Wishes for Medieval II: Total War

[Vympel]

I ignored Shogun: Total War altogether because though it was the game that started the Total War phenommenon, it's hampered by a lack of unit variety (since all the factions except the Mongols in the expansion have identical units, since you're all Daimyo's on Japan) that would just make look any new version extremely weak compared to Medieval and Rome.

So, my wishlist- this is aside from the obvious continued graphical improvements.

1. Improved unit sizes. Even if you cranked up the unit size to huge on Rome, a full stack army was still, depending on the historical time period, far smaller than real-life legions. Make the options big enough so that you can emulate the amounts of men that took place in typical battles exactly rather than being a maybe faithful, maybe not representation.

2. Retain the family tree from Rome: Total War. It works perfectly for the Kings, Sultans and Emperors of the time period.

3. Improve the Roman Empire's (Eastern) unit options in the late game. You had very few options in the late game as the Byzantine Greeks because of the historical of Byzantine's decline by the "Late" Age or whatever it was called (I can't remember). This is perfectly fine if you're starting a game in the "Late" Age, but if you're playing a full game from 1087 all the way to 1453, then there is an overwhelming liklihood that decline of Constantinople in the face of the Ottoman Turks (and the sacking of Constantinople by Crusaders, for that matter) simply will not happen. It sucked in Medieval having to stick with obsolete Kataphraktoi and similar units when everyone else gets some improved options.

I don't care- speculate!

4. Add some blood splatter and other gory effects to the battles. Make it look like a scene out of Braveheart or something. The addition of wounded men crawling around after the fighting between two units is over would be awesome.

5. Bring back the rousing speeches from the original Rome. They really cheaped out on BI by not giving you the same quality of speeches that depended on the enemy you were fighting and the traits of the general.

6. Improve marching speeds to be more in line with what troops were actually capable of. It shouldn't take several years to get from one city to another.

Anyone got some other ideas?

[The Grim Squeaker]

6)- seconded, fatser marching speeds as well as build speeds and population growth would speed up the game and make it much more accesible (In a good way).

Making the units respond faster and better to in game commands, and having them attack an opponent rather than re group then march slowly at them would be better, I want to swamp an enemy, not run around the bastard

[Ace Pace]

I'm gonna be a DA and attack some points.

1) So you and what PC will run those 10K battles? Download the SPQR mod for Rome 1.2 and see Rome fully utilised, but on large battles it DOES chug.

4) Sales issue here, that M rating really kills sales.

6) Balence, you don't want an army to penetrate your borders to the depth in one turn with no way to stop them?

[Ar-Adunakhor]

Hereditary tracking and attribute inheritence, as well as more attention paid to the marriage and diplomatic side of the game.

This was already in the original, however, your princes only inhereted attributes from the king. With the system I am hoping for, you will be able to pick-and-choose brides/adopted sons from houses with specific characteristics. (such as a high command rating, or acumen rating) Also, while inheriting a kingdom when the line of another monarch died out (through marriage to the king's daughters or some such) was present in the original, actually seeing it happen has taken on a sort of legendary status among the forums. It is almost impossible to have happen, and by all accounts *is* impossible to reliably ensure. I would really like to see a diplomatic aspect, as the middle ages was by no means just rampant slaughter, but also lots of political wheeling and dealing.

[Stark]

That doesn' happen? I haven't played Rome for ages, but when I did I didn't accept people with shit attributes because I didn't want them carrying over.

ALL THOSE GENERALS I NEVER HAD!

[Vympel]

I'm gonna be a DA and attack some points.

1) So you and what PC will run those 10K battles? Download the SPQR mod for Rome 1.2 and see Rome fully utilised, but on large battles it DOES chug.

That's an engine for them to design and me to buy a better PC.

4) Sales issue here, that M rating really kills sales.

I don't believe so- kids with the ability to play and be interested in Rome would only be from about 13 and up, and they'll buy the game anyway. Most sales for this genre are well above 15 anyway.

6) Balence, you don't want an army to penetrate your borders to the depth in one turn with no way to stop them?

Use the current system where units stationed can interdict enemy units by having a red zone around them- and possibly give you the option to auto-attack. That's far preferable to taking half a year to move a few hundred kilometres.

Hereditary tracking and attribute inheritence, as well as more attention paid to the marriage and diplomatic side of the game.

This was already in the original, however, your princes only inhereted attributes from the king. With the system I am hoping for, you will be able to pick-and-choose brides/adopted sons from houses with specific characteristics. (such as a high command rating, or acumen rating) Also, while inheriting a kingdom when the line of another monarch died out (through marriage to the king's daughters or some such) was present in the original, actually seeing it happen has taken on a sort of legendary status among the forums. It is almost impossible to have happen, and by all accounts *is* impossible to reliably ensure. I would really like to see a diplomatic aspect, as the middle ages was by no means just rampant slaughter, but also lots of political wheeling and dealing.

Awesome idea.

That doesn' happen? I haven't played Rome for ages, but when I did I didn't accept people with shit attributes because I didn't want them carrying over.

ALL THOSE GENERALS I NEVER HAD!

Que?

[Ace Pace]

Vympel. I belive Stark is venting because he had no idea heredity was not tracked.

I think the unit issue is less an engine(though it requires AI overhaul, it currently dosn't use many units well) and more of hardware, I'd ask Tycho or Arrow with their monster rigs to test Rome SPQR.

[Vympel]

Vympel. I belive Stark is venting because he had no idea heredity was not tracked.

Ah, I get it. I didn't know the attributes tracked in Medieval- never occured to me, and didn't bother me. The only reason I reject a potential son is because he's too old for the daughter. A 45 year old marrying a 16 year old? Such an old cradle-snatcher only gets in if he's got awesome stats, and the Romans in R:BI never do.

[Ace Pace]

I don't play BI, to be honest I lost my RTW disc(while its installed) and I don't feel like patching it then cracking it. I want my SPQR and 1.2 didn't get cracked.


That reminds me, have you played the SPQR mod? One of the best mods.

[Vympel]

Nah, I don't like mods. If I find one with at least good aspects it always has something that royally pisses me off.

[Ace Pace]

Nah, I don't like mods. If I find one with at least good aspects it always has something that royally pisses me off.

I know the feeling, but SPQR is more then worth it, Check out the readme, click me

[Fire Fly]

If anyone cares, there's a group of modders who are trying to make a Medieval II, per se.

Link

[EmperorSolo51]

I would love to see Crusading Units in battle Carry the Relic of the True Cross into Battle and not just carry it on the Global map outside of Battle. The Relic of True Cross should give Crusading Armies imporoved fighting ability in battle.