Granting trade rights to your enemies is debatable, your strengthening them as much as yourself as it seems to me.

Merchants increase your profits every turn, by a small or large amount depending on the size of your empire. I don't see how that's not a good thing.

Well yeah, that's the appeal of RTS. I could say the same about RPGs, especially MMOs, or how FPS (especially the classic twitch shooters) need superb reflexes to stand a chance.

and it also has the awesome pre-1066 campaign!

Hell yeah!

I dont know about Mediaval 2 but I played Shogun and Rome Total war games a lot. Even tho I own all the games, i never had time to play them. I played Empire for a few hours only.

Dont overdo your army. Every unit has salary that you have to pay each turn so if you create too many units you will have trouble finding money. Always use Diplomacy to gain favor of one side and focus your army on the other side.

You dont have to do every building in every town. You can forexample focus on creating archers in 1 city and soldiers in an other one. This way you can complete buildings faster and you dont spend too much money in the process.

Total war games are generally easy games. You may consider playing on harder difficulties.

Enjoy.

PS: We are expecting Total war games on GOG ASAP. Especially Shogun 1 and Medieval 1.

*picks up old TW boxes*
BRB,gonna reinstall some games.

*looks at steam*

oh look

M2:TW

*click install*

oh look, install folder already there and .. installed.

total time from thinking " i want to play a game " to
"playing game" (including install and setup):
8 minutes 34 seconds.



Yes, I AM a jackass.
I also have it, still in a box, with manual :P

Pedantic, but as I dug out my discs and wanted to play as one of the more difficult factions...

they are indeed marked unplayable (though you can in fact play them or the rebels by moving them to the playable section).

I was correct then. You mean they are marked unlockable. Based on the descr_strat.txt file you posted only the papal_states, aztecs, mongols, timurids, and slaves (ie rebels) are considered nonplayable. The rest of the fractions appear under unlockable, meaning of course you unlock them. It's been a looong time but I use to mod M2TW a lot, so I was pretty sure you could unlock them by playing.

Nah, I was on about the Papal States.

Ok THIS TIME I played around with it and lets just say it IS the RTS for the slower and more strategic thinking player.

I have not got balls deep in the campaign but now I am just experiamenting with its gameplay, The Custom Battles certainly helps how either Army vs Army battles and Siege/Defend works.

I notice when it comes to sieging a castle in custom games its always the same castle :P

So anyway this game has all kinds of historic battles? Does it have that famous battle in the movie Kingdom of Heaven where Saladin laid siege to Jerusalem with 500,000 men?

Middle Earth and Hyrule are on my must have list.

I can't tell you that, Im a Rome/Shogun Total War guy. :D

The originals or the new ones?:P

I haven't played Rome 2 yet but I thoroughly enjoyed the old games and Shogun 2.