the game is so :wub: i went back to Medieval 2

[Spear Dog]

Regarding Medieval 2 TW, what is really essential is to solve the problem of the game being able to address only 2GB RAM. Once I bought a new pc with Windows 10 installed I wasn't, to my surprise, able to play Europa Barbarorum II any more. Using some 3rd party software allowed me to increase that number to 4GB RAM and enjoy my game again without any CTD issues, etc. That should work for you, too, I suppose.

My point really, why is it up to a third party to address this issue. I haven't had 2Gb RAM for probably 10 years, who the hell has - RAM is one of the cheapest and easiest upgrades there is for a system. Total War is still selling these games, up to them to update such issues.

[Alwyn]

Just look at the BAI in game as an example, try a vanilla game and you will see how bad it is also Sieges are still useless in game!

That's not my experience - playing vanilla Rome II with the Ancestral patch, I've seen AI Cappadocia (my client state in a Pergamon campaign) competently attack two AI-held cities using siege ladders and take those cities, even though they used low-tier infantry (eastern spearmen and hillmen). In both siege battles, I had an army reinforcing theirs, but there was nothing which my army needed to do.

Yes, the BAI is imperfect, but I'm enjoying the BAI with Ancestral. I played about 30 campaigns of a Pergamon campaign with patch 19 and then repeated the same strategy as Pergamon with the Ancestral beta, With Ancestral, I lost an early battle which I had won with patch 19 because the AI did two things well: (1) they used a combination of spearmen and cavalry effectively to defeat me on both flanks and (2) they used cavalry effectively, destroying the skirmishers behind my main line and charging my general. When the AI defends an unwalled city, they form up on the edge of the city now rather than waiting in the central square. In one battle, I attacked an unwalled city as Pergamon, it was defended by Colchis and Cimmeria. They sent both their general units (Colchian Nobles and Cimmerian Noble Infantry) in a surprise attack on the rear of my formation, which was an impressively aggressive and surprising move. I'm noticing enemy units re-forming and rturning to fight - I could be wrong, but I think they're doing this more and I like this, it requires the player to pursue fleeing troops with cavalry or face those enemies again.

I'm finding Rome II very enjoyable, even without mods. The Campaign AI is working better for me too after recent patches. AI factions seem more active diplomatically and in war. I especially like the way that an AI faction, losing a war to the player, will try hard to find ways to survive, offering a peace treaty, confederating with another nation or becoming a client state or satrapy of another faction. In my Pergamon campaign, Bithynia was initially an ally, but they when they attacked my client state of Cappadocia, they betrayed Pergamon and it was time for war. The war went well for Pergamon and Bithynia had one last stronghold, the island of Salamis. As my forces approached Salamis, Bithynia became a client state of Egypt - a brilliant move, forcing me to choose between peace with Bithynia and going to war with Egypt, a major trading partner for Pergamon. Pergamon's leaders had to choose between completing their revenge against Bithynia, the former allies who had betrayed us, or going to war with Egypt, which would damage our economy, stain Pergamon's honourable reputation and put the survival of Pergamon at risk. Naturally, I chose war...

[~Seleukos.I.Nikator~]

My point really, why is it up to a third party to address this issue. I haven't had 2Gb RAM for probably 10 years, who the hell has - RAM is one of the cheapest and easiest upgrades there is for a system. Total War is still selling these games, up to them to update such issues.

I do agree, of course. Though, that would be very naive of us to really expect CA to patch games like Medieval 2. There are, like you said, still people buying and playing that game, though the vast majority of players have long moved onto the newer titles. Self-help seems thus the only solition here.

When the AI defends an unwalled city, they form up on the edge of the city now rather than waiting in the central square. In one battle, I attacked an unwalled city as Pergamon, it was defended by Colchis and Cimmeria. They sent both their general units (Colchian Nobles and Cimmerian Noble Infantry) in a surprise attack on the rear of my formation, which was an impressively aggressive and surprising move.

I've noticed that, too. First I thought it was one of the tricks pulled by the DeI team as I don't normally tend to play the vanilla game, but then actually it turned out to be a tweak to the BAI's tactics introduced in the latest patch.

I've played around 6-7 siege battles on unwalled settlements as an attacker. In each case the enemy lined up outside the urban area and sallied forth to fight in the open field.

That is indeed very refreshing to see BAI doing this and to see CA still working on improving the AI tactics, though in this particular case I reckon that the BAI would be more efficient defending inside the settlement, especially with the hoplites and the archers. Otherwise it becomes too vulnerable to flanking.

[suvorov777]

Have you ever seen horses like that?

Watch this, this is what horses look like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpHLr5-zpx8

[Clint_Eastwood]

Have you ever seen horses like that?

Watch this, this is what horses look like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpHLr5-zpx8

I have not seen horses like this in Med 2, is this a new game?

[Clint_Eastwood]

Alwyn - that is a nice detailed report and will certainly take a look at it at sometime in vanilla game! Problem I have playing mods like DEI and Wars if the Gods I would feel naked going back to the base game! Mods have brought so much enjoyment for me it’s difficult to go back.

I supppose I take after my wife as she shops in “Gucci” and would never be seen dead shopping in “primark”!!!

[suvorov777]

Anyway, graphics in rome 2 is awful. those horses look awful. And I put a video from youtube to show how horses look like.

[SharpEyed]

What you think of the ETW (NTW) horses, compared to others?

[Goffredo85]

obviously med2 has the best horses in the series...

[SharpEyed]

Idk if 'best' can be said but Attila horses also werent bad

[suvorov777]

What you think of the ETW (NTW) horses, compared to others?

ETW was ok, so was Shogun 2, it was a bit more realistic. Then Rome 2 is a huge step back, back to Rome 1 horses. So even graphics in Rome 2 is... low budget. I dont want to get censored again.

I have a thing for battle horses and I almost did vomit when I saw those in Rome 2. That alone was enough for me to consider deleting this game.

[SharpEyed]

Horses ftw! (Horse f-- sandwich!)

Well you can always use

[Clint_Eastwood]

Oh, unfinished sentence.

Even graphics in Rome 2 is sh.it. Have you ever seen horses that look like those in rome 2?

see the video link and see how horses look like.

ok the horses in that link you give me a real life horses in the video! There is no game development company in the world that will give you that type of quality in a video game. That is a clip from a movie man! How do you expect to get that quality in a game??

[Daruwind]

In theory I would expect RPG like Witcher 3, next TES and such games to have really good horses. Because usually there is only a few on monitor. In TWs could easilly happen fight with 1000 horses + infantry....yeah nothing easily to depict on monitor with good FPS...

[suvorov777]

ok the horses in that link you give me a real life horses in the video! There is no game development company in the world that will give you that type of quality in a video game. That is a clip from a movie man! How do you expect to get that quality in a game??

Yes but its just too bad. Even for a video game. It doesnt take much to give horses normal shape at least. Unless someone has never seen horse before.

[suvorov777]

In theory I would expect RPG like Witcher 3, next TES and such games to have really good horses. Because usually there is only a few on monitor. In TWs could easilly happen fight with 1000 horses + infantry....yeah nothing easily to depict on monitor with good FPS...

I dont think it has something to do with FPS, but just someone is really bad at anotomical drawing.

[Daruwind]

I dont think it has something to do with FPS, but just someone is really bad at anotomical drawing.

Horse is another entity on battlefield. You think that having 1000+ horses on battlefield won´t affect performance? It is like having another 1000 of soldiers....It is usually offset by cavalry units having lower number of soldiers (160 infantry vs 60/80 cavalry)

There is some reasons why battles are not having way bigger number of men over time. Because models gets more detailed. WH2 finally allow player to experiment with Laboratory mode so may be maybe once we will get way bigger battles. But here lies the problem, what do you prefer, more detailed model or more body count on battlefield? It is hard to get both simply because resources needed for that are multiplying..

Back to R2, I have never noticed anything bad with horses but will look on them next time I play...

[suvorov777]

Horse is another entity on battlefield. You think that having 1000+ horses on battlefield won´t affect performance? It is like having another 1000 of soldiers....It is usually offset by cavalry units having lower number of soldiers (160 infantry vs 60/80 cavalry)

There is some reasons why battles are not having way bigger number of men over time. Because models gets more detailed. WH2 finally allow player to experiment with Laboratory mode so may be maybe once we will get way bigger battles. But here lies the problem, what do you prefer, more detailed model or more body count on battlefield? It is hard to get both simply because resources needed for that are multiplying..



Back to R2, I have never noticed anything bad with horses but will look on them next time I play...

Have you ever seen horses that look like those in rome 2? compare those on that video link. Its not even close to those.

rome 2 seems to be developed by children in my opinion. And all post Rome 2 also use the same models, lol.

[SharpEyed]

Horse is another entity on battlefield. You think that having 1000+ horses on battlefield won´t affect performance? It is like having another 1000 of soldiers....It is usually offset by cavalry units having lower number of soldiers (160 infantry vs 60/80 cavalry)

There is some reasons why battles are not having way bigger number of men over time. Because models gets more detailed. WH2 finally allow player to experiment with Laboratory mode so may be maybe once we will get way bigger battles. But here lies the problem, what do you prefer, more detailed model or more body count on battlefield? It is hard to get both simply because resources needed for that are multiplying..

Good point. Especially considering the optimizations TW games.
But in my opinion lower number of horseman is for realistic reasons rather than that.

rome 2 seems to be developed by children in my opinion. And all post Rome 2 also use the same models, lol.

Copy-paste + reskin ftw! No kidding.

I think one of the biggest issues CA has is that Devs (and most likely QA guys too) are mostly young and inexperienced.
Mostly they do their 'internship' there (and leave later when given better job at better place)

[j.a.luna]

I prefer the old and good Medieval 2 than Rome 2, of course with mods and if it is possible, with historical and realistics mods, one of the most favourite mods for medieval 2 is SSHIP MOD, pretty historical with a good campaign and units and good playability, not with the fast conquest and unrealistic expansion of vainilla medieval2, i know that still is on beta but little to little is better and improve a lot the medieval2, and of course i prefer the medieval era than ancient era