Rome: Total Realism

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Good news is that you're getting a new computer out of it!

If it keeps peace in the house blame it all on me 8)

Oskaar,

Well, rather than buy a new computer, since the salesman told me none of the new ones they had would run the game, I went out and got a fancy graphics card (Nvidea 6800?) and installed it last night. The game works! A lot of good stuff in the game. Playing through the prologue is fun. But a bit frustrating in that things move so fast in places. I looked for a speed setting and couldn't find one. Need to play with it some more tonight. I did manage to get to bed before midnight! Such willpower...

Pewter

 

[Oskaar]

That prologue game is a fairly good intro, but it does move a little fast in some places, I had the same experience.

Here's a link to Frogbeastegg's Guide to Rome: Total War:

http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=38382

Lots of great information, and plenty of strategy stuff in there along with some tweaks you can use on the game to make it a bit more user friendly for you.

Have you decided on a faction yet?

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

No faction decision yet... are the Brits a viable faction?

 

[Oskaar]

Not as I remember. The Gauls, Germans, Iberians, and Illyrians are the barbarian factions I remember off the top of my head.

Have a look at rometotalrealism.org because there are ways you can modify the various configuration files to enable the playing of certain factions.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Osakaar,

Consider yourself chastised for introducing me to something that burns so much time! Actually, it has been a godsend since I had the flu for the past three days and needed something to do other than watch soap operas. Doing a basic imperial campaign as the House of Juli? and have defeated Gaul, Greece and Carthage. Am finishing off Spain and starting on the rebel cities in Turkey...

It is interesting how the various factions have different weapons/units. First battle with Macedonians spearmen was a bummer...

Thanks,
Pewter

 

[Oskaar]

Yup,

Them Makedonac are pretty tough customers. I usually pin them with some cheap infantry backed up by some better infantry and roll their line up from the sides with my cavalry. Of course my last campaign was as Makedonija and I made the entire campaign map black. The Selucids and Ptolemies were the toughest factions (damned pachyderms!!) but I buffed up my archers to 6 units and just rained flaming arrows on them until they ran amok! Nothing like the sound of elephants running amok amongst your enemies! LOL

I'm on the last of my turkey too.

Oskaar <----- Thinking of making more stuffing

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Macedonia and Spain fell last night..

I can vacation on any of the islands in the Med since I own them all...

Turkey has fallen into rebellion and the individual cities are falling before my Roman hordes...

Bribery is a good thing... I do hate having to slaughter conquered populations, but they revolt if I spare their lives and just I have to kill them anyway. It's what I get for trying to be nice...

I keep getting told it is time to take Rome. Not sure I want that yet...

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Turkey has been crushed by Rome and her allies...

Egypt is crumbling under assault by Roman cohorts...

And plunder is our friend ! Looting large cities is good for your economy ! ;D ;D ;D

 

[Oskaar]

Hey Pewter,

Addictive isn't it!! Which difficulty setting you using at this point? It's a kick to start up another campaign as a different faction too. I like running the Makedonijans and in Rome Total Realism I like running the Illyrians because the overall campaign difficulty is really high because they're not supposed to be able to take over the world.

Anyhow, it's a totally intense game, I really like it.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Oskaar,

Playing version 1.0? (no patches installed yet) at the default (normal/normal?) setting. My 9 year old is playing easy/easy as the Gauls. My daughter was playing one of the other Roman factions but lost interest and went back to SIMS2. After I win this campaign I will likely install the patches up to v1.2 and look at playing something else. I was thinking being the Brits but might take some faction over in Turkey. Dunno yet but it is addictive!

You still get blamed if my wife complains...

Thanks for the recommendation,
Pewter

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Well, I have my 50 provinces conquered and the next step is Rome. I am assuming that all hell breaks loose when I attack Rome, right? Maybe I should take the two other Roman factional capitals and reduce them to rebels before taking Rome itself? Advice?

 

[Oskaar]

Hey Dude,

I like offing the other factions before I hit Rome, but it works fine either way. You'll pound them to dust without much of a problem. Have you had the Senate send you messages to kill your faction leader? I always tell them to piss-off. That way I can take Rome since they declare you an outlaw when you do that in the Vanilla version.

I hit Rome with a good stack of 20 units mixed missiles, artillery, infantry and cavalry. I also have a couple of my armies close laying siege to the City as well, that way I'll be able to bring up reinforcements if the battle becomes protracted.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

If I take the capitals of the Roman factions, do they fall into rebellions like the barbarians do?

If I take Rome, do I get control of her navies?

 

[Oskaar]

Once you take Rome the SPQR faction is destroyed. You don't get their navies as they become rebels, and the vanquished become rebels as well, or mercenaries. I make sure that I exterminate every man in any army I face. It doesn't stop the rebels, but it helps to cut down on them ones that travel the countryside and sit on the roads.

With cities that riot and then rebel I move my army outside the city gates, let them rebel and take the City, then I go back in and re-take the city and exterminate the population. You can also give the City and some money to another faction, then turn around and re-take it and wipe out the population. Either way you pick up some denari and that's a good thing. Also a large navel presence at all ports in your sphere of influence helps to cut down on rebel activity both at sea and on land.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar

 

[Mu]

Most of my university friends are addicted to this game…..Im yet to get my hands on it, not sure I want the kind of addiction it creates…Then again, Im a university student on holidays, what am I expected to do? <Other than brew and play computer games>

And as for heritage, im one heck of a mutt..

English, German, Swedish, Irish…And im sure im missing a few, but it means I like tea, beer, im good looking, and I talk fast ;D

Mu

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Well, I had my 50 provinces and Rome fell to me as number 51. The crowd cheered, the Senate hailed me as Emperor, and the game ended... kinda anti-climatic...

I started a new campaign, this time as the Greeks. Rapid expansion plus I am a financial powerhouse.

Fighting Brutii? in Sicily and holding my city there with little chance of expansion right now. Hoping that Carthage, which has the 3rd city on Sicily will start fighting the Roman allies and get them off of me...

Macedonia is gone except for some rebel remnants. The core and south end of the Greek peninsula is mine...

Bribing entire cities is fun if you have enough money...

But yes Mu, IT IS ADDICTING !!!!

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Anyone heard anything about Barbarian Invasions for Rome: Total War?

 

[Oskaar]

Yup,

It's really popular. You can actually download mods for the vanilla RTW and apply them. Rome Total Realism is the mod that I play, and there are a ton of them out there. If you go to http://www.totalwar.org/ there are some great threads on modding the game and some great FAQ's on playing the mods, vanilla RTW and threads about strategies, etc.

Great stuff. Have you applied the patches from totalwar.com to your game yet? They increase playability and sharpen up the units.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

My kids have games in process and so I wasn't sure if the mods would ruin them.

I have read the threads you provided earlier and they listed that the 1.2 patch messed up some things. Also 1.3 is supposed to be the patch for those not getting Barbarian Invasion. I am expecting to get it for Christmas since everything else I need I have to buy for myself (CO2 setup, mead filter, etc.).

My second campaign as the Greeks is about 2/3rd's done. The Italians are about finished and I am working on Gaul and Egypt...

I really enjoy the larger battles with the phalanxes of spears although the Romans are the only ones that are a real challenge. I may do my next campaign as Egypt and use the chariots or get someone that has elephants...

Is there a way to relocate your capital?

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Well, the world finished falling to Greece last night or should I say early this morning...

I will probably do a short campaign as Macedonia next... I want to try elephants since I saw what they could do to my Romans the first time...