Can CA recover from Rome 2 ?

[nigelnire]

I honestly didn’t expect Rome 2 to be the disaster it is and for the reaction against it to be as hostile. CA did the same with Empire although I feel it was a better game although far from good but Napoleon and Shogun 2 where much better so Rome 2 came as a shock. I feel CA will recover although their reputation is badly damaged. I do feel however that if the next game is of a similar standard to Rome 2 on release it will spell the end of the Total war franchise . I hope CA learn from this and produce the games we want but I have a feeling they will do the same again and sadly that will be catastrophic for the Total war series. How much damage have CA done to their reputation? Do you fear for the future of Total war?

[jamreal18]

Seems like a premonition...

I believe its sega's fault for rushing ca to release an unfinished game... They should held back the release date...

[Sun Jetzu]

I'de rather have the game now with patches needed, then in sept 2014, completely finished.

[beksibeksi]

CA doesn't need to recover. They made gargantuan amounts of money from pre-orders alone.
The only thing that's been damaged is their reputation, and seeing as how EA is still going strong, there's no reason to think CA won't keep on making games either.

[Quickening]

CA doesn't need to recover. They made gargantuan amounts of money from pre-orders alone.
The only thing that's been damaged is their reputation, and seeing as how EA is still going strong, there's no reason to think CA won't keep on making games either.

This. It might be "over" as far as long-term fans of the series are concerned, but in terms of a business making money... things couldn't be better. This isn't the first time I've watched as hardcore fans of a series watched hopelessly as their favourite series "sold-out" for mass appeal.

[HorseArcher]

CA doesn't need to recover. They made gargantuan amounts of money from pre-orders alone.
The only thing that's been damaged is their reputation, and seeing as how EA is still going strong, there's no reason to think CA won't keep on making games either.

Except lying and selling rubbish and only depending on pre orders is a one way ticket. There are plenty of disappointed people out there and they will talk. Perhaps they could play this game one more time with more limited success of raking in some money, but they are on a downward spiral and the gravy train ends there.
By the way, those who don't know a lot of history of this forum - it wasn't in very good terms with CA for quite a while during R:TW's expansion (Barbarians) release.

[Humble Warrior]

I think it`s already over. truth it is it began to die from Empire in my view, looking back. The Total War we once knew is over.

I don`t see any difference to their practises at all. Shogun was a slight high point, but they took advantage of it to do worse, not better. Everything people said when CA put up the thread about future ideas, they totally ignored going for things like arcade buttons and fire spears. they pretended they cared when really they were focusing on the non TW user, the casual arcade `don`t care about any kind of history` user. We have evidence that the whole focus was graphics and `hyping` the game to get it sold.

I see the same tactics of `pretend to do everything` to fix the game once released, to show urgency for as long as they can get away with it. Already the weekly Patches have lost a Friday. I said it before, once you have the money, the drive to complete the game dries up. As someone else said, they are only doing the limit they can to garner sales from their already planned DLCS.

As the weeks turn into months and the fair-weather fans CA cater for die away, they`ll slow those patches right down and ignore the rest of us who are still here. Cos we don`t matter. Don`t let anyone from CA tell you different. If some of them do care, they obviously don`t have the power to do anything about it and are forced into silence...

I won`t be getting another Total War until it`s £5 in the bargain bin and until INDEPENDENT reviews say it`s actually really good in a way I like. No. It`s dead, but kicking in a reflex manner.

Perhaps CA will pull a rabbit out of the proverbial hat and shock me - But I doubt it. All we can hope for is they keep improving the BAI and CAI for the next few months.

[nigelnire]

Everything people said when CA put up the thread about future ideas, they totally ignored going for things like arcade buttons and fire spears.

Those Arcade elements are just head melting in stupidity and I agree its not like the Total war games of old at all, it’s sad really . I’m just glad I have SOW Gettysburg and Take Command 2^nd Manassas to fall back on for true historical RTS.

[stackero]

I think it`s already over. truth it is it began to die from Empire in my view, looking back. The Total War we once knew is over.

I don`t see any difference to their practises at all. Shogun was a slight high point, but they took advantage of it to do worse, not better. Everything people said when CA put up the thread about future ideas, they totally ignored going for things like arcade buttons and fire spears. they pretended they cared when really they were focusing on the non TW user, the casual arcade `don`t care about any kind of history` user. We have evidence that the whole focus was graphics and `hyping` the game to get it sold.

I see the same tactics of `pretend to do everything` to fix the game once released, to show urgency for as long as they can get away with it. Already the weekly Patches have lost a Friday. I said it before, once you have the money, the drive to complete the game dries up. As someone else said, they are only doing the limit they can to garner sales from their already planned DLCS.

As the weeks turn into months and the fair-weather fans CA cater for die away, they`ll slow those patches right down and ignore the rest of us who are still here. Cos we don`t matter. Don`t let anyone from CA tell you different. If some of them do care, they obviously don`t have the power to do anything about it and are forced into silence...

I won`t be getting another Total War until it`s £5 in the bargain bin and until INDEPENDENT reviews say it`s actually really good in a way I like. No. It`s dead, but kicking in a reflex manner.

Perhaps CA will pull a rabbit out of the proverbial hat and shock me - But I doubt it. All we can hope for is they keep improving the BAI and CAI for the next few months.

Exactly. Great minds think alike. We can only hope CA will improve it enough so that modders, as usual can rescue ROME2, but who knows for sure when and if CA will release the tools for them to do so.

Also, we're assuming the core design will not be too limited for modders to make real changes. Even then, as you say, we can only hope CA will put more time into the AI. Anybody care to take bets on that one?

Great post. Got to rep ya, +1 Good gaming

[stackero]

I think it`s already over. truth it is it began to die from Empire in my view, looking back. The Total War we once knew is over.

I don`t see any difference to their practises at all. Shogun was a slight high point, but they took advantage of it to do worse, not better. Everything people said when CA put up the thread about future ideas, they totally ignored going for things like arcade buttons and fire spears. they pretended they cared when really they were focusing on the non TW user, the casual arcade `don`t care about any kind of history` user. We have evidence that the whole focus was graphics and `hyping` the game to get it sold.

I see the same tactics of `pretend to do everything` to fix the game once released, to show urgency for as long as they can get away with it. Already the weekly Patches have lost a Friday. I said it before, once you have the money, the drive to complete the game dries up. As someone else said, they are only doing the limit they can to garner sales from their already planned DLCS.

As the weeks turn into months and the fair-weather fans CA cater for die away, they`ll slow those patches right down and ignore the rest of us who are still here. Cos we don`t matter. Don`t let anyone from CA tell you different. If some of them do care, they obviously don`t have the power to do anything about it and are forced into silence...

I won`t be getting another Total War until it`s £5 in the bargain bin and until INDEPENDENT reviews say it`s actually really good in a way I like. No. It`s dead, but kicking in a reflex manner.

Perhaps CA will pull a rabbit out of the proverbial hat and shock me - But I doubt it. All we can hope for is they keep improving the BAI and CAI for the next few months.

Good, excellent, needs rep, will store one for ya.



(Now a community service announcement)
If you are one of those people who feel their being cheated and deceived by bad game releases, then please, let us agree not to preorder from any company known to release incomplete and seriously buggy games, pc or console. Wait for the game to come out to decide. This will eventually cut down on bad releases and reduce forums that pit fellow gamers against one another. That is all. Good Gaming

"You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor and you will have war."
Churchill's remark after Chamberlain returned from signing the Munich pact with Hitler

The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself.
- General Douglas MacArthur

[DavidtheDuke]

Open betas are the best solution to prevent backlashes like Rome 2. It seems CA can't seem to make a bug-free game without community input. I don't think even a few more months Rome 2 would've been in a better state without actual community testers.

[Ataegina]

Open betas are the best solution to prevent backlashes like Rome 2. It seems CA can't seem to make a bug-free game without community input. I don't think even a few more months Rome 2 would've been in a better state without actual community testers.

True. now its even more easy to do that since Steam has that early access thing goin on. i once mentioned arma 3 example because this really works for both developer and gamers. And just to not say that could save money for CA by avoiding patching so much post-release when it could all be avoided by having early access and let gamers spot and report and perhaps giving greater input to tweaks and features for a final release.

I guess many developers are insecure and thinks that if people see what the game is during alpha or beta and let them play, people wont buy the game later on, but that logic was been proved wrong again and again, if people are "aware" that they're playing a beta and they're given the task to test and report bugs for a proper release, people will be encouraged to do their best to polish the game and even invite friends that perhaps would never consider to buy the game. by saying this form TW isnt just enough making MP as beta, make the whole game as beta, since TW have huge following just for the single player portion of the game, and saying this because we had that beta thing for MP (shogun 2).

[DavidtheDuke]

True. now its even more easy to do that since Steam has that early access thing goin on. i once mentioned arma 3 example because this really works for both developer and gamers. And just to not say that could save money for CA by avoiding patching so much post-release when it could all be avoided by having early access and let gamers spot and report and perhaps giving greater input to tweaks and features for a final release.

I guess many developers are insecure and thinks that if people see what the game is during alpha or beta and let them play, people wont buy the game later on, but that logic was been proved wrong again and again, if people are "aware" that they're playing a beta and they're given the task to test and report bugs for a proper release, people will be encouraged to do their best to polish the game and even invite friends that perhaps would never consider to buy the game. by saying this form TW isnt just enough making MP as beta, make the whole game as beta, since TW have huge following just for the single player portion of the game, and saying this because we had that beta thing for MP (shogun 2).

Right, and if they made it a beta/alpha, just have it a pre-order access. That way, all the people dying to play it now will buy it and love it without expecting super polish, and the people new to the series won't buy it until rigorous community-wide testing has been done. Everyone's happy, and CA gets basically a community of testers paying to test for them.

[Petroniu]

Open betas are the best solution to prevent backlashes like Rome 2. It seems CA can't seem to make a bug-free game without community input. I don't think even a few more months Rome 2 would've been in a better state without actual community testers.

So true! Thing is that they like to sell their beta rather than test it free - see Rome 2 launch.

[Valandur]

Every single active person on this website could have passed up Rome 2 and the game still would've been a major success.
CA don't have anything to recover from. It's the same debacle as the Mass Effect 3 ending; for every vocal person who dislikes the game there are probably 5 other people silently enjoying it. If they make another Total War, it'll sell just as well, if not better than Rome 2.

[PointOfViewGun]

They can recover from this just like they have recovered from their previous launches. I don't really see any buggy launch killing a game series. It's always the content or the general direction the company takes that puts it in a bad position.

[Little Legionaire]

They can recover from this just like they have recovered from their previous launches. I don't really see any buggy launch killing a game series. It's always the content or the general direction the company takes that puts it in a bad position.

I couldn't agree more...

Bugs and performance issues won't be a huge problem to fix. Most of them shall be gone in couple more patches but dropped features is another story to tell. What i understand from the "recovery" is the features and direction.

[The Bold Burgundian]

Rome II completely destroyed every aspect of my fragile life. I am texting this message from under a highway overpass as I am homeless and huddling around a fire with fellow transients. But I find small comfort knowing the people at CA are mortal, and they will die eventually.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk.

[Igor85]

One thing for sure: The next total war game is not gonna be preordered, not even Medieval 3. I will buy it ~ year after release for 20 € - it makes no sense to buy TW-Games at release, because they're unplayable or at least unbalanced, rushed and buggy for about half a year. Also CA does not deserve so much money from me, because they are always lying and exaggerating.

[Spartan999]

Pff only way CA can themselves over is if they decided to go FULL retard and decide to make only completely RTR with no campaign map (I am looking real closely at you Total Battle:Shogun ).