E:TW

[Galapagos]

This game really doesn't look great.Only 10 playable factions I see that CA is so proud because they have sea battles what a big deal, they should have included them in M2TW.The graphics dont look so great.I have seen many better games.

[TheImp]

If u want to see the best graphics in a game, play Assassin Creed or Myst. TW games are not meant to be the best graphic designed games in the world, they have a strategic engine and personaly i prefer the AI working better and less flashy effects. This is just not the purpose of such games imho.

[Galapagos]

Did Assassin Creed appeared?

[TheImp]

Forget him guys, he's just a damn spammer.

[Digby Tatham Warter]

This game really doesn't look great.Only 10 playable factions I see that CA is so proud because they have sea battles what a big deal, they should have included them in M2TW.The graphics dont look so great.I have seen many better games.

Your post is entirely negative and critical, quess you've already decided it's going to be crap and you won't be buying it.

How many games out there have this type of sea battles with up to 40 ships in the detail CA will deliver along with a campaign map and land battles?
Why should they have included them in MTW2, these things take time to develop, they said they were not ready to do so, grief it's going to be another year or so before it's released.

What do you mean the graphics don't look so great, they look decent to me and there's 12 months to go, more than afew people are wandering if their PC's will run it.
I wouldn't mind some of these many better games you mentioned, strategic warfare one's I presume you mean for a revelent comparison, could you list them for me, I'm such a dumb-ass myself, I can only think of Imperial Glory as a reasonable comparison and IMO it was fairly poor to look at.

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Hi Galapagos,

This game really doesn't look great.Only 10 playable factions

Good news! The CA have confirmed that there will be approximately fifty factions in Empire, although only ten have been named. You can read this announcement here. Don't worry though, the CA should announce them soon.

The graphics dont look so great.I have seen many better games.

The graphics don't contribute everything to a game. For me at least, graphical effects are a nice addition, but other factors such as immersion and depth are much more important and can make or break the game itself. After-all, in a game purely comprised of fancy effects and eye-candy, once all the graphics have been seen there is nothing left to interest the player.

[Galapagos]

Well when i judge a game i take a look at all points of the game.First they have anounced only 10 playable factions.I think they could have done better.Second i can't see big improvements in Total War games after Shogun and Medieval appeared and i think i can say this will be like Rome and Medieval.From what i see CA is doing this games only to obtain money and not trying to take them to a whole different level like Shogun and Medieval were.Total war games were very nice , but i can't understand why so many people are still playing Starcraft.A lot of people playing a game means that the game is very good.More people played starcraft than all Total War games.That means Starcraft is better than all Total War games.And now that Starcraft 2 will appear i can say that all startegy games will have a serious competitor.

[Galapagos]

Well i will buy this game no matter how bad it is because i am a fan.But CA is dissapointing.

[Intrepid Sidekick]

Hi there everyone

Firstly a definite number of "playable" Factions hasn't yet been fixed upon. 10 is probable.

Secondly what has to be remembered is that every faction that we make "playable" has to be have text (events, names, unit descriptions etc) and art assets (unique units, event pics, intro, extro sequences etc etc) created specifically for it. Then each faction that has been made "playable" has to be FULLY tested many, many, many times before we ship the game.
Each faction has to be tested for technology issues, crashes, balance issues etc. In the end phase of development this has to be done every time we create a release candidate version of the game. The more factions, the more time the game has to spend being tested, being played from start to finish.
As you can see that takes up a heck of a lot of effort in terms of developer time.

Most games have less factions and only cover the equivalent of either the strategic campaign side or the battlefield side of our game and many of their units are identical. Empire on the other hand will have the best 3d naval battles you have ever played , 3d Land Battles and a Campaign game that is very different from the previous TW games.

Also remember there are months to go before we are finished :)

[Geoffrey S]

A lot of people playing a game means that the game is very good.More people played starcraft than all Total War games.That means Starcraft is better than all Total War games.And now that Starcraft 2 will appear i can say that all startegy games will have a serious competitor.

Yeah, I see. You really lost all credibility criticising ETW when you directly compared Starcraft with the Total War series.

Starcraft... three factions, linear campaign, resource gathering, let alone the style of play...

TW... none of the above!

[TinCow]

Galapagos is a known troll. Please do not feed him.

[skuzzy]

Yeah, I see. You really lost all credibility criticising ETW when you directly compared Starcraft with the Total War series.

Starcraft... three factions, linear campaign, resource gathering, let alone the style of play...

TW... none of the above!

It is true that you can't make a proper comparison between StarCraft and TW but you talk about StarCraft in a condescending manner (or so it appears). Yes... 3 factions, with near perfect balance + human opponents to keep the game endlessly replayable (sorry, AI will never match a brain (especially TW games to date :))) The campaign isn't really that linear if you immerse yourself in the storyline (i.e. the books that were published in relation) but it is true that the campaign is rather boring. But how many people that play StarCraft do you see playing the single player campaign? I would imagine close to none since about 1998 with the availability of battle.net. I don't know, maybe I read into that wrong but I've seen a lot of Blizzard bashing on this forum and it irks me because their games in comparison to others are resoundingly better. (resource gathering... buildings mines, planting merchants... sounds pretty similar)