What NTW can learn from ETW multiplayer

[Walalaaa]

I stopped playing in June, so some of this could be out of date, but there are some simple and (i think) easy-to-implement improvements that would have gone a HUGE way to bettering the multiplayer experience in ETW.

Here they are:

Centralized Server
- no split community
- global chat
- global player list and games list

Ranking Systems
- An actual ladder of some kind. I mean come on
- A 1v1 automatch only ladder, for those who don't want to deal with point muggers who play on particular maps, choose particular armies, and impose particular rules.
- Ranked games should count as a loss if you disconnect
- An explanation of how the point system works

Fight Camping, or at least formalize it
- set attacker and defender
- place favorable terrain in between deployment zones rather than in them
- king of the hill or strategic points game types
- mortars (hint hint)

Support Competitive Gamers
- Built in clan system. Age of Emipires 3 had this and it was awesome.
- Clan Rankings
- Official Tournaments (with steam achievements would be cool)
- Tool for custom tournaments
- include flat maps
- log files so we can tell if someone is cheating
- a replay system that's saves replays automatically, and is easier to use
- please make it easier to create and install mod maps

Balancing
- in M2TW, buying more than 4 units of the same type made them more expensive. In ETW, this could apply to all units other than line infantry.
- common sense: dragoons were worse than light dragoons in every conceivable way, and yet still cost more. And mortars were clearly overpowered.
- my opinion is that the mainstay of any western army should be line infantry, so make them really cheap, but tactically limited without support from other unit types.
- options for the host to restrict certain factions or units in a game could also help.
- Unit stats and costs in multiplayer should probably differ from those in the campaign.
- balanced factions, with similar numbers of unique units.

Well that's it from me. The TW series has been a fantastic one, and looks like it will continue to be. I hope NTW multiplayer will learn from ETW's mistakes.

[Lance-Corporal Jones]

These are good, well thought-out and balanced suggestions. +rep. I particularly like the ones about balancing. Particular limits should be set -- for instance, only one Black Watch regiment or Fergusons, but as much Line as you want.

[S-te-Fan]

AGREE! But with 1.5 there came some new fla maps.

[DeerHunter]

A very nice report on basically how bad MP is on ETW, My biggest issue was no chat lobby so you had no idear which clan or player was on, So no community develepoed in the MP world far ETW

[ssmarine]

A very nice report on basically how bad MP is on ETW, My biggest issue was no chat lobby so you had no idear which clan or player was on, So no community develepoed in the MP world far ETW

Its amazing what a chat lobby can do for MP.

Also, I would like to add that in order to rejuvenize TWs dead MP they really need to implement the MP campaign that they keep teasing us with. This would add a whole other element besides just battle tournies (which can be a lot of fun but also repetitive.)

[Anders1985]

I agree whit all of the above.

But I would also find multiplayer(MP) particulary fun if you can have mates controlling your faction whit you, for example by giving designated tasks and therby spend less time on each turn while playing against other player(s) controlled faction(s) instead of that lame AI. That way you can play larger armies more controlled, particulary more controlled large scale navy battles.

[Rudovich]

- Ranked games should count as a loss if you disconnect

.I rlly like it but this one is rediciolous, some people just crash! Then people usually say than you should not play if you can crash but everyone can, you can't help it.

[Gods999]

In multiplayer battle I really hope they are more specific as to which technologies are in the battle

[Ulan1990]

agreed with all points, might add a faction and country rank (fighting for glory for your country and fav faction would be fun)

[Walalaaa]

Actually Rudovich, you're right. but disconnects should at least be tallied

[dmcheatw]

wala, cu'roi here, i agree with you but they already have sort of addressed the unit limit: there is now a cap on the most overpowered units in the game. anyway make sure you check your PM's i have a suggestion for you

[General Nuisance esq]

Probably the biggest bug bears for me and the reason I really hated multiplayer was the cheating and the ranked games system, on RTW I can have a fun game no pressure ETW was just too intense and not fun at all

[Invictus XII]

I think if a game in MP just crashed or ended, it should just auto resolve the outcome, rather then just a draw or a defeat (can't remember what ETW does when that happens), it should auto resolve to either a victory or defeat depending on the current situation and factors of the battle, because now on my profile it says I have x number of loses, but most of them where draws because peoples computers crashed or they quit, or time ran out!

[Yojimbo]

If the game doesn't grow a brain and punish disconnections the entire game is pointless.

[Antissa]

I'm starting to wonder if the shaky implementation of Total War Online (plus its limited features) is linked to Valve's STEAMWORKS development tool. If that's the case, then it's clearly a costly mistake for CA to integrate Empire:Total War with STEAM.