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Thread: Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion

  1. #1

    Default Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion

    Hello. I got this wonderful game pre-ordered and to my suprise it was available in my local store ready to get picked up and payed for.

    Lets get on with the review

    My first impression of the game was very suprising. And i havent been reading about this expansion too much so i had an open mind when i installed it. The cd case contained a manual and "a" disc of course so it went smooth to install. And when i finaly got to the main menu i took a look at the options menu to find whole new graphics options. I dident experiment what everything did so i choose everything and it dident effect performance at all. Ok i got myself to the campaign as the western roman faction thinking it would be a good first time play choice. But once i played it for a while i was so shooked by all new thing that i started a new campaign until i had taken a look at every faction. The campaign map is the same as before but with fewer settlements. So no more Sparta or corinth for example. But what this does is creating more tension betwen faction as they get more aggressive to expand their territory. The battles are also in better condition now as the battle AI is improved and when your general gets the ability in form of a command trait you can fight your army in the darkness which is the highlight of this expansion and it really adds to the atmosphere. And of course some commanders are better then others in the darkness some dont even find the battlefield!.


    The Barbarians got the most faction including Huns , Celts, Sarmatians, saxons and some have the ability to move its entire faction to a new homland if you are in trouble, as your "horde" is on the move you dont pay any fees besides mercenaries. But you are vulnerable to attacks. If your horde is destroyed you are too. So this is a very welcome feat aswell. When you finaly find a place to live you got the option to etiher settle or sack the settlement. The sacking which has been discussed on this forum is not really of a carthage scenario but the entire population is killed and most buildings are destroyed or damaged.


    Overall this is a very good expansion but it has its flaws aswell. Example the campaign map is not so lively as before nothing added to the nature. The wonders are gone except 2 (which is accurate) but removes the quality of the terrain maybe some ruins would be good enough to add a litte variation. And there are some minor glithes that is not worth mentioning really. Some skins could be worked on etc.


    But i see through those thing for now. What i did not see through was the improved pathfinding. This i was very pleased by. i play on Huge unit scale(up to 240 units) and i could steer my cavalry quite good in the city. And if you have wardogs in the city also that is not a problem they go where they suppose to go. The town square is saddly still a chaotic place thou.


    If i was to grade this expansion now i would get it a 7,5 of 10 It still got the magic replayability and the wow factor when you first start the game puts this game close to original rtw which i grade a 9,5 out of 10.

    Thank you Creative Assemble and Sega for the work.



    Some screens of the relic.

    graphics option

    http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfold...load7/menu.JPG

    celtic lineup

    http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfold...oad4/celts.JPG
    http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfold...ad1/celts2.JPG

    a desert night

    http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfold...ad5/desert.JPG
    http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfold...d1/desert2.JPG
    http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfold...d7/desert3.JPG

    The worlds first BI Heroic victory :laughing:

    http://upl.silentwhisper.net/uplfold...load8/hero.JPG

    Thanks// Peter
    Last edited by Peter; September 26, 2005 at 12:26 PM.
    check my "only 1 settlement" thread

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=30259

  2. #2
    God-Emperor of Mankind's Avatar Apperently I protect
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    Good review.
    Thank you for writing it.
    Can't wait until thursday or friday when I get my copy in the mail.

  3. #3
    ShangTang's Avatar Domesticus
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    More easily winnable battles? Boring.


    "AVDENTES FORTVNA JUVAT"

  4. #4

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    How is the AI improved? Does it charge in a single line? Does it try to protect its flanks?

  5. #5

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    Thanks for the response


    Ex:When you deploy horse archers which is a hell for infantry they will try to enclose you by sending 2 units to both sides Surrounding you

    ps: Shang Thang i spent 20 min on that map manovuering my cavalry
    check my "only 1 settlement" thread

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=30259

  6. #6

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    Alright, thanks, that's neat, but can it hold a line?? The most damning thing of the battle AI is that it can't seem to protect its flanks, keep its generals alive, nor keep a solid line, even for armies that absolutely need it, aka, phalanxes.

  7. #7

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    The army starts with a line of soldiers or sometimes 2 lines 1 with close combat infantry and 1 with missiles behind them. If you are defending the enemy will take its cavalry and place them on you side of your army before the infantry comes at your front and when your troops are commited in battle they will thunder down at your flanks or rear. The ai use missile attack before engageing as in rtw of course.
    check my "only 1 settlement" thread

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=30259

  8. #8
    ShangTang's Avatar Domesticus
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    Yes 20 minutes manouevering your one unit of horse archers. That's not really strategically brilliant no offense. How about showing us a big battle?


    "AVDENTES FORTVNA JUVAT"

  9. #9
    {nF}remix's Avatar Wii will change gaming
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    how bout showing us the enemy line movbilizing on you, that would confirm if they do advance in straight lines this time.

    Prefrebley a flat map (Syrian flats, grassy flatland), and with infantry, and some cavalry (not all cav)

  10. #10

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    to shangtang: i think peter was trying to say the battles werent short like you mentioned earlier... however you are correct that winning a battle with horse archers against infantry isnt that impressive... however i do like that they tried to encircle it and then attack it... that is a strategy i have never seen them do before.

  11. #11
    Primicerius
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    you mention "the monuments are gone" What monuments? the wonders?

  12. #12

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    I tell you roman Limitanei got the armour of a triarii. that means you have to manouver your cavalry for some time to even make a dent and i was up against 4 of those. i underestimated them the first time so i took the time i needed for a success.

    I get back {nF}remix with some screens.

    Yes the wonders! i will edit that sorry.


    The battlefield

    Marching
    http://www.imagedump.com/index.cgi?pick=get&tp=317182
    http://www.imagedump.com/index.cgi?pick=get&tp=317180

    cavalry moves into position
    http://www.imagedump.com/index.cgi?pick=get&tp=317202

    getting closer
    http://www.imagedump.com/index.cgi?pick=get&tp=317203

    flanking manouver
    http://www.imagedump.com/index.cgi?pick=get&tp=317205
    http://www.imagedump.com/index.cgi?pick=get&tp=317207

    outcome
    http://www.imagedump.com/index.cgi?pick=get&tp=317206
    Last edited by Peter; September 25, 2005 at 08:45 PM.
    check my "only 1 settlement" thread

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=30259

  13. #13
    {nF}remix's Avatar Wii will change gaming
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    Thanks peter, you are truly awesome

    anywayz based on those screens, the AI is significantly improved!!! May i ask what difficulty was this on?.

    W0W! just look at how the AI advances in a straight line!!!, and they actually flank perfectly! Also looks like the general stayed back. Thats good.

  14. #14
    ShangTang's Avatar Domesticus
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    That's pretty good. Darth will make it 100x better. But good for basics.


    "AVDENTES FORTVNA JUVAT"

  15. #15

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    Thanks {nF}remix the difficult was medium (default) as i forgot to choose Vh
    check my "only 1 settlement" thread

    http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=30259

  16. #16
    ShangTang's Avatar Domesticus
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    VH doesn't change the tactics. Just pumps up the AI's stats.


    "AVDENTES FORTVNA JUVAT"

  17. #17
    {nF}remix's Avatar Wii will change gaming
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    Quote Originally Posted by Peter
    Thanks {nF}remix the difficult was medium (default) as i forgot to choose Vh
    OMG ! really! nice , i wonder how the AI acts in VH...., though i think its just their unit stats are rigged, but im not sure.

    Iono if you wanna do this, but : If you can please do an (Human) E/W Roman Empire vs an (AI) All Hun Cavalry Battle. On VH.

    Make the Units for both sides balanced with max experience and armor , dont do anything with attack. The (AI) Hun army should be all cavalry based. Your army should be a mix of all the best roman troops.

    Try your best and take pics of how the AI reacts in that situation. And take pics . Remember VH

    ^^ It would be great if you can do this ^^

    Oh yeah and a complex map too, not flat, lets see if the Ai IS still do well in complex maps

  18. #18
    John I Tzimisces's Avatar Get born again.
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    this is interesting. I would like to find out whether this is due to new hardcoded AI, or a genius formation that none of the modders happened to think of...

    ha, wouldn't it be grand if they just moved the MTW ai to RTW? i think it could be done, with a crapload of effort. Basically its the same thing, only with more 3d and more unit type variety.

  19. #19

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    hmm, that looks good until the actual clash, as the AI still seems to be commiting troops in odd, indecisive clumps. Hopefully I'm just interpreting the shots wrong!

  20. #20
    Kscott's Avatar New and Improved!
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    Ah nice review. Looking foward to gettin my hands on it..

    Patron of Basileous Leandros I/Grimsta/rez/ Aemilianus/Publius/ Vizigothe/Ahiga /Zhuge_Liang Under Patronage of Lord Rahl
    MY TWC HISTORY

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