A Lot of New Info from Gamestar

[torongill]

Since others have started from the beginning I'll start from the end
The menus are not pretty, but have advantages like clarity and accessibility - when you choose a town you immediately have the construction menu as well as that of other cities in the province. The recruitment menu is also close by so you can see what troops you still need.

Edicts have been explained time and again so I won't stop to write more of the same, but here's some more info about stances - defensive stance, as other have commented, makes your army totally immobile, but gives it a fortified camp and defensive deployables like traps(the word used translates as snares ). Plundering stance halves your range but lowers the maintenance costs of the army. Ambush stance makes your army invisible on the campaign map(probably also immobile) and works better in woodland than in the field.
Naval stances - patrol stance lowers piracy but anchors you to a spot. Privateering stance increases the enemy loss of sea trade income, but lowers range. Double-speed doubles the range but lowers sight range.

[=Vastator=]

It did say they were only allowed to play on the easiest difficulty, so I would assume that would be where some of the AI sillyness is from, if it's like that on other difficulties, Yikes!

One doesn't code the AI for two different difficulties. One codes the AI only one time, and the different difficulties are built giving the player/the ai some bonuses.
In all previous TW the AI was the same for all difficulties, the ones changing were the morale/attack bonus and similar.

[sabaku_no_gaara]

"even over 2000 years before the NSA spies could, well, spy" That line cracked me up (It's not 100% correctly translated)

Also, it's nice to know that entrenched armies can lay traps before battle

[PROMETHEUS ts]

How much annoying spam publicity there is in that site ... anyway I can clearly see that the testudo is poorly implemented , it doesn't look good with open flanks .
Thats a disapointment .

[Marvzilla]

I´ll update as I read on, but some points so far:

- They played the tutorial, where the romans battle the samnites (approx. 3 hours for the whole tutorial)

- Unit numbers are displayed on cards if you move your mouse over them

- As in FotS you can manually shoot with ballistas

- Technology is parted into "militaric" and "civil" which are parted into smaller categories aswell.

- UI is a bit messy to play with

- Different cities in a province (minor as major) can be built up differently, f.E. one is a food producing one another is militaric.

- New troops can only be recruited if an army is in the province

- New buildings benefit the whole region, for example a new casern provides troops for every city

- New recruits have to join an army, or they wont be able to move on their own. Alternately you can send a lone general to the province who takes the new troops with him (generals seem to be the most important aspect in being able to build an army).

- Armies are limited, you gain "Imperial Points" by doing senate missions which enable you to recruit more armies.

- Generals recruit from the three main families, and gain Gravitas, points for their family with success in the military.

- If your family becomes to mighty (or weak, for that matter) civil war triggers. Then you have to conquer the capital. You have the choice to form an empire or to keep the republic up. If you lose, your family loses importance. If you crown yourself emperor, the plebs will be unhappy.

- Other factions like the Suebi have internal politics aswell.

- Technology system is made the same way as in Shogun 2.

- Agents etc. can gain new talents with experience, which you choose.

- New stance for armies, "plunder" lowers the soldiers upkeep.

- Some "Champion" Agent abilities: "Militaric Zeal" raises the public happiness. Or use "Guerrillia warfare" in the enemies provinces to spawn revolts.

- LOS is useable and effective.

[familyguy1]

I´ll update as I read on, but some points so far:


-As in FotS you can manually shoot with ballistas

Hmm that should be fun! I wonder if that means you can follow the bolt/rock when it fires...

[Legion_IX]

- Unit numbers are displayed on cards if you move your mouse over them

The cards are cursed, I tell you. The whole unit cards concept is a desaster.

- New troops can only be recruited if an army is in the province

What is that? If I don't have an army in a province and come under attack I cannot do anything but just watching how my enemy conquer and destroy everything. And due to limited armies (what despite of this issue I think was and still is a good decision) this scenario becomes more likely, since during a war it's not possible to have army in every province, they are all on the front.

[IlluminatiRex]

The cards are cursed, I tell you. The whole unit cards concept is a desaster.

That's how it's been in every Total War that I've played, Rome I to Shogun 2. I've always been able to hover over a unit, or unit card, and see the amount of people they have. [/QUOTE]

[Eisenhart_IV]

That's how it's been in every Total War that I've played, Rome I to Shogun 2. I've always been able to hover over a unit, or unit card, and see the amount of people they have.

I believe the difference in R2 from other TW's is that the number of soldiers is not shown on unit cards. Which many people, including myself, are a bit disappointed about.

[Legion_IX]

That's how it's been in every Total War that I've played, Rome I to Shogun 2. I've always been able to hover over a unit, or unit card, and see the amount of people they have.

In every game since Medieval (possible Shogun didn't play it) the numbers were shown instantly, in Shogun 2 numbers and bar simultaniously. Instead of keeping this improved system from Shogun 2, we have now a complicated system, where you don't see the numbers immediately but have to move cursor to every unit card. Why keep something what works perfectly if we can made it worse.

[Arrow2daknee]

- If your family becomes to mighty (or weak, for that matter) civil war triggers. Then you have to conquer the capital. You have the choice to form an empire or to keep the republic up. If you lose, your family loses importance. If you crown yourself emperor, the plebs will be unhappy.

oh great, Realm Divide all over again!

[RandyRhoads]

- Technology system is made the same way as in Shogun 2.

How is that, I've never played it?

[SKSlave]

How is that, I've never played it?

Not quite as diverse as Empire or Napoleon, but still quite thorough. It had two main columns: one for military and another for civic, so I presume Rome will have this set up too. Each tech is linked to a future tech that can be researched after, and some have certain pre-requisites before being researched. Pretty good system I think. It gives a good, steady supply of new units.

[Master.Mind]

we have some new information on fleet stances:

Patrol: Decreases piracy loses, but you can't move the fleet (apparently all sea regions now loose a certain percentage of trade due to piracy)
Double Time: Basically the same as with armies
Privateering: Increasea the piracy loses of your enemy (maybe also increases your income), however this limits the movement of your fleet

[RandyRhoads]

Not quite as diverse as Empire or Napoleon, but still quite thorough. It had two main columns: one for military and another for civic, so I presume Rome will have this set up too. Each tech is linked to a future tech that can be researched after, and some have certain pre-requisites before being researched. Pretty good system I think. It gives a good, steady supply of new units.

The research goes on in universities outside the cities in S2?

[SKSlave]

The research goes on in universities outside the cities in S2?

No, there are no schools and universities. It is more streamlined. Some things give bonuses to technology speed, such as completing a mission or researching other technologies.

[Master.Mind]

Did the hastati already have the testudo? I always thaught that this was an invention of the imperial era roman army

[Lavrentivs]

Did the hastati already have the testudo? I always thaught that this was an invention of the imperial era roman army

I wouldn't really ascribe it as an exclusively imperial tactic, since really this maneuver would seem like common sense for a densely packed formation of men under missile fire. There is speculation for it being utilised during the republic, for example by gallic warriors during the battle of Sentinum in 295 BCE (Livy 10.20, 11-12). It depends upon the translation/interpretation, of course; some describe it as a shield wall, whilst others describe it as a testudo (see Cowan, R. "For The Glory of Rome: A History of Warriors and Warfare", London: Greenhill Books, 2007, pp.88-90).

[PROMETHEUS ts]

but hey ... I see reins !

[torongill]

First Photo - siege of the city - I will be translating the relevant info. stuff like explanation of the testudo formation are for non-TW gamers.

1 Siege engines like the Ram are equipped before the battle, the player decides(no info about other types of siege deployables)
2. Hastati in testudo formation
3. General at a safe distance, the blue circle denotes the radius of his influence on the troops, the effects of which depend on the general's traits(and maybe skills?)
4. Slingers in the wood to attack the defenders.
5. Balistas shooting at the enemy
6. Cavalry plays a secondary role because first the wall must be brought down or the gates broken through.
7. After the gate is down, the Hastati and Principes attack to kill the defenders.
8. Clearing of the wall by hand-to-hand combat
9. Towers can be taken by change of possession of the control point(so just like Shogun 2, right?)
10. Wall brought down and cavalry rushes in
11. Close vigilance advised during street combat - Line of sight and houses mean that there might be enemy reinforcements just round the corner.
12. Three capture points, possession of the majority ensures victory.
13. Alternatively we can take the back door of the city (I didn't understand that very good, apparently that way we gain control of the city due to there being no escape for the enemy? Hmmm...)