More good news from 1.5

[Didz]

I'm getting much better gameplay out of ETW since 1.5. As well as some interesting and sensible diplomatic activity, and the apparent dissappearance of 'the player hate routine' I've also noticed that:

a) Skirmishers now work, well at least as well as they did in MTW2. They now turn round and fire back if the pressure to evade is released.

b) The CAI seems to understand the need to keep its ports open. At least I found that Austria in my current game constantly tried to keep its port open, though rather amusingly it was trying to do so with a land unit, when I had blockaded it with a frigate. But it was a bit of a catch-22 as Austria only has one port in my game and no ships, so it can't do anything to break the blockade by my frigate, but at least it keeps driving it out of the harbour.

So, a much better game than it was before 1.5. Unfortunately, still a way to go to meet my full expectations, and 1.5 has still keft a number of bugs unresolved.

Nevertheless, almost at a state where it would be ready to release normally.

[Stellerex]

Unfortunately CA is continuing with their tried and tested formula: By the time game A is fixed to the point where it would be ready for normal release, CA has already advertised and is working on game B.

[Carpe Veritas]

Unfortunately CA is continuing with their tried and tested formula: By the time game A is fixed to the point where it would be ready for normal release, CA has already advertised and is working on game B.

Well I only started two months ago so I can't comment on your bitterness but I have had no experience of Bugs except attacking fort AI bug which can be worked around. I also find ETW fun and non frustrating

[Didz]

I just had to abandon a campaign after 63 turns simply because of inherent game corruptions that prevented me saving a clean copy capable of being reloaded. Nothing I could do would allow me to progress beyond 1731 and save the game. Apparently, thats an unresolved bug from the early vanilla version of the game. Just keep your fingers crossed and hope it doesn't ruin your campaign.

[Stellerex]

Originally Posted by Carpe Veritas

Well I only started two months ago so I can't comment on your bitterness but I have had no experience of Bugs except attacking fort AI bug which can be worked around. I also find ETW fun and non frustrating

Well, perhaps you weren't around during the disastrous 1.3 patch where diplomacy was apparently coded out of the game.

But I'm also talking about previous installments. Medieval 2: TW was also a bug-ridden, unhappy experience, even after the release of the Kingdoms expansion pack (some of the funnier ones are on YouTube), and before it was fully fixed, they started working on Empire.

[Carpe Veritas]

But I'm also talking about previous installments. Medieval 2: TW was also a bug-ridden, unhappy experience, even after the release of the Kingdoms expansion pack (some of the funnier ones are on YouTube), and before it was fully fixed, they started working on Empire.

I guess I must just be really unobservant because I played MTW2 without kingdoms for years before finally updating without ever noticing said bugs (except the fort navigation bug but thats in all the TWs). Not trying to antagonise but genuinely dont know what all the fuss is about?

[crucify_ego]

Originally Posted by Stellerex

Well, perhaps you weren't around during the disastrous 1.3 patch where diplomacy was apparently coded out of the game.

But I'm also talking about previous installments. Medieval 2: TW was also a bug-ridden, unhappy experience, even after the release of the Kingdoms expansion pack (some of the funnier ones are on YouTube), and before it was fully fixed, they started working on Empire.

I thought m2tw was made by a different branch of CA? CA Australia or something like that.

[KingInKoko]

They need to make gifts useful again though.
2500 Ducats worth of gifts for what..+5 bonus to relations which goes down each turn?

[Garand]

I don't know what you mean about the computer working to keep ports open. In my game, Netherlands was regularly occupying or blockading the French port on the channel, and despite the French having multiple fleets in the East Atlantic, they never once sent a fleet up to eliminate the Dutch. Normally they would just send a unit up and end up with a persistent blockade.

I also agree that the gifts need to be fixed - who thought it was a great idea for a player to blow a massive amount of money for such a negligible boost to relations? There's absolutely no point in using gifts... and likewise, why doesn't the AI ever provide said gifts, or just gifts of cash, to the human as a means of improving relations? I'm pretty sure if the hated Spanish gave me a few thousand florins, my opinion of them would shift - a little.

[eregost]

I find Med 2 and Rome to be acceptable the way they are though there are still quite a few bugs in both of them. However I do not find empire 1.5 acceptable at all and believe CA should release 2 more major patches to fix the AI, redo forts, fix stupid things like unrepairable walls, inability for AI to retreat etc. Sadly its not gonna happen it seems.

[JavaWarrior]

I've had a somewhat good experience with patch 1.5, the AI actually makes alliances and trade agreements with each other which keeps the game interesting. I've been invaded a number of times from cross theaters so at least CA fixed that to a degree. However I've just encountered another annoying pretty much game breaking bug which is the dishounoring treaties penalty. I don't know what I did but I've somehow pissed off the entire world and my relations with them are around -250. Great.

[Centurion Legio IX Hispana]

Originally Posted by Stellerex

Well, perhaps you weren't around during the disastrous 1.3 patch where diplomacy was apparently coded out of the game.

But I'm also talking about previous installments. Medieval 2: TW was also a bug-ridden, unhappy experience, even after the release of the Kingdoms expansion pack (some of the funnier ones are on YouTube), and before it was fully fixed, they started working on Empire.

Really? Ok people I agree with the complaints about Empire, but I've played M2 (vanilla version) a lot and I haven't noticed anything like that. Maybe we've played different games. Anyway I overemphasize the fact that we should complain about Empire because the bugs made it nearly unplayable (at least for many people), but we shouldn't expect a perfect game with no bugs, because such a game doesn't exist.

[Stellerex]

Originally Posted by Centurion Legio IX Hispana

Really? Ok people I agree with the complaints about Empire, but I've played M2 (vanilla version) a lot and I haven't noticed anything like that. Maybe we've played different games. Anyway I overemphasize the fact that we should complain about Empire because the bugs made it nearly unplayable (at least for many people), but we shouldn't expect a perfect game with no bugs, because such a game doesn't exist.

Some of the big bugs came out on the Kingdoms expansion. In the Crusades campaign, the AI could build multiple Marshals or Canons when they were supposed to be unique units. In The Teutonic campaign, building the Union of Kalmar didn't give you Norwegian units. There was something about the Britannia campaign too I didn't see it for myself.

As for M2TW vanilla, go on YouTube, type in "Medieval 2 Total War bug" or "glitch", and tell me you don't have a page full of videos. Granted, many if not most of these were fixed later but my whole point was fixing these bugs was quite a process in itself and it wasn't done before they started advertising Empire.

[Grislok]

Oh... and do not forget the Spanish royal family and hence faction, would die out in the Americas campaign if you played as an Indian faction. That wasn't too grooooovy.

[Mohamed612]

Originally Posted by Carpe Veritas

Well I only started two months ago so I can't comment on your bitterness but I have had no experience of Bugs except attacking fort AI bug which can be worked around. I also find ETW fun and non frustrating

You're a lucky, lucky man.

[Centurion Legio IX Hispana]

Originally Posted by Stellerex

Some of the big bugs came out on the Kingdoms expansion. In the Crusades campaign, the AI could build multiple Marshals or Canons when they were supposed to be unique units. In The Teutonic campaign, building the Union of Kalmar didn't give you Norwegian units. There was something about the Britannia campaign too I didn't see it for myself.

As for M2TW vanilla, go on YouTube, type in "Medieval 2 Total War bug" or "glitch", and tell me you don't have a page full of videos. Granted, many if not most of these were fixed later but my whole point was fixing these bugs was quite a process in itself and it wasn't done before they started advertising Empire.

OK, again, I'm not saying that M2 had no bugs, I'm just saying that the bugs were so minor, that they didn't influence the gameplay. And on the other side, it's normal that a company with 50 employees, will work on a new product, even if the last product has a few bugs. You can't expect them to stop working until a few bugs like: "In the Crusades campaign, the AI could build multiple Marshals or Canons when they were supposed to be unique units. In The Teutonic campaign, building the Union of Kalmar didn't give you Norwegian units." This bugs can be solved by 2 people, believe me. On the other hand Empire bugs were so many that you couldn't say the same thing.

[Didz]

I had to abandon my Prussian Camapign due to the saved game bug, but I've started a French Campaign now.

I played French prior to 1.5 and it was just one hard slugfest from day one. Not very strategic and not very challenging gameplay wise. This new compaign is completely different. Thanks to the diplomacy system being at least partially sorted I have been able to form a reasonable powerbase in Northern Europe against Austrian and Prussian aggression (Basically The War of the Austrian Succession, which triggers automaitcally when your king dies) and have had some really interesting alliance battles fighting alongside troops from Westphalia and Wurtemberg.

Both the Austrians and Prussians finally sued for peace, Wurtemberg accepted a Protectorship and my alliances in Italy are keeping the Venetians in check. Russia keeps begging me for an Alliance, offering more and more money and technologies in return, but as they are allied with Austria and at war with some of my Aliies I keep sending them away with a flea in their ear.

What is really needed now is an 'Oi! leave my mate alone button!" for when Prussia starts picking on Westphalia, and a 'Lets go get 'em!" button for when you want to organise a combined thrust at a mutual enemy. Some sort of liasion system for co-ordinating allied troops on the battlefield would be nice too.

One intersting thing I discovered was that Troops garrisoning Strasbourg (Alsace-Lorraine), will automatically march to the aid of the garrison of Stuttgart (Wurtemberg) if they are attacked. Austria got quite shock when it tried to ninja Wurtemberg who were my allies at the time.

[Humble Warrior]

The problem is they stopped short on ETW when they should`ve carried on, it was just beginning to get there. I mean Mike Simpson was banging on about an AI that was almost sentient, but for some reason they aren`t going to complete it and let us see what could`ve been? If I was the DEVS\SEGA with a super CAI, I`d be dying to put out that super CAI in 1.6 or 1.7 for the world to see.

And I bet you we won`t see it in NTW.

[patio furniture]

CAI is fine with me now...countries react much better diplomatically...towns surrender if being attacked by a great force...now if we could only have MOD TOOLS TO FIX THE BAI! Or have CA step up to the plate and fix the enormous amount of problems in battles. I'm glad that troops can fire in square formation, light dragoons can reload while riding, and troops can fire behind walls, but the BAI is so screwed up!

[ForlornHope.]

Originally Posted by Carpe Veritas

I guess I must just be really unobservant because I played MTW2 without kingdoms for years before finally updating without ever noticing said bugs (except the fort navigation bug but thats in all the TWs). Not trying to antagonise but genuinely dont know what all the fuss is about?

Wow. Are you CA? if you want a detailed description read my review of M2tw.

Also 1.5s goodness is irreverent as it leaves many bugs and ca has said a nice big "*** you" to their fanbase by ceasing to fix it and they will receive nothing but my ire for as long as they stay in business.