Empire: Total War

[MasterBlaster76]

Well, it's out.

Empire: Total War (PC) at Gameplay - FREE UK Delivery

Has anyone bought the full game yet; what are your first impressions? Going by the demo, I think it'll be great. I love the sea battles, they're like a more complex version of 'Sid Meier's Pirates!' but with more than one ship.

Also, how will it run on my PC (it hasn't been added to 'Can you RUN it' yet) ?

 

[Dr. Pepper]

Is this from the makers of Rome: Total War? That was one of my all time favourite games.

 

[Highlander999]

Just don't. My mate has bought it and he has an amazing computer. It looks way too good. I am buying myself a new computer in the summer, just for this game. If your computer can run it, and you like history, this is a must

 

[Dr. Pepper]

It is .

This game looks absolute class, shame my PC won't do the game justice .

 

[khan31]

I'm hoping it will run at 1440x900 with some AA+AF on my system (4870,[email protected],4GB RAM,Vista64). I got Medieval Total War years ago and loved it. Never got another of their games since though.

 

[pingusten]

I've owned it since release last week, probably the best PC game I've played since Crysis Warhead. The new campaign map is a joy to behold, and diplomacy is so much more in depth than previous edition. The addition of a tech tree where you research new strategies is important this time too, and gaining 'Fire by rank' is just as important as researching Egalitarianism within the state.

I've currently got a campaign going with the British. Immediately I turned on the Danes - they had a good trade network which looked takeable, and Copenhagen was important to the Scandenavian infrastructure. After a long and bloody campaign over there, which involved me taking 4 full stack armies across, and losing 13,000 men, I eventually triumped over the remaining Danes and took Copenhagen. Immediately, the Swedes piped up that they wanted the city, surrounded it with 4 full stack armies, and threatened War if they didnt get it. I bartered with them and got 11,000 gold into the deal, but lost the trade income. As a result, I'm now floundering in debt and my military camapaigns in India have been similarly unsuccesful.

Overall, its a strategy masterpeice. Every action has a consequence, and the new battle mechanics work a treat.

My new snazzy laptop (9800M GT, 4GB RAM, P8600 2.4ghz D2, Vista x64) runs it on Ultra, with 4xAA and 16xAF, and it looks lovely. A couple of screens for you, from my fleeting advance into India.

And my Army in nightfall on the desert.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Is this from the makers of Rome: Total War? That was one of my all time favourite games.

It certainly is, matey! And so is Medieval 2 Total War, and the Gold Edition which comes with the expansion Kingdoms, is excellent value:

Medieval II - Total War Gold Edition (PC) at Gameplay - FREE UK Delivery

if you missed them the first time round. Also, if you like Lord of the Rings, this game + expansion are a must, as there is a great sounding Lord of the Rings mod in the works for MTW2, head here for more info:

Total War Center Forums - Powered by vBulletin

and have a search!

 

[Tanmay]

Is it a turn based game?I played Civilization 4 which was a turned based one but didnt like the concept of turns,but due to the reputation of Total War series I will certainly think of buying it.Oh and the Graphics are brilliant BTW what are Minimum System Requirements?
Mine is
Core 2 Duo 3.00Ghz
8600 GT 512mb
2Gb Ram
Win XP Sp3

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Is it a turn based game?I played Civilization 4 which was a turned based one but didnt like the concept of turns,but due to the reputation of Total War series I will certainly think of buying it.Oh and the Graphics are brilliant BTW what are Minimum System Requirements?
Mine is
Core 2 Duo 3.00Ghz
8600 GT 512mb
2Gb Ram
Win XP Sp3

In some ways, the map section is (going by other Total War games) similar to Civilisation, but while I could never really get into that game, I can easily spend hours on the map screen alone in Total War and that's before a battle kicks off...

 

[Tanmay]

My main question is that is it turn based game?cause i hate turn concept so did i hate Civilization 4.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

My main question is that is it turn based game?cause i hate turn concept so did i hate Civilization 4.

The map is turn based (you do all you want on the map within set movement point limits - to represent distance troops can march etc - and then click end turn, which advances time by six months), but the battles are most certainly real time! It's basically a double layer cake if you like. One layer is the turn based map, where all strategic/diplomatic/economic decisions are made, but as soon as two armies meet, it'll zoom into that area and you'll be taken to a battlefield that is generated based on the exact topography (I think that's the right word) of the part of the map you were on. Oh and of course, there are now the new sea battles, which I liked a lot in the demo.

If you're not too sure, pick up Rome Total War, or Medieval 2 Total War to get a feel of what the map sections would be like, that way if you don't like them, you wouldn't have spent too much money. I think you'll like though. As I said, I could never get into the Civ games, but got into TW very quickly indeed and am prepared for Empire to hook me back in all over again. I found the map sections in the TW games far better, easier to understand and more fun than the Civilisation games.

@Anyone who's got the game, have they retained the funny little sayings that units had on the campaign map? You know, like 'I've tried whipping them M'Lord, but the men are spent'. I loved those and would be a little disappointed if they've dropped them for Empire. And have they learnt from their mistakes from MTW2 and not had battles start with both sides stuck up the side of a mountain somewhere?

 

[Dare]

currently playing Stainless Steel : Medieval 2 Total War expansion but I plan on getting this game sometime after the summer.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Stainless Steel is a MTW2 mod, not an expansion. If you're into mods though and you like Lord of the Rings, you need to read this:

http://www.planetcricket.org/forums/entertainment/do-you-love-51779.html

 

[Dare]

Stainless Steel is a MTW2 mod, not an expansion. If you're into mods though and you like Lord of the Rings, you need to read this:

http://www.planetcricket.org/forums/entertainment/do-you-love-51779.html

mod/expansions same crap lol.

and yea heard about that lord of the rings one, should be interesting when it comes out. I will definitely give it a try.

 

[angryangy]

If you don't like to read a lot of text; the whole Total War series is a combination of both a turn based strategy map and a real time battle map.

The game is more designed for a person to play turn based and ignore the real time elements than the other way around. The Battle Map is a lot harder, it's not like Dune 2 style games such as Command & Conquer or Starcraft; it is very realistic in terms of manoeuvres. Sun Tzu's The Art of War is very applicable.

To be honest, if you're not into Civ, you should just look elsewhere. It is a game requiring a lot of thought.