RTW multiplayer is dead

[FearZeus]

Here is a copy of the email sent to activision this morning, I trust someone already contacted CA?

Hi,

Thankyou to yourselves and CA for 5 years of fantastic gaming of which I have thoroughly enjoyed and met in excess of 400 people of those 5 years.

However we (all multiplayers of Rome total war) have encountered serious flaws/bugs in the new Rome total war series which have promptly stopped multiplayers from playing this game, here is the list of problems that all Rome total war players are encountering, some however are things we hate and others are bugs.

1. sort out the join multiplayer drop to desktop issues
2. Copy chat for warhammer 40,000 or go back to MTW that was fine
3. the camera control in a nightmare but i hear you can chage that back to MTW style (yet to try so i will leave this here as a fix)
4. when at max height, can't make the units out and the game looks really bad from max height too (it's ugly)
5. the chat has gona backwards (just one key for allies and all)
6. multiplayer needs 4 v 4 or even 5 v 5 so why go backwards again to 3 v 3 plus it laggs, get this right first
7. flaming arrows seems to add fire to the lagg problem (pun intended)
8. overall the game just looks tacky and unfinished the units look small the yellow arrows you get from a height just look bad etc
9. How on earth did you make the game look so bad when MTW game play etc was spot on you seem to have changed all the best bits and made them worse???
10. can you please keep us frustrated souls updated on what your plans are, or do we all have to take our games back and demand refunds to get the message across?
11. make available denarri flexible
12. make all factions available to all players in the game
13. allow multiple units upgrading in unit selection screen
14. add relog files, how the hell could we ever held tourneys?
15. solve replay issue not showing real battle
16. Syncronicity -- Ensure game state is not diverging during the game
17. Replays-- ensure they are syncronized with game (currently they are NOT--we can't run tourneys without replays).
18. Unit/Army control is flawed--No way to move army and retain facing (in MTW this was alt-left click), no way to have groups within groups (as in MTW). Formation/orientation is destroyed when dragging a line of units: Say you have AAAABBBB units in a group. When you set them like this AABBBBAA and draw a line the result is AAAABBBB again. Units turn back to their original state and your setting/formation is ignored.
19. Grouped units often refuse to take orders (most commonly the run order). Some report un-grouped units are responding to orders directed at a group.
20. When in testudo, if a single unit walks into the formation, you lose control of that unit of the legionaries in testudo formation for the rest of the game.
21. allow Withdrawal/Rout in MP ("W"ithdraw doesn't work in MP!)
22. game info available from lobby
23. allow faction to be selected by more than one player
24. proprietary player names (so some jerk can’t steal your name and ruin your reputation) [linked to CD Key like MTW]).
25. allow “quick chat” (t/y) like in MTW, chat should not fade/scroll so quickly
26. Fatigue bars on units/exhausted units should not be able to run (but they can)
27. allow for custom denari amounts
28. #ignore/#ban commands for gamespy lobby
29. fade-out names for “in game” players in gamespy lobby
30. allow selection of faction color
31. show who is deployed and who isn’t deployed on the battle map.
32. Bring back F1 to view unit stats and players/factions/teams list (and grey out names of dropped/routed players like in MTW)
33. Unit tax for more than 4 units of same type
34. We need 2 keys to toggle run– if you have a group in which half the units are already running, pressing “R” makes them walk. So “R” becomes useless in groups where some units are walking and others are running. We need a “Run” button and a “Walk” button please.
35. Trying to order an engaged non-cav unit to fall back should result in a major morale penalty when they turn their backs. This doesn’t seem to be occuring.
36. Once routed, “restricted camera” mode should not apply to you. Please fix.
38. Look into reports of server lag.
39. Look into reports of host-drop crashing all players computers.
40. Brighter highlighting for selected units (some say it is difficult to tell selected units from non-selected units)
41. Being able to use general’s rally ability without having to select his unit.
41. Kill rate/game speed
43. Balance (cav/elephant) [more testing needed]

I speak for all Rome total war players and here is a few internet forums that may open your eyes to the problem we are all facing, I will report back to the forums as soon as I receive your reply.

http://p223.ezboard.com/fshoguntotal...icID=305.topic

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=31

http://www.totalwars.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4244

Thankyou
John Robinson also known as FearZeus in the total war community.

P.S A patch is surely needed to prevent many vets and long time players leaving the total war series in search of a new game! I eagerly await your reply!

[shingenmitch2]

Voigt,

Lol.

"Hi Voigtkampf. My name is Shingenmitch2. I've been in therapy for two weeks now and off TW and clean for seven days. I'm making progress. I take it day by day, knowing I'll never be totally free of my illness. Sadly, last night I had a relapse. I started hanging around one of my 'old friends' and we got hooked up with another MTW game. I only did it once, but now I have that need for MP adrenaline again..."

Actually I feel like an idiot now worrying about Bullsh*t warriors or the improper use of a spear in a phalanx. How minor that stuff seems with the issues this game is facing. I just never dreamed that we'd see the changes/bugs to the game that have occured.

[Puzz3D]

Mitch,

I took shock treatments in the form of the RTW demo. I was physically ill for abour 2 weeks, but then it passed. I haven't touched Total War multiplayer for 2 months, and it's great! I have less frustration, and I'm more productive now with the free time I gained.

[Dionysus9]

Hello my name is |Prophet|Bachus and I have been addicted to Total War for over three years now. I know I have a problem but I am too far gone to bother trying to recover. The most devastating aspect of my addiction is that I have begun taking a new form of total war called "Rome". This version looks clean and potent at first, but after using it for a very short time it becomes clear that it is cut with something awful--probably strycnine or rat poison. I'm getting these awful headaches from the lobby chat, I can't move my troops like I used to (they are scattered everywhere), and I'm starting to have problems in my nervous system. I know the end is near for me and I just want to tell you all that if you don't deal with your TW addiction soon it may be too late for you also.

[UglyandHasty]

heheheh Bachus

The 1st day i played Shogun it was already too late for me.

[Sp00n]

Its not dead its hiding under a giant bug with pointy horns, its actually growing on me although the bugs and missing stuff does suck 2 patches later it may be perfect, doubtfull though, the lack of 4v4 games is a real shame and 3v3 is virtually unplayable and I have cable.

Sorry to see you go Zeus ill miss our appallingly coordinated English World cup games (how bad were we).

Sp00n

[d6veteran]

FearZeus ... that list seems prioritized weird. For example #36 should be close to the top, since outside of the connectivity bug, it really is a game killer.

I would sort out the control issues from any multiplayer specific request.

Also ... #4 ... I like the distance. Not ugly on my machine anyway.

Anyway I just think we should prioritize the issues and then speak together. Laundry lists usually don't get taken seriously in my development experience.

[Voigtkampf]

Our prayers have been heard… I hope so, at least! I still don't have Rome and can’t tell!!! But for those that have it, go over to the .COM, download THE PATCH and tell me if we have the winner.

OMG, I hate my local game distributor! “When you will get Rome?” “Ugh, sometimes this month…We think…”

Plague upon thee!