Gamespot preview of "near finished" (?) version of MTW 2

[Furious Mental]

Just a heads up. Doesn't really say much. Has a fair number of screenshots and a couple of movies in accompaniment though. Hopefully other less stingy websites will have high res versions freely available for download.

- Has screenshots of a wooden castle, something new (for me at least). It would appear that wooden walls now have battlements, unlike those in RTW.
- From the screenshots: when upgrading a city, instead of building a new governor's building, you build a new wall.
- Ironic screenshot of building completion notice lauding the awe inspiring work of your serfs, masons and architect for constructing... land clearance.
- Screenshot of king's death notice implies that yes your faction leader when you start as England will be "King William the Conqueror". This will please history nerds but since I am an even bigger history nerd I can self-righteously complain that the game gives him an agnomen not actually used at the time. In fact I just did. Ha!
- Makes reference to "subverting" a general by marrying a princess to him. So it does sound like a marriage might be something like a bribe.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen009.jpg

Is that...fog! Perhaps not up to STW standards yet, but still, nice to see it's back.

[Templar Knight]

I loved the fog in STW, in some cases it was so thick that you could totally out manoeuver and flank the enemy army.

[Epistolary Richard]

Something I've meant to ask: fog in STW, did it actually hide units on the minimap as well? Otherwise, presumably you could just see where the red arrows on the map were moving...

[shifty157]

Ah. I loved the fog in STW. It allowed me to win one of my greatest victories ever. My relatively small force was attacking a much larger enemy force. THe fog allowed me to sneak men around and behind their lines without their having any idea. I ended up pulling off a textbook envelopement that can only be compared to the battle of Canea.

I loved the weather in STW in general. It played such a huge role in the battle.

[Lord Adherbal]

Something I've meant to ask: fog in STW, did it actually hide units on the minimap as well?

yes. Also, units that are hidden behind hills do not show up on the minimap. But since they are still visible in the battle with a high camera viewpoint that's kinda pointless.

I wish TW had real LOS, that would make it much more challenging and interesting, even against less then perfect AI. Not to mension more realistic, satellites and helicopters are a rather recent invention.

[Biggus Diccus]

Ah. I loved the fog in STW. It allowed me to win one of my greatest victories ever. My relatively small force was attacking a much larger enemy force. THe fog allowed me to sneak men around and behind their lines without their having any idea. I ended up pulling off a textbook envelopement that can only be compared to the battle of Canea.

I loved the weather in STW in general. It played such a huge role in the battle.

Those were the happy days The weather in STW was excellent, I really miss it in the later TW-games. Autumn and Winter battles were often terrible if you were on offence; thick fog made it almost impossible to locate the enemy. And the battlefields seemed to be a lot bigger then as well.

[PROMETHEUS]

Something I've meant to ask: fog in STW, did it actually hide units on the minimap as well? Otherwise, presumably you could just see where the red arrows on the map were moving...

As far as I remember also medieval had fog .... and yes did hide units also on the radar .... I remember incredible online battles in northern snow covered maps ...... Or was it a snowstorm ? ....

[Ja'chyra]

Is it just me or does it seem that diplomacy hasn't been approved that much?

I would've liked to have seen things like loaning troops and better trade deals.

Still looks good though and the demo plays on my pc

[Mount Suribachi]

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen009.jpg

Is that...fog! Perhaps not up to STW standards yet, but still, nice to see it's back.

There was a very early screenshot that showed fog, thicker than this if my memory serves.

And yes, the fog is STW was awesome. That wonderful feeling of groping around desperately trying to locate the enemy....

[DukeofSerbia]

I hope that economy will work correct because in RTW and BI is not good. In both larger settlement = larger minus income. I tested when I did nothing and settlements just go into minus. Where is logic? Larger settlement means larger tax base and higher production. The whole point was extermination of settlements after some periods and this is very annoying.

[ElectricEel]

DukeofSerbia, the logic is that a portion of your army's upkeep is deducted from a settlement's income proportionally to its size. So in RTW, when a settlement increases in size, it makes more money, but also pays a larger portion of the upkeep of your army, resulting in a negative income being displayed on the strategy map. This system is not good because it means the city income displayed on the strategic map gives you no actual useful information. It does not mean the economy in RTW is broken (though honestly, it is - massive squalor forcing you to exterminate your larger settlements periodically, as you mentioned - but this does not have anything to do with the four middle paragraphs of your post).

[fallen851]

Wow, that screenshot alone might be push over to buy M2TW...

The wooden battlements are awesome, someone must make the equivlent for RTW...

[DukeofSerbia]

DukeofSerbia, the logic is that a portion of your army's upkeep is deducted from a settlement's income proportionally to its size. So in RTW, when a settlement increases in size, it makes more money, but also pays a larger portion of the upkeep of your army, resulting in a negative income being displayed on the strategy map. This system is not good because it means the city income displayed on the strategic map gives you no actual useful information. It does not mean the economy in RTW is broken (though honestly, it is - massive squalor forcing you to exterminate your larger settlements periodically, as you mentioned - but this does not have anything to do with the four middle paragraphs of your post).

No, it not good. I do nothing, just click next turn and settlements start to go negative. It has nothing with real economy.

[ProudNerd]

I hope that economy will work correct because in RTW and BI is not good. In both larger settlement = larger minus income. I tested when I did nothing and settlements just go into minus. Where is logic? Larger settlement means larger tax base and higher production. The whole point was extermination of settlements after some periods and this is very annoying.

lol not this question again..people dont seem to understand this point...

[screwtype]

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen009.jpg

Is that...fog! Perhaps not up to STW standards yet, but still, nice to see it's back.

Pah. Those stoopid huge banners really suck.

[Dan.o6]

I think the banners look OK.

[screwtype]

I think the banners look OK.

Immersion busters. I just hope you can turn 'em off...

[Dutch_guy]

Immersion busters. I just hope you can turn 'em off...

Don't worry Screwtype, you probably can.

[ProudNerd]

Just a heads up. Doesn't really say much. Has a fair number of screenshots and a couple of movies in accompaniment though. Hopefully other less stingy websites will have high res versions freely available for download.

- Has screenshots of a wooden castle, something new (for me at least). It would appear that wooden walls now have battlements, unlike those in RTW.
- From the screenshots: when upgrading a city, instead of building a new governor's building, you build a new wall.
- Ironic screenshot of building completion notice lauding the awe inspiring work of your serfs, masons and architect for constructing... land clearance.
- Screenshot of king's death notice implies that yes your faction leader when you start as England will be "King William the Conqueror". This will please history nerds but since I am an even bigger history nerd I can self-righteously complain that the game gives him an agnomen not actually used at the time. In fact I just did. Ha!
- Makes reference to "subverting" a general by marrying a princess to him. So it does sound like a marriage might be something like a bribe.

Indeed the wofen battlements soudns good to me as many woodern forts did have them and wall fighting is alwyas great to watch!

LOL at the land clearance! that was amusing.