How To Advertise

[apple]

Thought we might not see it, RS II is starting to become complet.

This projekt is an major accomplishment and deserves to be praised by a larger base of players.
So how could we make sure that all those who want to play it know that it exists?
Well I have thought about that, looked for ways to promote and show our game.

One way would be to distribute our mod at Valve´s Steam, we would reach a large public that would have an easy way to download it.

An there thing we could do is to give a game magasin let's say an exclusive first look at our Roman/Carthage preview and also an intervju with us.

So, do anyone else have an idea of how to reach a larger base of Total War players?

[aja5191]

I don't know how accessible Steam is, and how many people actually use it...it's been annoying to have to use it to get the ETW Demo, and I don't know how many people past that would be into going onto Steam to download RS. Though I suppose we'd also have it for download off of Filefront or whatever, for people who don't want to deal with Steam.

So That seems like a good idea, assuming Steam allows people to upload and distribute like that - we'd be reaching almost a completely different audience than those that use TWC.

Past that, doing interviews with magazines, I don't know how that would really work. I assume we would contact them offering some insider information, in exchange for free publicity and all that.

[Arnspac]

Just over at the YUKU boards and the last thing I see about RS was from Feb. / 07. I could plop a new thread over there expounding the virtues, or let the hype-master do it.

[apple]

Well I have contacted a large Nordic (actually the largest one) game site/magasin. I'm now waiting for answers and I will hopefully get one tomorrow.
For those who are interested here is a link to there international site.
http://www.gamereactor.net/?sid=398d...5f07f8be34f45c

[cherryfunk]

Maxim, I've been thinking about the same thing. We should wage a real public relations campaign to get game press, game blog and game message board attention.

One aspect of this is having high quality PR materials -- particularly graphic materials such as screenshot galleries and video trailers/advertisements, but also written materials like press releases, interviews, game overviews, tutorials etc.

Two of the first steps would be:

Databases
We need to create two databases:

- A database of game press outlets (magazines and websites, including blogs.)

- A database of message boards including general gaming boards, strategy game boards, RTS boards, and of course Total War boards. TWcenter is a pretty active site but it's just one of dozens if not hundreds of major message boards, each with thousands of potential fans.


Videos
- Either recruit someone who can edit promotional videos, or have someone on the team learn how to do it. We will need Youtube trailers to convey how spectacular RS2 looks -- and not just random shots thrown together to some idiotic techno soundrack or a weepy Enya tune -- we need gripping, dynamic videos that convey the scope and epic quality of the mod, including the amazing new music, units, and environments.

When it comes to putting together trailers, we will need a 'hook' to draw in viewers and gain word of mouth. For example:

- A trailer focused on our Sparta faction -- how many Spartan fanboyz are there? A trillion? Every guy who has seen '300' should want to download RS2 when he watches this trailer. How many other strategy games let you rule Sparta?

- A trailer focused on Rome and its fight against its major enemies.

- A trailer focused on Hannibal and his invasion of Italy, probably the most famous military campaign in all history...

[Calvin]

[user]Quinctius Cincinnatus[/user] is a good movie editor.

EDIT: When it comes to TWC though, you know you guys are covered. Editor of the ES right here

[Brusilov]

[user]Quinctius Cincinnatus[/user] is a good movie editor.

EDIT: When it comes to TWC though, you know you guys are covered. Editor of the ES right here

Yes, he's been doing the movies over in RTR world.

Someone in this forum was interested in making a movie and I suggested QC to them. I think it was then that they discovered the effort required to produce the movies that QC does.

I am fairly sure it involves porting the units into RTW 1.2. That version of RTW has a battle camera (or something) that is way better than the later versions. Not to be confised with the movie_cam. The RTW 1.2 camera allows pre-set moving of the camera over the battlefield for those steady pannning shots.

I'd suggest contacting him directly and seeing if he want to make more movies.

With Steam - I presume after the release of E:TW a lot more people will have Steam accounts than a month ago.

With Sparta - the problem with the Spartans is that there will be hundreds of posts about why don't the Spartans look like they did in '300'.... Hey, can we include a huge Rhino as a model.....

Edited: I thik this is his most recent effort (I've not seen it as I am posting from work): http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...39#post4598139

[pseudocaesar]

Dont underestimate Steam. Its hugely popular, Il do a topic over at Gaf when the mods released, that will get a few thousand views.

[apple]

Also, everybody that got ETW need to have steam installed to play it, so the majority should already have Steam and know how it works.

[cherryfunk]

So how do you get a mod on Steam? Has it been done before?

[apple]

Well I saw that they had a "mod section" or something like that so it should be be possible.

[cherryfunk]

Third Age has put a trailer up; this is what I would consider a thoroughly mediocre effort (scroll down a bit):

http://www.moddb.com/mods/third-age-total-war

Does anyone have examples of a mod trailer that really blew them away?

[Brusilov]

Third Age has put a trailer up; this is what I would consider a thoroughly mediocre effort (scroll down a bit):

http://www.moddb.com/mods/third-age-total-war

Does anyone have examples of a mod trailer that really blew them away?

That trailer wasn't that bad....

You would probably need to look at some of the ones done by QC from RTR. It's a lot harder to do a decent trailer than you would think. A lot of it is about control over the camera.

[cherryfunk]

Interesting poll from the E:TW forum, of 1,000 members fully 45% want to see Rome 2 Total War as the next installment, with nothing else coming close:

Rome 2 Total War 45%
Shogun 2 Total War 17%
World War 1 Total War 16%
Victorian Total War 6%
Renaissance Total War 5%
Dark Ages Total War 4%
Fantasy Total War 4%
Vikings Total War 2%
Exploration Total War 1%

[dvk901]

Interesting poll from the E:TW forum, of 1,000 members fully 45% want to see Rome 2 Total War as the next installment, with nothing else coming close:

Rome 2 Total War 45%
Shogun 2 Total War 17%
World War 1 Total War 16%
Victorian Total War 6%
Renaissance Total War 5%
Dark Ages Total War 4%
Fantasy Total War 4%
Vikings Total War 2%
Exploration Total War 1%

Cool, we're making it.

[cherryfunk]

Cool, we're making it.

A couple of forumers actually mentioned that in the poll thread -- 'CA doesn't have to do that, RS2 is coming out!'

[Legio]

Perhaps we could also ask Toboe(for promotional films)?
Also about publicity, I work in the Scriptorium and we have stored several RS-related articles already, we can always store more and review them in our front-page newsletter.

[MarcusTullius]

A video maker is going to have a bash at a promo vid using 1.5

We'll see the results by 1st April.....

[cherryfunk]

We got someone?

[MarcusTullius]

We got someone?

I'm giving someone an opportunity to shine lol

It's like his application form to produce the video- and if the team likes it then maybe he can come aboard.....