Fourth Age beter than Third Age?

[Revelo]

I hate battles with limited room. I need to maneuver. Sieges are terrible anyway, but also in bridge battles I'll lose more men than in ordinary battles. It's because when the room is limited the men in a unit behave weird and run to and fro. Also, rigth behind the bridge crossing Poros there's a nice slope: It's pretty steep and you're archers can shoot all the way half across the map. Just add some catapults, place infantry in front and wait.

Seiges I hate because all the enemy just retreat away from your walls and force you to fight on level terms, unless you have lots of archers it can get drawn out and boring.

But seriously, bridge battles are very easy and fun because the AI always tries top rush the bridge. All you need to do is hold your side of the bridge and you win. Just have your spearmen and swordsmen guarding your shore in sheild wall and the enemy will always cross and try to attack you, but can never break through because they get bottlenecked and mixed up. Once they hit your lines break shield wall and you can prevent them getting a foothold

Have archers on the flanking shores to take out enemy archers and soften up them men stuck on the bridge, and have your calvary ford the river and attack from the rear, the enemy panic as they are trapped and you can destroy them. If you have catapults it's a bonus as you can do more damage as the enemy cross and retreat due to them being so bunched up.

[TW-fanboy]

I prefer Fourth Age. Why?

1. Rome is the greatest game in the total war series, while medieval 2 is a cut version with a slightly better graphic (not even that if you compare with RTW mods like RS II).

2. Fourth Age has that dark atmosphere I like in other mods aswell (e.g. Viking Invasion II, better than the original; Norman Invasion). Everything seems natural and authentic.

3. The idea of the mod: It's like the 'bad boys' are saying:
"You thought darkness had been destroyed.. You thought your power, your glory could never be challenged. But in your pride, you didn't see the darkness return, and it is more powerful than ever. You can't defeat it, because this time, it is not incarnated within a foreign enemy, it's not an 'evil' empire you are fighting; no, this time, you're fighting you own people, this time, the shadow lies within the hearts of men."
(I am actually thinking about doing an AAR about Adunabar, it's a possible intro).

Of course that's only my opinion.

[Revelo]

I prefer Fourth Age. Why?

1. Rome is the greatest game in the total war series, while medieval 2 is a cut version with a slightly better graphic (not even that if you compare with RTW mods like RS II).

Agreed, the Rome engine has aged very well.

3. The idea of the mod: It's like the "bad boys" are saying:
'You thought darkness had been destroyed.. You thought your power, your glory could never be challenged. But in your pride, you didn't see the darkness return, and it is more powerful than ever. You can't defeat it, because this time, it is not incarnated within a foreign enemy, it's not an 'evil' empire you are fighting; no, this time, you're fighting you own people, this time, the shadow lies within the heart of men.'
(I am actually thinking about doing an AAR about Adunabar, it's a possible intro).

Of course that's only my opinion.

It's like what Gandalf said about how you can defeat the Shadow, but after a respite it takes root, a new shape and grows again. Because the roots will always remain if you destroy the head of the plant.

Plus it goes hand in hand with how all those magic and mystical things have been declining and passing out of Middle-earth, the enemy was originally a fallen Ainur, then a Maia in his service, and finally a mortal man who had served the Maia.

[Garch]

well it is a good mod and thay did alot of work on it but it just seems like Rome totalwar on a middle-earth map to me.

[Themea]

Technically speaking, it is. That's all a mod is when boiled down.

[Bull3pr00f de Bodemloze]

well it is a good mod and thay did alot of work on it but it just seems like Rome totalwar on a middle-earth map to me.

After having played mods like Chiv, RSII, EB and RTR for years, you'll start to like that. What these mods have in common, is that they leave very few things from the original game.
That FATW keeps more or less the vanilla "interface atmosphere" (so to speak), is one of its strengths

[Aradan]

What exactly is the vanilla "interface atmosphere"? The lightness of the UI and the absence of many decorative elements etc?

[MagyarVida]

Sorry to butt in like this but I have noticed people talking about Third Age being on a different engine (Rome) as far as I could tell?
Now I have installed a Third Age mod for R:TW called LotR:TW but there is also a mod for M2:TW that is called Third Age which is in the same time period?

[Aradan]

Third Age: TW is the M2 mod. The one based on RTW-Alexander is called Lord of the Rings: TW.

[Tokus*Maximus]

Can't comment on LotR:TW - they seem to expect us all to have got Alexander, effectivly killing a wider user base. Wish they'd just done it on the Rome Barb Invasion platform.

I am impressed with RTW's AI - after years playing many M2TW mods. It just feels like a broader, deeper, wider game. M2TW remains unfinished in my opinion.

Downloading FATW now... I feel a strong desire to mod again... :o)

-- El Tok

[Aradan]

We would like to encourage that desire of yours to mod. If you feel you need a mod on which to experiment, we are willing to make that sacrifice.

[Bull3pr00f de Bodemloze]

What exactly is the vanilla "interface atmosphere"? The lightness of the UI and the absence of many decorative elements etc?

Well, I couldn't say just "atmosphere", because that's something the mod certainly has of its own (and not vanilla's, if you get what I mean).
I really can't describe it, but I hope you understand what I mean when I say that this mod has got *something* accessible/vanilla-ish where RSII and EB don't.

[Aradan]

Maybe the fact that it's light enough to not cause unresponsiveness to player's actions? If that's what you're talking about, I think it's the lack of a background script.

[Bull3pr00f de Bodemloze]

It's not really just the interface; it's everything, really. There's something vanilla, but I can't put my finger on it. The interface is part of it.

[Aradan]

Well, whatever it is, I hope it's still there in DoM.

[Bull3pr00f de Bodemloze]

From what I've seen, it is (the units are part of it as well).

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

I am impressed with RTW's AI
-- El Tok

I think I have found THE sig!!!

[Youital]

I have played TATW, and haven't got through a single campaign. I HATE the M2 engine. Units don't move right, they are slow and don't maneuver that well, also, I feel that horsemen fail on it. They charge, but it does nothing, no impact, feels more like controlling fish.

[The_Valiant]

Welcome to the forums, youital!

I haven't played tatw, but FATW is one of my favorite mods ever.

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

I have played TATW, and haven't got through a single campaign. I HATE the M2 engine. Units don't move right, they are slow and don't maneuver that well, also, I feel that horsemen fail on it. They charge, but it does nothing, no impact, feels more like controlling fish.

Exactly.