Hannibal at the Gates seems to be good, eh?

[Kraut and Tea]

I have only been playing for a few hours as Carthage, but what I can say is that it seems to be really good. It is somewhat new to start a campain with so many satrapies, allies and foes, And it is impossible to rush right away for your main oponents provinces. As Carthage you must get a tighter grip on Iberia and North Africa and as Rome you must gain a tighter grip on Italy and Southern Gaul before each of these factions can even think of marching on it`s main opponent.

I havent yet seen any naval army transport bugs, in fact I just managed to destroy a Roman army which succesfully managed to land in Northern Africa and cause havoc at turn 20. And with each turn aliances seem to break or be forgded and other.

Right now I must say that the Hannibal campain seems to be really really good. But that is only my first impression.

I do have to whine about the map though. It is somewhat pathetic that only one of the Balearic Islands has a settlement. And seeing how awsome and intense my struggles with the Numidians were I have to insist that North Africa should have such a great number of provinces in the main campain aswell.



Your first thoughts?

[GussieFinkNottle]

My experience so far had been ok-ish. The diplomatic situation for Carthage at the start is far too hostile, and only 2 factions will accept trade agreements (with hefty bribes). I'm just not getting that drive to attack and conquer like I did in CiG. The new background is quite good, but a bit oppressive to look at with the overly bold colour scheme. Perhaps they could tone down the aggressive purple.

I really liked the Zama battle, and the scripted AI works well here. Cannae was fine, I suppose, and the AI was again a respectable representation, I think I just expected more from the most spectacular battle of the ancient world. The Cannae armies are a little small, the Carthage cavalry contingent isn't strong/large enough and the actual strategies are never really going to work without a 'give ground/steady retreat' ability.

Also, what happened to Hannibal's beard? In all promo shots, loading screens, historical battle intros and videos he has a beard, but on the battle map, just a fuzzy stubble. He looks like a teenager. Where is my Hannibal beard?


Edit: I don't know maybe that post seemed too negative for such a small playtime (a few hours). I'll persevere and see if it grows on me.

[Darios]

I'm definitely having fun. Playing as Syrakousai and the first thing I did was break my alliance with Rome and made all of Sicily mine. The whole Roman alliance of Rome, Etrutia, the Samnites, *cries* and the Greeks of Massalia and Emporion declared war on me. It was pretty awesome. The Greeks remembered that I'm their brother and soon made peace while the Italians continued to make war upon me. I eventually took my navy and conquered the cities of Megali Hellas and now the Romans are offering me 5k coin for peace while the more manly Samnites are actually giving me a tough fight for my Italian cities. At the same time, I'm building my alliances with Emporion and Massalia while trying to build an alliance with Carthage. It's a fun little campaign and I think it will be really fun when I start a MP campaign with one of my friends this weekend.

Thanks CA)

[Kraut and Tea]

My experience so far had been ok-ish. The diplomatic situation for Carthage at the start is far too hostile, and only 2 factions will accept trade agreements (with hefty bribes). I'm just not getting that drive to attack and conquer like I did in CiG. The new background is quite good, but a bit oppressive to look at with the overly bold colour scheme. Perhaps they could tone down the aggressive purple.

I really liked the Zama battle, and the scripted AI works well here. Cannae was fine, I suppose, and the AI was again a respectable representation, I think I just expected more from the most spectacular battle of the ancient world. The Cannae armies are a little small, the Carthage cavalry contingent isn't strong/large enough and the actual strategies are never really going to work without a 'give ground/steady retreat' ability.

Also, what happened to Hannibal's beard? In all promo shots, loading screens, historical battle intros and videos he has a beard, but on the battle map, just a fuzzy stubble. He looks like a teenager. Where is my Hannibal beard?


Edit: I don't know maybe that post seemed too negative for such a small playtime (a few hours). I'll persevere and see if it grows on me.

Hannibals beard is a cosmetic change that can be easily fixed. If you look through the workshop you will for example find a mod that improves ceasars apperance, so I am certain a similar mod will be made for Hannibal.

Speaking of generals, why is there no Scipio and Hannibal ability for generals as there was with CiG?


It seems as if the starting positions of everyone are overly hostile.

I started a Rome campain and wanted to emidiatly march on Iberia. But you simply cant... The Gauls of Northern Italy make you to nervous and all your allies in Iberia start slipping through your fingers one by one. Adding to that, the addition of the other Italian nations makes you very nervous. In total this seems to be the most challenging campain expantion they have released.

I am currently in turn 30 as Carthage and North Africa is being swampt by navies and armies sent from Syracuse and Rome, I am having alot of problems fighting them off.

[Swamidude]

Actually waited with really playing the hannibal at the gates campaign. I've played about an hour with the Lusitani and one hour with the Arevaci in the main campaign to see what they all had to offer and another half hour with Syracuse and 15 minutes with each Rome and Carthage in the mini campaign, perhaps more somewhere since I started at 5 xD So far everything is looking really nice, I just can't decide which faction to play first now :S Also my main campaign with the Lusitani is pretty fun, allthough the Arevaci are easier since everybody pretty much hates the Lusitani and diplomacy is allready harder as an barbarian faction, so I guess the 'this is total war achievement' is perfect for them

The Arevaci are loved by everyone in Iberia, except the punic factions and the Lusitani. Turn 1 I could get militairy acces to whole Iberia except for the factions named and at least non agression pacts. Turdetani, Edetani also signed defensive alliances. After that I went after the Lusitani, but they where a bit to strong so I fled the battle back to the celtici, which are at war with the Lusitani to and have a non-agressionpact with me and militairy acces.

Lusitani seems more of a challenge and fun though, but impossible to get alliances going, allthough I'm thinking of subjugating the Arevaci with them. The Turdetani seem to be kicking Nova Carthago's ass for the time being and probably will drive them back into Africa. But the Turdetani eventually always lose in my campaigns and they really hate me, so I'm thinking of using them to get an non agression pact, trade or alliance going with Nova Carthago for joining the war against them. After they have kicked Nova Carthago back into Africa I'm planning to intervene and that way capture that province for my own, establishing stronger ties with Nova Carthago and securing the whole south-west of the Iberian peninsula

BUT, I also need to start my Carthage mini campaign... Damn it's hard, think I'm going to play the main campaign Lusitani a bit and start tomorrow with the mini campaign xD


Btw has anybody an overview of which units you can train with all the buildingchains? I haven't really played with the barbaric factions yet, because it's so confusing compared to the hellenistic / punic / roman building chain.. The encyclopedia doesn't really give all the info, or at least it isn't very clear what I should be building to get everything

[Joot Scardow]

I would like to have the generals available in custom battles, like Caesar in Gaul did.

[Marcus Aemilius Lepidus]

At least in the German version i found my first bug, that the first text of the Arevaci introduction is not spoken like the others. The audiotext is missing. Also missing are the spears or any other weapons of the Campanian Mercenary Cav.

The special abilities are really missing and so far the campaign "heroes" Hannibal and Scipio are nothing special. Very weak for a Campaign named after Hannibal. I really like the map though.

@ Bearddiscussion

Hannibal was younger than 18 when his father died and i believe under 20 when he started his campaign. A giant beard would be a bit weird for such a young guy.

[Sir_Pee_Alot]

Same as CIG only on a other piece of land and still broken siege AI, So not that GREAT!...

[Kraut and Tea]

Same as CIG only on a other piece of land and still broken siege AI, So not that GREAT!...

go play another game then.

[rafmc1989]

Post removed due to no content related to the topic.

~LestaT

[DarrenTotalWar]

I'm working on my review at the moment, so far I think it's a nice mini-campaign. Dissapointed there is no special ability for Hannibal like there was with Caesar, and also that there is no family tree, (I didn't think there would be one, but with alot of the generals for Carthage made up of Barcas I think CA missed the opportunity to please the fans. ) The new random event / mission things are weird as well: "Piracy is rife in the ocean, You can a) fight the pirates (-25% piracy) or b) do nothing (+25% piracy)" literally no point to it as it doesn't cost anything either way, so you always choose the good option. The AI is a bit erratic still also at times.

Anyway, Does anyone understand how capture points work? I was fighting / defending in a settlement, lost my capture point, but there was no timer or anything. Anyone know about this?

[C.Maximus]

i do not own the DLC because I am ballz deep in some of my other campaigns. However, I have been playing a coop with a friend who does have it and I am Carthage and he is Lusitani. So far we have been focusing on Iberia and it has been quite fun. Ive only touched a Carthage campaign but played them often in rome 1 being one of my fav factions. The only time I played them in Rome II I focused on the sea and Rome. I have always done that with Carthage sort of abandoning my holds in Iberia and focusing on Sicily.. This campaign has gotten me to focus on Iberia due to my ally being where he is. This has opened up a new light and playing his faction vicariously through gifted units has been pretty fun. I might buy this dlc down the road or if it goes on sale. I want to try the sythians, however, before spending money on Iberia.

[-iceblade^]

I'm working on my review at the moment, so far I think it's a nice mini-campaign. Dissapointed there is no special ability for Hannibal like there was with Caesar, and also that there is no family tree, (I didn't think there would be one, but with alot of the generals for Carthage made up of Barcas I think CA missed the opportunity to please the fans. ) The new random event / mission things are weird as well: "Piracy is rife in the ocean, You can a) fight the pirates (-25% piracy) or do nothing (+25% piracy)" literally no point to it as it doesn't cost anything either way, so you always choose the good option. The AI is a bit erratic still also at times.

Anyway, Does anyone understand how capture points work? I was fighting / defending in a settlement, lost my capture point, but there was no timer or anything. Anyone know about this?

I think I remember a post saying they're for morale more than anything. That if you hold them nearby troops get a morale boost

[Akhenaton]

Anyway, Does anyone understand how capture points work? I was fighting / defending in a settlement, lost my capture point, but there was no timer or anything. Anyone know about this?

Capture points have been changed. In Forts and small towns, they provide a morale boost to whoever holds them now. There is no timer anymore. In great cities, only the central capture point triggers a timer, if hold
by the attacker. The other two points now also provide a morale boost.

[DarrenTotalWar]

Found it here:

From TotalWar Wiki

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

General battle improvements

• Victory conditions in un-walled settlements and encampment battles are no longer based on victory points. These victory points remain, but now provide a morale bonus to nearby troops holding the position.
• Victory conditions in walled settlements are now based on a single victory point only, rather than three in some maps. These victory points remain, but now provide a morale bonus to nearby troops holding the position.

[C.Maximus]

Post removed due to no content related to the topic.

~LestaT

[evenflowjimbo]

Screw that. I'm gonna buy it and attack from just the sea. Game over.

*walks away*

[TheCenturion24]

... it's still Rome II. Just on a different map and with a few gimmicks nailed to the top. Sorry, can't dig. They're avoiding the problems that make Rome II a game for simpletons in the first place, and no DLC is going to fix that.

[rafmc1989]

Post removed due to no content related to the topic.

~LestaT

[MDeLiso]

I just played through Hannibal at the Gates as Rome. Everything in the campaign seems to work properly, or at least as I'd expect it. Victory conditions trigger properly and everything. Only weird thing I noticed is, some of the notifications that pop up at the beginning of your time seem to lag. And by that, I mean one will pop up, but I won't have a mouse or the ability to click on anything for 30-60 seconds after it pops up. I did not have that problem in the regular campaign when I played yesterday. Anyone experiencing something like that?