'Featureless' Expansion

[sik1977]

The expansion is so featureless, I don't know how to get myself excited over it. They have not mentioned a 'single' feature worth the excitement of a new product.

For some 'night battles' may be the key, for me its just gloss. It would be a nice addition but I can live without the night battles. There is no word on something truly special, like in VI they redid the whole reinforcement system (though it only worked after the patch).

There are no campaign replays, no added diplomacy options, wishy-washy response by Shogun to AI improvements, no announcement as to the Save/Load Issue yet, no additional modability options, nothing nada.... BTW, after reading Shoguns latest FAQ, the settlement moving by Barbarians is also not a true feature. Settlements are fixed, the Barbarian factions can simply survive even if they didn't have a settlement left, just like the human player now in RTW.

So tell me, why should I be excited or look forward to another mod for which I have to dish out additional money?!!

Mods have done nearly as much, which is a lot more considering they do not have the source code. I know CA can do better, its just that their imagination or will to improve this game in a real way is somewhat lacking.

PLEASE CA, take more time with the expansion, but give a true expansion with REAL features, not recycled stuff (night battles, Mongol invasion inspired Barbarion Invasion).

[blaker024]

theres night battles in rtw 1.2. custom battle advanced options

[The Stranger]

The expansion is so featureless, I don't know how to get myself excited over it. They have not mentioned a 'single' feature worth the excitement of a new product.

For some 'night battles' may be the key, for me its just gloss. It would be a nice addition but I can live without the night battles. There is no word on something truly special, like in VI they redid the whole reinforcement system (though it only worked after the patch).

There are no campaign replays, no added diplomacy options, wishy-washy response by Shogun to AI improvements, no announcement as to the Save/Load Issue yet, no additional modability options, nothing nada.... BTW, after reading Shoguns latest FAQ, the settlement moving by Barbarians is also not a true feature. Settlements are fixed, the Barbarian factions can simply survive even if they didn't have a settlement left, just like the human player now in RTW.

So tell me, why should I be excited or look forward to another mod for which I have to dish out additional money?!!

Mods have done nearly as much, which is a lot more considering they do not have the source code. I know CA can do better, its just that their imagination or will to improve this game in a real way is somewhat lacking.

PLEASE CA, take more time with the expansion, but give a true expansion with REAL features, not recycled stuff (night battles, Mongol invasion inspired Barbarion Invasion).

no they can;t. without a settlement/ capitol you're lost.

[Burnzy]

It seems CA got a taste of the big bucks with RTW, and it was all thanks to the eye candy. Anyone that saw a screenshot of it, no matter what their game preference, is likely to contemplate purchasing it. Night battles, swimming, a few new skins; it's enough to get them at least a quarter of what RTW brought in. Face it, they're now solely cash orientated, and so it seems the upcoming regurgitation is going be just that: cash orientated. Hope for its sales resting hugely on RTW's success. Minimum effort, maximum profit.

[The_678]

Even though it seems featureless, it is bound to be really good. Since there is no senate in the XP's era (dev confirmed) it will open many good things for mods. Also the new campaign itself sounds really fun. With the new victory conditions, it's something that cannot be done yet without modding and will be a very fun change of things.

[Trajen the 1st]

Well i have to agree this is getting me mad the more i learn about the ex,pak it just seems like there throwing in abunch of new useless features like swimming horses and night battles(which a mod has already done FYI)I'll probubly still buy it if the mods start moving over to it plus the factions look interesting.

[vale]

I agree with you man, the expansion are so featureless like you said. I guess since they have a taste of what rtw brought now they are hungry for more, they could just make that as a patch and published it since there are only a few change that compare to our mod that submitted by rtr and other they are close to it. There is no point really to get the expansion if they just did a little modification over the skin and some new unit which can be done easily with a skilled modder. So unless they published another game that are better than rtw which i think is unlikely to be I see there is no need to get the new xpan.

[Soviet_AK-47]

My hopes are that the at least can get in a feature, like I've heard of in MTW, that causes civil wars, and also balances civilizations (we need that).

[Revelation]

I have learned from CA's previous efforts. This time round i'll definately be waiting a good few months to guage the the general consensus on the expac before even considering purchasing it. Let's face it, Shogun was , as ever playing his usual games. Answering in detail questions about the minor asthetics (eye candy) and non improving features, then hedging and baulking when it came to the tweaks that would really make the exppac an exppac and not just a $$$ making exercise for CA.

Why spend your hard earned $$$ on this thing when you can play the mods for free!
Perhaps i'm jumping the gun a little, maybe they will surprise us. Maybe......

[Wishazu]

i was hoping for defeated factions to be able to return like in mtw.

[Nelson]

If you dismiss the new features and then ask “Where are the new features?”, the answer will always be “There are none”. You still may not think the expansion is worth buying but as Total War expansions go, Rome’s may be the most feature rich yet.

What did Mongol Invasion add to Shogun?

What did Viking Invasion add to Medieval?

Neither of these made any sweeping changes to game play. They were about new factions for the most part.

This is an expansion to Rome, not Rome II.

[Bhruic]

What did Viking Invasion add to Medieval?

The improved reinforcement system? That's certainly why I got it. I didn't care about the new campaign in the least (and, in general, enjoyed it nowhere near as much as the Medieval campaign).

Having the expansion add a new campaign is nice and all, but my decision to get it or not will likely be on what improvements it makes to the game as a whole. So far, I haven't been impressed.

Bh

[sik1977]

If you dismiss the new features and then ask “Where are the new features?”, the answer will always be “There are none”. You still may not think the expansion is worth buying but as Total War expansions go, Rome’s may be the most feature rich yet.

What did Mongol Invasion add to Shogun?

What did Viking Invasion add to Medieval?

Neither of these made any sweeping changes to game play. They were about new factions for the most part.

This is an expansion to Rome, not Rome II.

Nelson, I wonder if you actually played both those expansions.

MI brought in the Mongols which were not dependant on provinces etc, and had a totally different strategy. This is what we will be seeing recycled in the BI as Huns it seems. MI, also added a lot of things to the main campaign. Such as old eliminated factions returning, and many features which came to MTW later on but were intriduced in MI and were not in STW.

MTW: VI brought in the reinforcements. That feature alone was worth the expansion and as Bhuric said, i got that expansion just for that feature, as it not only added to the expansion, but more so to the original main campaign. There were other nice touches as well and balances and improvement in AI, specially AI navies which finally started attempting creating trade routes and not just gather in one water square for a big party.

I can go on and on. I have played all of them, and many times over. I like RTW, but was hoping that like before the expansion would add something new and truly exciting, or at least a much wanted feature like campaign replays and a detailed campaign statistics screen, which has been missing in all TW games.

[Mongoose]

"BUT TEH HORSE WILL BE SWIMIN11!!!!1!!1!!111!!11!1!"

J/k

The xpac does look rather dull...i wish they would focus more on gameplay then eye candy.

[Marcus Maxentius]

There could be more, we haven't heard anything yet. I wouldn't expect to see "bugs/AI fixed""Save/load problem resolved "campaign battle replays" in an MTV style commercial.

It's also not a mod. And it's also not a new game. It's an add-on pack. Many of these are just extra weapons, items, levels,missions etc. Some have new "features", but this is certainly not an absolute requirement. Heck, when you buy extra packs or figures for table-top gaming, you're not getting extra "features", but it makes it fun. I love having new choices or continuing the story a little bit more. I would not be disappointed if I only had new things to play with or new places to play on and not new ways to play as well.

Don't buy it then. Buy a brand new game. I think it might be fun. Wait and see. It's not like MI and VI were sold on the bug-fixes/menu tweaks. You found out after you installed it. Right now the mags just want to tell you about the expansion itself, not the game patch that comes with it.

[Ab Urbe Condita]

"BUT TEH HORSE WILL BE SWIMIN11!!!!1!!1!!111!!11!1!"

J/k

The xpac does look rather dull...i wish they would focus more on gameplay then eye candy.

I hate to tell you but you brought up an addition to the gameplay right there; the ability to ford rivers. Actually, I've heard more things about gameplay additions in the xpac than I've heard about "eye candy." The only feature so far that I would call eye candy are the night batles.

[Revelation]

Eye candy is great. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the way RTW looks. In fact, it still fills me with a sense of "being there" when I zoom in for a close up and watch my Roman front line advance upon the enemy.
Marcus, I would hope we all(most of us) know the definition of an expansion pack. What folks I think are/were hoping for is a fix to some of the still blatantly evident bugs that were not addressed in patch 1.2, and also some recognition of this by Shogun in This Interview

Don't buy it then.

Thanks for pointing out our choices. Never heard that one before.
I guess I should just give up on the bug fix issue. There are a few "unofficial" patches out there that address the current problems with RTW that work quite well, also, a shitload of mods that hold enough extra content to not have to worry about the exp pack.
Eventually the pull of the exp pack will be to strong and I will give in to temptation, but until that day............well, i'm gonna go down

[The Stranger]

YOU should not blame CA for it. but the companies that suport them. previously it was Activision. now it's Sega. You can blame CA for bugs. but maybe those bugs could have been detected when they had more time.

[doc_bean]

CA doesn't get to decide what they put in their own expansion pack ?

BTW I think it we would be better if we waited until it was released before we comment on its lack of features. But right now, the Xpack really doesn't appeal to me.

[tibilicus]

To be honest from exspansion packs i allways exspect exactly what they are; exspansions to the game. Dont expext a new game fokes expet the game to be tweaked and bits added. The only ever remarcable exspansion i can think of is civ3 conquests. So to be honest dont expect this to compleatly change ure veiw of RTW allready if you hate it, its just the same content basicly exept re skined. However why will i look forawd to it? Because you get to bring down Rome !

[Mikeus Caesar]

Since there is no senate in the XP's era (dev confirmed) it will open many good things for mods.

That's precisely what i was thinking. No one else seems to realise that because there'll be no more senate, it'll open up hundreds of modding possibilites.

[a_ver_est]

If RTW expansion has the same price than VI (more or less) I think is a bit expensive.

BTW I am very upset with the postsale support offered, I don't care who the guilty is, sure costumers not. So I don't have any good reason to buy the expansion despite I still play a lot the game.

[The Stranger]

we live in a world were money is almost if not EVERYTHING, if they won't go for the moneymaking style, they'll be bankrupt in a month

[Nelson]

I have played both TW expansions. A lot.

I enjoyed the new features in each of them although IMO none of them represented an especially dramatic departure from the game play of its predecessor. The Mongols don’t build troops and that was the big difference from other factions. A new map and new factions in VI were excellent but the other changes were minor. The reinforcement tweak was nice but was hardly a sea change in game mechanics.

Night battles and river crossings sound like significant tactical additions to me but deciding what are major and minor features is a very subjective undertaking. One man’s delicacy is another’s gruel. The migrating barbarians in BI could be very interesting and different. I’m not sure we know what all the next expansion will include.

[Orda Khan]

Very true Nelson, I think it is a sad reflection of society in general these days that people just love to moan about how bad things are. As you pointed out, it is an expansion and not a new game. All the negative comments really are unfounded until there is proof that the expansion is rubbish. Personally, I cannot help but laugh because all these whingers will buy it as soon as it hits the shelves

......Orda

[Bhruic]

As you pointed out, it is an expansion and not a new game.

That's a rather silly comment. If it was a new game, why would we be expecting it to have any impact on the original game? RTW didn't affect MTW, MTW didn't affect STW. So anyone who is commenting about the effect a RTW expansion will have on the base RTW campaign obviously isn't expecting a new game. Suggesting otherwise is just plain foolish.

All the negative comments really are unfounded until there is proof that the expansion is rubbish. Personally, I cannot help but laugh because all these whingers will buy it as soon as it hits the shelves

How many people have said anything about the expansion being rubbish? That seems to be wishful thinking on your part. What people have said is that the announced feature list doesn't sound terribly impressive. Does that mean the expansion won't be any good? Who knows. When it comes out, everyone can evaluate it at that point.

As for laughing, if that makes you feel better, by all means, laugh away. However, your comment is perhaps the only unsubstantiated comment this thread has truly had.

Bh

[Mongoose]

I just don't see the point...why not just buy a new game for the same amount of money?


I hate all xpacs

[Orda Khan]

That's a rather silly comment. If it was a new game, why would we be expecting it to have any impact on the original game? RTW didn't affect MTW, MTW didn't affect STW. So anyone who is commenting about the effect a RTW expansion will have on the base RTW campaign obviously isn't expecting a new game. Suggesting otherwise is just plain foolish.



How many people have said anything about the expansion being rubbish? That seems to be wishful thinking on your part. What people have said is that the announced feature list doesn't sound terribly impressive. Does that mean the expansion won't be any good? Who knows. When it comes out, everyone can evaluate it at that point.

As for laughing, if that makes you feel better, by all means, laugh away. However, your comment is perhaps the only unsubstantiated comment this thread has truly had.

Bh

I guess the 'Featureless Expansion' thread title and the negative replies using the 'wonderful' VI as comparison just passed you by then. As for laughing...Yes I am LMAO. 'Featureless'......How is this 'substantiated'? I stand by what I said, since there has been any amount of moaning about BI and what it is not

......Orda

[Bhruic]

I guess the 'Featureless Expansion' thread title and the negative replies using the 'wonderful' VI as comparison just passed you by then. As for laughing...Yes I am LMAO. 'Featureless'......How is this 'substantiated'? I stand by what I said, since there has been any amount of moaning about BI and what it is not

I saw the title. I saw the replies talking about VI. I'm not sure what your point is regarding them. Certainly, suggesting that the expansion is completely lacking features in the literal sense would be silly. But the explanation in the first post makes it clear that's not the intention. 'Featureless' is meant to indicate ... Well, the first post makes it clear:

They have not mentioned a 'single' feature worth the excitement of a new product.

That seems like an entirely substantiated post, if a completely subjective one. By contrast, VI added at least one feature that was worth a great deal of excitement. I can't comment on STW, as I never got the expansion for it.

They say laughter is good for the soul, so laugh away. I, personally, am in agreement with the original post, in that I don't find anything (again, anything announced) about the expansion terribly interesting. If it sounds great to you, well, that's good. Not only can you laugh, but you can look forward to a good expansion. Me, I'll wait to see what the general reaction is after it's released.

Bh

[Teleklos Archelaou]

I would love to buy an expansion if it actually did anything at all that I think is very interesting. From what has been publicly stated about this one, I have seen absolutely no reason to pay a dime for this one. I'm not a Mr. Negative about it - I've not bought one game since I bought RTW last year, I've been so obsessed with it. But I've seen nothing that modders can't do that interests me in their public releases of it so far.