The Death Of Total War

[danimal]

The game has lost something. A lot of things. Great graphics yay! SunTzu and his tactical war game is and age old dream now. Shame on you CA. Cant wait for the next smart alec programmer to come up with a better version. I always went back to medievel and shogun cos they were brilliant, absolutely stunning games, not much to look at, but i use to marvel at the moves in the replays. And so on. No more, the tactical and strategic areas should have been expanded on. And whats all this behind closed doors nonsense. Nop Ur Just rubbish. Sorry all, no offence meant but this game is a sellout.

By the way, remember that truly massive thread in medieval about how gr8 the game was, didnt c that thi s time round did u?

[Wishazu]

a couple of good points there, but i still think that rome is best the game in the series. however i dont think i`ll remember it as fondly as shoggy in the future. Rose tinted glasses

[starkhorn]

Yeah I'd tend to agree with you. After seeing the poor customer feedback and support for this game, I've had enough. I thought the support for Beyond Good and Evil was bad but what CA are doing is nothing short of a disgrace. I would have thought loyal customers from two full blown games and 2 expansions would have meant something....how naive of me. :(

Stating that it isn't a bug but that the AI is simply thick beggars belief.

For me RTW is dead....I may try MTW/VI again for the hell of it but RTW is dead as far as I'm concerned.

Cheers
Starkhorn

[Satyr]

Yeah too bad really. MTW was so spectacular I thought I had died and gone to heaven when it came out. Rome was a waste of money!

I truely hope CA learn from this. Next time they won't have all that good word of mouth from their previous game and early sales will probably be quite a bit less than they were for Rome. What with everyone expecting another great playing game it was truely dissappointing.

I really hope that CA signs with someone else as a distributor too. Activision has lost their vision.

So then, what is everyone playing instead?

[SpencerH]

I really hope that CA signs with someone else as a distributor too. Activision has lost their vision.

Maybe they'll go in with a class act like SEGA. No, that would be too much to ask for.

[Colovion]

I haven't played RTW in months. I'm only here because I'm still assuming that it'll be worth playing in the future.

Not because of the impending XP.

But because of the EB Mod.

It seems that the game has fallen off it's track that it was once on, selling out as so many successful franchises have to the rigours of capitalism - sell more, it's better, no matter the cost.

Or perhaps what we see in RTW is the building blocks for what will be the evolutionary game; this being merely a prototype for a better game down the road. One which takes from RTW it's positive attributes and perfects them and hones down the engine to a form of perfection.

Or perhaps this is as good as it gets and we should fling our hands in the air to the tune of the shallowness of our society.

Either way the EB mod builds new upon the foundation of RTW, stripping the unpleasant garnishes which it was laden with. It is the sole savior of RTW and even an XP, with the same quality of the vanilla RTW, would never gain the respect that EB will.

[Brighdaasa]

just remember mtw or shogun didn't really shine untill after the expansion pack

i'm just hoping the expansion pack will focus on a better AI, for me the rest of rtw is of excellent standards. except maybe the pathing problems in cities which i'm sure will be fixed in the xpack, and multiplayer: i haven't been able to connect to a single game even after opening all ports on my router and firewall

I'm even ok with the fact of the quicker combat, if that's the road ca wants to take their game on. i just wish we'd get the terrain and weather factors back in and a better AI. also the fact that the only big contenders are rome and egypt every game doesn't add to replayability imo, unlike mtw (stw had the same problem)

on a final note: remember how the ai in mtw would parade their troops in front of you right inside your archers' shooting range, mtw and stw weren't perfect games people

[Benny Moore]

The game has lost something. A lot of things. Great graphics yay!

With the shoreline squares that I so often complain about, the game doesn't even look good anymore. I, too, am not playing the game until Europa Barbarum.

[Sol Invictus]

Only reason I'm playing it is because of RTR and waiting for EB. Six months after release, with much modding, the game is finally enjoyable. I figure after a few more months of modding, the game will be near great. Long time and alot of effort for a game.

[Benny Moore]

It's not that the game has not given me enjoyment. It's that throughout the entire time of playing, half of the experience is enjoyment and half is frustration at the bugs. Finally they fix most of the bugs, and then, suddenly, we have new, worse ones. If it weren't for the fact that I've already dealt with them for long enough, I'd go back to the old versions and deal with the old bugs. As it is, again, I simply don't play.

[ichi]

Help me to understand something.

Rome received numerous awards and tons of accolades, just as Shoggie and MTW did.

But a lot of people have uninstalled it while others play for hours each day.

When MTW came out there were many bug issues and complaints about CA support.

But a lot of people bought and played and liked the game.

Just to be clear, I've uninstalled Rome - I just didn't care for it.

But help me to understand how these titles can be so loved and so hated, apparently so good and yet so bad.

ichi

[Calmarac]

But a lot of people have uninstalled it while others play for hours each day.

Well, with the Loadgame bug breaking almost all the seiges and crippling the AI - those are really the only viable options. You can either play for many hours at a stretch, or just give it up as a bad job. There just isn`t any point trying to play the game as and when you can, like many of us have to.

But help me to understand how these titles can be so loved and so hated, apparently so good and yet so bad.

I think it`s a love/hate thing because the game is so very nearly there. It`s almost what TW players have been dreaming of for all these years - but then it turns out to be fundamentally flawed. And that`s heartbreaking.

[SWISS TONY]
Playing RTW is like making love to a beautiful woman
[/SWISS TONY]

It`s like a bad love affair. That fabulous girl you admired from afar and finally got together with. She`s lovely to look at, she`s into all your interests, heck she even likes computer games - but 3 months down the line you realise she`s an alcoholic, inveterate gambler or whatever...

And just like a breakup, or bereavement, we`re seeing the classic behaviour stages...

First there comes Denial - "Well I play this game all the time and I don`t see these bugs you`re all so bothered about, everything`s just fine here"

Then comes Fear - "OMG it really is broken. Please help us CA! Mods can u fix this? Anybody!!??"

Then comes Anger - "THiS &^$£* GamE Sux big time AND ca are aLL *@%*$*"

Then comes Bargaining - "Please CA would you mind taking a look at this and maybe fixing it for the Expansion. I`m sure it will be fixed soon and we`ll all be happy to buy the XP and the next title which I just know will be awesome"

Finally, there comes Acceptance - "Well that`s it for me. I can`t play this game as it stands, so I`ve just uninstalled and I`m off to play SH3"

Trouble is that`s not really a healthy closure, as there`s still a residue of bitterness left behind.

*Sigh* RTW, you promised so much, but in the end you turned out to be like all the other games

[tai4ji2x]

lol, cloudnine. in only your 16th post to the ORG, you've said it better than a 1000+post vet could have.

[hoom]

I think some of you are doing a disservice to RTR and SPQR (haven't personally tried SPQR).

RTR 5.4.1 is as far as I'm concerned as good as RTW gets right now & to assume that EB is going to magically fix a lot of the problems of RTW that the others haven't already is ludicrous because most of the problems are hard-coded.
EB has a more rigourous historical accuracy + total conversion regime but most bug fixes that are possible are already implemented by other mods because all mods are working together on finding/sharing fixes for stuff.

[Silencer]

hmm,

at this moment, I can't evne access totalwar.com site.
I heard something, that creative has been bought over and is now only working for PS2?

[tai4ji2x]

how are we doing a disservice to rtr/spqr/eb? most of their teammembers are as frustrated with CA as everyone else. i for one play rtr, appreciate spqr, and eagerly await eb. however, that does not mean that TW as a serious wargaming franchise and CA as a company aren't somehow as doomed as the thread title implies.

[hoom]

I meant the ones who said they have uninstalled RTW till the great panacea EB comes out.

I'm a caller for better from CA.

[tai4ji2x]

hehe, sorry. i shoulda read your post a little more closely.

[Shambles]

All i can say is if CA make a nother patch and it turns out to be more junk Then im going to Smash my RTW cd's in to pices so i cant Reinstall it,

They spent to much time on The Gfx and the game suffers accordingly,
IMO they should have worked on the game More and then added in nice gfx after The game was finished,

not make snazzy looking game that Just Sucks to play.
Dont get me wrong It has some good ideas, and In theory could have been So much better than STW.
But honestly, It just makes me want to yell, DAMN YOU TO HELL YOU PICE OF JUNK!
then smash my pc with my palm.

So i uninstalled it.

[vindapop]

I'm fed up with all you guys slagging this game off.

I have both MTW and STW and i think Rome is far better, especially the campaign map in that the last 2 were 2D and weren't realistic moving armies. And the graphics are extremely good.

I can go on forever going on about how better the game is but i wont.

As far as the bugs, the AI does admitadly need tweeking and some of the bugs fixing but so did MTW before the expansion pack and in my opinion it doesn't spoil the enjoyment.

So quit slagging off the game because your all on a RTW forum.

[derF]

The game is a monument to underachievement. All in all, i was dissappointed at how un-tapped the game was. It had so much potential to break away from just basic "rock-paper-scissors".

However, i do still find myself playing it for 2 reasons: 1) I love the Romans. 2) Its a nice arcadey-fun type of game.

[Mikeus Caesar]

heard something, that creative has been bought over and is now only working for PS2

You misinformed nitwit. They now have a contract-thingy with SEGA, so now any games they make are published by SEGA. And yes, they are making a console game, but this doesn't mean they won't stop making PC games.

Research stuff before coming out with silly rubbish.

[hoom]

I'm fed up with all you guys slagging this game off.

Look, its not like we don't recognise the good, its just that those bits show up the bad/uncomplete/broken/bad design parts and some of them are game killers.

Personally I'd have rather seen the Risk style campaign back again because it was cool.
RTW campaign map looks like a PC game where M & S had a general's map feel.
You can just imagine yourself sitting in the grand hall of a castle or in a tent on campaign moving around the pieces, with advisors taking notes and sending out the orders by rider.

[[seminoles]shadow]

The game has lost something. A lot of things.

yes i agree with you on this matter but it also gained alot of things.MTW and STW both had bugs and glitches in them but after 4 or 5 patches they were all fixed and everyone loved them. i believe that RTW will be like this also.

[Mikeus Caesar]

but after 4 or 5 patches they were all fixed

But that's the problem!! Don't you remember, the 2 freekin patch policy!! Thanks to that damn policy, now we will never have any more patches to tweak the game to perfection!!!

Personally I'd have rather seen the Risk style campaign back again because it was cool.
RTW campaign map looks like a PC game where M & S had a general's map feel.
You can just imagine yourself sitting in the grand hall of a castle or in a tent on campaign moving around the pieces, with advisors taking notes and sending out the orders by rider.

If i had had it my way (which i doubt i would have) then CA would have given you the option of changing from a risk-style MTW map, or having the nice looking 3D RTW map. Then everyone would be happy!!

[BeeSting]

Two patch policy for a strategy game like RTW is laughable. Why with all the gaming experience would CA sign an agreement like that?

[Old Celt]

They would sign a 2 patch policy because they were no doubt, desperate for a publisher. Money talks. And when the game was 18 months late (and would have been later if CA had its way) you have to wonder if dollar ONE has even been made in profit. The overhead had to be murderous.

Now we have to hope SEGA is willing to finance work effort for a patch, and it will be no small thing. I think chances are against it, because it will place them in a bind where they would need to sell a million copies to make a profit. The market for true strategy games is admittedly small...

[Turbo]

Help me to understand something.

Rome received numerous awards and tons of accolades, just as Shoggie and MTW did.

But a lot of people have uninstalled it while others play for hours each day.

When MTW came out there were many bug issues and complaints about CA support.

But a lot of people bought and played and liked the game.

Just to be clear, I've uninstalled Rome - I just didn't care for it.

But help me to understand how these titles can be so loved and so hated, apparently so good and yet so bad.

ichi

The disatisfaction with Shogun and MTW pales in comparison to the disatisfaction with Rome. Shogun and MTW were quality products that had a few bugs. Rome has glitzy graphics but a crap AI and has broken features in addition to numerous bugs. You are right about one thing, the lack of support from CA has not changed.

[Turbo]

Two patch policy for a strategy game like RTW is laughable. Why with all the gaming experience would CA sign an agreement like that?

CA is hiding behind the 2 patch policy. There is nothing preventing CA from releasing a developer patch.

[FURRY_BOOTS]

Pretty much agree with what you guys are saying, but i think theres an undercurrent to this whole deppressed attitude thing, the truth is, CA have "sold out", eg- i called my 8 year old son through to show him the preview of "total warrior", cool he said, will it be out on x box,,,, can i get it, totally looks cool, & i thought thats it, its over , because thats your new core niche, console twich gamers, (damn them to hell) all devs seem to be going down this path,(bethesda) catering for the masses, its a money thing, im sure some of the CA guys must hate whats going on with THEIR product, the fruits of THEIR labours, THEIR hard work & efforts, & to these guys i say, REBEL, leave CA & form your own company, give us the game we need & we'll give you our support, when some of ea games staff left(moh) & created infinity ward we got call of duty, the same could happen here