Disaapointment

[SKSlave]

Hello folks
Can't help but vent some disappointment at this game. They had the perfect canvas and somehow managed to spoil it. Here are a list of issues I've had in my first hour:

• Campaign map lags despite my computer exceeding recommended specs
• Character portraits and unit cards in general look dreadful
• UI is truly awful. Very cumbersome. The first game's UI was much better - not perfect, but they should have improved on that, not throw it all away.
• Some units on the battle map look wonderful, others look dreadful. Their claim of "never seeing a clone" or some such was complete nonsense. I can zoom in on a unit and see at least three or four of the same face.
• AI bugs, units shuffling like they're in battle but actually aren't, being unresponsive.
• Audio bugs. Battles are basically silent and totally devoid of life.

The recent news about the modding limits has done little to excite me either. I'll wait to see if a patch comes in the next week or so but if not, I fear this may be refunded.

Kind regards
SKSlave

[romanius24]

Very disappointed.

The UI is a joke. Why are they pretending its a paradox game all of a sudden?
The original had one of the best UIs in a strategy game. Its a simple game of "recruit, build and fight" and the original ui was good for that.

Very strange performance. Definitely worse than Rome 2 for me.
Loadings are bad and camera controls are very lagy on all options i have tested.

I cant say i care much about modding potential because this thing just isnt that great to play.

Its a mediocre remaster. I wasnt expecting a remake or anything but this is just lazy and something tells me it wont be supported much.

[-Durango-]

I concur. Massively disappointed.

Like others have said, they butchered what was a concise, easy to use UI and turned into an overdesigned mobile clickfest with boxes, tabs, and buttons all over the place. Strange performance problems that shouldn't happen given the supposed multi-core and architecture updates. No crashing, but still. Age of Empires II Definitive Edition remains the gold standard for remasters. The golden rule should always be "Do not try to fix what isn't broken".

Thankfully, Steam granted me a refund, and I will watch and see if mods can rectify the UI situation.

[argenti]

Hello guys
bad performance for me
I run Rome 2 all at ultra at more than 30/40 fps depending on the situation and without slowdowns everything is very fluid.
With this remastered, despite having graphics and textures that do not even reach half the quality of Rome 2, I am forced to set to medium if not low settings to have a good framrate and without sound lag.
absurd and ridiculous.

[balparmak]

UI changes were the main reason I hold off on buying the game, sad to see I was right. I didn't expect them to keep the old UI, it's functional but didn't age well, but the natural evolution of that UI would be something like Shogun 2's, surely not this. Honestly, I don't remember reading a single review praising Rome 2's UI, but Feral, like the CA with Rome 2, insists on that terrible, mobile-like UI. It's unlikely they can bring the old UI with patches, but still, please leave reviews on Steam, that's the one place devs care about.

[exi123]

The ui part of recruiting and building seems odd to me, same for the fact that there is only one horizontal line in the campaign map ui for buildings and armies. You have to scroll even in the early years of the game.

But my biggest concern is pathing in city battles. This is even worse than in the original and eliminates the joy of this existential part of warplay.

[Zarax]

UI definitely needs some streamlining and campaign AI tends to get stuck. This remaster needs even more mods than the original to truly work I'm afraid...

[Biggus Splenus]

Idk I kind of like the UI. It's looks simple and clean, and is quite easy to find all the information you need. That's what I like in a good UI; it doesn't get in your face, just stays out the way and lets you focus on the spectacle of the game. Also all relevant city info is displayed really well, you can spend lest time in the UI flicking through settlements and more time doing other stuff. The map filters you can apply in the startegic view also help the player digest large pieces of information much quicker than otherwise.

The ui was clunky for me to use at first too, but didn't take long to just break out of my rome 1 habbits and learn the new place for everything. I've been playing it whenever I have had the time lately and it's been so damn fun. Runs smooth and the hd rework does wonders on the new campaign map, holy moly. Only gripes I have are with problems that the original Rome 1 shares, like pathfinding, though I'm sure we'll get some updates and they'll continue to support this game.

[Morrowgan]

Hello guys
bad performance for me
I run Rome 2 all at ultra at more than 30/40 fps depending on the situation and without slowdowns everything is very fluid.
With this remastered, despite having graphics and textures that do not even reach half the quality of Rome 2, I am forced to set to medium if not low settings to have a good framrate and without sound lag.
absurd and ridiculous.

Rome 2 is also eight years old.
The game runs well on my PC and I am getting used to the UI, can't really complain.

[Jurand of Cracow]

I'm not disappointed with the RTW:R. I like the UI, I like the map and the units' graphical depictions. I particularly like that possibilities of choosing an action for agents that would be executed by the engine, and also possibility to send ancillaries between the generals. Where I have different tastes is the settlement panel - I prefer the previous one that would open those two dedicated windows with all information in one place and in large format. And also two rows of the buildings shown (not just one row) and the large building cards.
The RTW issues with the passive CAI and stupid BAI are there, alas.

I've played it twice and now I'll wait for the mods to appear. They can be great with the new possibilities given by the Remastered.

[NostalgiaFan]

I'm not disappointed with the RTW:R. I like the UI, I like the map and the units' graphical depictions. I particularly like that possibilities of choosing an action for agents that would be executed by the engine, and also possibility to send ancillaries between the generals. Where I have different tastes is the settlement panel - I prefer the previous one that would open those two dedicated windows with all information in one place and in large format. And also two rows of the buildings shown (not just one row) and the large building cards.
The RTW issues with the passive CAI and stupid BAI are there, alas.

I've played it twice and now I'll wait for the mods to appear. They can be great with the new possibilities given by the Remastered.

You can like it if you want but the issue is for people who grew up with the original and wanted an updated look and performance it's very annoying that for all the things they gave options for they did not do the same for the UI. Even you have some issues with some things like you said so it's not as if you can't see where they are coming from and it is huge blunder on Feral's part not to already have UI options that make it more like the original and while some things they added are nice and I would keep it would be better if they gave options for a classic UI.

One thing I am really hoping they fix however is the ability for win 7 users to actually get it to run and stop blocking it. Why a game recent TW game like Troy can do it yet the Remaster of a 2004 game cannot is simply unacceptable and something I hope Feral decide against later like the AOE2 HD edition did.

[Leonardo]

Thankfully, Steam granted me a refund, and I will watch and see if mods can rectify the UI situation.

That's becuase of the EU legislation.

[Dismounted Feudal Knight]

You can like it if you want but the issue is for people who grew up with the original and wanted an updated look and performance it's very annoying that for all the things they gave options for they did not do the same for the UI. Even you have some issues with some things like you said so it's not as if you can't see where they are coming from and it is huge blunder on Feral's part not to already have UI options that make it more like the original and while some things they added are nice and I would keep it would be better if they gave options for a classic UI.

One thing I am really hoping they fix however is the ability for win 7 users to actually get it to run and stop blocking it. Why a game recent TW game like Troy can do it yet the Remaster of a 2004 game cannot is simply unacceptable and something I hope Feral decide against later like the AOE2 HD edition did.

Everyone has different problems and you must understand that priorities will certainly range between people. JoC understanding the nature of your issue does not mean he shares your urgency to change it or agreement that it is a blunder. Personally I don't have too much to complain about the UI; it is different and unfamiliar, but functional while taking less space, which I suppose is what a UI can ask for especially under modern philosophy. Not as easy to make a toggle for the layout of the game vs more 'closed loop' mechanics and stats, especially if they built new things into said UI. At the very least I wouldn't expect it to be swappable immediately.

If it was an objective loss in performance and serious decline in style I'd agree it's more of an issue if I like it or not. If it is not a performance hit, has actual advantages and the main complaint is more familiarity and layout that closer resembles what Total War has gone for lately anyways, I can't say it's a very big issue as someone who personally played games prior to Rome 1, let alone Rome 1 and Medieval 2. The UI is controversial to a point, but lets set a boundary - the opinion is mixed and in no way is an objective split where people who grew up with it will hate the new interface and liking the new one is just because people are only familiar with it.

I suspect the 10 only issue is because Feral added things that pulled straight out of libraries only built into Windows 10. A bit lazy if CA in general likes to be backwards compatible. We'll have to see if Feral will change this or people find a workaround.

[Septentrionalis]

I read a couple of reviews finally and watched a Let's Play video, and I think that the UI problems will be a dealbreaker.

There was another video, a funny one by the Spiffing Brit, about how to conquer half the map and make millions in just a few turns simply because the AI is unable to reject even the most outrageously unfavorable terms in negotatioations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FqUxeKGJ3k

[Sarissofoi]

I am just salty that it not work under Windows 7. Even when other TW games work perfectly. I get why Win7 could not get support but why block it completely? Alongside with Win 8.1.

[NostalgiaFan]

Everyone has different problems and you must understand that priorities will certainly range between people.

Not in this case when the UI is one of the most talked about issues people have with the Remaster.

JoC understanding the nature of your issue does not mean he shares your urgency to change it or agreement that it is a blunder.

That was never my point and it seems you read something only you see in my post. I stated since even he himself has some issues with the UI despite being positive he can understand why not having even a choice should be even more annoying to people who are negative to it.

Personally I don't have too much to complain about the UI; it is different and unfamiliar, but functional while taking less space, which I suppose is what a UI can ask for especially under modern philosophy.

And see here is what I say, the modern philosophy. I am sorry but you liking it does not make it perfect nor make it a justified stance for Feral to not have an option for a classic UI as shown by the large negative reception to it across the internet. You can say it's functional but UI being only functional is never a sign of it being good, it's just meh. Having to click on multiple tabs to see stuff that was more easily seen with less is just being more unintuitive than the original and with less style. Not being able to just see what money your settlements are making at a glance without having to click on it is simply worse than original, having to click twice simply to see event messages is simply worse, having such a small scale UI that makes it harder to read even on higher scaling just for "more space" is simply worse. Why do we NEED to see more of the map when we are looking at the details of a specific settlement, not the rest of our faction? People who use "wasted space" arguments never seem to answer this question, they just assume if we are not seeing a lot of the map it is bad but settlement details are suppose to tell us all we need to know about the settlement, who cars about the rest of the map, that's for other things like moving armies and stuff, if I need to see settlement details, make that quick to click and show me what I need to see instead of making it longer and more tedious. Shogun 2 is an example of finding a good middle ground between Rome 1 and the newer titles that has not been matched since than, why could they not take a few lessons from that one?

I mean I don't think it is the worst UI, it's better than Rome 2's but that was a nadir for TW UI in general so it is not saying much.

Not as easy to make a toggle for the layout of the game vs more 'closed loop' mechanics and stats, especially if they built new things into said UI. At the very least I wouldn't expect it to be swappable immediately.

Yeah no can't buy that. The only new editions to the Ui is the agent tab, instant transferable retinues, and Rome 2 style strategic map and overlay, which are things I don't see being out of bounds with the older UI, much less just taking the rest and giving it an updated HD look.

If it was an objective loss in performance and serious decline in style I'd agree

Which it is, as others have already said it just makes you have to put in more clicks and is generally harder to read and see how things are than the original.

If it is not a performance hit, has actual advantages and the main complaint is more familiarity and layout that closer resembles what Total War has gone for lately anyways, I can't say it's a very big issue as someone who personally played games prior to Rome 1, let alone Rome 1 and Medieval 2.

As someone who has played Shogun 1 all the way to Shogun 2 it has more disadvantageous than advantages. The layout is not just worse than Rome 1, it's worse than other newer UI's that were used in games like Shogun 2 and is all around more annoying to get through even when you are familiar because you need to go through more clicks just to see what you previously could with less.

The UI is controversial to a point, but lets set a boundary - the opinion is mixed and in no way is an objective split where people who grew up with it will hate the new interface and liking the new one is just because people are only familiar with it.

Dude, have you been reading the forums lately, have you been watching any videos? On almost every TW forum discussing the game there are complaint threads by the dozens all about how much they hate the new UI and how annoying it is. The comments are usually in agreement and even the ones who are fine with it say it still has issues while a small minority only ever say they prefer it. You are really underestimating the reception when it is anything but "mixed", it is overwhelmingly negative even for people who like the Remaster. Not having it as an option for classic UI is a honest to god blunder that Feral should have paid more attention to before launch.

I suspect the 10 only issue is because Feral added things that pulled straight out of libraries only built into Windows 10.

Nonsense like I already said if Troy can run no way in hell the Remaster could not. This is something I would not put on Feral and more on CA since it makes no sense to have a lock on a remaster for a game that has a larger amount of pre win 10 users than most other titles baring Med 2.

[Dhamon]

Nice thread to vent out some frustration with the remaster.

For me it's the UI the main culprit. I played for 1h but I couldn't get to like it. It's just too counter intuitive with everything crammed on the screen.
UI elements and text scale bad, and my eyes were hurting after only 1h of squeezing to read the small pop-in boxes


I really cannot understand why they had to remove the income/PO city view, with nice immediate graphics and icons, and substitute it with an horrible excel spreadsheet

One steam user said it well:

In the original Rome, if you wanted to see the description + stats + abilities of a unit or building you just right-click it and it's all right there in one window. In the remaster you have to click 3 times and then wait for an out-of-game wiki to load.

In the original, if you wanna see city management stuff, you just open the city management window from the city window, and there it all is, on your left, all in one window, all presented in such a way that you don't even need to read anything to understand what's happening in that city, just a quick glance at the little icons was enough. In the remaster it's all spread out in several windows all over the screen.

Family tree. In the original you just open it and there it is, the whole family. You can right-click on anybody in that tree and bring up their information window. In the remaster you have two family trees. One small one for that man's family and a larger one for ALL your generals and family members. Why does that first one even exist? It's just not needed. And why can't I right-click someone from the large family tree and go right to their information window?

In the original you could right-click your city tab to see a list of all cities in your empire. From here, if you right-clicked on a city from the list, it brought up its interaction window and you could do everything you needed to do from there, all in that window. Build, recruit, see governor stats, public order, set taxes, all in one window. In the remaster it's all over the screen. Governor is on the left, taxes are in a separate window, building and recruitment on the right, public order somewhere else... it's all over the damn place.

I would also mention the general trait view, which is now just a boring list with trait and ancillaries crammed into two columns (despite ancillaries being always less than traits)

And the agent UI. They removed the hoover tooltips for agent actions. And now you have to interact with a minuscule menu list at the corner of the screen just to make an action.

Despite my love for RTW1, I really cannot make myself accept this, and I will refund if they don't announce a fix

[Basileos Leandros I]

I did not like the UI from the first announcement, so I just skipped on buying Rome TW Remastered.

It was a fairly easy decision for me, so I will stick to the original RTW.

[J1N6666]

The UI is absolutely atrocious... Idk how anyone thinks a mobile UI is the way to go for PC nowadays.

[zzzms]

UI - Disappointing and confusing clickfest, that ruins the flow.
Pathfinding in cities - Maximum disappointment!
Spacebar to toggle speed of campaign movement - Disappointing [I am aware of R, but it returns to default slow every new turn, which ruins the flow of the game].
The Followers thing - Totally unnecessary disappointment.
Removal of Preference file - Very disappointing.
Having to scroll down the Finance page - Disappointingly useless, it's much easier and quicker if it is all on one page, like the original.
Mind-numbingly bland achievement choices [should they work, I'm still waiting for my 1000hrs on Rome2. I have 1552hrs and several others besides] - Disappointing.