Third Campaign

[usmell]

Is there going to be another campaign after FOE, or is that it for RTR VII?

[Hatire]

If I remember correctly, after FoE, the modders are going to take a break and then work on a grand campaign. So, no, this is not it for RTR VII.

[usmell]

Yay!

[Tony83]

No, we've not finished just yet!

We've set ourselves the rest of this year to fine tune and polish FOE. There are still things that we were unable to include in FOE that we would like to finish, so you can expect a big patch/little expansion for FOE around Xmas time. We are also going to spend the rest of this year listening to you. There are a number of radical new elements surrounding the level of challenge presented to the player, so we will be watching for your feedback to decide whether or not we have got it right, and tweek the settings if needs be. Personally, I'm going to take the luxury of playing a Roman campaign, from start to finish - without interruptions.

So where do we go from FOE? That is a very good question and there is not an easy answer to that. There are so many options, and so much to take into consideration. The easy option, in many ways, would be to say, "Oh! Let's do a Grand Campaign!" It's the traditional Holy Grail for RTW modding. But look at all the mods currently available for Rome - Total War, do we really need yet another Grand Campaign. Be honest, when was the last time you played one through to the bitter end? I've not painted the entire map red since the days of RTR 5.4.

Another issue with a Grand Campaign is that the game limits will prevent us from giving factions the same depth of treatment. Also, mini-regions, which inject such an interesting twist into FOE's campaign strategy, will be impossible in a Grand Campaign. So in some repects, a Grand Campaign would be a step backwards. We have to decide whether we want to adopt a broad brush approach of a Grand Campaign or look to the finer detail that campaigns such as TIC and FOE afford.

Another consideration is, which engine do we use? There are some who say that RTW modding is dying, that the RTW engine has already been pushed to its limits and that we should move across to the Med II engine!

Is this the look of the future?

These units have been ported by Banzai, and he has done so with our blessing!

There are good arguments on both sides, however, the result is not as clear cut as it might appear. What do you, the followers of the RTR saga, want, where would you like us to go next? One thing is for certain we are not going to make any definite decisions this side of Xmas. As I said earlier, we are going to be fine-tuning FOE, consideraing our options, and simply relaxing and playing the game, for the rest of this year. We'll not likely make any hard and fast decisions as to the exact nature of our next project until early in 2010.

[mw1776]

Personally I'd like to see something closer to the 1st century BCE.

You could do:
Social War/Mithridates VI
Sertorius/Pompey in Hispania (almost the same map)
Caesar in Gaul
Pacifying the Rhine/Elbe germanic tribes in the 1st century CE

Basically anything that has the depth of RTR:FOE but closer to Rome's imperial apex. A chance to play the big boys when they're in their stride or a chance to topple them.

Alternatively focusing on the Diadochi Wars would be fun as well.

[Aernuss]

So where do we go from FOE? That is a very good question and there is not an easy answer to that. There are so many options, and so much to take into consideration. The easy option, in many ways, would be to say, "Oh! Let's do a Grand Campaign!" It's the traditional Holy Grail for RTW modding. But look at all the mods currently available for Rome - Total War, do we really need yet another Grand Campaign. Be honest, when was the last time you played one through to the bitter end? I've not painted the entire map red since the days of RTR 5.4.

Another issue with a Grand Campaign is that the game limits will prevent us from giving factions the same depth of treatment. Also, mini-regions, which inject such an interesting twist into FOE's campaign strategy, will be impossible in a Grand Campaign. So in some repects, a Grand Campaign would be a step backwards. We have to decide whether we want to adopt a broad brush approach of a Grand Campaign or look to the finer detail that campaigns such as TIC and FOE afford.

Funny, because on the november 12, I posted in the thread RTRVII-FoE-Feedback the following: "you find it that necessary to sort out a GC [grand campaign]? For what?! If you have a half-dozen or so of excellent "mini-campaigns", why conditionate it to a hipotetic GC?". I was asking then about why you didn't used all faction slots availlable in the small map of foe (it means, fragment those superfactions like the barbaroi in the main tribal groups that are known in the area covered by the map, and make them playable). I've got the idea that not making a grand campaign was out of question for you guys, but this post from tony days before concieves that idea!
After all, my question is: are you equacionating about releasing a number of mini-campaigns instead of the traditional GC, or not?

[Maurits]

I've got the idea that not making a grand campaign was out of question for you guys, but this post from tony days before concieves that idea!

I know that a lot of people are thinking that a really 'grand' campaign has to span the area between GB and India. But shouldn't we look at the factors which make a campaign as grand as possible between the margins of the game-engine (which we can't cross)?

When we look at the level of detail and massive gameplay improvements in FOE, I think it would be correct to call FOE 2 not like that, but the RTR VII Grand Campaign, just because it optimises the use of the RTW engine and gives us the most awesome RTR experience untill now.

[Teutonic Joe]

personally i am hoping for a hannibal barca centered campaign...like TIC cept not hamilcar....

[Radiso-FIN]

I would like to see an expansion for FoE, which would include Greece and Macedon and maybe small part of Asia Minor (Pergamon).
The Greek Cities could be separated to many smaller factions now that there are more faction slots open.

[emperor77]

I'd like something that would cover late republic to middle empire if possible.

[Maurits]

The problem with that is that there are already many mod's covering that timeframe. It would just be one extra. For that reason, I don't think that it's worth the effort.

When you look at FOE and TIC, those are revolutionary and a totaly new RTW-experience. I think that RTR should try to keep going on that level, also if that means that we'll have to switch to M2TW-engine (I'll have to buy a copy of it in that case, though ). Still, when we do so it might be interesting to create some campaigns together with the ultimate total war experience: a GC.

But of course this are my own toughts, and we must decide on this as a team

EDIT: Tony, how did you get these pics?

[Tony83]

The problem with that is that there are already many mod's covering that timeframe. It would just be one extra. For that reason, I don't think that it's worth the effort.

When you look at FOE and TIC, those are revolutionary and a totaly new RTW-experience. I think that RTR should try to keep going on that level, also if that means that we'll have to switch to M2TW-engine (I'll have to buy a copy of it in that case, though ). Still, when we do so it might be interesting to create some campaigns together with the ultimate total war experience: a GC.

But of course this are my own toughts, and we must decide on this as a team

EDIT: Tony, how did you get these pics?

Those are FOE units ported to Med II by Banzai.

[Maurits]

Ok, cool! But for the next campaign, what timeframe would you prefer?

[emperor77]

could you please post some links for early-middle empire mods (without 200 years of republican period)?

[Maurits]

I'm sory, I missed the point that you wished an 'early' empire campaign. In fact, when I took a closer look at other mods than RTR, I saw that there are none at all. In that case, you might have a good point in asking for something like that.

The only problem is that RTR works with the Rome: total war timeframe, and not (until now) with the BI one. So I don't know if you're asking the right club! But let's wait for some senior members to answer this one, I'd like to know this too!

[Pat89]

Likely a Roman Republic time-frame. For most modders in our team that's the area of interests and we have lots of research/work available for this period.

[Sarkiss]

circa 77 BC, Salvor mods timeframe would be perfect imo. you got republic in crisis, stretched to limit, massive rebellion in Spain, Spartacus, Mithridates empire around Black Sea, Tigranes' Armenian empire, Parthians... all the big guns still around and lots of characters to choose from. though it would be on a scale of the Grand campaign it'd have to be heavly scripted unlike a regular Grand campaign.

awesome shots there, thanks Tony. if possible definitely go for Kingdoms... or wait for RTW2

[mochi]

though it would be on a scale of the Grand campaign it'd have to be heavly scripted unlike a regular Grand campaign.

Is it like 55BC mod? By the way, I have tried unit purchace script for famous character like Hannnibal. Once their default armies are defeated, RTW campaign AI scarcely re-build stuck under them. So attach several units to them directly by script by which fKoC mod of M2TW add units to AI characters at game start.
About next campaign, I want two features. One is using Senate office function of RTW engine. For example, holders of office receive more effects such as units, buildings deliverly from Senate faction. Another RPG-like playstyle mod, getting or losing settlements by Senate through mission.

[Hatire]

Personally, if we are to go to Med II, I'd prefer to stick to the original, or at least make such mods like RTRPE, where they could work with vanilla or kingdoms. Just my personal preference of course, and has nothing to do with the fact I don't have Kingdoms nor can I find it anywhere without it being a combo pack

[Tony83]

Personally, if we are to go to Med II, I'd prefer to stick to the original, or at least make such mods like RTRPE, where they could work with vanilla or kingdoms. Just my personal preference of course, and has nothing to do with the fact I don't have Kingdoms nor can I find it anywhere without it being a combo pack

If we were to move to The Med II engine then it would most likely be to the Kingdoms version, as it was the last and most advanced version of Med II. As an expansion it's installed on top of Med II, so a combi package of both is good value if you have neither.

One of the deciders for using Kingdoms, in my opinion, is that, on Huge unit settings, you are not restricted to the 150 maximum of Med II, but the same 240 of RTW.