Empire: Total War review - experience thread

[Raesene]

So far, I like it - the only bugs that is lowering my opinion is the inability of the AI to transport troops by sea and the lack of prizes after ships surrender.

My system handles (my as yet unmodded) Empire quite well, I had about five CTDs so far - much better than Civ IV which showed the terrain in black before the first patch and crashed more often. I played the Austrians (on very easy, was my test run) until about 1770, I quit then to increase the difficulty level, choosing Britain for a short campaign. Right now I'm enlarging the USA. End of turns in this case take more time, but the important other factions are also larger than in my previous games.

Regarding the delays:
I installed Steam on my system partition, and as I wasn't asked for drive to install the game, it also went there. After saving a lot due to the threat of CTDs, the game became slower and slower - the reason: lack of free disk space. I deleted about 60 savegames (after having to look for the hidden savegame-folder), freed ~1.5 GB of space and the game is back at its old speed again.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Has anyone played against each other online yet?

I tried out a ranked 2v2 for the heck of it, and acquitted myself fairly well considering it was my first multiplayer Total War battle. That and my teammate was a complete retard. Even though I lost, I slaughtered a good chunk of both the enemies' troops (they were clan mates and probably on Vent or something from the look of it). As I'd anticipated, they just spammed a shitload of super-elite unit types and high end cavalry, including those unique French artillery units. I just built a 'normal' army of line infantry, a couple light infantry and dragoon units, a couple howitzers and foot artillery units, and a general, with all the excess points going into giving my infantry a bunch of veterancy. Result? Dead elite units.

In the end, I was only whittled down and overwhelmed because I was fighting two enemies together, since my teammate deployed on the other side of the map, immediately charged into the enemy and died.

[wautd]

So how do you unlock all factions? I finished the campaign but I still can only choose between the standard stock

[Darth Tanner]

So how do you unlock all factions? I finished the campaign but I still can only choose between the standard stock

You can't. At least as far as I'm aware the devs left that out. Someone has released a mod that enables you to play as anyone in a battle, but campaigns are unavailable at the moment. Sweet progress!

I have to admit that I've simply stopped playing this game aswell. I finished a campaign as Britain without much opposition, it was simply a matter of fighting that eternal risk of crashing that kept it interesting and have no real inclination to start another until the ai gets a mod/patch. It probably doesn't help I have to run it on minimum performance and lowest resolution just to get a double figure fps rate.

I just built a 'normal' army of line infantry, a couple light infantry and dragoon units

I never saw the purpose of dragoon units. The amount of time it takes to mount/dismount you'll be lucky to get a single salvo off before your swamped by pikemen or natives and line infantry just butcher you. The only use I found was they were the only cavalry I could recruit in the majority of my early settlements.

And why the hell has Queen Victoria taken the throne in 1732!

[CmdrWilkens]

I just built a 'normal' army of line infantry, a couple light infantry and dragoon units

I never saw the purpose of dragoon units. The amount of time it takes to mount/dismount you'll be lucky to get a single salvo off before your swamped by pikemen or natives and line infantry just butcher you. The only use I found was they were the only cavalry I could recruit in the majority of my early settlements.

And why the hell has Queen Victoria taken the throne in 1732!

On Dragoons the their information blurb mentioned that they are highly effective at crowd control and I've noticed that they tend to add more points to supression that would make sense just based on troop numbers so I've used them as a way to help garrison towns and keep the populace happier.

[ray245]

Perhaps the SD.net should host an online match sometime soon? I would love to play against Thanas and Stark(if he bought the game) .

Also, I keep getting this CTD bug(whenever I click on one of my major naval hospital ports) the game crashes.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

1. There is a mod out that unlocks all factions for the grand campaign, with a couple minor issues. It's been out a few weeks, so even those issues might be resolved by now.

2. Dragoons are excellent. In addition to being Britain's only worthwhile light cavalry (they do not get most of the cavalry types other nations do), they're an extremely versatile unit and make for excellent reserve troops. They can be positioned on the flanks and serve as able light cavalry, or held in reserve as either quick-response cavalry or reinforcing infantry for a weak spot in the line. Unit fatigue is particularly brutal in E:TW compared to previous titles (no more super-stamina legionaries or robust knights) and exhausted units fight like shit, so they also make good relief troops if your line infantry are being worn down by fatigue and attrition.

Light Dragoons are even better - they can fire their carbines as well as skirmish while mounted, in addition to having better stats than standard Dragoons. Not only does this improve their light cavalry capabilities, but they can now also serve as ranged cavalry. The only downside is that they're relatively poor dismounted (though not particularly worse than regular Dragoons).

I swear by Dragoons, and never go anywhere without at least two units in anything approaching an ideal army.

PS -

I've also had Queen Victoria. William III died on about turn 3 and was replaced by Victoria, and I still have her in the mid 1750s now. She just won't die.

[RogueIce]

So can you name units and/or armies and ships/fleets? I remember BI had that half-assed "Legio I Italica" crap, so I was wondering if they'd let you name units. So you can have The Queen's Own Royal Lancers or something like that.

[ray245]

So can you name units and/or armies and ships/fleets? I remember BI had that half-assed "Legio I Italica" crap, so I was wondering if they'd let you name units. So you can have The Queen's Own Royal Lancers or something like that.

You get to name individual units, but not a entire stack. For example, you can name one unit as the '1st Royal Regiment' or even weird names like '1st Space Marine Chapter' if you want to. I just wish there is a better list for us to organize the armies better.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Most units come with a default name, which can be changed at your discretion. For example, training 5 units of line infantry after having trained 31 units of infantry previously will yield the 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th, and 36th Regiment of Foot. Those names can be edited as you wish; I like to rename units when they've achieved 3 or 4 chevrons of veterancy, so for example I changed the name of the 29th Regiment of Foot to the 29th 'Hellbringers'. Generals' bodyguards come with no default name, so I find this makes them an ideal place for the name of the army. If I recruit a new general to lead those 5 infantries and it gives me, say, John Maxwell, I'll usually name his bodyguard Maxwell's Brigade (which has the added benefit of telling me who the general is within a tactical battle, since it doesn't otherwise say).

Naval units work similarly. Each newly built or captured vessel is given a somewhat-random name based upon your nation, which can then be changed if you wish. Admirals work differently, in that they can either be recruited via special "Admiral's Flagship" 5th, 3rd, or 1st rates which have slightly modified stats, in which case the new flagship is issued another semi-random name as any other vessel, or an admiral can be directly promoted from a vessel's captain, making that vessel the flagship of the fleet (but without the modified stats, and allowing you a wider selection of flagships, i.e. any vessel you want - so you can have a sloop lead a fleet of 1st rates if you really want to do that). Said vessel retains its original name unless you change it.

[defanatic]

So can you name units and/or armies and ships/fleets? I remember BI had that half-assed "Legio I Italica" crap, so I was wondering if they'd let you name units. So you can have The Queen's Own Royal Lancers or something like that.

You get to name individual units, but not a entire stack. For example, you can name one unit as the '1st Royal Regiment' or even weird names like '1st Space Marine Chapter' if you want to. I just wish there is a better list for us to organize the armies better.

I had the "Tea Leaves Appreciation Society" for my best rifle infantry unit in India.

[Darth Tanner]

they can fire their carbines as well as skirmish while mounted

Really! I didn't know that, I thought that from the unit description that all dragoons needed to dismount.

newly built or captured vessel is given a somewhat-random name based upon your nation, which can then be changed if you wish.

It was a real pain for me putting HMS in front of every ship I built/captured but ultimately worth it. But the result was good. I'd probably say that the individual unit names was the best new feature in the entire game, especially at sea. Knowing that that ship that’s going up against three frigates is your HMS Adamant creates much more emotional attachment than just 'generic ship of the line No. 5654 has sunk, oh well train 12 more at port B'.

[Darth Wong]

It was a real pain for me putting HMS in front of every ship I built/captured but ultimately worth it. But the result was good. I'd probably say that the individual unit names was the best new feature in the entire game, especially at sea. Knowing that that ship that’s going up against three frigates is your HMS Adamant creates much more emotional attachment than just 'generic ship of the line No. 5654 has sunk, oh well train 12 more at port B'.

Huh. I went the opposite way, and treated armies and navies as totally disposable assets. It's so easy to quickly train up large forces that you can do this without too much trouble. Oops, that army got wiped out? Oh well, let's train up another horde of cheap basic line infantry and throw them into the meat grinder.

[Darth Tanner]

Oh indeed I never bothered with infantry. Once I took over India and had about 200 units of Sepoys running about it was practically impossible to care how many men died. But I did like to rename units with higher impact, 'Royal 3rd Artillery Brigade' for example were an elite unite of cannons with over 600 kills to their credit and the "Pointy Stick Crew" were the sole remaining unit of pike men on the map, tasked with the vital objective of securing Scotland.

Which reminds me of an issue I had in the early game, has anyone actually seen pike men using pikes? Whenever I used them/slaughtered them they hold their pikes in the air and use a sword in the good old fashioned Total War style of all pike men.

[Minischoles]

It was a real pain for me putting HMS in front of every ship I built/captured but ultimately worth it. But the result was good. I'd probably say that the individual unit names was the best new feature in the entire game, especially at sea. Knowing that that ship that’s going up against three frigates is your HMS Adamant creates much more emotional attachment than just 'generic ship of the line No. 5654 has sunk, oh well train 12 more at port B'.

Huh. I went the opposite way, and treated armies and navies as totally disposable assets. It's so easy to quickly train up large forces that you can do this without too much trouble. Oops, that army got wiped out? Oh well, let's train up another horde of cheap basic line infantry and throw them into the meat grinder.

Same. You can train 10 units of infantry in 2 turns in some cities, so with a load of cities you can army spam.

And the late game basically devolves into that anyway. For example as UP versus Great Britain, they have every single one of their cities surronded by 3-5 full stack armies, so to face them you basically have to spam the same amount back at them. Taking over America for instance, I had to send in 30 odd armies. Its not worth renaming any units, because they die so easily its not worth it, Entire armies can be wiped out in a turn.

Which reminds me of an issue I had in the early game, has anyone actually seen pike men using pikes? Whenever I used them/slaughtered them they hold their pikes in the air and use a sword in the good old fashioned Total War style of all pike men.

I've seen them, but only when you invade an enemy spot that still has the original starting army in it (London, France, Spain). I've personally never used them except in the very very early game, when the enemy don't have ranked fire yet, since once they get in close they can cause a lot of damage.

[Thanas]

Which reminds me of an issue I had in the early game, has anyone actually seen pike men using pikes? Whenever I used them/slaughtered them they hold their pikes in the air and use a sword in the good old fashioned Total War style of all pike men.

That is because the AI is too stupid to realize that pikes are not used for melee attack (their values are too low, for whatever crackpot reason CA has decided), but as a defensive force.

They are excellent for protecting cannon and anti - cavalry when properly deployed, btw.

Use them the following way - unless you already have enough money to just spam line infantry - put them behind the cannon. When the enemy approaches, have them run in front of the cannon and then assume the speer wall formation.

Watch the enemy get skewered. Especially fun against cavalry. After the melee battle has been won, retreat them behind the cannon. Rince and repeat.

[Thanas]

Oh, and to all the fuckers who said Steam would work in the offline modus:

Guess what my monitor for outgoing connections shows - Steam trying to contact Valve and a certain Limelight networks LLC.

So...despite me having it launched in the offline modus, it still tries to contact Valve, no matter what I tell it, and still uses my bandwith and money.

[wautd]

an elite unite of cannons with over 600 kills to their credit

Where can you look up the amount of unit kills? Or was that just an estimate?

[Darth Tanner]

Where can you look up the amount of unit kills? Or was that just an estimate?

Just an estimate from adding together the after battle reports of 7 consecutive battles I fought in India where full stack armies just kept coming at me in single line.

So...despite me having it launched in the offline modus, it still tries to contact Valve, no matter what I tell it, and still uses my bandwith and money.

I've had it install Steam updates while I've been in 'off line' mode. Can you not turn off your internet while playing?

[Thanas]

Not if I want to download data at the same time and bridge the waiting period with a little gaming, no.

[wautd]

Where can you look up the amount of unit kills? Or was that just an estimate?

Just an estimate from adding together the after battle reports of 7 consecutive battles I fought in India where full stack armies just kept coming at me in single line.

Pity, I would loved to have that option

[Darth Wong]

Not if I want to download data at the same time and bridge the waiting period with a little gaming, no.

You want to download data without being on-line? Doesn't that sound like a rather odd expectation?

[Thanas]

Not if I want to download data at the same time and bridge the waiting period with a little gaming, no.

You want to download data without being on-line? Doesn't that sound like a rather odd expectation?

Of course, because every data I download is handled over steam....

Seriously, I do not have that much time for gaming, so I usually only try to game when I cannot work anymore. One such case is when I need to download stuff before continuing to work on it (like a gigabyte of inscription photos).

[Darth Wong]

Of course, because every data I download is handled over steam....

Ah, right. I forgot about Internet porn.

Seriously, I do not have that much time for gaming, so I usually only try to game when I cannot work anymore. One such case is when I need to download stuff before continuing to work on it (like a gigabyte of inscription photos).

Yeah, I occasionally download a gigabyte of "photos" too

[Thanas]

Lol. Yeah...but in my case the photos are decidedly less...enticing.

Unless you like large grey stones shot from every angle...