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Thread: Question before I may purchase

  1. #1
    Foederatus
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    Default Question before I may purchase

    Hey guys I have every TW game and clack except Empire and Napolean. For some reason I dropped a bit of interest then. Anyway coming from Shogun 2 everyday what kind of different mechanics should I expect? Empire and Napolean are two seperate games right? Which is better? Is empire more on par with Rome or Shogun as far as updates to AI and what not?

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Senator
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    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    The mechanics are more similar to Shogun 2 than Medieval/Rome.

    Empire is certainly a bigger game - Napoleon has been criticised as being basically an expansion of Empire.

    They're worth picking up, and I'd strongly recommend playing with the DarthMod Ultimate Commander for Empire to improve your experience of it.

  3. #3
    Sir Furlong's Avatar Ordinarius
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    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    Yes they are both amazing games, Napoleon is more polished (vanilla-wise) and if you want to do multiplayer this one is likely better. In Empire the campaign map is huge and mods just keep making it a better game. You can get them bundled together on Steam for a good price I think. They are $30 USD right now, but if you wait out for a sale you can get that for 75% less.

  4. #4
    Foederatus
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    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    Clack=xpack

    Darn iPhone auto spell!

    Thanks guys. Ya I saw that big pack on Steam just now. So it's always a bundle? Empires large map entices me. In. Apple an just France side of things?

  5. #5
    Foederatus
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    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    Forgot to add that pack looks overwhelming! Lol

  6. #6
    The Useless Member's Avatar Primicerius
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    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    Depends.

    NTW is a better game with better features and mechanics.
    ETW has a wider scope and more stuff to do, and more factions.

    My favorite is ETW.
    If you want to really have fun with ETW, download some mods for it.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    I'm comparing to Rome Total War and Medieval Total War II since I don't have either of the Shogun 2 series yet.

    1) Over in UK you can buy Empire for £8.00 or as part of a four park for £20.00 ($12.00 or $30.00 respectively). I'm not sure whether this might make it cheaper

    2) Graphically NOT as good as RTW BUT my computer is low spec for the game.

    3) Empire adds a technology tree as per Civ or Age of Empires which adds a whole new strategic level

    4) There's actual ship combat which plays a bit like Sid Meier's "Pirates". Expect to use pause a lot to beat the computer.

    5) It takes some to adjust to the mechanics of the new game. A cavalry charge against infantry not already routing or engaged results in dead cavalry for example. Changing between different types of ammo - particularly for artillery is a game changer.

    6) Agents are about the best they have been in a Total War Game - useful additions but not overall game changers. And there are limited numbers so the Medieval Total War II of having dozens of agents on every section of the map (exaggeration but...) is no longer there.

    In my view they are must haves for anyone who loved the other games - but you can can legitimate copies of the game for far less than $30 US if you shop around.

    S.x.

  8. #8
    Foederatus
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    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    Thank you. Exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Seems to be that the steam bundle is 30$ and you get ETW and NTW and their expansions. Do you get all of them? I may just do that.

  9. #9

    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    The bundle I saw was RTW, Med TW II, Empire and Nap for £20. As I said Empire on its own was selling for £8.00 in UK which if you played it for 100 hours equates (minus electricity, wear and tear on hardware) to about 12c per hour of entertainment.

    S.x.

  10. #10

    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    I am leery of using steam. I don't like software management schemes on my computer which has a primary purpose of photo/video editing. I know it's doing stuff behind the scenes and I just don't trust it. It's kind of like buying a refrigerator and going into your living room and there's a refrigerator repairman living there. And he won't leave.

    You can buy straight up copies on Amazon for 13-20 bucks depending on where you live.

    I live in Asia and I don't even know if steam works here. I don't want to know either.

  11. #11
    Foederatus
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    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    The thing with steam is patching takes so long! Like all day long and I'm not entirley sure how it got on my pc. I seem to remember feeling like I HAD to install it for Shogun 2 to work.

    Maybe today at work I'll browse eBay.

  12. #12
    DeValiere's Avatar Biarchus
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    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    Graphics are much better from Empire onwards - I play on ultra settings for Empire and they're great - and I've played M2TW and Rome extensively so not talking through a hole in my head. Empire in vanilla isn't so great but I'd recommend you start there, get a feel for things and then look at what's out there for mods. For sheer scope, Empire is amazing and it's my favorite TW game to date, although I'm rather fond of S2 as well.

    And to be clear, you need Steam in order to play Empire onwards I'm afraid, rightly or wrongly. Can't remember how big the update/patch downloads were for Empire and Napoleon sorry. Note that Empire is far less scripted than Napoleon as well - there are some good improvements for Napoleon, but it should have been no more than an add-on for Empire with retroactive application of improvements back to Empire IMO. You'll see what we mean about that once you've played both. Overall I see Empire as an improvement on Rome and M2TW however - and fully patched it's not bad at all. Modded it is awesome.
    Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out...and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel. ..And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man"-- with his mouth.
    Mark Twain - What Is Man?

  13. #13
    ♘Top Hat Zebra's Avatar Praepositus
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    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    Just gonna say something here: The agents in Shogun 2 are infinitely more useful. The most useful agent in Empire and NTW is the Gentlemen. You can pretty much ignore all the other ones. (Well, except the missionary. But those are barely agents.)
    "Rajadharma! The Duty of Kings. Know you: Kingship is a Trust. The King is the most exalted and conscientious servant of the people."

  14. #14
    The Useless Member's Avatar Primicerius
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    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    Quote Originally Posted by ♘Top Hat Zebra View Post
    Just gonna say something here: The agents in Shogun 2 are infinitely more useful. The most useful agent in Empire and NTW is the Gentlemen. You can pretty much ignore all the other ones. (Well, except the missionary. But those are barely agents.)
    Why'd CA get rid of conversion agents when NTW came out?

  15. #15
    DeValiere's Avatar Biarchus
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    Default Re: Question before I may purchase

    Yeah, agents in S2 are pretty darn cool.
    Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out...and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel. ..And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man"-- with his mouth.
    Mark Twain - What Is Man?

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