What is the single most important thing to be patched?

[Zorn]

Remove the stupid map selling.
Or at least, make the AI pay much much less for maps.
I don`t sell maps in My games, but from what I have read in numerous guides map selling is much like a money-cheat.
If you need or only want some money, you can type in the cheat or sell your maps to the AI. Both works the same way and is equally easy.
As for the rest, I agree completely.
I would like to add that the AI should protect it`s flanks better. From what I read and from my own experience, most battles go the same way. Armies clash, player flanks with a unit or two and all AI units run away.

Lastly, I would like to have HA reduced in either range, power or ammo.

[Red Harvest]

About the map selling...I only do it with the very hard factions like Spain, Scythia, etc. where I have no money even though I start out building econ stuff, not armies. I don't game it by asking incredible sums for the map, I take the first offer, and I don't try to sell again. With "early" maps on hard or very hard campaign I'm getting about 600 to 1000 denari--enough to build a structure. Poor factions have given me as little as 400 and split it into two turns. Not unreasonable. So I see it as something to do when you have no money or are in the hole. I don't use it with an already robust economy, that would be gaming it for sure.

[econ21]

Lots of interesting responses. Going a bit off topic for a moment - anyone care to explain map selling to me? I always try to trade maps early in my games but get almost always get rejected and so give up. Anyone care to explain how to sell them? (I hope you are not saying factions will buy maps but not trade them? that would be wierd)

I actually like seeing more of the map for fun - but is it also true that you can only trade with cities that have been revealed?

[Maltz]

I've only succeeded to trade military access, not maps.

I have tried to buy maps from AI, but they sell their map for very high prices, way higher than the amount they would pay for mine. (except if I ask them to pay 99999 turns of 2000 denari tribute, though ) So if I want their maps I usually ask for something else in a combo - for example, trade rights + trade map. This way the AI usually loves to say yes.

***

Diplomacy works fine so far. I already expect to see everybody attacking me in higher difficulties - it was this way since STW. I really want to see AI put lower priority of seeing other's maps. Selling map is a bad result that comes from some overvalued map information.

Does the program let AI not be able to invade you if they don't knwo your map? I don't think so. Pontus usually invades Thrace's Tylis with no diplomat around. Thrace also don't send diplomat to Asia minor. So AI is capable of seeing the map without map info anyways. Then why does AI want your map? Maybe sell it 1/10 of the current value is enough.

The AI does let family members to lead full-stack army - but only if they have "extra". I think the AI puts its priority to have family members in the settlement. If that's changed - combined with much-increased bribing cost of settlement & army - then it's flawless.

For diplomats I think the current bribing price is fine. Sometimes I also want to bribe spies...

***

In terms of battlefield AI I have some specific wishes:

(1) Overpowered cavalry? Neh.

AI controlled units now doesn't really change their mind easily. I wish to see them more flexible, more open-minded... you can call that "intelligent" I guess.

For example, now when AI see an enemy's (humna's) shock troop passing them on the left, they keep charging forward only to be soon charged in the arse. Experienced human players never do that. Whenever I see something advance to my back, I back off my entire line to finish these potential threats first, sandwich them between my front line and my reserves. Yummy.

Many people complain cavalry (HA is another issue) to be too powerful - only partly true. In one setence: AI fails to stop their advance and prepare for human's cavalry's, or any shock troop's flanking action.

Therefore, may I call it "shocking troops" over powerful. Cavalry stands out only because they shock faster than infantry. However, shock troops is powerful in human's hands only, not in AI's 100-finger-yet-dumb hand.

I'd cry to see AI do respond to a potential flanking threat, like a real human competitor does. If they suddenly turn to face your cavalry and charge you, leaving your absorption slow spears waiting like idiots, if you find your cavlry's first 2 lines row to the ground at the moment of contact, nobody will ever complain cavalry too powerful. :)

(2) How'bout horse archers? how about less arrows over the walls...

Horse archers are insanely powerful now - not in the shock value, but in their speed. Nobody can touch HA while they are in skirmish. However, historically HA do run over Europe like that in my limited knowledge, so it's fine as long as the sieges are reworked.

Horse archers should have its lethal weakness of siege - but now they are superb in sieges. We just line them up outside the gate and enjoy a shooting festival. The AI might have tons of missle units to counter, but most of the time they just run them around to become live targets.

Except there are height advantages allowing soldiers to see thorugh the cities, no missle units should be able to shoot through the wall, in or out, unless they are ordered to fire at a specifc area. That will balance the HA issue out a lot. :)

[Colovion]

Here's another vote for the AI to be fixed

[LordKhaine]

AI. Mainly the battlefield AI though, that's the worst part of the AI right now by far.

[Unseen Potato]

The phalanx has to fixed!!!!!

I hate it when my phalanx start to walk right when they are engaged, so that the enemy can flank them from the left

[nokem]

[QUOTE=Zorn]Remove the stupid map selling.
Or at least, make the AI pay much much less for maps.
QUOTE]

Agree - way overvalued.

Eg: I've just kicked Egyptian ar$e all the way down the road from Antioch, but I'm being diverted from my real purpose elsewhere. So I send in my top diplomat to arrange a truce.

In a single negociating session I establish a ceasefire, trade rights and an alliance - with a faction whose heir I just routed!

Pharaoh is a wuss! So I slip in a quick money-maker request to sell a bit of map info. You would have thought I'd demanded his daughter's virginity. Alliance cancelled, trade rights shredded and the next few turns wasted chasing chariots all the way to Alexandria. Does my dip lose points for that? I can't work it out.

[Glycerus]

I see the AI is doing things such as building too many ships and not enough troops. It also does not concentrate its forces as I would, if I knew I were coming. But that is the point. The AI doesn't know when I am going to attack, or from exactly where. Nor should it know that navies should be minimized. I find it more realistic that some factions are naval heavy, because some actually were. Last night I saw a Greek general in my province deterring trade. I rushed out to attack him, since I was in a war with the Greeks anyway this would be the perfect opportunity to take out one of there generals who was there all alone. I found it odd that the AI would leave a general that exposed. I rushed out with a full stack, and was ambushed by the bulk of the greeks army. Being in a road march formation, I was completely vulnerable. I got my but handed to me and ran home whimpering, all because I the AI baited me with a general and I took it. Next time I shall stop and think about the fact that a general would not be out cutting off trade.

[Turbo]

I would say the most important thing to be patched is the suicidal generals. I am fairly certain that they will be addressing this in the soon to be released patch.

[pyrocryo]

1. The secondary attack should be fixed. To me, it's still alea jecta est-ing whether i already asked my cavalry to attack with swords or lance.

2. rank bonus should be brought back, especially for spear units.

3. As i recall, No Barbarian Horde ever attack in a single line over a long distance (I thought that's why romans win all the time )

4. The testudo button should be fixed. i lost many idiot legionaries who insists to holding his shield testudo like. . .When he is ten/twenty paces OUTSIDE the box.

5. Bring back the at-will/hold formation button. Guard seem useless.

6. PLEASEEEEE give at least a simple animation of sea fight. I don't care if we can do the tactics but at least i want to see WHY two decere get beaten by 6 biremes.

7. Fix the family names. As I recall there is NO family group in Rome with the cognomen Brutus or Scipio. Change it to other. Cornelii and Aurelii is quite famous families. The Marii or the Pompeii also quite famous. The guys should check the family names of Roman Noble families . As I recall except Gaius Julius Caesar, the Julii family have never been considered except as second-tier Patrician.

8. Add some more interesting campaign and campaign maps. Caesar's Gaul Campaign, the Social (Italian) War, the campaign against Mithridates of Pontus (BTW where's cappadocia and what's-the-other kingdoms? I thought they are separate from Pontus until Mithradates came up?), Punic Wars, German campaign, etc.

Hope they here this

[anti_strunt]

IMHO: First the AI, all parts of it; then the silly friendly fire...

[Maltz]

I have a minor idea - to be annexed here instead of posting a new thread.

For some reason I feel RTW battlefield is not real enough - but I couldn't identify the reason. There are corpses lying everywhere already.

Now I suddenly realize it is the "blood". No corpse bleeds, they just lie down. How about bloods on the battlefield - a reasonable amount of blood stain on the corpse, also spilling to the nearby ground. Under very high unit details bloods are also spilled on warriors who achieve certain number of kills. If he killed 10 he would be soaked in dark red, not shiny heh.

So you really get the gross feeling of the battlefield

[Mazoch]

The computer AI:

Campaign: Less small stackes, more big / high quality ones. I would much rather fight one big tough battle than 100 small meaningless ones.

The AI needs to be able to defend itself better somehow. Even on the highest difficulty its way to easy to outmanuver and slaughter armies 5 times the size of your own.

Battlemap

Pathfinding, this one really annoys me, especially in towns where theres a lot of narrow areas. Unis will stop in thier tracks (got a big army slaughtered today during a siege because none of my units were smart enough to walk through an open gate. Instead they all stoped up in a big group right in front of the open gateway.. just under that nice warm oil bath.), engage enemy units seemingly at random (just who would that unit of archers charge headling into a phalanx formation after thier general just told them to more around the phalanx formation?!)

I would love to see the units keep thier formation a lot better. I can understand a barbarian warband charging around with little order. But romes finest aught to more around in formation for the most part.

Movement speed, reduce the overall movement speed on the battle map. Futher reduce infantry run speed. Make battles more about choicing the right stragedy as opposed to having fast reflexes with the mouse.

General changes
Bribing really needs a reworking. It dosent take long before your income usually grow to a size where money matters little. Bring able to bribe great armies so easily is rather a problem. A possible fix might be to, rather then disband a bribed army its sent back to the nearest friendly city. That way you can still use money to buy you some time, but not kill off thousands of enemies.

Would be nice if sea battles was a bit more brutal / more losses on either side so you dont ahve to chase a single ship halfway across the world to sink it.

I would love to see fatigue, elevation and terrain have a greater effect.

I'd like to see a reduction of the moral bonus in a city square. Getting a solid bonus is ok, but currently it feels like its simply impossible for a defending unit to rout.

[Red Harvest]

5. Bring back the at-will/hold formation button. Guard seem useless.

I agree with that. First thing I do with every phalanx unit is to disable guard mode, wish that they didn't default to it. I have yet to find a use for guard mode. It is just an unwanted switch. RTW lost some depth here compared to MTW.

[DisruptorX]

Remove the Egyptians or make them look like they should, there is no excuse for the way they look. "Silly" would be an understatement.

No turning on a dime for chariots.

No Druids. This is NOT Warcraft 3.

Make every unit obey orders when you issue them the first time.

No dancing Phalanxes

SLOW DOWN THE GAME TO MTW LEVEL.

AI. No more zerg rush. Make them behave like actual generals.

No Suicide generals.

Fix Diplomacy.

Remove ALL fantasy units. Especially the Egyptian ones.

Fix the way that units move so that pursuing doesn't involve horses running
in front of the men they are supposedly "following".

Fix the way units get stuck in terrain and can't enter town squares. I have lost battles because my men refused to enter the town square. No excuse.

Allow spear walls with, you know, SPEARS.

And most importantly:
REMOVE the starcraft UI bar at the bottom of the screen. It takes up a third of the damn screen.

[ToranagaSama]

I agree with that. First thing I do with every phalanx unit is to disable guard mode, wish that they didn't default to it. I have yet to find a use for guard mode. It is just an unwanted switch. RTW lost some depth here compared to MTW.

The Guard command works(, though I haven't a clue as to what's being "guarded"!!). It will keep your units from chasing enemey routers; and, if I recall correctly (haven't played in weeks!), units will hold position. Though the "hold position" part dosen't appear to be as effective as RTW's *Hold Position*. I tend to use it on the 3/4 units in the middle of my line.

---

To the poster that wanted blood on the battlefield, jfyi, there's a mod that attempts just that. Though, why you feel the need for it I can't fathom.

I'd prefer if the dead sprites(??) had more visual depth. They don't look like bodies lying about a field, but more like flat cardboard cutouts strewn about. Very unrealistic. STW's sprites were more effective in evoking post-battle carnage. I can recall in STW viewing the afterbattle with awe, not the same with RTW.

Yes, I do understand the need to manage system resources. To that I say gimme back my sprites!

[Drewman]

The Guard command works(, though I haven't a clue as to what's being "guarded"!!). It will keep your units from chasing enemey routers; and, if I recall correctly (haven't played in weeks!), units will hold position. Though the "hold position" part dosen't appear to be as effective as RTW's *Hold Position*. I tend to use it on the 3/4 units in the middle of my line.

The problem that many people have found is that on guard mode the phalanx unit does not properly "engage" the enemy unit that hits it. There often is no animation of spear/pike thrusts and the enemy unit takes no casulaties.

[ToranagaSama]

The problem that many people have found is that on guard mode the phalanx unit does not properly "engage" the enemy unit that hits it. There often is no animation of spear/pike thrusts and the enemy unit takes no casulaties.

Ah so!

Maybe one of these days I'll be motivated to push through the game and learn of, what!, even more issues. Something to look forward to....

[Spino]

The problem that many people have found is that on guard mode the phalanx unit does not properly "engage" the enemy unit that hits it. There often is no animation of spear/pike thrusts and the enemy unit takes no casulaties.

I use Guard mode all the time for my phalanx units and my victories are still lopsided. I don't see what the problem is. I rarely tell a phalanx unit to actively engage the enemy by clicking on the enemy unit. I usually put them in phalanx mode and tell them to move to a spot beyond the enemy unit. Once enough of their spears come into contact with the enemy I hit Stop to keep them from 'morphing' and walking around the enemy unit. Since they're in Guard mode their formation stays nice and neat while they poke away.

[The Storyteller]

7. Fix the family names. As I recall there is NO family group in Rome with the cognomen Brutus or Scipio. Change it to other. Cornelii and Aurelii is quite famous families. The Marii or the Pompeii also quite famous. The guys should check the family names of Roman Noble families . As I recall except Gaius Julius Caesar, the Julii family have never been considered except as second-tier Patrician.

I don't have any problems with the family names, but maybe I haven't played long enough. In my game as the Brutii, I keep getting names like "Vibius Brutus", which means that Vibius is the praenomen and Brutus is the nomen. The character either doesn't have a cognomen yet, or is simply not being addressed by it. There is no cognomen of Julius, either.

It was quite common for a Roman to be addressed by his cognomen and nomen alone. Thus, Gaius Julius Caesar was often called Gaius Julius.

In the case of Publius Cornelius Scipio, Publius is the praenomen, and Cornelius Scipio is the nomen. In other names like Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Gnaeus is the praenomen, Pompeius is the nomen and Strabo is the cognomen.

The Julii always thought of themselves as being very aristocratic, as they were descended from the Gods themselves. Their fortunes were on the decline because of monetary issues, but they were revived with the marriage of one of their daughters to Gaius Marius.

[dedmoroz]

Campaign AI - it is a joke right now with some major bugs. Game is unplayable right now. point.

[Yun Dog]

my 2c

when sieging a city, your men attack the walls, when you order them down to fight in the streets - some of the men get stuck in various places on the walls so the remaining 90 % of the unit gets stuck against the wall and wont attack the enemy - Ive seen this heaps

and why is their replays for the custom battles and multiplayer and not for the campaign

and another vote for the AI

and yes more challenging goals for all the factions

it would be nice if countries kept alliances and it had a little button like civ3 "what would it take ..." to ally, to attack these guys, to become a protectorate... the AI could make some big gains from the player in this way

at the moment diplomacy is just a token distratction when im really bored - everyone at war with me - no surprise there - oh well roll over them all - hmmm that was too easy - no need for words when you can do that - back to the AI I guess

[Herakleitos]

IMO you should also be able to arrange the unit-cards in your armies and cities. Yes, I want this because I am a perfectionist control-freak, but it would sometimes be really helpful. Especially in the middle of a battle when you're looking for that unit of skirmishers (I rarely pause).