The (Old) Official ETW Criticism Thread

[Grimstoned]

Most stores don't let you return opened software or games anyway. Pretty much any opened media Dvds, BluRays, Games, anything like that. Regardless of Steam.

[Whatacad]

Hi. People, lend me your ear for a moment. Well...I should have paused before jumping in and getting ETW at EB here in Canberra, Australia. Like everyone else, I was really looking forward to this game. But I didn't quite expect the amount of problems just trying to get it to run! So I add my experience on to all the others out there having issues with this - dare I say it - unfirnished game....

annoyed,

apoll

There are a lot of problems, to be sure, but many people will argue that they are getting along just fine, so may not share your view. Nevertheless, while I am up and running ok and a pretty old machine, I am not impressed with the game's AI, despite assurances from others that they think it's great.

Sadly, your final point about concern for reputation, especially in financially difficult times, is unlikely to make any difference. I found the AI and bugs with RTW and MTW2 atrocious enough, but they sold like hot cakes. And even now ETW is flying off the shelves (I got the last one at my gamestop). I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I bought the game right away, even though I said I wouldn't because of how RTW and MTW2 performed. The engine "rebuild" was touted so much, and my hopes raised a bit when they said much more work on the AI was done, but I've found it to be remarkably similar to the past two iteration's AI.

Others will disagree, and that's fine. But I hear where you're coming from, and you have my sympathy. In the end I think it's sad that we as consumers have come to accept that what gets delivered initially is rarely a "finished" product, but that's the way it's become. So much so that I'll probably be labeled a whiner for making the point... which would prove my point even more.

[RaduAlexandru]

I bought the game thinking it should be quite good after all the fuzz around it - It was a waste of money and I will do my best to see to it that others don't do the same mistake - really instead of buying this game you could buy a homeless dog some food or something it would anyway make you feel better.

The PC problem: I don't know what CA did this time - but my PC (a rather good one) had 0 PROBLEMS with mtw2 but it is beyond slow with etw and I can't see anything that looks better or much more complex than mtw2

The looks: yes the map DOES LOOK BETTER - but the units and battles are so UGLY and look even with the best settings so BAD compared to mtw2 that it makes me sick to simply watch them so I press autoresolve often because I have no reason to look at a stupid battle area design - at some ugly and identical troups [except for the diferent uniform colours] and at the "excellent" visual effects - as for the sound it simply doesn't compare for ex to the darthmod sounds of mtw2 [remember those genoese crossbowmen arrows and the sharp metal sound - those were the good times]

The province problem - I LIKE THE NEW PROVICES SISTEM - IT IS SMARTER AND IT HELPS WITH MANAGEMENT - THE ONE WRONG THING IS THIS: one should not be able to capture a province if it captures the capital - if a mod fixes this "problem" I think the new sistem could be valued for it's real inovation [this time I have to say CA did bring something new but they screwed it up at the end - hope somebody fixes that because it should be hard and interesting having to clear out 10-12 smaller towns and the capital before you could capture the province]

The factions: no comment - it's insulting for me and for all those who know their nations were on "the map" in history at that point in time but they simply can't find them in the game - REMEMBER THIS GAME IS ALSO A SORT OF HISTORY LESSON FOR TEENS WHO REMEMBER MORE ABOUT THE WORLD MAP OF THE 18TH CENTURY FROM THIS GAME THAN FROM SCHOOL - I was born in Romania - for me it's not a surprise not to be able to find Tara Romaneasca and Moldova on the map of etw even if I could find them in the history books or on wikipedia as ottoman vassals.

The units: bleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh
For all of Europe this game is an insult in terms of units - the CA beeing from Australia an old UK colony have really done it this time - the partisanship and attention to detail in the case of the British and the ignorance and stupidity when dealing with the European Powers like France Prussia Austria Spain Portugal should this time not go unpunished - I frankly hope 99% of the europeans who want to play this game pirate it - maybe next time CA learns something about not insulting a whole continent. Or perhaps this is what the CA managers and developers learned in school from their history lessons. It would not be strange to find a future Napoleonic expansion who will reduce France to scraps and make the British the best - again I feel sick when I think about the "history" included in this game -
FOR CA: THE UK WAS ONLY A MAJOR NAVAL POWER THEIR LAND ARMIES GOT KICKED IN THE ASS 99% OF THE TIME THEY FOUGHT ON LAND IN EUROPE SO STICK TO AT LEAST A SORT OF HISTORICAL ACURACY WHEN OVERPOWERING THE BRITISH

The AI: STUPID STUPID STUPID - BUT THIS DOESN'T QUITE SAY ALL IT SHOULD ABOUT THE AI

I play with the United Provinces on HARD/HARD - I control BeNeLux France Austria the North of Italy and most of Germany. I was attacked 1 time in this game by France - I rushed Paris and took France out [GREAT JOB CA - THE DESTRUCTION OF A MAJOR POWER 10 TURNS INTO THE GAME AFTER 1 BATTLE - REALLY REALLY WELL DONE]

I have never in my life seen such a stupid and useless AI - the mtw2 AI on hard hard was decently stupid - this AI is simply retard.

The battle AI is a bit better - It manages to loose ALL BATTLES even if they outnumber me 3 to 1 - all you need to do is have enough cannons - forget mass infantery - this AI is as stupid as those who made all of the European Powers have the same units.

I will not go on because it would get boring - there are simply so many wrong things with this game - but I do have a final question: how much money did CA pay gamespot and the similar websites and magasines and their reviewers and so called critics to give it such a high score while all over the world those who bought it say almost to a man it is so bad that they think they wasted their money.

[Scorponok]

The PC problem: I don't know what CA did this time - but my PC (a rather good one) had 0 PROBLEMS with mtw2 but it is beyond slow with etw and I can't see anything that looks better or much more complex than mtw2

Agree with everything except the "slow" part.

[Quadratus]

I bought the game thinking it should be quite good after all the fuzz around it - It was a waste of money and I will do my best to see to it that others don't do the same mistake - really instead of buying this game you could buy a homeless dog some food or something it would anyway make you feel better.

The PC problem: I don't know what CA did this time - but my PC (a rather good one) had 0 PROBLEMS with mtw2 but it is beyond slow with etw and I can't see anything that looks better or much more complex than mtw2

The looks: yes the map DOES LOOK BETTER - but the units and battles are so UGLY and look even with the best settings so BAD compared to mtw2 that it makes me sick to simply watch them so I press autoresolve often because I have no reason to look at a stupid battle area design - at some ugly and identical troups [except for the diferent uniform colours] and at the "excellent" visual effects - as for the sound it simply doesn't compare for ex to the darthmod sounds of mtw2 [remember those genoese crossbowmen arrows and the sharp metal sound - those were the good times]

The province problem - I LIKE THE NEW PROVICES SISTEM - IT IS SMARTER AND IT HELPS WITH MANAGEMENT - THE ONE WRONG THING IS THIS: one should not be able to capture a province if it captures the capital - if a mod fixes this "problem" I think the new sistem could be valued for it's real inovation [this time I have to say CA did bring something new but they screwed it up at the end - hope somebody fixes that because it should be hard and interesting having to clear out 10-12 smaller towns and the capital before you could capture the province]

The factions: no comment - it's insulting for me and for all those who know their nations were on "the map" in history at that point in time but they simply can't find them in the game - REMEMBER THIS GAME IS ALSO A SORT OF HISTORY LESSON FOR TEENS WHO REMEMBER MORE ABOUT THE WORLD MAP OF THE 18TH CENTURY FROM THIS GAME THAN FROM SCHOOL - I was born in Romania - for me it's not a surprise not to be able to find Tara Romaneasca and Moldova on the map of etw even if I could find them in the history books or on wikipedia as ottoman vassals.

The units: bleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh
For all of Europe this game is an insult in terms of units - the CA beeing from Australia an old UK colony have really done it this time - the partisanship and attention to detail in the case of the British and the ignorance and stupidity when dealing with the European Powers like France Prussia Austria Spain Portugal should this time not go unpunished - I frankly hope 99% of the europeans who want to play this game pirate it - maybe next time CA learns something about not insulting a whole continent. Or perhaps this is what the CA managers and developers learned in school from their history lessons. It would not be strange to find a future Napoleonic expansion who will reduce France to scraps and make the British the best - again I feel sick when I think about the "history" included in this game -
FOR CA: THE UK WAS ONLY A MAJOR NAVAL POWER THEIR LAND ARMIES GOT KICKED IN THE ASS 99% OF THE TIME THEY FOUGHT ON LAND IN EUROPE SO STICK TO AT LEAST A SORT OF HISTORICAL ACURACY WHEN OVERPOWERING THE BRITISH

The AI: STUPID STUPID STUPID - BUT THIS DOESN'T QUITE SAY ALL IT SHOULD ABOUT THE AI

I play with the United Provinces on HARD/HARD - I control BeNeLux France Austria the North of Italy and most of Germany. I was attacked 1 time in this game by France - I rushed Paris and took France out [GREAT JOB CA - THE DESTRUCTION OF A MAJOR POWER 10 TURNS INTO THE GAME AFTER 1 BATTLE - REALLY REALLY WELL DONE]

I have never in my life seen such a stupid and useless AI - the mtw2 AI on hard hard was decently stupid - this AI is simply retard.

The battle AI is a bit better - It manages to loose ALL BATTLES even if they outnumber me 3 to 1 - all you need to do is have enough cannons - forget mass infantery - this AI is as stupid as those who made all of the European Powers have the same units.

I will not go on because it would get boring - there are simply so many wrong things with this game - but I do have a final question: how much money did CA pay gamespot and the similar websites and magasines and their reviewers and so called critics to give it such a high score while all over the world those who bought it say almost to a man it is so bad that they think they wasted their money.

Dude, wow, just wow. You know you can't make EVERYTHING PERFECT. I'd like to see you try and make a PC game...

Don't you have another things better to do than rant about a game? If you don't like it suck it up and don't play it.

[Juggernaut]

almost to a man it is so bad that they think they wasted their money.

Well, I don't. Does that make me a stupid, blind fanboi? I'm not even going to bother responding to the rest, with your encouragement of criminal activity.

[RaduAlexandru]

Maybe I was too noob back then and I got better at this game in time - but mate on H/H a not so good player like me SHOULD GET ATTACKED more than 1 time in a whole game and should loose AT LEAST 1 BATTLE.

Sure if my post is a pile of crap then so be it - maybe you like for your money to get the same units for France and Prussia and Spain and Austria and so on - maybe you like the sound be be worst than mtw2 vanilla - or maybe you like to get a new PC for each new Game even if your curent one was doing just fine with many other games [for the visuals for ex my pc works fine with NFS Undercover ... and yet it has problems with this game ... pffff]

Or maybe you play only with the British and as such you can afford to ignore the problems since you are enjoying the faction for which this game was created judging by the attention to detail granted to it and refused to others.

[Aradiel]

Okay i give up: I swear the AI is still the same like in rome tw or even worse. I restarted my game over and over with different factions but the same outcome.

1. Austria: Poland declared war completly unprepared in turn 4, took warsaw 2 turns later --> peace.

2. Prussia turtle tactic: Kurland always and really always attacks after a few turns without poland. Same for Sweden campaign btw. Actually had a somehwat nice game because i had to choose my battles after 30 turns even the small states had large stacks.

3. Sweden same behavior of kurland, russia didnt do anything, denmark attacks, gets anihilated, next 2 turns saxony attacks while i have full stack of veterans next to them???

4. So long my favorite: Prussia, decided to rush, attacked poland turn 1, took west prussia turn 1, warsaw on turn 2 and saxony also. Made peace with poland. Turn 4 guess who kurland attacks Gets crushed next turn. 1 Turn later austria declares war! Prague is undefended, i take it with 7! casualities in auto resolve. I negotiate peace, trade prague for schlesien.

Ahh and yes its vh/vh or so its called. Whatever i do, the game just gets messed up completly. Where is the sense in this at all i get like 4 provinces from different factions in no time, i can crush poland with my initial units, i actually dont have to research a single technology i only boost out units and overrun europe in 20 turns. if i try to turtle and build up i always get attacked completly unprepared and they leave me no choice. Im afraid the game is completly broken with its current state. Cant wait to start modding, because i want to have a decent game and not this rubbish.

[SuperKyle]

I feel like I'm part of a big scam machine. Everything from the dvd to special forces included in regular versions and turned off and all the bugs and gameplay issues.... makes me not want to buy from steam anymore. I have no hope of a return.

I'm not buying the expansion pack either. I shouldn't have to pay more for a complete game, and this isn't a complete game.

[Grimstoned]

I feel like I'm part of a big scam machine. Everything from the dvd to special forces included in regular versions and turned off and all the bugs and gameplay issues.... makes me not want to buy from steam anymore. I have no hope of a return.

I'm not buying the expansion pack either. I shouldn't have to pay more for a complete game, and this isn't a complete game.

I think the game is great. But the special units thing is a bunch of Bologna. Soon though I am hopeful CA will just unlock them with a patch. Or something

[Max the chivalrous]

Hi everyone,
maybe this is also somewhere else, but I dont's find it at first place.

I am shocked!

...bought the game in a shop and now I'm sitting here and after five minutes of installation some ing steam server is telling me the game can be played in .... now it will be in 8 hours and 58 min. .. coming from 7 hours and 34 min...!!!!!!!:hmmm:

This is not a good joke!

We all wait for playing this game, then the news it has to be ACTIVATED with "steam", and now I sitting here and nothing is working.......activating is after installation, in my opinion,,,not during and now nothing! try again later? do you have some microsoft guys at the PR section?

CA this is not !!! good customer relation!

The whole steam thing has to work at any time with enough resources! otherwise is a peace of !

I am not yet a the point of playing the game but the posts of the experiences others make me really disapointed....for me it starts with the damn installation!!!

...looking at my steam account...now it starting again something from 0%...

TOTAL DISASTER

[Scorponok]

Scorponok thinks that Steam is a great threat to our veteran community.

Patience is what you need.

[Legio]

Moved to technical help.

[Quadratus]

A hate thread?

How colorful

Stop your pants, you can't make a computer game PERFECT, even by your god damn standards.

[Xugaa]

Stop your pants, you can't make a computer game PERFECT, even by your god damn standards.

Perfect? lets not be greedy, somewhat finished though?

[Quadratus]

And I'd like to see you play that game...

You know I would...

Perfect? lets not be greedy, could CA not aim for decent though? How anyone, no matter how optimistic, can simply ignore the fact that this game is unfinished and even arguably a scam is beyond me. Problems with Steam? whatever, I don't care - it is the actual game that's important.

....



It sure looks finished to me, and I feel I got my money worth out of it.

[Juggernaut]

Perfect? lets not be greedy, could CA not aim for decent though? How anyone, no matter how optimistic, can simply ignore the fact that this game is unfinished and even arguably a scam is beyond me. Problems with Steam? whatever, I don't care - it is the actual game that's important.

Unfinished? No. Unpolished? Yes.

Seriously, don't you think you are way too overreacting?
A scam? If this was a scam, out of the box M2TW would be the new Nigerian mail con.
Does ETW have a fatal bug that makes the unplayable, like the passive AI, charge bug, 2H axe men bug of M2TW? I haven't spotted it so far.

[Xugaa]

Unfinished? No. Unpolished? Yes.

Seriously, don't you think you are way too overreacting?

Perhaps, yes - I am still convinced that there is a hell of a lot missing from the game though, not to mention the many big problems evident from what already is there. To each his own, but I didn't feel that M2 was as bad at release as Empire is now, not by a long shot.

Nigeria... pfft

It is going to take one hell of a patch or a great many to make Empire what it deserves to be - this is such an awesome period, and I will of course stand by the game and enjoy what we do have.

If little is done to rectify the problems and create/change the content that should be; if you have played KotOR 2 - you will know what I mean when I say we can expect a fan-made ETW restoration project.

[Empress Meg]

Threads merged.

Devoirs The Empress

[Godless Pickle]

I disagree I think to complain does help...well at least if a dev actually cares enough about their product to read these threads. which I haven't heard of to many that do...

I didnt say that, another guy that quoted me said that....

But I agree, CA bases alot of the game off the community and what it says. TWC definitely inspires CA to keep making new games.