Spqr

[The Hun]

In my mind, only way to play RTW online or otherwise...SPQR Mod. No more scurrying ants, now movement and kill is correct speed, time to manage units, armies more realistic. Some very nice change and credit to creator for giving us the best way so far to play RTW

[Puzz3D]

SPQR is the only way I'll play RTW online, but 99% of the players seem to prefer the gameplay of RTW v1.2.

[Louis de la Ferte Ste Colombe]

I had a look at that mod, played it a bit in SP custom battles, and had a look at the unit stats.

I don't find the killing and moving speed to be all that different. Regular RTW battles can be long too...
Graphics look better, but seem to be more cumbersome for large battle (more lag than in regular RTW with an awful lot of men; still playable at 6000 men though).

A positive: some problems units have been nerfed or gone (bye bye praetorian and other hollywood units..)

My main problem is the pinball like stats. It has some positive (it's so high that upgrades are irrelevant....), but for morale it created a lot of rally and regroup. With morale in 10+ for the worse and in the 20s or 30s, few units break, and when they do, they rally all the times...
Chasing the routers was awfully long.
I have not played enough to find imbalances, but given the range of stats used, it's likely there are some...

Overall, for MP balance, most of what the mod achieved can be done without the pinball "add 20 to all stats" affect. More specifically, morale is very very high. Probably a good thing in SP when facing a computer to help the AI stand and fight a bit, but not that good for MP (favours strenght over position, too much rallying).

Louis,

[Puzz3D]

Units fight much longer in SPQR mod than in regular RTW v1.2. I set up a test with principes using large size units.

In RTW v1.2 the principes are 80 men. The pila volley killed an average of 11 men in each unit. The units fought for 2 minutes with one having 65 kills and the other 50 kills at the rout point.

In SPQR mod the principes are 60 men. The pila volley killed and average of 3 men in each unit. The units fought for 6 minutes with one getting 62 kills and the other 34.

The fighting time is 3 times longer in SPQR, and the unit size is actually smaller so you get better frame rate. SPQR large unit size provides a setting inbetween RTW v1.2's normal and large unit sizes. I've played quite a few SPQR battles online, and a broken army never came back to win.

Other important points are that unlike RTW v1.2, in SPQR spears will beat cav and shields work against arrows. Yes other mods could fix these problems, but there are no other mods right now which do so.

[Tomisama]

Would someone please put up a link to the download to save time.

Thanks

[Louis de la Ferte Ste Colombe]

I have not found that SPQR and vanilla battles feel that different regarding duration; the chance that a melee would last 6 full minutes without an ennemy units coming to make a difference are small. One on one tests are not showing that tactics may make a difference much before the one on one is over.

I have played a few test games in 1.2, running heavy cavalry into phalanx with phalanx on and guard off: phalanx came on top. I mean long pike phalanx (the regular kind) against praetorian cavalry and the like... Silver shield phalanx against praetorian would take like 15% casualties and rout the cavalry killing 80% of them.

Whether I put cavalry on wedge, or tried to get some wrapping effect changed the outcome little. In RTW 1.2, spears will beat cavalry; the main issue is to get the cavalry to run into the phalanx, or to get the phalanx to catch the cavalry... Usual issue. SPQR has not fixed that...

A broken army never come back to win, but it rallies again and again. Thanks to sky high morale.

Aren't shield protecting from arrows in 1.2 too?

Louis,

[Orda Khan]

Sometimes I can't believe what I read

........Orda

[Puzz3D]

Work on SPQR continues at .net with LT1956 making adjustments based on feedback on an alpha test stat. I guess there are four main testers.

[LuminousSun]

I think this mod is the best mod so far.
The gameplay is great.
once you get used to the new order of things it becomes much more tw like.
They have also added realistic banners and music fit for rome.
give it a try.

[Spartan117300]

if anyone can give me a link showing EXACTLY what this mod does besides just saying it is better.... i might consider it, everyone who has had it seems to love it but what does it do!?, also are there any screenshots of the modded units? if so id love aq link of that too