Wishlist for new patch

[Turbo]

Here is my wishlist for the new patch. Feel free to add on whatever you would like to see as well.

Weaken chariots- They were not that effective at this time period thanks to cavalry. Their only advantage initially was their possibility for causing terror among enemy troops, but they move slowly, turned slowly, proved difficult for aiming for the few archers onboard due to motion, and were very unstable. Yet I see them rushing through infantry, whipping about, then rushing over them again. I send cavalry against them, but they all too easily circle around and turn them into dog food. They should only be used for causing terror to punch a hole through enemy lines, and, maybe, provide some covering fire.

Phalanx stepping right- This is especially annoying. Yes, it may be historically accurate, but it is irritating and makes it more difficult to defend against attackers. Plus, it's perfectly acceptable to drop a detail, especially a relatively obscure one, that's historically accurate in favor of enjoyment of the game.

Squalor- I don't understand why squalor has to increase when farms, sanitation, and trade facilities are built. It's completely illogical that a person would live in more filth with plumbing, baths, cheap consumer goods and plenty of food, and that there would be more crime because of the availability of these items. Temple squalor increases from growth should be increased, maybe, because temples don't really do anything about quality of life, unless they're charities (which I doubt.) Regardless, trade, sanitation, and farming should have a factor that lowers squalor, maybe in place of growth bonuses, but either way they should lower squalor in both the short and long term.

Otherwise, great game. :)

I agree about the Phalanx stepping right, but I disagree about the chariots and Squalor. The right combination of tactics, 2-3 foot archers can cripple chariots. Squalor is a great feature of the game. Cities at this time were living cesspools, and this included Rome. "He who controls the mob, controls Rome", indeed!

[Colovion]

I wish that Phalanx troops had some kind of anti-cav when they're moving. It sucks when you march towards Cav and the Cav use their Nitro before you're ready - tell your Phalanx to stop, but it's too late - the Cav have already crashed through the pikes and slaughter half of your Hoplites. To have a good anti-cav with phalanx troops the Phalanx needs to be stopped AND have their shields in front of them - which takes a good 4 seconds for it to happen.

[Ktonos]

1. Give Spartans crested helmets...(minor)

2. Make all factions playable from the start...(average)

3. Slow down the running speed of light infantry and light cavalry...(major)

4. Make Diplomacy AI realistic...(MAJOR)

5. Make Diplomacy AI realistic...(MAJOR)

6. Make Diplomacy AI realistic...(MAJOR)

7. Make Diplomacy AI realistic...(MAJOR)

...

[The_Emperor]

Ktonos, I think many of those aspects are open to debate and are not really gameplay destroying bugs... Nor is it anything that is likely to be fixed by a patch.

You can easily play all the factions yourself by modding the game.

At any rate, this is my wishlist.

1) Fix the Squalor bug, this is getting irritating. I dislike having to commit genocide to keep the people happy, but sadly its neccessary to avoid revolts

2) Campaign Battle Replays. I know this is asking a lot, but I really miss this feature and wish for it to be back in.

3) Cavalry can no longer ride & jump through a Phalanx from the front and slaughter the Hoplites... It is very unrealistic that the horses can jump a wall of spears at least 3 spears deep and land in the middle of the formation, the anti-cav bonuses need improving.

4) Fix the protectrate cashflow bug, where the factions that is made your Protectorate steals all your money.

5) Weaken the Egyptian Axemen and Chariot Archers. These guys seem to be able to plow through everything without dying, make them like the Briton Chariots (vulnerable) and axemen shouldn't have the same armour rating as a Roman Legionnaire when all they wear is a skirt!

[Ktonos]

Well, the listed as major, are indeed m a j o r features to be fixed in the patch.

Diplomacy AI MUST get realistic. I am not talking to get less aggressive. If factions see that can benefit from a sneak attack then they must do it. If they would better benefit with an alliance with another AI faction or the player then they should try to avoid conflicts. Diplomats of foreign countries should conduct the player much more. Its like the player is the only one to care for diplomatic relations.

I don't think that enhancing Diplomacy AI is debatable.

[Boohugh]

The diplomacy AI isn't as bad as you make it out to be and there is a good guide on diplomacy. Think how much of an improvement it has been over MTW. It may not be perfect but its so much better, so give CA some credit.

As for the other bugs such as squalor and protectorate bug, Gerome has said they are fixing it in a patch. CA know about it and are fixing it, so complaining about it, it won't help

[jeffreyLebowski]

ai diplomacy could definetely use work. when i've spent the past 20 years walloping a faction and they've only got 2 cities remaining, they should be more than thrilled to become a protectorate or at least agree to a ceasefire. instead, they insist on fighting to the death.

REPLAYS FOR CAMPAIGN BATTLES is not an wish.... it's a must have. the fact that this isn't in the game to begin with is an incredibly bad decision. i can't stand buying a sequel and seeing features REMOVED. it's happened in other game series before, and it's the most WTF-inspiring design decision of all time.

fix the AI for generals (both friendly and hostile). seriously, this has been a problem in 3 games running now. as fun as it is to watch my 9 star general charge into a thousand men by his lonesome, i think it might be time to fix this problem. which brings me to another point....

allow me to control all of my armies. if i bring 3 armies onto the field, just give me a simple switch army button and allow me to give orders to all of them myself. at the very least, i should be allowed to pick which army to command. why in god's name would i want to control CAPTAIN IMPORTUS MINIMUS while my 9 star faction leader GENERAL BADASSICUS THE LEWD is out of my control?

isn't it ironic, however, that i will probably play RTW all night tonight despite all these complaints. damn CA and their addicting games!

[Doug-Thompson]

Infantry foot speed is probably the biggest issue, but I would like to point out that infantry already die like flies to horse archers.

Cutting infantry speed (including foot archer speed) will make this worse. Players are already arguing that HA are overpowered. I disagree. I'd argue that the skirmish mode is much improved, and that's the bulk of it.

While I'm single-player only, I think CA boosted the speed because most casual, on-line players didn't care for the, shall we say, deliberate pacing of MTW battles. So I'd say that a slower speed needs to be included, but needs to be an option.

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Frankly, I don't see that the diplomacy system is noticeably worse than Civilization III or any other game I've ever played, and it's a whole lot better than most.

Making factions give up at a "logical" point when they are beaten down is a serious balance issue. Adopting that would make the game more realistic -- and much, much easier.

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Bribery needs to be tweaked. It's too easy to buy your way to victory once you're the biggest faction.

[Lord Ovaat]

One of the biggest complaints I've heard since the Demo came out has concerned the "high" speed of all the units. Not true. Sorry. Granted, it does make things far more unmanageable for multiplayer, and nerve-wracking for singleplayer, but the speeds are pretty realistic. I have actually seen a squadron of cavalry at a full gallop charge. Scares the crap out of you, and, no, you can't get away from them. Granted, they should never be able to "jump" over pointed steel, but they are surprisingly fast. Roman infantry was armoured, but not as heavily as later periods. Besides, these men were professionals. Hardened. And the kill rate? If you've ever fenced or even been to a fencing match, you realized how quick the blade can be. Forget the movies, folks. Death and injury come fast in battle of this type. If for no other reason, than it is absolutely exhausting to fight hand-to-hand. Wrestling, real wrestling, which is similar in nature to the intense energy output one would experience in combat drains the participant faster than just about any other sport. Simply because one is straining almost ALL of the muscle groups at the same time. While it is historically accurate that many classical battles were fought for several hours, that doesn't mean that all troops were engaged at all times. That would be physically impossible. And when everything else is said and done, one must remember there is very little finesse in massed melee combat. No room. No time. Extreme confusion. It just doesn't take very long to suffer a serious wound. That is what made Roman tactics and weaponry so devastating. Simple. Deadly. Just push and stab, always on the offensive. It is interesting to note that the Zulu used almost identical tactics to subdue most of the tribes of South Africa. Their asagai, or short spear, was used the same way as the gladius, and in conjunction with their shield. Leathal.

Actually, what we need to do is make a list of the miriad improvements in RTW over MTW. Compare item for item and most will see that CA actually did listen to us. Mostly. But you can't give everything to everyone.