Rome II Concerns from an old Total War Fan

[grandgnu]

I got my introduction to the TW series with the first Medieval, then moved on to Rome, Medieval II and after that told myself I wouldn't purchase TW anymore because of the crashes, horrible AI, etc. And just tried my best to enjoy the hard and beautiful work of the modding community for MW II.

Then I wound up biting the bullet and giving Empire a chance, snagging the collectors edition or special edition or something near launch, and was extremely disappointed.

I never tried Napoleon or Shogun II. I was excited at first about Rome II, but now I have concerns:

1. Most of the videos I've seen seem like they've undergone significant editing/airbrushing to make it appear to be in-game footage when it's really cut-scene type stuff and not indicative of actual gameplay.

2. The new industry focus on paid DLC really irks me. I despise EA with a passion (my wife is a Sims 3 fan and I can't even begin to tell you how many hundreds of dollars she's sunk into one game with their full-game priced expansion packs, etc). I'm assuming with their focus on making us pay over a hundred dollars to obtain the "complete" experience for Rome II via DLC, that they will hamper modding access as they'll view it as competition to their revenue stream.

Granted, I have not followed this too closely, so perhaps I've missed something that would sway me the other way. But at the moment I'm getting that feeling in my gut that I should avoid this title, at least at launch, and wait for more concrete info before I jump in.

[Mary The Quene]

If you don't want to have dlc then don't buy the dlc's

But modding is a must

[grandgnu]

If you don't want to have dlc then don't buy the dlc's

But modding is a must

Are you saying that modding will be supported? I assumed they'd make it difficult/impossible to protect their DLC sales?

[Dan113112]

Are you saying that modding will be supported? I assumed they'd make it difficult/impossible to protect their DLC sales?

Well, CA never really stopped people from modding. They do sometimes limit what they can and cannot use while modding. I fully support the right for CA to not let modders use their building/unit models or maps but still give us the game/engine.

[sobchack]

Well, CA never really stopped people from modding. They do sometimes limit what they can and cannot use while modding. I fully support the right for CA to not let modders use their building/unit models or maps but still give us the game/engine.

CA has nothing against modding or modders, it probably helps them in the long run financially.

The reason they havent released tools very often is it takes a lot of money and man hours to create these tools.

[Dan113112]

CA has nothing against modding or modders, it probably helps them in the long run financially.

The reason they havent released tools very often is it takes a lot of money and man hours to create these tools.

I never said they had anything against modders. I said the opposite. I'm just saying that if CA doesn't want us to use certain models I'm all for that. After all, they did put a lot of money and man-hours into making the game and it's their intellectual property.

[Karnil Vark Khaitan]

CA has nothing against modding or modders, it probably helps them in the long run financially.

The reason they havent released tools very often is it takes a lot of money and man hours to create these tools.

shogun 2 is the only game they released mod tools to (as far as I know). the older engines was just easier to Work with.

[Dan113112]

I got my introduction to the TW series with the first Medieval, then moved on to Rome, Medieval II and after that told myself I wouldn't purchase TW anymore because of the crashes, horrible AI, etc. And just tried my best to enjoy the hard and beautiful work of the modding community for MW II.

Then I wound up biting the bullet and giving Empire a chance, snagging the collectors edition or special edition or something near launch, and was extremely disappointed.

I never tried Napoleon or Shogun II. I was excited at first about Rome II, but now I have concerns:

1. Most of the videos I've seen seem like they've undergone significant editing/airbrushing to make it appear to be in-game footage when it's really cut-scene type stuff and not indicative of actual gameplay.

2. The new industry focus on paid DLC really irks me. I despise EA with a passion (my wife is a Sims 3 fan and I can't even begin to tell you how many hundreds of dollars she's sunk into one game with their full-game priced expansion packs, etc). I'm assuming with their focus on making us pay over a hundred dollars to obtain the "complete" experience for Rome II via DLC, that they will hamper modding access as they'll view it as competition to their revenue stream.

Granted, I have not followed this too closely, so perhaps I've missed something that would sway me the other way. But at the moment I'm getting that feeling in my gut that I should avoid this title, at least at launch, and wait for more concrete info before I jump in.

TW BAI/CAI and diplomacy have been horrible for long time now. It seems to be one of TW's biggest flaws. Despite ETW's numerous problems upon release it had better BAI/CAI and diplomacy in my mind. NTW improved upon diplomacy and TWS2 improved on BAI very much. Still, CAI and diplomacy need some more work. The games have come a long way despite each game having it's own issues.

I don't think CA has intentionally hampered modding. The game code is just so much more complex these days. There's also the fact that many TW modders haven't yet learned the new code. I think CA or somebody released some modding tools for post-Warscape TW games like ETW and NTW. I've seen mods like The Great War completely change the face of NTW. TWS2 had a lot more modding support with the Assembly Kit. Yet some people still complained that CA had done nothing for them. It's a sticky situation. I hope CA releases another Assembly Kit for TWR2.

[Sun Jetzu]

1. Most of the videos I've seen seem like they've undergone significant editing/airbrushing to make it appear to be in-game footage when it's really cut-scene type stuff and not indicative of actual gameplay.

I disagree, The videos seem to be in game play, especially the new greek pack. Just watch the guys in the back, it looks like classic total war combat

[grandgnu]

I disagree, The videos seem to be in game play, especially the new greek pack. Just watch the guys in the back, it looks like classic total war combat

I think you're drinking the kool-aid sir. To me that looks HIGHLY edited, perhaps there's some gameplay footage in there, but it's interspersed with cut-scene style footage, imho, that isn't indicative of the real game.

[Dan113112]

I think you're drinking the kool-aid sir. To me that looks HIGHLY edited, perhaps there's some gameplay footage in there, but it's interspersed with cut-scene style footage, imho, that isn't indicative of the real game.

The full Teutoburg Forest video is actual gameplay. The stats of units are edited so the narrator could actually make it through the battle without losing 5 times. All videos and screenshots so far are pre-alpha or alpha. We haven't actually seen anything from the beta stage of the game.

[Karnil Vark Khaitan]

I think you're drinking the kool-aid sir. To me that looks HIGHLY edited, perhaps there's some gameplay footage in there, but it's interspersed with cut-scene style footage, imho, that isn't indicative of the real game.

Then dont buy it! Jesus some people! no need to attack him for it! and you havnt played shogun 2 so you dont know how far this game has come.

[sobchack]

I think you're drinking the kool-aid sir. To me that looks HIGHLY edited, perhaps there's some gameplay footage in there, but it's interspersed with cut-scene style footage, imho, that isn't indicative of the real game.

go watch teutoburg and carthage battles for gameplay. if you've ever played shogun maxed out, the rome 2 graphics (while still impressive) don't seem too outlandish

[triptyck]

I think you're drinking the kool-aid sir. To me that looks HIGHLY edited, perhaps there's some gameplay footage in there, but it's interspersed with cut-scene style footage, imho, that isn't indicative of the real game.

Since you haven't played Shogun2, you may not be familiar with what the current gen of Total War looks like, when zoomed in. The Teutoburg Walkthrough and the Greek City States trailer, to my eye, seem very indicative of actual, in-game graphics and animation.

[grandgnu]

Since you haven't played Shogun2, you may not be familiar with what the current gen of Total War looks like, when zoomed in. The Teutoburg Walkthrough and the Greek City States trailer, to my eye, seem very indicative of actual, in-game graphics and animation.

I agree that the Teutoburg looked like in-game footage, but the DLC trailer for the Greeks, to me, looks extremely doctored.

[Jokern]

I agree that the Teutoburg looked like in-game footage, but the DLC trailer for the Greeks, to me, looks extremely doctored.

Which it most likely is, they need to make their product look the best so that people want it. The thing is that we're seeing in-game models using animations that CA have praised and promised will be awesome and immersive in the game. So why would they make battle animations and then not have them in the game? The part of the trailer that shows battle is barely a minute long and don't justify the time and effort CA have put into animationd.

[hollowfaith]

Since you haven't played Shogun2, you may not be familiar with what the current gen of Total War looks like, when zoomed in. The Teutoburg Walkthrough and the Greek City States trailer, to my eye, seem very indicative of actual, in-game graphics and animation.

^^This
I'm finally able to play Shogun 2 Maxed out on 1080p with DX11 with a crazy, high, stable frame rate, and can definitely say the Rome II footage looks to be in game to me.

[Karnil Vark Khaitan]

I got my introduction to the TW series with the first Medieval, then moved on to Rome, Medieval II and after that told myself I wouldn't purchase TW anymore because of the crashes, horrible AI, etc. And just tried my best to enjoy the hard and beautiful work of the modding community for MW II.

Then I wound up biting the bullet and giving Empire a chance, snagging the collectors edition or special edition or something near launch, and was extremely disappointed.

I never tried Napoleon or Shogun II. I was excited at first about Rome II, but now I have concerns:

1. Most of the videos I've seen seem like they've undergone significant editing/airbrushing to make it appear to be in-game footage when it's really cut-scene type stuff and not indicative of actual gameplay.

2. The new industry focus on paid DLC really irks me. I despise EA with a passion (my wife is a Sims 3 fan and I can't even begin to tell you how many hundreds of dollars she's sunk into one game with their full-game priced expansion packs, etc). I'm assuming with their focus on making us pay over a hundred dollars to obtain the "complete" experience for Rome II via DLC, that they will hamper modding access as they'll view it as competition to their revenue stream.

Granted, I have not followed this too closely, so perhaps I've missed something that would sway me the other way. But at the moment I'm getting that feeling in my gut that I should avoid this title, at least at launch, and wait for more concrete info before I jump in.

if you dont like the dlc's dont buy them. Im sure if you ask your wife that she will tell that some off the dlc she didnt bought.

[Huberto]

if you dont like the dlc's dont buy them.

I often hear this pat answerr Yes that's true for fully fleshed out games where the first DLC doesn't appear for many months, such as Skyrim. But when DLC is offered on day one or shortly thereafter it raises a big question whether the purchaser of the main game really has the fully enjoyable game. Take Rome II, will it be as much fun to play as Macedon without the units available in the Greek culture pack? Will it be as much fun to battle Sparta and/or Athens without the culture pack? Will non playable Athens and Sparta be generic Greek troops or will there be something unique about them? Do I need to buy the DLC to find out?

[Karnil Vark Khaitan]

I often hear this pat answerr Yes that's true for fully fleshed out games where the first DLC doesn't appear for many months, such as Skyrim. But when DLC is offered on day one or shortly thereafter it raises a big question whether the purchaser of the main game really has the fully enjoyable game. Take Rome II, will it be as much fun to play as Macedon without the units available in the Greek culture pack? Will it be as much fun to battle Sparta and/or Athens without the culture pack? Will non playable Athens and Sparta be generic Greek troops or will there be something unique about them? Do I need to buy the DLC to find out?

I have played dead Space 3 and I didnt búy any DLC. the game was more or less design in that way. to put it simple there was no dlc I like to that game. and I didnt buy all the dlc to Saint row 3 becouse most of them was rubbish ( but I did get seasonpass -.-' no one is perfect)