DO NOT BUY THIS GAME

[Morpethian]

I am now on my third day of owning TofB, and today I did what I don't think I have ever done before with a Total War series game. I played it on the easy setting. It is still far too difficult.

I expect some people will disagree with me - such as the YouTube reviewers who play on very hard, and still manage to make gains - but this game is not worth buying.

My main gripes are as follows:

1 - It is baffling how I am struggling to build my economy and so afford to build an army which can win battles, while all the while AI controlled factions are wiping out other AI controlled factions.

2 - There is no logic to public order. For example, why is it that upgrading three farms and a fishery early in the game has no impact on public order?

3 - Why are rebel armies always larger than my royal army? How am I supposed to defeat a larger army early in the game when I still have basic troop types?

I urge all gamers to boycott this game until its makers provide an upgrade which will address the various problems.

[Ardri]

All the complaints I have seen is that it is too easy, hence today’s patch making it more difficult.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Morpethian]

How can it be too easy? Am I playing a different game to everyone else?

[Daruwind]

You are getting patch tomorrow.. Patchnotes are already out. But really, almost everybody is talkingabout ToB being easy..¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[ThePoshBarbarian]

Depends on what factions you're playing mate, for example the english kingdoms (IE Wessex and Mercia) are easy to play early on, and just get easier, while the welsh factions are very difficult to start off as. I don't know about East anglia or northumbria, but the rest just have slow starts.

[Morpethian]

Depends on what factions you're playing mate,

To date I have played numerous games as either Gwined or Circann (Aberdeenshire). I may try other factions since you suggest it, but I am not optimistic.

Before I bought this, I had watched the Gwined campaign vid on YT which plays on the hardest level. If it is not impossible for that gamer, why is it impossible for me?

This game violates English consumer law. Steam does not appear to have a customer service facility. If they did, I would contact them and demand a refund.

Maybe I should give up on PC games.

[Forward Observer]

If you were struggling with income, you may be in trouble with the new patch that was applied today. They made some pretty drastic
cost and income changes, so some players have already posted that when they fired up their ongoing campaigns, they had negative incomes that they couldn't progress with.

I want to start a new campaign with the patch to see how it goes. Both English campaigns were a bit too easy for me--especially on the normal setting. However, I found the Circenn campaign to be pretty difficult--at least to start and that was on the normal difficulty level.


Cheers

[zoner16]

I am now on my third day of owning TofB, and today I did what I don't think I have ever done before with a Total War series game. I played it on the easy setting. It is still far too difficult.

I expect some people will disagree with me - such as the YouTube reviewers who play on very hard, and still manage to make gains - but this game is not worth buying.

My main gripes are as follows:

1 - It is baffling how I am struggling to build my economy and so afford to build an army which can win battles, while all the while AI controlled factions are wiping out other AI controlled factions.

2 - There is no logic to public order. For example, why is it that upgrading three farms and a fishery early in the game has no impact on public order?

3 - Why are rebel armies always larger than my royal army? How am I supposed to defeat a larger army early in the game when I still have basic troop types?

I urge all gamers to boycott this game until its makers provide an upgrade which will address the various problems.

Some tips that may help you:

1 - Not all starts are the same. If you start as a faction with only one province, play defensively and make use of the AI's willingness to fight each other. The Welsh factions especially both start near really big neighbors who may invade you but also can get invaded by their rivals. Be opportunistic.

2 - They've changed the way public order works. Food buildings should not impact public order, and you're going to want a LOT of food early game. Focus on increasing food production until you can field at least one full stack worth of troops (even if it's split between multiple commanders). Industry is what causes PO problems, so don't rush those chains.

3 - Every rebel army will spawn initially with less than five units. It will gain units every turn, so kill it as quickly as possible. Keep a backup force stationed around your more valuable villages to smack down any rebels, even if this force is only a few units.

[AnthoniusII]

I am now on my third day of owning TofB, and today I did what I don't think I have ever done before with a Total War series game. I played it on the easy setting. It is still far too difficult.

I expect some people will disagree with me - such as the YouTube reviewers who play on very hard, and still manage to make gains - but this game is not worth buying.

My main gripes are as follows:

1 - It is baffling how I am struggling to build my economy and so afford to build an army which can win battles, while all the while AI controlled factions are wiping out other AI controlled factions.

2 - There is no logic to public order. For example, why is it that upgrading three farms and a fishery early in the game has no impact on public order?

3 - Why are rebel armies always larger than my royal army? How am I supposed to defeat a larger army early in the game when I still have basic troop types?

I urge all gamers to boycott this game until its makers provide an upgrade which will address the various problems.

My friend with all the respect you are an exeption. 999/1000 TW players ask for more realistic and chalenging TW games and you ask for an easier one. You are 1/1000 !
I suspect that you do not play mods in previus TW games because in older TW games the 1st thing modder do is to make the game even more chalenging!
Respect you point of view but most people ask for more battle chalenge, campaign ballance etc.
IN YOUR CASE I would sugest never to play mods in older TW games in Hard/Hard dificulty.
In TGC we test two AI scripts and and a BAI one in VH/VH...where "enemy" does its best to make your battle a nightmare and a chaos! A bizzare request that is...I would agree that a campaign fix like the lack of food (that suposed was fixed in Rome II) woul dmake players game management more realistic.

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

I agree with AntoniusII. Most people asking for a challenge. Plus you can't ask a refund for a game because of it's difficulty.

[Morpethian]

Plus you can't ask a refund for a game because of it's difficulty.

I can't ask for a refund because I have no way of contacting Steam for customer service issues.

I should be refunded because of my rights under English law. The game is not fit for the purpose for which I bought it. I bought it for the enjoyment of pitting my wits against AI controlled factions. I cannot enjoy a game where I cannot win because it is impossible.

As an aside, I still play Empire on an old computer, and I have captured Moscow playing as Bavaria. I do not ask for a game to be easy - except on the easy setting - but I do ask for it to be not impossible.

[Athos187]

[Morpethian]

Why are you laughing? Oh of course - you just looked at yourself in a mirror.

As an update:

I have tried playing Wessex, and it was impossible. I was invaded by a huge Viking army, and this was on the easy setting. The reason I could not afford a huge army was ...?

I have also tried playing as Meath, and although it was tough going, I might give it another go.

[AnthoniusII]

Its not polite to laugh with someone's opinion. He has his prespective we have ours.

I can't ask for a refund because I have no way of contacting Steam for customer service issues.

I should be refunded because of my rights under English law. The game is not fit for the purpose for which I bought it. I bought it for the enjoyment of pitting my wits against AI controlled factions. I cannot enjoy a game where I cannot win because it is impossible.

As an aside, I still play Empire on an old computer, and I have captured Moscow playing as Bavaria. I do not ask for a game to be easy - except on the easy setting - but I do ask for it to be not impossible.

All we try to say to you my friend is that "impossible" is relative.
1st : It happens when a new game has some issues (wait to see what will happen in the next patches if you will change your mind.
2nd: What is impossible to me may be easy to you. Yes...i am serius. I play TW games since Shogun I...
All these years i see players assault cities in Very hard difficulty and take them easily while me with my so called expirience sufair defeats or take the cities with huge casualties.
From the other hand. I see people lossing a city against one AI controled army while i can defend a city against 4 armies the same time (in games such Shogun II, Rome I and Medieval 2TW/Kingdoms with hard mods).
What was (i still do not own this game neither Warhammer that is not in my interests and so i can not say a valid opinion for them) the real feature of TW games was the battle expirience. Real time battle help you use your mind in order to defeat the enemy no matter how hard it will be. If you lose, defeats offer us lessons for the next battle.
I remember just like it was yesterday a mod for RomeI "Rome Total Realism" that i tried to cross the mountain paths from Genua to Massilia with two Roman legions. AI gathered there 3 full stack Gaulish armies with its best generals and best units it could have. My two legions vanished in no time. I sent 2 more, the same, in the 3rd attempt i won the battle and passed that path. In an other occasion i had 3 very expirient armies of horsemen...AI ambushed me with 4 Egyptian armies (atleast those i though they were) and i won untill a 5th army entered the battle and destroyed my last remains. What i gained from these two occasions? 1st of all the joy of long battles that chalenged my mind. 2nd "participating" in those battles it was like i was creating a moovie and i was the director and 3rd, i learned some valuable lessons, like the most important one : defeats are part of the game, enjoy them and use them to learn but never avoid them by repeating the battles against untill you will win. That lesson will help you in your real life too. Life is not always pleasant events, its a constant fight that has a lot of defeats. Use those defeats in your life to win the next time and create a bright future.

[Athos187]

Why are you laughing? Oh of course - you just looked at yourself in a mirror.

how did you know?

[Brusilov]

I've not started a campaign since the patch but the factions vary a bit with how they play at the start.

I've had no luck with Circenn so far and Gwined can be a struggle.

The problem with Gwined is that your ally Powis declares war on various factions and drags you into numerous wars you don't really want to do at the start. Mierce is a fairly large faction on your door step and if they invade the game will be over fairly soon. I tend to declare war on the smaller factions to the south and this keeps Powis away from the other factions.

Keep in mind that the factions in the game don't always play the same way. I've had games where the surrounding factions all have alliances so if you attack one you attack three or four factions - an easy way to lose a campaign at the start. I've had variations where this does not happen so it can be easy to pick off the surrounding factions.

[♔Greek Strategos♔]

I can't ask for a refund because I have no way of contacting Steam for customer service issues.

How possible is that though ?

[Daruwind]

Plus Steam is offering money refund:
https://store.steampowered.com/steam_refunds/?l=english

It is limited but to up 14 days and not more than 2 hours of gameplay but still, it is a option and everybody using steam should know about it..

[Morpethian]

Thank you for the link. I had looked for a refund option, but could not find one.

I have now requested a refund, and have mentioned the relevant act of parliament, and am now waiting for a reply.

[Morpethian]

I have now received a reply from Steam about a refund.

I will say sorry to them for alleging that I could notcontact them to ask for a refund. Nevertheless I wish they had been moreclear about its existence.

More importantly, I have been denied a refund, but withoutany reference to the points I raised about English law.

I am wondering now if I ever again want to buy from Steam.