StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Which are worth while, I've been googling like hell and every mod seems to claim its the best, while its fan-bois slag off every other mod. Not trusting any of those dicks as far as I could throw them, I thought I'd bring up this topic once more.

Which mod is the best to give a good, authentic experience for Rome: TW (without BI installed).

I really like the new version of the Rome Total Realism mod. I hated the older version, but the 6.0 one is really excellent.

I'm not sure if there is a BI version, but you cannot beat SPQR for normal RTW rome oriented gameplay.

The RTR is unbelievably professional in its presentation, with completely re-done graphics and even music. It's a stunning transformation when you consider the fact that it's all fan-made, because it looks like it could have easily been an expansion pack from the original software developer.

Having said that, its long build times annoy me, so I edited the export_descr_buildings.txt file to cut the build times for all structures in half. Mind you, I do that with vanilla RTW as well. I just don't think it should take several years to build one structure.

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote: the 6.0 one is really excellent.

Hmm, perhaps I should try it. Picked up the previous version again last month (RTW is a lifesaver when you're out of internet during vacation). Does it also has the things that made SPQR so great? (as in longer lasting battles and huuuge units sizes)

Not sure about the unit sizes, but the battles do last longer, and enemy stacks don't insta-route when you flank them. Those were two things I actually hated about RTR, and still don't like about most other mods.

When I charge cavalry into the rear of an enemy's formation, I don't want to see the enemy take 5 casualties, and then turn around and start inflicting huge losses on my horsemen while still doing well against my infantry. That was my biggest problem with "realism" mods. But the 6.0 version of RTR fixes it so that a cavalry charge will cause huge initial losses against an unprepared stack, but then they will fight back, so cavalry is not the be-all-end-all of units like it is in vanilla RTW, but it's not completely worthless like in previous versions of the mod.

I'm not sure which version of RTR I was using (I haven't played Rome in some time) but rear strikes with cavalry was the basis of all my tactics, and I never played vanilla. It must work in *some* version of RTR.

It does work in the 6.0 versions. That's why I changed my opinion of the mod, and now prefer it to vanilla.

Darth Wong wrote:The RTR is unbelievably professional in its presentation, with completely re-done graphics and even music. It's a stunning transformation when you consider the fact that it's all fan-made, because it looks like it could have easily been an expansion pack from the original software developer.

Having said that, its long build times annoy me, so I edited the export_descr_buildings.txt file to cut the build times for all structures in half. Mind you, I do that with vanilla RTW as well. I just don't think it should take several years to build one structure.

Is it possible for you to host that file somewhere so I can grab it? So, I can be a slack bitch and just not edit it myself.

The fucking build times drive me mad in R:TW - not just the structures either - why the hell does it take six fucking months to raise a SINGLE unit even from a massive city?

weemadando wrote:The fucking build times drive me mad in R:TW - not just the structures either - why the hell does it take six fucking months to raise a SINGLE unit even from a massive city?

Get SPQR, puts build times for units at 0, meaning that you can raise 8 units per turn in each city.

The reason why it takes 6 months to raise a single cohort (the real romans raised one legion in that time) is game mechanics. Keeps things simple. I would have loved a build time of .25 for most units, meaning 4 units per city per turn. Higher end units would take .5 turns to build. But that's just my ideal world.

Europa Barbarum is a mod far better researched than RTR historically, with many intriguing script changes and more interesting units, but is far from finished in its beta form because of its great Ambition (capital A, like Caesar's Ambition).

For example, the Roman army has 3 reforms - Camellian (from the defeat of Eprius to second punic war), Polybian (from the later stages of the second punic war to the reforms of Gaius Marius) and Marian. In the Camellian style the velites have not yet been organized as such - there were leeves, rorarii and asceni, and the Triarii still fought in phalanx formation. The Polybian reforms scrap the leeves/rorarri/asceni and gives it Velites, and the Triarii lose the phalanx. Of course, there are controversial decisions, like scrapping 3 of the 4 Roman factions and having truly naked Gasetae.

It's also much more difficult and your starting terrorities are smaller. For example, the "Gauls" faction has been scrapped in favor of the Aedui and Averni tribes (you play either; they're both full factions) and the rest of the Gaul is inhibited by 'rebel' tribes. Since the Gauls rarely acted in concert most of the timeline of RTW, certainly much less in unity than the Romans, having two Gaullic tribes is arguably more realistic than 4 Roman factions tied by peace at the beginning.

On the other hand, it's a beta, and it will crash. A huge flaw here.

RTR 6.0 crashed when it first came out, too.

Having said that, Europa Barbaroum is nowhere near complete. Even though the structure might be there, there's a long way to go before all the content is there (4 government types for the Swêbōz, but lacking full descriptions, for instance).

For people expecting a polished product, a la RTR, I'd have to say EB's not quite done yet.

http://lordz.thelordz.co.uk

They're producing Napoleonic: Total War 2 for R:TW.

N:TW 1 was pretty fun.

If you want to play a new, crazy game, you should try resettling a faction in vanilla R:TW. You basically Horde your faction BI style and settle someplace else, preferably far away enough that you'll face factions that you'd otherwise never fight. I read something about settling the Carthaginians in Asia Minor. It sounds like it could be interesting for certain factions.