Has Rome II improved after patches?

[XMackieX]

I haven't played Rome II since September as I was very disappointed with how they overhauled (and ruined) the game mechanics.. limited number of armies, generals getting old too quickly, ugly unit card art, ugly/confusing city building, etc etc etc. I'm a big fan of Medieval 2 and Shogun 2- Have the various patches done anything to make Rome 2 more like those? Is it worth giving it another try? Or is it essentially the same game it was after release?

[pajomife]

Not really.The battles are slightly better, but is due to mods.

[douglas]

I think it is a lot better. If and when they get the siege part fixed it will be a very good game. I enjoy playing it now but will auto-calc the siege battles as often as possible.

[Huberto]

It is essentially the same game with less bugs, shorter loading times etc. The patches made slight positive modifications to AI behavior but by no means was the AI fixed. No significant change in mechanics or features... the biggest one I can think of is that they got rid of flags in field battles?

Why not give it a go and see for yourself?

[Jade Falcon]

Short answer to this. Its nowhere near as bad as it once was but its still a long way from what we deserve in a TW game. Mods help but don't fix all. You can still have some fun in small doses.

[XMackieX]

Hmm that's too bad, but pretty much what I expected. I certainly won't be buying another TW game on release, I'll wait for reviews/patches. Time to sit around waiting for Medieval 3 (and pray it's basically M2TW with better graphics and AI). Shogun 2 is still the best TW game IMO, just limited by how geographically small Japan is. I hate it when people try to be too creative and fix something that wasn't broken (and break it in the process).

[DeliCiousTZM]

The game have been greatly improved since launch. Anyone who disagrees with that is straight out lying or doesn't play it anymore. However the argument remains if it is good enough after all this improvement, and the majority will say No.

[Earl Dibbles Jr]

They haven't changed anything that people have been clamoring for, such as the torches, so if you're expecting the gameplay to have actually improved, no.

They have fixed some bugs/glitches and made optimization a tad bit better. That's about it. If you're expecting the game that we were promised, sadly it's not coming to you.

[beksibeksi]

The only major change is that capture points no longer appear in forced march battles.

Everything else is exactly the same except with less bugs.

From my point of view not even optimization has really happened, as the battles still stutter in sieges and large battles.

Campaign map lag has been reduced but still no where as good as Shogun 2 was for me.

[DeValiere]

Yes, it's better (no more wayward galleys travelling the battlefield) but... still a ways to go. Some of the issues that many are unhappy with are of course not bugs but gameplay / design issues that CA either won't or can't change / revise, so not sure that R2 will ever really be what many want it to be, pathces or no patches. Certainly, some of the problems that annoy me can be addressed with mods - the 4 (or even 2) turns per year mod allows you to actually rank up generals and spies and addresses the travel times issue as well. So, playable but still frustrating.

I also doubt I'll be playing another TW title on realease either that's for sure.

[GussieFinkNottle]

Not really.The battles are slightly better, but is due to mods.

This is rubbish

The game is far better. Performance is better, the game is smoother, it isn't the bug-fest it used to be.
The AI is far better, particularly since patch 8.1, and the Romans are no longer the ridiculously OP unbeatable space marines that they used to be.
There are 2 more factions to play free (Seleucids and Bactria)
The numbers are back on unit cards, and battle features work better, you won't see baffling and illogical results such as the original useless testudo
The battles are slower, more balanced and more fun, and you can notice the little details more, such as the animations previously obscured by blobbing-formation attack enables you to keep your troops in ordered rank and file
Fewer exploits are available that broke immersion, features have been tightened up
The Imperium system allows for more continual upgrading of your military, with more constant, incremental increases instead of big leaps
Naval battles and beach landings are less bugged out
Graphics settings work better and the game is no longer a laggy slideshow
Also, the Caesar in Gaul campaign also greatly enhances the game, bringing in seasons for one
Transports have been nerfed
There are no more capture points in battle, now there are ambushes, which are awesome, far better than in previous games
More battle modes, such as sally forth (for land battles instead of settlement battles) have been included
Cavalry are far more useful and 'sticky' combat has been fixed
In terms of the battles you fight, a huge part of the boredom has been removed in that the AI enemy now properly balances their armies instead of sending stack after stack of slingers against you

just look at the thousands of changes in these patches, particularly the more recent ones where the focus has shifted to gameplay: http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Total_War...I:_Patch_Notes
I won't pretend it's the best TW game, it isn't by a long shot, but people are treating it like it has no merit. At release it was a frustrating game. It is a fun game now.

And I have yet to use a single mod

[Destraex]

Core battle mechanics are still bad gussie. What you are talking about are small tweaks compared to what has to be done to both land and sea combat to make it playable and enjoyable for me at least. I am sick to death of using mods as well. So I am probably going to play other things for now and see what happens.

I am seriously looking at scourge of war gettysburg and histwar 2 napoleon as alternatives.

[King_Tutankhamun]

The game have been greatly improved since launch. Anyone who disagrees with that is straight out lying or doesn't play it anymore. However the argument remains if it is good enough after all this improvement, and the majority will say No.

What exactly has improved? what new features have they implemented or features have they fixed since launch and 8.1 patches later? I'm not talking about mods either. The game is exactly the same game it was at launch EXCEPT that its stable and doesn't CTD. I don't know what game you have but my game is still bland broken and boring. The features they have just don't work. Siege AI is still broken. Agent spam is ridiculous. Civil unrest is a joke. on and on etc etc......ad a few mods and its barely more enjoyable. Seeing as your playing someone else's version of how the game should be. Mod it yourself same thing only marginally better. Too much is broken that you cant fix with mods at all. MHO.

[DeliCiousTZM]

What exactly has improved? what new features have they implemented or features have they fixed since launch and 8.1 patches later? I'm not talking about mods either. The game is exactly the same game it was at launch EXCEPT that its stable and doesn't CTD. I don't know what game you have but my game is still bland broken and boring. The features they have just don't work. Siege AI is still broken. Agent spam is ridiculous. Civil unrest is a joke. on and on etc etc......ad a few mods and its barely more enjoyable. Seeing as your playing someone else's version of how the game should be. Mod it yourself same thing only marginally better. Too much is broken that you cant fix with mods at all. MHO.

I can name at least another page to what this guy already wrote.

This is rubbish

The game is far better. Performance is better, the game is smoother, it isn't the bug-fest it used to be.
The AI is far better, particularly since patch 8.1, and the Romans are no longer the ridiculously OP unbeatable space marines that they used to be.
There are 2 more factions to play free (Seleucids and Bactria)
The numbers are back on unit cards, and battle features work better, you won't see baffling and illogical results such as the original useless testudo
The battles are slower, more balanced and more fun, and you can notice the little details more, such as the animations previously obscured by blobbing-formation attack enables you to keep your troops in ordered rank and file
Fewer exploits are available that broke immersion, features have been tightened up
The Imperium system allows for more continual upgrading of your military, with more constant, incremental increases instead of big leaps
Naval battles and beach landings are less bugged out
Graphics settings work better and the game is no longer a laggy slideshow
Also, the Caesar in Gaul campaign also greatly enhances the game, bringing in seasons for one
Transports have been nerfed
There are no more capture points in battle, now there are ambushes, which are awesome, far better than in previous games
More battle modes, such as sally forth (for land battles instead of settlement battles) have been included
Cavalry are far more useful and 'sticky' combat has been fixed
In terms of the battles you fight, a huge part of the boredom has been removed in that the AI enemy now properly balances their armies instead of sending stack after stack of slingers against you

just look at the thousands of changes in these patches, particularly the more recent ones where the focus has shifted to gameplay: http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Total_War...I:_Patch_Notes
I won't pretend it's the best TW game, it isn't by a long shot, but people are treating it like it has no merit. At release it was a frustrating game. It is a fun game now.

And I have yet to use a single mod

But i will let this be enough, also know that in MPC Rome II is the best total war game yet, and the best experiences exist in multiplayer campaigns so ergo Rome II is the best total war game ever made.

[King_Tutankhamun]

I can name at least another page to what this guy already wrote.

But i will let this be enough, also know that in MPC Rome II is the best total war game yet, and the best experiences exist in multiplayer campaigns so ergo Rome II is the best total war game ever made.

I get it ! Tongue and cheek humor. cheers!

[AngryTitusPullo]

Has Rome II improved after patches? Yes. Since the OP has not played since September then you will see that Rome II 1.0 is very much different than Rome II 1.8 and is very much improved.

As to whether the improvement is enough it depend on individual and since the OP already have the game why not try it your self and see whether the improvements merit for you to play the game or not. However just remember that bugs can be fix, performance can be optimized but game design wont be changed.

[XMackieX]

Has Rome II improved after patches? Yes. Since the OP has not played since September then you will see that Rome II 1.0 is very much different than Rome II 1.8 and is very much improved.

As to whether the improvement is enough it depend on individual and since the OP already have the game why not try it your self and see whether the improvements merit for you to play the game or not. However just remember that bugs can be fix, performance can be optimized but game design wont be changed.

Yeah I realise I could try it for myself but it sounds like it's not worth the re-install. I was hoping they had changed major design flaws like only having 2 armies. It sound like it has mostly been bug fixes which probably won't be enough to change my opinion on the game (and I never had many CTD's or anything before the patches anyway).

and the Romans are no longer the ridiculously OP unbeatable space marines that they used to be.

Haha! "For the Emperor!"

They haven't changed anything that people have been clamoring for, such as the torches, so if you're expecting the gameplay to have actually improved, no.

They have fixed some bugs/glitches and made optimization a tad bit better. That's about it. If you're expecting the game that we were promised, sadly it's not coming to you.

Good summary. Thanks.

[beksibeksi]

Modders have patched this game much better than CA ever has.

[AngryTitusPullo]

Yeah I realise I could try it for myself but it sounds like it's not worth the re-install. I was hoping they had changed major design flaws like only having 2 armies. It sound like it has mostly been bug fixes which probably won't be enough to change my opinion on the game (and I never had many CTD's or anything before the patches anyway).

I'm not sure where 'having 2 armies' is a design flaw anyway. However if you don't like the general design like region/province, auto transport, limited armies, make no sense politics/civil war then chances are you wont like the game in whatever patch/version is.

They haven't changed anything that people have been clamoring for, such as the torches, so if you're expecting the gameplay to have actually improved, no.

They have fixed some bugs/glitches and made optimization a tad bit better. That's about it. If you're expecting the game that we were promised, sadly it's not coming to you.

What did they promise anyway ?

[Okuto]

Its better than it was on launch but theres a few more things that need ironing out....

As I understand it the Caesar in gaul mini campaign is a good representation of what the game ought to of been to a degree

Although I still couldn't in good faith recommend it