What are you looking forward to?

[Freedom Onanist]

Factions?
UK, France, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, the Ottoman Empire, Kingdom of the two Naples(?), Prussia, Austria, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Persia, Moghul India, African nations, the USA. Any more? How far exactly does the map extend?

Naval combat?
How are they going to model this? Are you going to be able to create "superior" naval units by specialising. Britain ruled the waves because she invested heavily in achieving this (and becasue of secure land borders of course), others didn't. How will that be modelled if at all?

How are you going to be able to lead your men in boardings?

Gunpowder
Will European armies have a clear advantage over eastern ones as they did historically? Again, the result of different development paths before anyone gets hot under a nationalistic collar. Or will it be entirely down to you as leader?

Questions, questions....

I am just looking forward to the whole bloody thing - at last an era that seems to fit exactly the battlefield structures of the whole TW series. Ranked formations manoeuvring coherently on a battlefield.

For me that is the heart of the TW series, not as the blurb says the campaign map - there are other games that do that (better?), none other does the battles anywhere near as well or as immersively.

Not looking forward to.
I'm worried about the emphasis on the campaign map and elements like diplomacy, spies etc... Again, other games do these. Also, because the campaign impacts directly on the battles if it doesn't work 100% you get borked battles (weird little stacks moving randomly on the map, stacks of catapults/peasants anyone?). Just a bit worried is all, I'm sure it will all work perfectly. And I for one have never had a real problem with any of the games so far.

Can't wait.

[Haudegen]

Actually I am very fond of the emphasis on the campaign map

I hope the map will contain the whole world and that it´ll be possible to make expeditions around the globe, with some dark spots to be dicovered, like Australia or central Africa.

Further I´m curious whether they create a new game engine from scratch or whether it will be an upgraded version of the RTW engine, like M2TW. I wouldn´t be too disappointed if it were the latter case, because it would probably make things easier for the modding community.

[Jack Lusted]

It uses a brand new game engine.

[Nobunaga]

wondering how battle engine / battle mechanics will be. Am mostly interested in mp balance / good mp experience.

sometimes more means less...

[Freedom Onanist]

I like the Campaign map as well but if that doesn't work too well it massively impacts the battles.

Also, how will factions that don't engage in the Industrial Revolution be modelled? The Ottoman empire declined throughout this period becasue of its inability/unwillingness to engage in the kind of technological and social changes happening in the West at the time. Similarly for the others - Persia, India, China, etc...

Will you be able to play any African nations?

[Nobunaga]

will their be a mp campain?

[ramela]

I'm looking forward to modding Finland in (as a challenge faction of sorts) and kicking Swedish and Canadian (!!!) ass.

Take that for always thwarting us in Ice Hockey.

[Mylae]

It uses a brand new game engine.

I wonder what will be the hardcoded limits. M2TW expanded to 31 the faction slots. If Empire is gonna raising tis limit to 50+ possible factions i'd like it.
Also, I'd like a more "historical" approach, in which historical messages will play a decisive chioice role. Look at Europa Universalis to see what i mean.

[icek]

Im looking forward to see japan in tokugawa's family hands and to make sme "last samurai" on some english azz. but on the other hand japan was closed for the rest of theworld in that time and im afraid this game will be just another all-graphics + naval battles enviroment to create boring mods.

[Freedom Onanist]

to make sme "last samurai" of some english azz

Huh?

[icek]

Huh?

read one more time or watch the movie

[Freedom Onanist]

read one more time or watch the movie

Yeah, tried that, still makes no sense to me? What have Japan, the Togukawa and English azz got to do with each other?

[icek]

if etw will have japan faction in the package then it will be ruled by shogun from tokugawa family and they will fight like samurai do so. if some english wellington (dont mistake with boots) will land on japan he will face the same experience that Tomi Crusi had in movie "the last samurai". I mean by that that japan with indians could be the only factions fighting in the old ways in this game.

[Rhyfelwyr]

I wonder how armies will move if there are no tiles. This game is still turn-based isn't it, not an RTS?

[Tamur]

It sounds like the macro-battle (i.e. invasion routes & pre-battle maneuvering) may become at least as important as on-the-field tactics. I do hope we'll have the granularity on the big map to engineer that sort of thing well.

[icek]

And i see the facing system from other turn-based games. if your army will be attacked from behind you start a battle like you would be in ambush in rtw/m2tw. It must be like that if naval battles can have some strategy in it and not only typical rts "who have more and bigger guns".

[TinCow]

I'm hoping it's an entire-world, wrap-around map. To be honest, I don't see how you could make a game in this era without it being one. If India is in the game and the Americas are in the game, it would be ridiculous to have to sail east to get from Mexico to India.

[Trax]

Entire 3D globe perhaps...

A man can dream, right?

[BoyarPunk]

Being able to conquer the world as the Russians, of course.

On a minor side note, pleeeeeaaaase bring back titles! Pretty please?

[Randarkmaan]

I'm looking forward to marching Red Coats forward against an enemy line, being fired upon once from too far away, walk up to point blank and fire!

http://www.gardesmusik.nu/musik/Svea...Grenadiers.mp3

Would also be fun to be some of the more eastern nations, like the Ottoman Empire and keep them from becoming as weak as they did, I hope that such nations, like the Ottomans, who I believe would have had an opportunity to industrialise and to reform their army, something, they did, in the 1830s their army was reformed along Western lines, would be cool if there was the possibility to do that earlier, ofcourse you would have to defeat the Janissaries first, who would likely rise up in revolt.

Naval battles will also be fun.

[Stuperman]

I'm really looking foreward to a bigger Campaign map (maybe more than 199 provinces this time?) improved Diplomacy AI and Campaign map AI.

I'm most certianly not looking foreward to musket heavy battles, finding cover for my men, ordering them into buildings..


And CA Developers/programmers/designers if you are reading this, I know that your bosses/publishers/fans will be pressuring you to get the game out ASAP, but please, please, please take an extra 6 months to iron out bugs. The 2hand and shied bugs in m2tw were amazingly annoying, and the subsequent re-balancing is still needed. I would rather wait a few months to get a more polished out of the box game than have the M2tw situation repeat it self.

[SaFe]

Marching with your own soldiers lined up at the enemy also lined up and firing muskets sounds not terribly tactical b.t.w.

[Jack Lusted]

Marching with your own soldiers lined up at the enemy also lined up and firing muskets sounds not terribly tactical b.t.w.

Well that's not, but that's not what most battles in the time period were. Battles in this time period were some of the most tactical in history.

[TinCow]

And CA Developers/programmers/designers if you are reading this, I know that your bosses/publishers/fans will be pressuring you to get the game out ASAP, but please, please, please take an extra 6 months to iron out bugs. The 2hand and shied bugs in m2tw were amazingly annoying, and the subsequent re-balancing is still needed. I would rather wait a few months to get a more polished out of the box game than have the M2tw situation repeat it self.

Hear, hear. And PLEASE spend a significant amount of time on both the campaign and battle AI. A strong AI can make a game enjoyable even if it has bugs and various flaws. A poor AI can make a game unbearable, even if it is otherwise perfect.

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

It uses a brand new game engine.

Guess alot of people might have to upgrade their RAM if they didn't do so already For MT2W?


Moghul India and USA

[Randarkmaan]

Marching with your own soldiers lined up at the enemy also lined up and firing muskets sounds not terribly tactical b.t.w.

No, but it's fun and if they do fire on you too early, you will obliterate them... And doing so with "the British Grenadiers" playing would be really, really awesome. Tip to CA, include some variation of that song (played on flute or fife, together with drums) for Great Britain.

Also, would be great if the option to view your settlements came back in some way.

[SaFe]

Well that's not, but that's not what most battles in the time period were. Battles in this time period were some of the most tactical in history.

Well, that is your opinion.

Normally the english won the field battles because their ability to shoot and reload faster than their opponents was better.
At least in the english-france wars.

The cannons and the muskets will win the day.

Tactical perhaps, but tactical battles like Zama or Alesia?

Diversity of troops for the different nations?

I'm not convinced that the tactical level of the Total War series except eye candy and naval battles will improve with the musket and cannon era.
Nothing can be said about diplomacy at this time naturally.

[Stuperman]

@ Jack lusted (or any other CA official)

Will ETW support multi-core cpu's and/or Agea's physics processing unit?

@SaFe - agreed

[Odin]

what am I looking foward too? Well seeing how Tosa is the only mod listed, im looking forward to seeing him deal with all the hooligans like me...

Seriously: The naval warfare looks pretty sweet... I mean if we can get an engine that has the kind of land warfare sim and naval sim of the TW series, and its moddable

[Fate]

The main parts of this game that i'm looking forward to, the ilberian war; England and portugal against france. Battling in the Americas, (hopefully) fighting in the carribean (would be awesome!), and the turmoil of india, sikhs vs muslims, whilst the british sit and the sidelines waiting to take out the victor.

I cant wait!! XD

And they'd best do british riflemen the respect the need!