Campaign Gameplay Gets Ridiculously Huge Screenshot Treatment

[Acroneos]

I'm sorry, but I still dislike the campaign map. Yes, on one hand it's beautiful, but on the other it's so wrong for a Total War game.
I will say why I don't like it. Very simple, looks too much like other games such as Civilization or Age of Mythology (don't know why, but remind me of this game). And, for god sake, the cliffs are just horrible and I'm not even speaking about the lifeless landscape... It's worst than any late Total War games... The disproportionate cities are perhaps the biggest problem of all.
I feel Shogun 2 fall of the Samurai had the best campaign map ever (if not a bit lifeless as well) but it was perfect proportionally speaking and beautiful as well.

Holy ! You mention Age of Mythology. It is my favourite all time game after Rome Total War. A Mix of those two games would be a game which every human being shall play!

Concerning the cliffs - yes, they look ugly, but if they help to make the AI better, then I will not complain. A string AI is more important than any graphics.

[omzdog]

Holy ! You mention Age of Mythology. It is my favourite all time game after Rome Total War. A Mix of those two games would be a game which every human being shall play!

Concerning the cliffs - yes, they look ugly, but if they help to make the AI better, then I will not complain. A string AI is more important than any graphics.

162eRI might be right, this turn on show-play is looking a bit too gamey. Kind of like the break from visual reality Civilization had after 3, where you don't make the game play better with enhanced visuals, you just make everything look fluffy and feely.

Rome I was functional, this one borders Civ 5 clone.

[Dan113112]

I'm sorry, but I still dislike the campaign map. Yes, on one hand it's beautiful, but on the other it's so wrong for a Total War game.
I will say why I don't like it. Very simple, looks too much like other games such as Civilization or Age of Mythology (don't know why, but remind me of this game). And, for god sake, the cliffs are just horrible and I'm not even speaking about the lifeless landscape... It's worst than any late Total War games... The disproportionate cities are perhaps the biggest problem of all.
I feel Shogun 2 fall of the Samurai had the best campaign map ever (if not a bit lifeless as well) but it was perfect proportionally speaking and beautiful as well.

Where do you get "lifeless landscape" from? There's a lot of activity going on when zoomed in in certain areas. It's hard to tell with a panorama because its not moving. I agree that the cliffs need to be removed and the cities need to be shrunk.

162eRI might be right, this turn on show-play is looking a bit too gamey. Kind of like the break from visual reality Civilization had after 3, where you don't make the game play better with enhanced visuals, you just make everything look fluffy and feely.

Rome I was functional, this one borders Civ 5 clone.

Almost all strategy games are not to actual scale. None of the TW games are. That's for sure. Have you ever played Civ 5? I thought it was a great game. Civ 3 is still the best in my opinion. TWR2 has definitely taken some hints from Civ games but I think CA has done a better job.

[omzdog]

Almost all strategy games are not to actual scale. None of the TW games are. That's for sure. Have you ever played Civ 5? I thought it was a great game. Civ 3 is still the best in my opinion. TWR2 has definitely taken some hints from Civ games but I think CA has done a better job.

You mean 'all' strategy games are not to scale. Good luck modeling the world and its complexities.
Rome 2 was at least a chance to improve the realistic precision that TW's have been taking.
The bloom effect and magic pony color schemes don't help.

[Dan113112]

You mean 'all' strategy games are not to scale. Good luck modeling the world and its complexities.
Rome 2 was at least a chance to improve the realistic precision that TW's have been taking.
The bloom effect and magic pony color schemes don't help.

What bloom effects are you worried by? What magic pony color schemes?

[mentecato]

...
I feel Shogun 2 fall of the Samurai had the best campaign map ever (if not a bit lifeless as well) but it was perfect proportionally speaking and beautiful as well.

[RoyalNobody]

Well that puts to bed the concern of not enough armies on the map!

Thanks CA, loving the updates!

[Lord Cornwallis]

Yeah but it seems like lots of small armies and even smaller garrisons. I hope/wish siege battles are harder to win, but that is not going to happen with small garrisons.

[Ghost_loy]

Can someone please upload this as a full image? (In HD)

[Ghost_loy]

Nevermind, you can get it here: http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Panorama

[Julio-Claudian]

Stop torturing me.

[frostie321]

Awesome, Thank you!

[Oplitis]

Awesome picture but I am sooo disapointed with the small phalangite style shield of the large hoplite one. I mean... look at those Spartans with those puny shields... LAAAAAAAAAAMMMMEEEEEEEEE...

[Huberto]

Agree with others about FotS, it's a grown-up map, the best CA has ever done-- great colors, looks realistic etc.etc.

[Dan113112]

Agree with others about FotS, it's a grown-up map, the best CA has ever done-- great colors, looks realistic etc.etc.

Agreed but aren't we comparing two completely different geographical and topographical regions?

[Huberto]

I prefer the coloring of the Mediterranean from NTW to what we're seeing with Rome II. It looks too bright, too washed out -- although we'll have to get our hands on it to know for sure.

[eskil]

Agreed but aren't we comparing two completely different geographical and topographical regions?

you are right...actually i would say their representation is really realistic.

You need to understand that the south italy( the place you see there) it always sunny...even in einter there is a lot of light...and the sea is blue and most of the time calm.

also the environment should be a lot more barren than the japnes one...so the map for me its great.

P.S i know this because i'm from there XD

[Huberto]

P.S i know this because i'm from there XD

I've spent months in the south of Italy (near Reggio) it doesn't look as washed out as this presentation in Rome II, in RL there are olive tree groves everywhere and in spring time it is quite green. Ocean is blue but not so overpowering, especially farther out. Like I said the tan and brown of NTW was good for Southern Italy. This is too yellow and the royal blue ocean is jarring, like someone pushed the brightness level up too high on my monitor.

[EmperorBatman999]

I see so many different colored factions, I wish I could play them all!

[Evelien]

Anybody else noticed the "tatoos" on the arm of that brown army guy at the bottom?