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Thread: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

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  1. #1
    Swarthylicious Member Spino's Avatar
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    Default Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    http://www.wargamer.com/news/news.asp?nid=1669

    Although neither Activision nor The Creative Assembly have announced plans for an expansion pack to last fall's Rome: Total War (review), the likelihood of such an expansion seems quite high given the history of the Total War series. Both Shogun: Total War and Medieval: Total War received expansions after the original game's release, each named after an opposing civilization. Shogun's expansion pack was the Warlord expansion pack, while Medieval received the Viking Invasion expansion pack.

    Today we learned of a listing on the e-tailer GameStop for the "Rome Total War Expansion Pack" currently scheduled for release this October. There's no other information beyond that anonymous title even contained in the listing.

    UPDATE: Not surprisingly, the listing has already been removed
    Just caught a thread at the com which mentioned the release date posted at Gamestop's site: ETA: 10/17/05
    Last edited by Spino; 01-28-2005 at 02:29.
    "Why spoil the beauty of the thing with legality?" - Theodore Roosevelt

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  2. #2
    Alienated Senior Member Member Red Harvest's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    I really wonder if that is enough time. We will get some idea when the 1.2 patch is in our grubby little mitts, but right now it appears they could use several months solid of working on the AI. If the 1.2 is a home run, then it won't sound so rushed. That release date is not even 9 months away. They would need to have a nearly complete product at least 2 months before that... So 7 months left for making any significant changes to the base UI, engine, and game mechanics, finishing all aspects of the animations, textures, unit choices, play testing, unit balancing, AI massaging, etc. plus a beta test cycle in there. Looks like a very tight schedule to me.
    Rome Total War, it's not a game, it's a do-it-yourself project.

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    Clan Takiyama Senior Member CBR's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    Hm October. Doesnt sound the far out really. VI came out about 9 months after MTW and this will be around 11 months...


    CBR

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    Guest Es Arkajae's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    Anyone have any real idea what the expansion pack is going to be? I would think that they'd have locked that in by now.
    Last edited by Es Arkajae; 01-28-2005 at 10:00.

  5. #5

    Exclamation Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    Quote Originally Posted by CBR
    Hm October. Doesnt sound the far out really. VI came out about 9 months after MTW and this will be around 11 months...CBR
    No, Viking Invasion came out eight months and a bit after Medieval Total War.
    So you're looking at June/July if it follows the same time-scale. I know that things could take longer in RTW but:

    1. The patch development will not affect the release. As RJV said, most of the CA RTW team will be working on the expansion.

    2. The AI will not be massively changed. That would basically make RTW a different game.

    3. Naval battles will not be introduced. That would also require a lot of time and would need a completely new physics system, if it was going to have any realism.

    What there will be is:

    1. A new mini-campaign, with new units. Possibly to do with the fall of the Roman Empire, or the Greek-Persian conflicts in Asia Minor.

    2. Historical campaigns.

    3. New units for the main imperial campaign and some factions unlocked.

    4. Possible use of campaign battle replays.

    5. General bug fixes.

  6. #6
    Humanist Senior Member A.Saturnus's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    I think it´s likely that in the expansion the timescale will be extended beyond 14 AD. All other add-ons have introduced new time frames.

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    Member Member Claudius the God's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    the timeframe will probably go up to something like 480 AD

    Romulus Augustulus was the last Emperor of the Western Roman Empire, he died in 476 AD

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    Member Member RJV's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    Quote Originally Posted by Red Harvest
    I really wonder if that is enough time. We will get some idea when the 1.2 patch is in our grubby little mitts, but right now it appears they could use several months solid of working on the AI. If the 1.2 is a home run, then it won't sound so rushed. That release date is not even 9 months away. They would need to have a nearly complete product at least 2 months before that... So 7 months left for making any significant changes to the base UI, engine, and game mechanics, finishing all aspects of the animations, textures, unit choices, play testing, unit balancing, AI massaging, etc. plus a beta test cycle in there. Looks like a very tight schedule to me.
    Given that it has taken 4 months to get the patch out, and that many of the fixes 'seem' relatively simple it's fairly safe to assume that the bulk of CAs team have been working on the expansion. Project life cycles being as they are it's probably also fairly safe to assume that the expansion has been underway (in some outline form) since the beginning of RTW (or at least since the final closure of development for MTW:VI).

    Yes there will be some changes to the interface, and they will (hopefully) be open to some improvements to the AI, but things like maps, units, skins et al could all have been worked on for a while. The basic engine (map and battle) is not going to change wholesale after all.

    It is a little tight though, and I would expect a little slippage, but still out in time for the Christmas market.

    Cheers,

    Rob
    Olaf the Flashy - the Bling Bling Viking

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    Bored Member Tux's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    I've heard that it'll be the hunic invasion, in my opinion it'll be just like and huge patch with many fixes animation,etc. and new units and faction.

  10. #10
    Member Member Claudius the God's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    I reckon the expansion pack will have the option of continuing your previous imperial campaign, or starting a brand new imperial campaign from the first year of the Empire, where factions are set out as they were historically. (like early, middle and late games for MTW)

    and the ruling families at the start of the new imperial game are historically accurate.

    and civil wars start with new families trying to take over.

    and a slightly expanded building and unit tech tree, including things like hospitals or whatever, and the ability to select other imperial religions like Christianity or whatever,

    and for giant cities, urban areas would be upgradable though don't know how a siege battle would work with this, with Rome having hundreds of thousands of people in the first century AD (if not more)

    and the ability for barbarian factions to rent siege equipment like mercenaries, or keeping siege equipment and their crews when bribing an army to disband.
    in fact, there should be a more complex bribing system, where you have in a bribing panel: generals, all units, siege equipment, Diplomats but not other agents and you can select weather to bribe or disband specific units.

    and some unique unit upgrades, not just morale, weapons and armour (like javelins, or the ability to hide in grass, or whatever)
    and the ability to create villas to hold very large populations outside the cities. each region having a set number available to build.

    you should be able to use your diplomats to encourage your own generals to have more virtues and less vices

    and maybe more interresting sea battles, even if it is just a non playable, game generated movie sequence to show the events of a naval battle (like a regular battle replay), but with water and ships based on what you go into combat with.

    further upgrades for things like roads and so on, and the ability to adopt people as generals (using a list of candidates) without them having to be 'man of the hour' first.

    the ability to build large walls across the landscape like the ones built in Germany, Hadrian's wall and in southern Denmark

    and a more elaborate mercenary system, where all mercenaries are available, and are not just faction specific mercenaries. instead have mercenaries more expensive for one faction than another, african elephants are more likely to work for Carthage than for Rome... but that doesn't mean they won't if the price is right

    and more germanic factions like the Franks and so on.

    and imperial objectives for non roman factions, like capture this province, control the trade in this area, build this building, attack this place within so many turns, etc. but smaller rewards than what the Senate provides in the original RTW.

    and you should be able to negotiate with rebels a bit more (so long as they aren't immediately hostile to you, give them money to bolster their forces and tell them to attack a specific settlement nearby...

    there should be more pirates in the meditteranean, not just in the baltic sea

    this unique roman unit would be cool, have your emperor riding a war elephant, like Emperor Claudius did when he invaded Britain

    and in night battles, the ability to use more scare tactics...
    and the ability to capture warriors and use them as slaves for trade and for gladiatorial games.

    just a few ideas...

  11. #11
    Member Member afrit's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    I believe an expansion will be out in time for next christmas season. Otherwise, why would Activision absolutely prohibit another patch?

    My feeling is that bugs not fixed in 1.2 will be addressed in the expansion. For which we will all happily pay.
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  12. #12
    Guest Es Arkajae's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    Quote Originally Posted by Claudius the God
    ..
    So in other words you don't have any idea and you're just providing a personal wishlist.

    Gotcha

  13. #13
    Original Viking Member hundurinn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    According to the mod's and CA on totalwar.com this was a lie. But let's hope it was true.

  14. #14

    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    Quote Originally Posted by hundurinn
    According to the mod's and CA on totalwar.com this was a lie. But let's hope it was true.
    They make the game, and they want to keep it a secret, so, of cource, they'll say it's a lie.

    It looks true to me. This game has sold too many units to even consider to hesitate about an X-Pack.

  15. #15
    One of the Undutchables Member The Stranger's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    does someone knows if i can download MTW VI

    We do not sow.

  16. #16
    Original Viking Member hundurinn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    Correct me if I'm wrong but that would be illiegal.

  17. #17
    Member Member Ziu's Avatar
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    Default Re: Expansion Pack News! Slight snippet of info on the release date...

    Quote Originally Posted by hundurinn
    Correct me if I'm wrong but that would be illiegal.
    Some bought game are available in a downloadable version.

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