Rome II - ten steps back for every one step forward compared to Rome I

**Dunadd** · September 17, 2013, 07:03 PM

In battles there's no longer any way to make a unit's formation deeper or wider, no way to wheel it left or right. Can't believe how many steps backward Rome II has taken compared to Rome I. About the only really big improvement is the automatic raising of militia garrisons when a settlement is attacked. Everything else just seems to be inferior to the original - ten steps backward for each step forward. Was hoping that if i tried harder i would come to enjoy the game but it's just an inferior game - will go back to Rome I mods and EBII when it comes out.

It's not like people playing it would have had to use every feature - casual gamers could just have not bothered changing frontage or wheeling.

This game is a major disappointment. Unless it's improvable a lot by mods (and i don't know how much is hard-coded and whether it will even be possible to add in e.g formation widening/narrowing of units) then i don't think i'll be buying Warhammer Total War at all when it comes out.

Rome II is simply shoddy and backward compared to Rome I in so many ways, which is a pity because there were a few good new ideas included (provinces, automatically raised militia garrisons when a settlement's attacked, armies commandeering ships to move by sea (though these should be transports and useless in sea battles, whereas they've made them effective warships).

**Sharpe** · September 17, 2013, 07:08 PM

Cool story bro needs more dragons.

You go back to Rome 1's classic goodness.

**Dunadd** · September 17, 2013, 07:20 PM

Never said Rome I was perfect. It had it's faults, but you could set taxes by city in Rome I - you can't in Rome II. You could change a unit's width and depth in ranks in Rome I if it was a trained unit - and wheel it left and right - you can't in Rome II. You could build a wide range of different buildings in Rome I. In practice you can't in Rome II. You could win a battle by using terrain well in Rome I - in Rome II you just capture the flag half the time, which makes no sense and is completely unhistorical.

There are a handful of improvements in Rome II - the automatic raising of a militia garrison if a settlement is attacked, being able to dismount and remount cavalry.

Armies moving by sea to represent commandeering merchant ships as transports should have been good - if they'd made it only from port cities and only transports that would get sunk if they met warships without any warships of their own to protect them - unfortunately they didn't do it that way, so armies can just jump into triremes or quinquiremes or whatever at the drop of a hat and sink any fleet they meet by heavily outnumbering it.

Why didn't they take what was good in Rome I, keep it, fix the faults in it (like the diplomacy ones) and add the improvements. Why instead scrap all the good features in Rome I and make Rome II overall inferior?

And don't tell me the new diplomacy system in Rome II is good either - it's as bad as Rome I's.

And i will go back to mods of Rome I and to EBII when it comes out. And i will not pay a penny to pre-order Warhammer Total War or any other Total War title ever again. And i won't be the only one.

**Dunadd** · September 17, 2013, 07:21 PM

Rebel 1776 wrote

Actually if you hold left control and then use the arrow keys you can slowly add, or decrease ranks. =D

That's not quite so bad then. I was expecting a button for it and couldn't see one. Can't see why you wouldn't have a button for it.

Is there any way to wheel left or wheel right?

**grumani** · September 17, 2013, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by Dunadd

Rebel 1776 wrote

That's not quite so bad then. I was expecting a button for it and couldn't see one. Can't see why you wouldn't have a button for it.

Is there any way to wheel left or wheel right?

Yes, hold control and push the left or right arrow and selected units will wheel individually (or as a whole formation if locked in one).

**GM207** · September 18, 2013, 02:39 AM

Originally Posted by Sharpe

Cool story bro needs more dragons.

You go back to Rome 1's classic goodness.

lol, At least this offer is logical!!
Try and get a trade agreement in ROME II with a Faction that has a positive attitude towards you...! aaaand let me know how it goes

Good luck!

**crzyrndm** · September 18, 2013, 03:20 AM

Originally Posted by GM207

lol, At least this offer is logical!!
Try and get a trade agreement in ROME II with a Faction that has a positive attitude towards you...! aaaand let me know how it goes

Good luck!

Before you say it, I never pay for trade, I got this one early in the game and I approached them. Right now I have ~16 trade agreements, Cyprus as a client/satrap (how they start), and a defensive alliance with the Selucid's (again, early game, with me approaching them). Diplomacy in this game makes the most sense of any TW, and most of the time its one of the easiest to get agreements with (I'm up to 4 offers to becoming my vassal/satrapy from nations I'm not threatning or interacting with in any way, other than to be the powerhouse in the region and they feel threatened by another nation. Never in any other game has that occured)

**GM207** · September 19, 2013, 01:51 AM

Originally Posted by crzyrndm

Before you say it, I never pay for trade, I got this one early in the game and I approached them. Right now I have ~16 trade agreements, Cyprus as a client/satrap (how they start), and a defensive alliance with the Selucid's (again, early game, with me approaching them). Diplomacy in this game makes the most sense of any TW, and most of the time its one of the easiest to get agreements with (I'm up to 4 offers to becoming my vassal/satrapy from nations I'm not threatning or interacting with in any way, other than to be the powerhouse in the region and they feel threatened by another nation. Never in any other game has that occured)

What difficulty are you playing?

**Onion Head** · September 19, 2013, 03:41 AM

Originally Posted by GM207

What difficulty are you playing?

I played Egypt on hard and had no problem whatsoever to get trade agreements. You need to have something to offer trade-wise. If a faction doesn't want to trade yet, make non-aggression pacts or other agreements that improve relations between factions.

**omzdog** · September 17, 2013, 07:12 PM

Given the chance I would rather CA built from RomeI.
I don't see RomeII as a step forward at all.
Just an awkward step to teh side.

**Rebel1776** · September 17, 2013, 07:16 PM

Actually if you hold left control and then use the arrow keys you can slowly add, or decrease ranks. =D

However did they deliver the same system they had in Shogun 2 for such things? Nope.

In EMPIRE? NOPE.

Simplified UI FTL.

**Red River** · September 17, 2013, 07:18 PM

is it to arcadish now? maybe they were making it with concoles in mind?

**grumani** · September 17, 2013, 08:54 PM

Originally Posted by Red River

is it to arcadish now? maybe they were making it with concoles in mind?

Yes, THAT is what it feel like. Added lots of buttons to push to keep the player busy too (fast reload, etc.)--seems made for console.

**adrastea** · September 18, 2013, 05:22 AM

Originally Posted by grumani

Yes, THAT is what it feel like. Added lots of buttons to push to keep the player busy too (fast reload, etc.)--seems made for console.

How is that "made for console"? It would be a nightmare to play such a clickfest on a Xbox 360 or PS3 controller. If anything, they would have to make the battle slower if they want to make a Total War game for console.

**Destin Faroda** · September 19, 2013, 05:58 AM

Originally Posted by adrastea

How is that "made for console"? It would be a nightmare to play such a clickfest on a Xbox 360 or PS3 controller. If anything, they would have to make the battle slower if they want to make a Total War game for console.

Have you ever played the wars in Genso Suikoden V? That's probably CA's inspiration: fast, unrealistic battles with lots of special abilities.

**Rebel1776** · September 17, 2013, 07:26 PM

Maybe its buried somewhere with all the other hidden key combinations....

**kerrfox** · September 17, 2013, 07:34 PM

How can you call a historical game arkadish and want to play some cartoon Warhammer crap? I guess I'm showing my age but I don't even know what Warhammer is, and am not interested in finding out either. The original Rome was fine for its time, but with an AI that is as good as Shogun 2 I will defend Rome II "until death." As it is now I'm finding the whole campaign to be akin to a mopping up exercise. Where is the opposition?!

**karamazovmm** · September 17, 2013, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by kerrfox

How can you call a historical game arkadish and want to play some cartoon Warhammer crap? I guess I'm showing my age but I don't even know what Warhammer is, and am not interested in finding out either. The original Rome was fine for its time, but with an AI that is as good as Shogun 2 I will defend Rome II "until death." As it is now I'm finding the whole campaign to be akin to a mopping up exercise. Where is the opposition?!

we are old, I don't know what warhammer is either

and are you patched up?

and OP stop spamming threads, this is your 3rd in less than 3 hours