Game stability/playability

**lampros69** · January 31, 2015, 09:21 AM

I want to try this mod, but I am always wary of player-created content due to bugs and incomplete content (of course, these days commercially developed games have the same issues as well - or more than was the case in the past). So I am wondering how is the game stability and playability. Are there a great number of bugs - esp. bugs that cause crashes? Also, is there content that are or feels like incomplete - e.g. seeming gaps in a faction's unit tree or a relatively large expanse of the map without settlements (two things I can think of in the context of this particular game).

Any enlightenment would be appreciated.

P.S. I know that it's a bit rude to ask folks to compare one mod to another in a forum for one of the mods concerned, but I have only tried one mod, and it would illuminate things greatly, if people can specifically compare this with Stainless Steel in terms of stability and playability. While in general I am an antiquarian and thus have a more of an interest in the time period covered by EB II, I am a bit wary that this is a new mod at least in terms of its publication date, and hence I am afraid that some kinks have not been ironed out at this stage.

**MIKE GOLF** · January 31, 2015, 10:23 AM

In all honesty there is really only way to find this out, and that is to play it. I haven't played SS in ages but will say that EB II is pretty stable, while the unit roster is not yet completed the units between factions is balanced out so no one faction steamrolls over another. I would recommend adding b0Gia's submod as well because he has included the latest updates such as the edu which makes battles much more realistic as well as many other things IMO.

**lampros69** · January 31, 2015, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by MIKE GOLF

In all honesty there is really only way to find this out, and that is to play it. I haven't played SS in ages but will say that EB II is pretty stable, while the unit roster is not yet completed the units between factions is balanced out so no one faction steamrolls over another. I would recommend adding b0Gia's submod as well because he has included the latest updates such as the edu which makes battles much more realistic as well as many other things IMO.

Hmmm, the unit roster being incomplete is a bit concerning. What kind of gaps are we talking about? For instance, does incomplete a faction is missing its entire infantry tree - or cavalry tree? Or are we talking about a faction missing one or two prominent units? Relatedly, is there a faction unit roster document or website I can take a look at for this mod? I couldn't find one for EB II in Honga's here http://www.honga.net/totalwar/faction.php?encode=en .

As for b0Gia's sub-mod, where is the link? As an aside, I greatly prefer slower tactical combat where I can actually execute maneuvers, instead of units melting upon impact. (For instance, I have SS modded so that all infantry have 2 HPs and cavalry 4 HPs, of course with proportional cost increases).

**anonimo272** · January 31, 2015, 10:42 AM

both mods are incredibly stable and playable i would dare to say they are more stable than vanilla

**Hummer** · January 31, 2015, 01:02 PM

EB2 is very stable. I have a crash once in 10 hours of playing time or less. I think they have approximately half of the desired units.
But all factions have a decent roster in my opinion. No one faction is left out.

**Brihentin13** · February 03, 2015, 02:12 PM

My two cents, EB1 is the greatest mod that I've ever played. EB2 still has a long way to go. It has been very stable, but the submods that improve the combat are a must, and, as it has been said already, about half of the desired units are missing. What I would do, personally, is to go ahead and get EB1 for Rome:Total War, and then work from there. If you like Europa Barbarorum 1(which I'm positive that you will), then you can approach EB2 with a little more patience, as you will already have a solid idea of where this mod will eventually end up.

In terms of combat speed, EB1 hit the nail on the head for perfect balance. There is plenty of time to execute your tactics. EB2 units are still a little overly tanky, IMO. Sieges are a bit tedious as a result. I totally understand your concerns about units being made out of paper mache. That's what turned me off from Stainless Steel. EB1 units can take a few hits and keep going, giving you the opportunity to move guys around and flank or whatever. Micromanaging lots of different groups of units to run a perfectly oiled tactical machine is one of the best parts of the game.

**lampros69** · February 05, 2015, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by Brihentin13

My two cents, EB1 is the greatest mod that I've ever played. EB2 still has a long way to go. It has been very stable, but the submods that improve the combat are a must, and, as it has been said already, about half of the desired units are missing. What I would do, personally, is to go ahead and get EB1 for Rome:Total War, and then work from there. If you like Europa Barbarorum 1(which I'm positive that you will), then you can approach EB2 with a little more patience, as you will already have a solid idea of where this mod will eventually end up .

I remember playing EB1, and I agree that it was fantastic - and that is why I am still interested in playing EB2, in spite of its apparently un-finished state.

Originally Posted by Brihentin13

In terms of combat speed, EB1 hit the nail on the head for perfect balance. There is plenty of time to execute your tactics. EB2 units are still a little overly tanky, IMO. Sieges are a bit tedious as a result. I totally understand your concerns about units being made out of paper mache. That's what turned me off from Stainless Steel. EB1 units can take a few hits and keep going, giving you the opportunity to move guys around and flank or whatever. Micromanaging lots of different groups of units to run a perfectly oiled tactical machine is one of the best parts of the game.

"Overly tanky" is a plus, not minus, for me - anything to prolong combat!

Right now I've somewhat overcome SS units' brittleness by extensive modding. Thus far, I've double hit points on infantry and quadrupled hit points on cavalry; I've also decreased movement speed by about 25 percent, and I am contemplating increasing Morale by around 2. At this point the melee combat is nearly perfect for my taste, but ranged units seem a bit too nerfed with these changes - something I might have to live with.

Is there a separate unit list page or even a separate units.edu file that I can take a look at without downloading and installing the whole thing?

**Dago Red** · February 03, 2015, 06:44 PM

If you have even a cursory understanding of where the game's files are and can drop in some submods without much problem, then just download EBII and play it with the submod compilation noted. You can find bogias compilation in the submod, subforum. You can't miss it.

However, if you can't or won't add this collection of hotfixes and necessary extras, then I would wait for the next release. The rosters are unfinished but without game breaking gaps. There are already more units than most vanilla TW releases.