Gamespy E3 coverage of Barbarian Invasion

[edyzmedieval]

pc.gamespy.com/pc/rome-to...349p1.html

Check this....Short report of the Barbarian Invasion

Thank God!!! News about the expansion!!!

[Viking]

Direct link please!!

[Mikeus Caesar]

T3h link!!

w00t!!

[Viking]

Vikings!!!??!

What the heck??

[The_Doctor]

Oh God

Vikings?
Battle priests?

[Mikeus Caesar]

That's what i was thinking. My initial thoughts of 'w00t' suddenly crashed into a brick wall when i read the words 'priests' and 'vikings'. Well, at least we now know that the fantasy units are going to be as ridiculous as possible.

[Viking]

Well, actually the vikings are not more fantasy than Thrace in RTW.

But vikings??!!? They`re at least 300 years too early.

[Mikeus Caesar]

Actually, (i think) Thrace was supposedly around then, but was such a minor little kingdom, it didn't matter much.

[Viking]

According to the magasin I`m reading, Thrace was occupied by the macedonians 400 bc.

No screenshots?

But at least, BI is now official.

[Tigranes]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It'll be war dogs, druids, warrior women, Egyptian Chariots, head throwers, and other such units all over again!

Why, CA, why have you diverged from reality and history? WHY!?!?!?!?!

[Mikeus Caesar]

Because main stream gamers don't give a toss about reality. As long as they can win easily while killing thousands of people along the way, they're happy.

[Epistolary Richard]

I was more interested in this:

On the strategic map, many barbarian tribes have the "Hording" ability. This allows them to pack up an existing settlement and move the whole thing to another province.

Now currently, the one settlement a province concept makes such a thing impossible, so could this mean a separation of the two which would finally allow the representation of more settlements without having to cram the map with provinces?

Possibly, however, this is just going to be a spin on forts/watchtowers by providing a new brand of 'barbarian villages'.

[Hambut_bulge]

Of course the mention of Vikings could just be an ignorant games journalist randomly spewing off any 'barbarian' culture he can think of!

The priests don't sound too bad in my opinion. The Gamespy article states that they stop units from routing. As I recall, priest/holy men often held a great deal of power over Pagan tribes (much as Catholic priests did over Christian ones), so if thats their purpose in game, then OK. Besides you've got to give the Barbarian armies a decent chance against the legions, even if they represent the twilight of Roman power.

[Spartiate]

I hope/think that the Vikings are infact Saxons who will have a specialist coastal raiding ability in RTW:BI.Many films and books depict early Saxons as horn-helmed barbarians.Lets hope this is what this is.

[The_Doctor]

Anglos(Anglii I think the Romans called them) come from Denmark and so do the some of the Vikings, maybe this is what caused the confusion.

If priests can stop units routing that means they are on the battlefield, which means they must some find of combat skills. Therefore we battle priests.

[player1]

If priests can stop units routing that means they are on the battlefield, which means they must some find of combat skills. Therefore we battle priests.

Battle Priests = Chritsian version of Druids.
Simple consistency thing.

And hardly unrelistic.
Medieval armies had priest in their armies.
But they were called "battle-priests", beacuse they were in army, to keep up morale (and give last confessions for moraly wounded), not becues they "fought" in battle.

[Hambut_bulge]

If priests can stop units routing that means they are on the battlefield, which means they must some find of combat skills. Therefore we battle priests.

Not necessarily. If we get a unit, 200 hundred strong, of ninja warrior priests complete with 'super-kewl finishing moves', then yes we've got a problem. If (and I really suspect this is more likely) its a single priest with a bodyguard of 20 or so tough warriors (non-priest), then its no different to a secondary generals unit.

[Rodion Romanovich]

500 AD? I want to start around 300 or 400 AD with Adrianople, Huns and so on! Or, alternatively, a game starting in around 650 AD with muslims, byzantines, franks and so on.

Vikings?!!! Why not add samurai, zulu warriors, mongols and moonpeople while you're at it?!

Priest unit?!!!

Swimming?!!

Night attacks that lower morale even more?!!

The features I do like are: moveable city population, as well as the fact that it would be fun with a game having vandals, goths, huns etc.

Hopefully CA realize soon that targetting the 12years old players market will make them lose their regular customers...

[Beefy]

Hopefully CA realize soon that targetting the 12years old players market will make them lose their regular customers...

Erm how exactly are they doing this? They are trying to accommodate everybody in this new expansion pack. Night battles, they always exsited in RTW they just hardly rarely ever happened, and its adding a new twist to the game. The priests, i dont really see them as a fantasy unit, im not an histroical expert but im pretty sure at some points in time, priests did fight, Vikings? you mean the Saxons, who will specialise in sea raids. Swimming? well yes archer units, light units would have been able to swim, and it solves the bridge of death problem and allows you to flank you enemy at a bridge.


If you going to critise please think things through first.

[The_Doctor]

Medieval armies had priest in their armies.

But this is not medieval.

its a single priest with a bodyguard of 20 or so tough warriors

But the priest would still have to fight.

I am hoping it will be a retinue person that increases morale.

Hopefully CA realize soon that targetting the 12years old players market will make them lose their regular customers...

I think they know that.

[Conqueror]

Nope, one of the screenshots in ImageShack shows a unit full of robed priests ready to whack pagans over the head with clubs

[player1]

Nope, one of the screenshots in ImageShack shows a unit full of robed priests ready to whack pagans over the head with clubs

Aka, not different then current Druid unit, so I don't mind.
They are moral boosters anyway, using them in combat to fight would probably be waste of resources.

[cunctator]

Swimming? well yes archer units, light units would have been able to swim, and it solves the bridge of death problem and allows you to flank you enemy at a bridge.

It`s a very bad idea to bring a composite bow in contact with water. I doubt that CA will decide between different types of archers.

[The_Doctor]

I hope the RTR team fix it.

[Beefy]

well maybe not archers then, but auxilla, spearmen etc etc

[Mongoose]

*SIGH*

I think i'll buy once there is a BITR mod

[Colovion]

these tidings are not at all inspiring

and CA will, most likely, neglect to speak with us Orgers who are unsatisfied about their motives for such debauchery

sad sad sad >:(

[Boon]

as much as this expansion seems to be a bonanza of ca fantasy crap. there is a silver lining.

having had a look at what has been achieved by the modding community in under a year, they have been complaining about things that are hard coded like faction and province limits.

'10 new factions' now they may have just renamed a few, but this could mean oppotunities for more detailed modding.

hoarding may allow the modders to depict a nomadic tribe properly.

The expansion itself may not be worth much, but it opens up the game for more modding!

sweet.

[khelvan]

'10 new factions' now they may have just renamed a few, but this could mean oppotunities for more detailed modding.

Sorry, what this means is that they've created units for 10 "new" factions. It does not mean that modders can ADD 10 new factions.

So far, as a modder, I see nothing of interest, except possibly the ability to pick up and move a settlement. We'll see how it works.

[aw89]

Im guessing the aren't lowering the kill rates...

This is it, im moving my belives of a realistic battle and empire game to slitherine software, legion 2