EMPIRE TOTAL WAR!!!

Is officially in stores today! Not sure if you'll be able to find a copy until this weekend, but I plan on picking up my pre-ordered Special Forces Edition today around noon. I am excited! Reviews are already pouring in, and its clearly the best PC Game thats been released in the last 12 months!

Gamespy gives it 5 out of 5 Stars!

IGN gives it 9.5 out of 10!

AND I will be writing up a review later on once I've got to play through the game a bit! I HIGHLY recommend picking up this game, even if you have never played a Total War game. If you read the reviews, you will see why.

Countdown as of this post: 3 Hours until I pick up my copy, 9 Hours Until I install the game.

 

Preorded it last week, came yesterday but could only activate it today.
Just wating for the dastardly slow steam to get it's act together.

 

Probably too many people trying to do the same thing. I hope it doesnt do that stupid Steam Update Patch thing like Dawn Of War II did when I installed. If it does, w/ my download connection, I won't be playing it until tomorrow So much for the days of new games that didn't need internet and immediate patch.

 

Sorry, you do have to do the steam update as soon as it's installed. I have to wait 8 hours to play mine.

 

Small STEAM update (compared to DOWII) which was ok.

Game = AMAZING. It blew my socks off and I have hardly touched it. Love the research component, the villages, and the battles and graphics!

I got to use butt-plugs against the French! What more can I say! lol

The butt-plugs were first real bayonet...they plugged in the end of the muzzle (can't fire once you equip them) but it gives your Line men an advantage in close combat.

Here we can see my troops using butt plugs against the French in a wooded area (cowards tried to hide). Sadly for them, they are about to be hit from the rear by some British Cavalry. And yes, it is winter. You can also just see some cavalry to top left of image:



Here is my line of defense, using the terrain to my advantage:



(Note: I am british, screenshot taken from French lines).

I was glad to see that the AI has grown smart and deployed bulk of forces in front of me, but also had at least one unit on each flank trying to flank me (buttplugs and cav dealt with flankers). The dead horses are French Cavalary that ran at an angle across my entire line. One unit fired, then the other, then the other...rippling effect...it was amazing. Cut down at last half the horses in first volley. The Cav broke, and ran back....right into the same deadly fire!

 

Hell.
Funny I have the graphics set at maximum and the units still want to be red humanoid shapes with no detail, and the weapons carved wooden toys.
On the Demo they where fine, though. This is really pissing me off.

 

You need to do custom settings and check, since in my game everything looks amazing.

 

On all the levels for the unit detail it all looks the same.

And please stop saying how wonderful yours looks, 'cos mine doesn't.



And why the hell did they have to use Steam? I did the hours of updating earlier today, played the game but my computer kept shutting it down due to some silly anti-virus stuff. I turned off the annoying thing, but now I have to wait everal more hours to download a fucking steam update.

 

Watch the language on the forums...but your connection must be horrendous. Mine is bad, and it took about an hour to update.

Go to the Empire Total War website..they posted a guide to the graphics. You might have turned something off that doesn't sound like it.

Take a screenshot (zoom in as close as you can) and post it so i can see how bad they look.

 

I haven't taken the time to actually play the game, but the graphics look great on my computer.

For sake of comparison my computer uses the XP Pro Operating System. I have a Core 2 duo with a 2.4 ghz CPU. I have 2 gig RAM.

Geforce 8800 configured in SLI.

 

You forgot the most important part - the graphics card!

 

As Prussia, I have wiped out some puny country that declared war on me - Corlund I believe is its name. Russia now periodically asks me for in in exchange for Latvia/Eastonia and ~300 in money. I keep rejecting - must have unified border!

I also took out Saxony to my south, another single-province area. This put me at war with Poland-Lithuania, and I took the missing link (aka WWII = Danzig) from them and Warsaw....so, effectively Poland-Lithuania is really just the Lithuania part right now!

I am running into monetary problems now despite have vastly expanded my empire. I am not sure how to solve the problem while I quell rebellions in the occupied territories. Burning the Catholic churches and installing Protestant ones should help, but I can't afford destruction. (Poland)-Lithuania is now starting to raid my border villages while my troops are caught up fighting rebellions.

My land army, out of all the big nations, is by far ranked the most superior. The last battle I fought I had the Line-Fire ability...let me just say, WOW! I lost maybe 100 men...the Pole/Lith's lost 1,000 men. They tried charging my lines, but a volley from the front line, then the 2nd line, then the 3rd line routed them short of my lines. It was murder! Most of my losses were the Cuirassars I recruited...Armored Cavalary who went toe-to-toe with Polish Lancers. I also employed horse-drawn cannons, and over ran their fixed-position cannons. Technology is clutch!

I have also just researched what amouts to the first HE Shells, called Carcass Bombs, for use with Mortars and the like (next on my list to build, if my economy ever turns around, lol). I will take screenshots tomorrow and post them.

 

Thanks for the direction Musso, and sorry for swearing. I was extreamly annoyed last night.

 

I love this game now!

Rather amusing incident- I was attacking Hispaniola in the Caribbean (As the British), the town had a unit of demi-culverins and the two armed Citizenry units. After wiping out the infantry, the gun crew started charging to the flanks of my army, so I turned two units of line Infantry to them and killed all the gunners in one barrage.

The Pirates sure are tough to defeat though-is there a way to get rid of them? They are really making progress in the Caribbean slow.

 

Kill them! Kill them all!

I just realized I am playing the 'Short Campaign' instead of the 'World Domination' Version. NUTS!

 

I really don't like either of you. Now you have persuaded me to go and buy this game, and get it downloaded ASAP. Thanks...

 

I'm playing as France, defending my green hills! I've expanded in Germany, Austria and northern Italy (Can't rembember what all the small states are called.)
It's going pretty smooth but I'm always terrified that the mighty Spanish or English will invade my beautiful country.

 

Started new Campaign (World Domination) as Prussia and just rolled over Poland-Lithuania. They didn't make some smart decisions (two cities left undefended). The Year is 1714, and Poland-Lithuania no longer exists! And I didnt even use Volley Fire!

 

On my British campaign I am rolling over the French in America and the Spanish in the Caribbean (Wiped out the Pirates). The Iroquois stupidly declared war on the Thirteen colonies, so now I am rolling through them. This will give me a chance to do the mission to get the Thirteen Colonies on my side.
I recently landed a force in the Spanish Netherlands, wiped out a massive French-Spanish army but my computer crashed.
Volly-fire is murder by the way. Complete carnage after the battle.

 

I have yet to even begin a campaign as I am so deeply lost inside just fighting with navies... IT IS SO GOOD.

By the way, all your screenshots are on medium unit settings...
I'm getting an nVidia GeForce 9800 GX2 as well as an extra gig of ram (3gb w/ it) and I should be able to show you some games with ULTRA settings (from what I hear, it's epic as all hell)