Gah! Surely, this does not bode well for me....

[Martok]

Oh dear. It finally happened.


Last night, I had my first dream about Empire Total War.


I was fighting a battle in which I was the attacker. I've no idea which faction I was supposed to be, but I remember that my troops' uniforms were mostly white with a bit of black here & there. My enemy was also an undetermined faction, and his troops were mostly dressed in a dark blue with a bit of white and/or yellow.

The battlefield was a nightmare to navigate. It was all rolling hills with dense copses of trees scattered about -- I think they covered roughly half the map -- which meant that it was very difficult to find my opponent, as they could be hidden in either the trees, or even in a fold in the ground between hills.

There were a few houses scattered about as well, and it was my objective to seize one of them from the enemy garrison that occupied it. This particular house was located at the top of a long but shallow slope dotted with the occasional tree. My men were cautiously making their way up the hill, using whatever cover they could. At the top, I could see the enemy soldiers ready for me, some of them already starting to take aim. Just as both armies came withing firing range of each other, however, the dream suddenly ended and I woke up.


I dare not contemplate what this means....

[darrin42]

Oh dear. It finally happened.





I dare not contemplate what this means....

....no more fizzy drinks before bed?? Nice dream tho....im yet to have my one

[PBI]

It means you really need to get outside and do something non-TW for a while. Sounds to me like you have the Tetris Effect, whereby you've played for so long that your brain keeps playing even once you stop.

I've managed to get the effect from various games before, usually of the Tetris or Sudoku type (and even found I used to get this when I used to work in a supermarket; my brain would still be mentally stacking shelves when I got home), but I've never managed to get it for TW before.

[Sol Invictus]

It is going to be a long five months for you.

[Warmaster Horus]

Long and horrible... yep.

At least until the demo comes out. Maybe it'll be even worse, though...

[rajpoot]

Maybe it means sudden enlightenment of mankind, where they realise war is futile so they lower their weapons without firing

On a more serious note, I've never had dreams about games, girls, but not games.

[darrin42]

I've managed to get the effect from various games before, usually of the Tetris or Sudoku type (and even found I used to get this when I used to work in a supermarket; my brain would still be mentally stacking shelves when I got home), but I've never managed to get it for TW before.

Ha I got the shelf thing to :( Sucks

[The_Doctor]

That has happen to me loads of times.

[Martok]

It means you really need to get outside and do something non-TW for a while. Sounds to me like you have the Tetris Effect, whereby you've played for so long that your brain keeps playing even once you stop.

Heh. The Tetris Effect, indeed. I'd say that's a pretty accurate description.

It's just particularly disturbing time around as this usually happens to me with games that I've already played. For my brain to be doing this with a game that's not even out yet, though....again, I'm not sure I want to know what that says about me.

I've managed to get the effect from various games before, usually of the Tetris or Sudoku type (and even found I used to get this when I used to work in a supermarket; my brain would still be mentally stacking shelves when I got home), but I've never managed to get it for TW before.

I've had Total War dreams for years, going all the way back to late 2000 when I first picked up Shogun (and then MTW later on). I've fought so many battles in my unconscious, planned so many campaigns, that it's just absurd!

In fact, I've been sporadically playing a new Shimazu campaign this last week (I reinstalled Shogun a few days after having recently formatted my hard drive), and already I've had a couple dreams where I'm contemplating my next move against Clan Imagawa and/or my eastward drive across Shikoku. It's insane.

On a more serious note, I've never had dreams about games, girls, but not games.

Again, I do it all the time. I've also been playing Birth of the Federation (an old space strategy game set in the Star Trek universe), and have already had several dreams where I'm battling the Dominion and the Romulans for control of two key sectors.



Yes, I probably need help. But why would I *want* any?

[Martok]

....no more fizzy drinks before bed?? Nice dream tho....im yet to have my one

Heh. I only wish I had that excuse.

[Rhyfelwyr]

An amusing variant can occur if you've got two such intrusive games at once, and have to split your time between them. Once they start intermingling in your head, the result can be anything from laugh-out-loud ridiculous to seriously creepy.

This has happened to me before confusing M2TW with Red Alert 2, which my younger brother was playing a lot at the time. Basically, in my dream my longbowmen were on a hill, but with a modern city nearby, and were shooting GI's as the paradropped out their plane. I was winning, but then some attack dogs killed my longbowmen.

Apart from the above occasion, I tend to feel the tetris effect much more when I'm awake. When I'm walking around my house or if I'm at Uni, as soon as I start to daydream I just imagine moving my characters in whatever is my current campaign all over the place. Seriously, I get the whole green arrows as they walk across the campaign map, I get frustrated that they are walking too slowly, so I click to make them speed up! It sounds ridiculous, but I don't care, its better than thinking about anything else.

Sometime though when I regain full consciousness I get annoyed because I realise I didn't actually just take that city which has really been annoying me.

[Jolt]

Once they start intermingling in your head...

All we need now is for Martok to start playing Star Wars and we'll know what Star Wars: Total War will look like! xD

[Belgolas]

Well I have more interesting day dreams then dreams at night. Although I do have a lot of dreams about huge space battles, huge land and sea battles like in total war, also sometimes dreams about being able to fly. I sometimes get dreams about games I play a lot or really enjoy. Funny I don't get dreams about Counter Strike Source to much and that is the game I play the most by far.

Lately it has been Spore space stage. That game could be so cool if they added more and made it more total war like. Like imagine Spore Total War!

Anyways I love to dream about galaxies waging war agianst galaxies. Massive multi million ship battles. Other days I don't dream at all or can't remember dreaming.

My mom says when you dream about flying you want to be free.

[Knight of the Rose]

Hmm, yes. An interesting dream, Mr. Martok

I was fighting a battle in which I was the attacker.

Attacking, means you have the initiative, you can bring change to your environment

I've no idea which faction I was supposed to be, but I remember that my troops' uniforms were mostly white with a bit of black here & there. My enemy was also an undetermined faction, and his troops were mostly dressed in a dark blue with a bit of white and/or yellow.

Confusion means uncertain goals, or goals with a uncertain content. White is innocence or ignorance, black is knowledge, so your initiative is mostly working in the dark with few spots of known facts. Dark blue is desire, with spots of unknown waters (white) and some deceit (yellow), marking "the enemy", the target of your initiative

The battlefield was a nightmare to navigate. It was all rolling hills with dense copses of trees scattered about -- I think they covered roughly half the map -- which meant that it was very difficult to find my opponent, as they could be hidden in either the trees, or even in a fold in the ground between hills.

Confusion and fear of ambush - uncertainty and fear of being let down

There were a few houses scattered about as well, and it was my objective to seize one of them from the enemy garrison that occupied it.

Houses means something made from human hands, seizing could be attaining the desired or perhaps gaining information of it. One amount many would suggest somewhat of a direction to your longing

This particular house was located at the top of a long but shallow slope dotted with the occasional tree. My men were cautiously making their way up the hill, using whatever cover they could.

"Long" indicates something outside your immediate reach, "slope" indicates difficulty or resistance. The tree is interesting - the mark of nature would probaply suggest you drank too much water before going to sleep

At the top, I could see the enemy soldiers ready for me, some of them already starting to take aim.

Suddently the initiative is being lost - that the aim of your desire is resisting, adding to the fear of betrayal - mayhaps the sun just broke through, or the fields flowered yellow adding the color of deceit to the dream? The ability to make change is slipping through your fingers

Just as both armies came withing firing range of each other, however, the dream suddenly ended and I woke up.

The conflict itself is not a part of the solution, only the prelude is.

I would suggest you are wanting something badly, and is afraid of both the contents and the timing of this disire.





/KotR

[Abokasee]

I've had the Tetris effect with STALKER once or twice, thats not a good thing.

[Rhyfelwyr]

How do you interpret my dream Knight of the Rose?

[Megas Methuselah]

Wow, great dream interpretation, Knight of the Rose!

[anders]

the interesting point here is; is Martok prescient? and if so, what can he tell us about the game that wer`e yet to know from previews and trailers?

[pevergreen]

I like KotR.

Martok, I hereby offer you the position as my official seer, if you accept, you shall be required to play games and sleep, are you willing and able?

[Martok]

KotR: Nice! Although he probably would've added something about repressed sexual feelings regarding my mother, I believe Freud would be proud.


anders and pevergreen: The funny thing is that I actually have had precognitive dreams before....just never any about video games.

[pevergreen]

Dear Martok, exactley why you should bring your camels and join me