PC Gamer DE review - 88%

[Space Voyager]

This is NOT encouraging...


Badomega from the off. forum:

Hello Folks,

i just read the new PC Gamer maganzine. There is a review about MTW2.

They have played the build 47 and this are the key facts:

Positiv:

+ Stunning graphics
+ Stunning sounds
+ AI on battlefield a bit (a really few bit) better
+ new features (towns/fortress and so on)

Negative:

- Missions from Gilds/Pope becoming annoying...the profit is the effort not worth and the missions are repeating like in RTW.

-The battlefield AI still love it to get slaughtered by your archers without doing a heck to defend/attack

-Sieges. They experienced the same "Oh we are in the town...lets chill and rest AI" like in RTW. In there example the AI stopped any moves as they have taken the walls. The Player then was getting @#%$ off and load the last save game.

-Strat AI. Your allies still have a favour to backstabb (nothing meantioned if they do it with sense or if the AI still commiting senseless diplomacy)

- The game is far to easy (Steamroller Effect), even with hardest settings

Summary:

They gave 88 Points due to nice graphics and music. But due to the fact that the same annoying AI Issues from the last product still exists they didnt gave the game gold. MTW2 has become only silver. BUT they also mentioned some new (logical) moves by the AI. As an example as they assulted an besiedged city the AI has guarded the walls with archers and retreted them as u come near to them. They then positioned the walls with spear men.

All in all i have to say: Hands up and thank you PC Gamer.de.

They were stunned by the new graphics but didint forgot the (in my eyes) importent things and give the game penaltys for not solving annoying and mostly fun-breaking issues.

[The Thracian]

That's not good news particulary about the AI

[Cyrus the Virus]

Ok, see how I will experience the game..

[Spart]

Not surprising really. It was clear to me from the start that they're concentrating on the visual side. A bit disappointing though. The worst thing seems to be that AI still sucks (mostly in campaign map) and the pope is an *******. Maybe it's like the senate, you have to take province every few turns and he pays like 1000 florins.. Whoopty doo. Muslim factions will be slaughtered in a second. Goddamn, there should be setting "AI aggressiveness"
Hmmm... I still think this is going to be playable. If it's not worse than Rome, I'm satisfied.

[Space Voyager]

If it's not worse than Rome, I'm satisfied.

Don't you find this VERY dissapointing? Some mods (Zhanguo) for RTW may be better than M2TW...

All I know is I'm not buying a TW game for the graphics and sounds. If there is no challenge, I simply don't need it.

[Spart]

Don't you find this VERY dissapointing? Some mods (Zhanguo) for RTW may be better than M2TW...

All I know is I'm not buying a TW game for the graphics and sounds. If there is no challenge, I simply don't need it.

It's not disappointing anymore, cause I kind of knew from the start that we won't see anything amazingly special. I'm surprised to see that battle AI has improved at all. Of course it's bad, but I think I'll enjoy it for a while, and then look at what our dear modders have worked out. Few simple tricks might make this a lot better.

[=Vastator=]

Abyone knows how old is the "the build 47 "?

[vertical]

Abyone knows how old is the "the build 47 "?

A CA member stated at the official forum that build 47 isn't "the final release by any means".

vertical

[Zawath]

Of course the Ai won't be perfect at first but after couple patches it should be much better.

[aNarion.]

this make me scream out loud.. every singel game is the same, from the beginning they say how great its gonna be, but instead of "great" it gets just ok... i still love this game.. but i did espected more..

[Lord Kal]

Definition of a pessimist - someone waiting for the rain to fall. Never so true than in TWC.

Trying the unscripted battles on the cracked demo shows that the AI has been improved - and that's a prerelease version.

[Tovi]

There is still multiplayer battles.

[Space Voyager]

There is still multiplayer battles.

No thank you. I play campaign only. Mostly becasuse I stil don't have the internet access at home...

[God-Emperor of Mankind]

Why the hell are these companies reviewing old builds ??

-The battlefield AI still love it to get slaughtered by your archers without doing a heck to defend/attack

That's strange, everyone else is reporting that they don't :hmmm:

-Sieges. They experienced the same "Oh we are in the town...lets chill and rest AI" like in RTW. In there example the AI stopped any moves as they have taken the walls. The Player then was getting @#%$ off and load the last save game

Yeah, we know of that one.
Don't know why they are bringing up RTW tho.
The AI did't just stand around in 1.5.

The game is far to easy (Steamroller Effect), even with hardest settings

Yeah the steamroller effect.
I don't see how CA can ever fix that problem.
I do hope that it is atleast a bit harder.

[DeerHunter]

Herer we go again the AI is going to be bad, The AI cannot outsmart a human being bcuz therre is no machine in the world what can. Face it guys it will be along time until the AI will be as good or as some think nieve as what you think it will be

[wipeout140]

Herer we go again the AI is going to be bad, The AI cannot outsmart a human being bcuz therre is no machine in the world what can. Face it guys it will be along time until the AI will be as good or as some think nieve as what you think it will be

Well on Horizon Last night on BBC2 in Uk. It was about AI and computers , they predict by 2029. Computers will be equal to power of the human brain and same in Intelligence. So till then Human will always beat a Computer. Because a computer will have limits to 2029. Human does not

[pero]

damn im reading this thread and all i can read is negativity
lets wait for the game and then decide if its really bad or really good as we were expecting

[Space Voyager]

Yeah the steamroller effect.
I don't see how CA can ever fix that problem.

Just a sugestion; perhaps if you needed like 10 turns to travel from one city to the other, the steamroller effect would be nullified. The enemy can definitely raise a nice little army while your army travels from the city you occupied to the other... It's just a question of liking/not liking the 10 turn voyage... But it would allow more ambushing etc..

[PurpleScotch]

"

A CA member stated at the official forum that build 47 isn't "the final release by any means".

vertical"

That is good news!

[Reiver]

"

A CA member stated at the official forum that build 47 isn't "the final release by any means".

vertical"

That is good news!

It is for us but you really have to wonder about the integrity of the magazines who review based on that code just so they can get the hop on their rivals. If they're willing to compromise themselves in that manner what else are they willing to do? Add on extra points for being first?
A few years back PCGamer UK had a big thing about their plummeting readership and the reasons why. They figured it was largely down to the net and what they'd do was concentrate on their strengths like good writing and features. It seems they've gone the other way. Prostituting themselves to companies for exclusives to beat the websites to being first with the review. It's sad really because I think if they'd concentrated on accurate and free from bias reviews they'd have carved a niche for themselves that was impervious to the immediacy of the websites. I value integrity much higher than being first and i'm sure a lot of other people do as well.
I'd like to see a lot more low scoring games. I've not been wowed by a game (with the exception of graphics) for a long time now and if so-so games like Company of Heroes and Oblivion manage to garner praise like "best RTS/RPG ever" where's the impetus to advance. Don't get me wrong they're both good games and technically very impressive but neither of them have the wow factor that Shogun/Deus Ex/Gothic or Thief 2 had.