QA from CA for the Org-ites

[Tamur]

However, out of the kindness of his heart, Roxy has volunteered to answer - or ask around in order to find the answers to - five questions, if you can sort out a list amongst yourselves. The usual rules for 'unofficial CA contact' apply - we take no legal responsibility for the answers, some questions may not be answerable for legal reasons, ten questions is not five questions, if you don't like the offer we can always withdraw it, etc etc...

I suggest a spot of discussion over the weekend before someone posts up a clearly-marked final list.

*nudge nudge*

P.S. I wonder what the record is for acronyms in a thread title... hmmm...

[d6veteran]

Question: What's the deal with the routing banners?

;)

Seriously though, I would like to ask that.

[Medieval Assassin]

Men running into the river, not going over the bridge, have you noted THIS HUGE BUG, and fixed it? If you havent, you best be patching...

THIS IS THE PROBLEM...

They don't fall off the bridge, like in STW and MTW if you ordered a unit to cross a bridge you click on the other side, they would line up and cross the bridge, No, no no, here they just run in a straight line and vanish, I've seen it every other game


----------------| |---------------------
..BRIDGE->........| |
______________| |__________________




./ \
.|
XX CORPS
.|
XXXX ................+++
XXXX.................( In oppose to moving here
XXXX..................then crossing, they assume
XXXX..................a staright line into the river and all die...... ALL)

And they all die, in medieval they would stack in front of the bridge, apperntly they dont here... :S
__________________


(This one NEEDS to be answered.)

[The_Emperor]

Ok my question is...

Has the bug from the demo regarding cavalry pursuit of routing units been adressed? By this I mean the fact that sometimes my cavalry will run alongside or in front of routing infantry instead of killing them.

Sometimes it is questionable as to who is the one being pursued!

[Colovion]

Why is the "Total War Cam" not truly the Total War Cam? Will it be fixed from demo to full release?

[octavian]

Men running into the river, not going over the bridge, have you noted THIS HUGE BUG, and fixed it? If you havent, you best be patching...

THIS IS THE PROBLEM...

They don't fall off the bridge, like in STW and MTW if you ordered a unit to cross a bridge you click on the other side, they would line up and cross the bridge, No, no no, here they just run in a straight line and vanish, I've seen it every other game

(This one NEEDS to be answered.)

are you playing a Mod? 1) i have NEVER seen that 2) someone from CA already posted in reply to someone who asked that question. he said that as soon as you are using a mod, the AI can no longer be expected to preform at par. (i believe many of the events in battle are choreographed)

[Agravain of Orkney]

In what ways is multi-player different in Rome TW from Medieval TW/Viking Invasion?

[saundersag]

My question is if they can give some example of how moddable rtw will be. For example will they give you programs with the game to mod it. Will the files be in data files and will they not use obscure file extensions. So what have they done to make Rtw easy to mod.

[Mr. Juice]

May I suggest a question about KILLING SPEED?

Also, has the game gone through any more optimization since the demo?

[d6veteran]

Great question Agravain!

In what ways is multi-player different in Rome TW from Medieval TW/Viking Invasion?

I'd like details on the multiplayer as well. Can you load/host historical battles or preset custom battles for mp play?

[Colovion]

May I suggest a question about KILLING SPEED?

Also, has the game gone through any more optimization since the demo?

I second these.

[Blodrast]

erm, I think the idea of this thread was to gather some 5 of the questions we'd most like answered... and not pointing bugs.
I don't really see how asking them "why do troops fall in the water", or "what's wrong with the killing speed" qualifies.
Yes, of course these are issues, but they don't really belong in this category, IMO.
We have a separate thread for that, with all the issues (good and bad, and not limited to bugs).

My impression was that this was more of a "how does that feature of the game work"
kind of thing ... to give an example, similar to "how does sapping work ?"; although this had been answered before in an interview, but it shows my point.

I personally think it would be better if each person posting in this thread would come up with a numbered list of 5 (or less) questions, ordered by their importance, that have to do with various features in the game; e.g., are trade routes the same as in MTW ? to what extent can you influence the VnV's that the members of your family get ? etc.

And in the end, someone should just put them together, see the questions that were most frequent, and summarize them for the CA people to answer them. As they said, "ten questions is not five".

Besides, what kind of answer do you expect when pointing out a bug ? How does that enrich your knowledge of the game's features ? It's a bug, and they will have either fixed it in the full release, or not. And if not, they might fix it in the possible patch, or not. Period. Would any of these answers give any of you any satisfaction ? 'Cause I sure wouldn't feel any better no matter what the answer were... So perhaps we should try to focus on question related to the actual game/campaign/MP etc...


This, of course, is my personal opinion. Everybody is free to ignore it or disagree with it.

[SouthwaterPanda]

Mmm, I was about to post something to that effect. Asking a question with a Yes/No answer, when the game ships a week on Friday, is probably a waste of a slot - although Roxy is at his best with Yes/No questions ;-)

[Kraellin]

only a few things i want to know.

1. is there a multplayer campaign included in the release?

2. if not, is there any planned for r:tw, perhaps as an extra release or part of an expansion pack?

3. will one still be able to go thousands of miles across a sea to invade in one turn?

4. if not, how will it work now?

5. do i still get my normal 100 free copies for being a moderator here?

K.

[Jambo]

Lol, this sounds more like a demo patch request thread!!

So, just to keep in the same way of thinking, my question is what kind of support (how many patches) will we receive for R:TW?

[andrewt]

Agreed. I think the questions should be about features.

[Nigel]

Very good point, Blodrast.

Yes, we may want to ask questions other than those that will become clear anyway as soon as the game is released in a few days.


1. Are there any considerations at CA to ever try a MP campaign, or have they given up on that concept completely?

2. TW is very mod-friendly. Would the inclusion of modding tools be an idea considered for future titles (or perhaps the expansion)?

3. As the killing-speed-question is important to many players and for MP battles cannot be solved by a player made mod (reasons are outlined in various threads) could CA include a "MP-mod" in a patch or in the expansion which can be activated for players who like more time for tactics in their battles? (or does CA see another way to keep both worlds happy?)

4. After sales support is a good one. How many patches are planned ?

Well, those are my most burning questions. Everything else I can wait till I have the game.

Nigel

[Colovion]

that makes sense.

How about this:

1: Land Based Trade - does it produce? In MTW the trading was almost entirely sea based and if you wanted to build a trade empire without ships it was an oxymoron. I seem to remember the Silk Road bringing in many goods throughout this timeframe and bringing the trade from the East certainly brought a greater economic benefit to the European based factions which were able to exploit this trade. Will Land Based Trade be improved at all or is trade in general being revamped in any way?

2: There was a notable response to the demo from Orgites and i was wondering if any (most) of the concerns were addressed. (For list of concerns see this thread)

3: I know that farming is a big income feature - but fishing used to also be a big part of revenue and sustinance for folks back in Roman times. Does the game reflect this?

4: Will you be able to take soldiers/generals/royalty prisoners and torture them to give you information you need about their faction's armies, ships, cities etc?

5: We've been told about the diplomacy system. Can you post a list of things which can be asked for of another faction as well as the list of things which can be given in return?

[Colovion]

oh yeah - i don't think they plan for patches.

remember - patches are a result of people hounding the developers to get teh game out so it has some flaws or isn't balanced somehow - once it hits mass market people find these flaws and they're fixed. Remember back when computer games first came out and there were no internet connections (or they were all 14.4kbs) - yeah that's right, no patches. NONE. Patches are a crutch which we deal with to get the game sooner.

[Medieval Assassin]

I'd rather know if this major bug has been fixed, then know some of these other questions, if this bug shows up like it has been, I probably will think twice about buying the game.

[metatron]

Why do the soldiers in MTW speak Latin, but the Romans in RTW speak English?

[d6veteran]

1) The white routing banners that we saw in the demo are not only confusing, but distracting and out of place compared to the rest of the graphics. Why were the banners altered in this manner from past TW games?

2) On the default unit size setting will I get Roman units that are 81 men in strenght (the number of men in a Century), facing Barbarian units that are 120-200 men in strength? My point is will the default unit size provide not only historically accurate Century size units to maneuvar on the battlefield, but will I be throwing these Centuries at (for example) barbarian formations that are larger in size to account for the greater man power it took to be at even odds with a disciplined Roman unit/Century?

3) How is Multiplayer different in RTW from MTW? For instance will you be able to host historical or custom battles for online play?

4) In the single player game, what will determine if you fight a battle at night or during the day?

5) Why did CA choose not to use more historical titles for ranks? For example why is a Barbian Leader a 'Captain' and not say a 'Chieftan', or why is a Roman General not a 'Prefect' or 'Legate'?

[Tamur]

My questions are mostly about the SP campaign, as this is the part I'm most excited about...

1) There are two seasons. Are turns keyed to seasons, or will there be multiple turns per season?

2) Which was more important in deciding movement allotments -- geographic reality, or gameplay necessity?

3) I've heard conflicting reports about whether you can "win" without completely obliterating all other factions. What's the story on this?

4) What's the average gameplay time (in turns) of the testers who have taken the campaign from start to finish?

5) What guidelines does CA give their employees about game testing hours? Ensemble Studios had a 10-hours-a-week from everyone after alpha (including reception staff) requirement at one point, thus the question.

Thanks!

[Armchair Athlete]

My question is if they can give some example of how moddable rtw will be. For example will they give you programs with the game to mod it. Will the files be in data files and will they not use obscure file extensions. So what have they done to make Rtw easy to mod.

I second this one. In the interviews CA had done so far they said they will not really be going into this in depth until a couple of months after the release, so it would be good if we can get a bit of info now.

EDIT - I guess if I were to ask 5 question they would be

1. The aforementioned one about modding

2. How can you influence whether you can fight in day or night?

3. 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?

4. What does land based trade involve? Is it just as profitable as sea based trade?

5. If we at the .org were to ask for advanced copies of RTW would your answer be the same as the answer to this question? (haha this one will get 'em!)

[Colovion]

I second this one. In the interviews CA had done so far they said they will not really be going into this in depth until a couple of months after the release, so it would be good if we can get a bit of info now.

they didn't answer this question in the dev chat so I doubt we'll get an answer now

1) There are two seasons. Are turns keyed to seasons, or will there be multiple turns per season?

Each turn is a season. Two turns per year.

3) I've heard conflicting reports about whether you can "win" without completely obliterating all other factions. What's the story on this?

by capturing 2/3 of the map like in MTW I would guess

[Tomisama]

There are defiantly two different camps to satisfy here. I myself have no interest in SP, my focus is strictly on the battlefield (don’t really have time for anything else). Maybe we can split the questions up. Two for SP, two for MP, and one that we share in general?

Just a thought

[Encaitar]

(Repeating some of what others have said):

1. 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 light infantry, which can in turn move further than an army with heavy infantry?

2. How can you influence whether you fight during the day or at night?

3. 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?

4. How has multiplayer been changed from MTW/VI? (e.g. new options/features/game types)

5. How will we be able to mod the campaign map (since obviously it will be nothing like modding it in MTW/STW)? Will there be a 'campaign map editor'?

[Sir Robin]

Can overland trade routes earn as much as oversea trade routes?

I recall that they exist but not much detail on how they work or their value.

Can all cavalry armies move faster than mixed or exclusively foot forces?

I could see this being either way but would like to know.

Is the Roman Arcani unit still in the game and if it is, is it a tactical assassin style unit like the battlefield ninjas?

Never saw a description released about this unt.

Will the strategic map be as difficult to mod as the map in MTW?

Dreaming of making a Birthright AD&D mod despite my meager abilities.

[discovery1]

HAve only one question, and if it has been answered elsewhere, please tell me.

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? I hope so; it would open new strtegic possiblities not seen in previous TW games.

[Shaitan]

HAve only one question, and if it has been answered elsewhere, please tell me.

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? I hope so; it would open new strtegic possiblities not seen in previous TW games.

Very good point would also like to know that.


Shaitan