able to identify when an idea has 'worked'. It's a culture that takes time and energy to foster and maintain, but we never stop talking, and never stop tinkering in order to find something better.

Then amongst all of that we try to find a middle road between what's popular with the public as a whole (old-style Egyptian units), historical accuracy (Marius), what we can sell to the publisher (HUGE elephants! THOUSANDS of men! TREMENDOUS explosions!), and what can actually be done given the resources we have (three complete sets of destructable walls rather than one per culture). Lots of people have input into this, each with their unique perspective on things, and the secret really is in the blend, and not going crazy on any one aspect. It's not a simple process...