Suggestion for a secondary campaign in Rome II (possibly DLC): rise of Islam

[hagagaga]

Middle East, 600's. Not my religion or my family's religion, but no sane person can say that the founding of Islam didn't have much of a historical impact.

Could start with Muhammad's faction right outside the city of Mecca as a horde, with Mecca's army being too strong to conquer the city so he must flee to Medina, who would welcome him with open arms (or have that be a mandatory action that the player observes but has no control over).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_%28Islam%29

Naturally, this campaign would have a much greater emphasis on religion than any previous campaign in the series. Religious agents could even gain the ability to convert the garrison so that, depending on the agent's skill and level of success, there could be conversion of portions of a city's garrison so that a player-controlled battle happens inside the city (if victory, the city is captured, if defeat, the survivors are executed, which is still a victory as it reduces the size of an enemy army essentially for free).

Goal of the campaign would be to control Mecca and x other regions while converting the majority of the map to the player's faction's religion or something like that.

Somebody's religious sensibilities will certainly be offended, regardless of how this campaign is done. Could be Muslims who feel that their religion's founder is portrayed disrespectfully, could be the US Christian right mounting a campaign to boycott the series for daring to do a game during the time when their religion exists where it isn't likely to become the most powerful (foreign forum members, we have a lot of people in this country who do things like that), could be some other group, I don't know.

[a tw player]

Doesn't really have much to do with Rome though, however interesting you may find it...

Would much prefer a Barbarian Invasion 2.0

[Cinnamon the Hun]

Doesn't really have much to do with Rome though, however interesting you may find it...

Would much prefer a Barbarian Invasion 2.0

This would very much be about the end, or the beginning the end, of the Eastern Empire. It pretty much defines the transition from late antiquity to the middle ages.

[TuranianGhazi]

Doesn't really have much to do with Rome though, however interesting you may find it...

Would much prefer a Barbarian Invasion 2.0

I agree. BI 2.0 is much more believable and likely

[Dan the Man]

Doesn't really have much to do with Rome though, however interesting you may find it...

Would much prefer a Barbarian Invasion 2.0

This.

[Bobz]

I think that's a bit late for Rome really. The latest I see them going with a new campaign is the fall of Rome era, like with BI.

[hagagaga]

Too early for Medieval, though.

I can't see Barbarian Invasion not being remade, anyway. What I'd like for the main campaign would be a campaign that would allow you to play from the early kingdom era of Rome to the end of the Empire or start at various points in between.

[Sol Invictus]

Sounds like a DLC for Med 3 or a completely different game. I don't think there will be any tie-in between Rome 2 and the Rise of Islam.

[Lord Tomyris]

Too early for Medieval, though.

Although the Arab conquests took place during the Medieval era (which begun with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire), so it would make more sense thematically...Shogun: Total War and its expansions spanned a pretty vast time period when you think about it.

[hagagaga]

Although the Arab conquests took place during the Medieval era (which begun with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire), so it would make more sense thematically...Shogun: Total War and its expansions spanned a pretty vast time period when you think about it.

But Rome and Medieval use essentially the same map, so grouping them by time period makes more sense, and I'd consider the medieval era to start a couple of hundred years later in that region.

[2-D Ron]

The Western Roman Empire would of already defragmented into States around that time.. Defeats the Point of it being called Rome 2.. It's not Constantinople 2: Total War

[|Sith|Galvanized Iron]

The Western Roman Empire would of already defragmented into States around that time.. Defeats the Point of it being called Rome 2.. It's not Constantinople 2: Total War

Actually a Constantinople - Total War would have been awesome, Since Byzantium was basicly a stronger and more civilized version of the Roman Empire.

[hagagaga]

The Western Roman Empire would of already defragmented into States around that time.. Defeats the Point of it being called Rome 2.. It's not Constantinople 2: Total War

But Constantinople was Rome 2: City.

[Hobbes]

Although the Arab conquests took place during the Medieval era

Late Antiquity.

[jackwei]

Late Antiquity.

Antiquity ends after the fall of the western roman empire which is in the late 5th century AD thus begins the dark ages or early middle ages is when the rise of Islam begun truly, which is out of the timeline of Rome II.
Just wait for Medieval III if it is going to be made or just play Medieval II Total War for Islam as a force within a total war game, as like i said it is out of the timeline of antiquity so it isn't going happen.

[Hobbes]

Antiquity ends after the fall of the western roman empire which is in the late 5th century AD thus begins the dark ages or early middle ages is when the rise of Islam begun truly, which is out of the timeline of Rome II.
Just wait for Medieval III if it is going to be made or just play Medieval II Total War for Islam as a force within a total war game, as like i said it is out of the timeline of antiquity so it isn't going happen.

Late Antiquity is the passage from Classical Antiquity to the Medieval Ages. It's a pretty long period from the late 2nd centry to the 8th century AD.

[Princeps]

a religious conversion game objective would be out of place. the early arab imperialism wasn't motivated by religion, rather they began as nomadic raids, very common at the time, but built up into full scale conquests as the arabs realized that few were resisting them. its similar to how viking raids first began with a handful of norse incursions but fast attracted more norse people into viking action and every year more and more long boats sailed ever further from scandinavia. the norse, like arabs, conquered empires (the rus in russia, normans in sicily and britain, etc) once they realized they could. the arabs just took over the sassanid and roman empires and distributed land amongst their warriors. the areas remained christian and zoroastrian for couple of centuries atleast.

[Samurai Doc]

The posters are right it would fit better into a kind of barbarian invasion expansion. But that said, I like the idea. But don't start with Muhammed's tribal wars. You could start it right at his death, when the Arabs exploded out of the peninsula and dashed across the levant and North Africa. The two major competitors were the Persian empire and Byzantines, who were both severely weakened from slugging it out all those years. Could be a great diplomatic dynamic in such a game where the Byzantines must retreat deep into own territory and contemplate allying with Persians to turn back the Great Jihad of the 7th century.

[MathiasOfAthens]

Besides the fact that Rome continued with the Eastern Empire it was a different Era and Islam doesnt fit as an expansion.

A Remake of Barbarian Invasion would be better focusing on the very end of Western Empire - perhaps 450-460? It would contain hundreds of german tribes and moreso.

But if the regions are in the game modders could do this themselves. So CA better get working on BI before modders get around to it.

[|Sith|Galvanized Iron]

There's a big problem, there will be a small Jihad if CA portray Mohammed, not just as picture but in full 3D

I would however applaud a camaign were you get to play as the great Charles the Hammer and gets to kick the Mohemmadans out Europe (unlike our modern day traitor politicians who invite them in)