New Total War Game: Medieval 2 - Electric Boogaloo

[Naked_Lunch]

<strong>[ Game -> Update ]</strong>

<p>It's official, you jerks, <a href="http://www.sega.com/home.php?hsid=235711" target="_self" title="whooess">Sega</a> has <a href="http://www.totalwar.com/community/press.htm" target="_self" title="ANNUNCEM">announced</a> the newest in the revered <a href="http://www.totalwar.com/" target="_self" title="these are the best games ever">Total War</a> series: Medieval 2: Total War. Why they didn't just do Napoleon: Total War is beyond me.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>
Medieval 2: Total WarTM is the latest release from the highly acclaimed
developer, The Creative Assembly, who SEGA made headline news by
acquiring in 2005. The game boasts an impressive array of new graphical
and gameplay enhancements, including the capability for a massive
10,000 dynamic characters to be taken into battle at any one time. On
top of this, The Creative Assembly have implemented a fully redesigned
multiplayer mode that offers a dynamic multi-battle campaign bolstered
by an unprecedented level of visceral combat choreography that reflects
the brutality of medieval warfare.</p>
</blockquote>
<p> Thanks to our forum friend Vasikka for finding the link so I wouldn't have to!
</p>

 

[Shagnak]

Ooooo...some purty screenshots:
http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/medi ... tml#latest

 

[VasikkA]

Here's some more:
http://media.pc.ign.com/media/800/800327/imgs_1.html

From a graphical point of view, I like the more individualized units. I wonder if it runs as smoothly as RTW. The interface needs some polishing too, maybe Civ-like overview/management screens.

 

[Jason]

I always get excited when I see screenshots like these (and especially Rise of Legends), but then I remember that my computer would laugh and piss in my face if I tried to play such a game. Graphics cards don't grow on trees.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

I wonder if they'll still be able to render as many units as they could before without requiring an uber machine.

Reading more about this game and with it's combo moves and rehashing of setting, I don't like the way it's headed.

 

[S4ur0n27]

I liked Medieval better than Rome.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

So did everyone else with an IQ over 76.

 

[S4ur0n27]

O rely? That's not the impression I had.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Well, not a lot of people have high IQs, susan my dear.

 

[LlamaGod]

Once Rome: Total Realism 7.0 comes out, it'll be worth trying to play Rome again.

I havent played Total War in awhile because of all the bullshit Creative Assembly pulled about not patching and being giant money whores.

I kinda want to give Medieval 2 a chance because I really like Medieval 1 and I used to be a pretty huge fan of the series, but I dont know if the game will actually be any good or not. I have my doubts.

Just thinking about the series irks me a little, it reminds me how retarded developers have become.

 

[S4ur0n27]

I like the board-like style of Shogun and Medieval, and also the role played by your princes and princess in Medieval.

Rome went Civ4 on us.

 

[VasikkA]

Something that annoyed me in MTW and RTW was the amount of elite units in later stages of a game. Money was no problem if you had organized the economy well, so I used to produce elite units only, wherever I could. If all your armies consist of certain heavy cavalry units(like Kataphraktoi) and foot knight units, this kind of eliminates the idea of elite units nor it gives a historically correct impression of this age. I don't know if I was a perfectionist, but in the end all my armies looked the same.

A limit, or even better, a quota on 'nobility units' would be a welcome improvement, like more than 25% of units cannot be elite. This way you could pool your best units types into one or two armies or use them to strengthen regular armies. How you want to use them, is up to you. The armies would be more varied both in unit types and strengths making battles more interesting. I don't think many armies during Medieval times were elite only. As the empire grew, the volume of military increased too but not necessarily the quality. Power was defined in sheer numbers.

As I said, this is mostly an endgame problem, when you've maxed out the unit production facilities in some of your provinces.

Perhaps you could even recruit peasants on the way that replace fallen units and eventually develop into fully trained soldiers, as hiring mercenaries tend not to be very practical. The cost, availability and upkeep keep you from using them effectively.

Troops block and parry attack moves and string together deadly combo attacks and finishing moves before scanning the battlefield for their next kill.

I hope they don't overdo these 'combo attacks'. I don't want the battlefield to be full of spearmen flying across the sky as they're getting overrun by war elephants and pounded with cannons. I don't want visually impressive wank material at the cost of believability. Keep it real, keep it gritty.