[IDEA] Creative Assembly: Bring SKIRMISH CAMPAIGN MAPS as additional game mode to Total War! (Balanced maps like in AoE)

[Acroneos]

The most thing i liked of Rome I is, that there were serveral factions, which were able to conquer most parts of the campaign map, even the romans. For example, in a test campaign as brutii, I could see the britons beating the julii. This makes the game very interesting - please dont let every campaign be the same - if every time, romans are beating everything, it is okay. But give also other factions a chance, to expand in some cases.

On the other side, I think it should be realizable to make "custom campaigns" with balanced maps and random starting positions of factions, with same amount of starting cities etc.

Just imagine a Total War campaign like a skirmish map in "Age of Empires" - this would be AWESOME! Small maps, every faction starts with 2-4 towns, which are on same starting level and every faction has the same strength in their starting army. This would make every campaign completetly different from each other, of course on cost of historical accuracy.

It should not be a map of Europe just with other starting positions. I mean random, balanced maps, for example with a sea in the middle. Never seen that in Age of Empires for example?

However, there should also be the main campaign as we know it, which is historical accurate. But I think skirmish campaigns could be awesome in Total War too.

[Petroniu]

That is totally opposite of what the TW concept is. I for one like history and wouldn't want some weird mix up with the Germans in Egypt and Rome in Britain. It's too awkward! Each faction has specific unit roster that developed naturally because of the region they lived in. That wouldn't work for campaign. You have custom battles in multiplayer where you can pitch all kinds of faction wars, but in a campaign that would be too much.

[Acroneos]

That is totally opposite of what the TW concept is. I for one like history and wouldn't want some weird mix up with the Germans in Egypt and Rome in Britain. It's too awkward! Each faction has specific unit roster that developed naturally because of the region they lived in. That wouldn't work for campaign. You have custom battles in multiplayer where you can pitch all kinds of faction wars, but in a campaign that would be too much.

It should not be a map of Europe just with other starting positions. I mean random, balanced maps, for example with a sea in the middle. Never seen that in Age of Empires for example?

However, there should also be a main campaign, which is historical accurate. But I think skirmish campaigns could be awesome in Total War too.

[Petroniu]

Never seen that in Age of Empires for example?

Man, I think that is the stupidest question you can ever ask a TW fan. One that likes this kind of games certainly has tried, if not initiated into this kind of games by AoE (like I think most are). But the thing is the AoE was a simple RTS while TW is TBS combined with RTS recreating history. That is not something that you will ever see in this game. Plus, considering that even modders can't modify the campaign map and CA says it's quite difficult and a tool is nigh impossible to be ever released, how would you have the game generate random maps? Plus, do you even think what random maps mean for this kind of game? New cities with new city names, new regions, continents - do you even consider the amount of computing power needed to generate that in any TW game, especially in one that benefits of the latest technology and is not going to be released only next year?

[Acroneos]

Man, I think that is the stupidest question you can ever ask a TW fan. One that likes this kind of games certainly has tried, if not initiated into this kind of games by AoE (like I think most are). But the thing is the AoE was a simple RTS while TW is TBS combined with RTS recreating history. That is not something that you will ever see in this game. Plus, considering that even modders can't modify the campaign map and CA says it's quite difficult and a tool is nigh impossible to be ever released, how would you have the game generate random maps? Plus, do you even think what random maps mean for this kind of game? New cities with new city names, new regions, continents - do you even consider the amount of computing power needed to generate that in any TW game, especially in one that benefits of the latest technology and is not going to be released only next year?

Well, then there could be predefined maps - two or three, maybe some extra maps which comes with DLC. In Rome: Total War (old engine, I know), it was possible, to quickly create a new campaign map without wasting a lot of time on modding.

[Petroniu]

maps which comes with DLC. In Rome: Total War (old engine, I know), it was possible, to quickly create a new campaign map without wasting a lot of time on modding.

Rome TW - exactly. There's a 8 year difference now between them and the last TW games were very friendly towards modding. You only needed a quick look through 1 tutorial and you could make any kind of maps you wanted. But that changed a long time ago. Plus, I am assuring you that you will never see this kind of idea implemented in a TW game, certainly not by CA. Hell, I have not seen 1 mod in all this years that did that anyways (I did saw a WIP once, but I don't know if it saw daylight). I recon people would give it a try, but believe me, it wouldn't catch. Players play this game to try to relive history, not to have a fun mixture of it. And I said all this as a fact, I am not trying to kill your ideas or your opinions about the game in any way whatsoever.

[Acroneos]

It is just an idea of "extra campaigns". I say again - the historical main campaign should still be the most important thing of every Total War game. I also think, once somebody try this out, he or she maybe would like it.

Even a franchise like Total War should not be afraid of trying out new things.

[MathiasOfAthens]

They spend a lot of time building the campaign map. They wont design a random campaign map with a sea in the middle like AoE.

[Gorhaax]

No offence dude, but CA has already got a HUGE amount on there plate with Rome 2 (lots of factions, detailed cities, AI, pathfinding, Huge campaign map, bigger and more involved battles, all in 2 years or less), so I doubt they could ever consider this and even if they did the type of game mode your talking about isnt even part of their market, so it would be a waste of resources.

[windsupernova]

But people already did that on the original RTW, ever heard of migration campaigns?

This would be similar.....

And TC didn't say it should replace the grandcampaign so its totally optional. I like the idea somewhat of a free play mode where you are not restrained by your initial position.

[Biggus Splenus]

I disagree with this, it would ruin what Total War is, even if it will just be an alternate game mode

[Savoyard]

I hate symmetric maps. They make my head hurt because of the implausible terrain.