I think I found one thing RTW has better than MTW2...

[Axe-Battler]

Medieval 2 is obviously the best total war ever, even if you combined all the good things from mtw, shogun, and rtw together...mtw2 would still be miles ahead in greatness. (no using the "that's your opinion" arguement

But, I have found something that RTW had, that MTW2 does not have......"Inspiring Units" as I call them.

For example, in RTW you had roman legionaries, spartans, macedonian phalangites, woad warriors, cataphracts... just the good ol' inspiring classic soldier styles and types.

I simply don't think MTW2 has any "inspiring units".... knights, lancers, varangian guards, huscarls, longbowmen.... these units can be cool, but to me they just don't have the feeling of heroism to them.

Hopefully the major modders will be able to make units and redo them perhaps to make these mtw2 units have an "inspiring" feel to them.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

[Metellus]

I see what you're saying, I miss my Legionary First Cohort, and Comitatensis First Cohort, there aren't any like that around M2TW (as close to named units we have ever come), but the Knightly Orders do have something of a mystique for me, as do any cavalry that have earned a high XP during the course of my using them. I have Frankish knights with silver chevrons... now I just gotta find some way of naming them, that would help with the immersion factor.

In fact, any game like this can create a great deal of extra immersion just by allowing the player to rename the various towns, units, regions, leaders etc. to his/her taste. We can rename towns, but that's not enough IMO.

[Pent uP Rage]

The Venetians have the "Carrocio Standard" unit.
They give an army-wide morale boost.

[Siddyus]

I miss those kinds of units too. I'll wait for MTR to come. Maybe they'll include morale boosting units besides the General's body guard.

[Yuri Zhivago]

I'd say that the Knights in the game could fill this kind of role. Nothing more inspiring for a line of infantry than seeing their noble, knightly comrades charging into the enemy lines and creating mass carnage and havoc. Morale boost. If said knights charged into a wall of pikes and say.. dropped like flies, I'm sure the inspiring splendour of the charge would be lost and there'd be a huge morale drop.

[Metellus]

Oh yeah, and there's also the Crusade Cross, although I've never had the opportunity to recruit it. Would look really cool. And Ithink my men would think so too

[Akilae]

I don't think OP meant "morale" boosting, but rather units that inspire the player. I actually agree. In RTW I felt inspired by my Legions and actually kept my best to minimize casualties, making sure Legions at less than half strength were rotated off the front lines.

In M2TW I find it hard to connect to the units... Armored swordsmen are thrown into the breach like the pawns they are. Afterwards I simply merge injured units until all but one are at full capacity, and simply disband the remaining.

[sera]

Took the liberty of correcting the initial post.

Medieval 2 will obviously be the best total war ever, once it is sufficiently patched, even if you combined all the good things from mtw, shogun, and rtw together...mtw2 would still be miles ahead in greatness.

[King Pie]

I dunno, for me the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller kinda fall under that category. I reckon they're really cool.

[Odovacar]

I don't understand what the poster really mant. For me the roman legions were not inspiring. I not even played much with them.
Inspiring units were the macedon phalangites maybe, like a tower of strength on the battlefield, or the cataphracts...
To me, knights, especially crusaders are enough inspiring. Nothing beats the feeling commanding a crusader army under white flags with red cross, carrying the Holy Cross, and meeting the muslims in battle.

[Tiwaz]

Indeed. Somehow medieval units do not have the same feel to them.

Oh the sight of my legions marching in order towards the enemy... Somehow armoured swordsmen do not do "it" for me. And even less the gunpowder troops.

When you add gunpowder to battle it starts to lose it's charm as opposed to legions meeting and crushing barbarian horde charging in. Or phalanx setting up on road to block it.

[Yuri Zhivago]

In terms of inspiring, I have to agree on crusaders. My dismounted Crusaders knights, veterans from the holy land, played an important role in my last Milanese campaign when they helped me decimate and rout several units of dismounted norman knights in a life or death battle outside of Palermo. But other than that, I've not been too inspired, it's only after a unit of men has seen a lot of combat and pulled through time and again that I feel they deserve to be kept for special battles.

Though seeing fully upgraded Norman Knights in my last Sicilian campaign was rather awe-inspiring, lines of mail-clad knights with fearsome helmets marching in unison towards an Egyptian army near Jerusalem. mmm.

[Metellus]

Yeah I follow what the OP meant, but a crusader cross would certainly inspire ME too Slightly OT but I liked that in RTW if your general lost a First unit, eg. First Cohort, he got disgraced... oh, the shame!

But RTW units were definitely inspiring, I can't understand how a unit of Praetorian Cohorts (no matter how unrealistic they are - I don't care - maybe that's why) can fail to cause some inspiration on the part of the player... particulary when you click on them to send them into the breach, and they answer "Rome's finest!"

[jimbob]

Go to egypt and recruit some elephant mercanaries. They'll inspire you!

I find the cannon units to be the most inspiring units in mtw2. Maybe they don't improve your troops moral, but they certainly get me inspired, and they reduce the enemy moral, which is effectively the same as a boost to your own moral.

[Odovacar]

But RTW units were definitely inspiring, I can't understand how a unit of Praetorian Cohorts (no matter how unrealistic they are - I don't care - maybe that's why) can fail to cause some inspiration on the part of the player... particulary when you click on them to send them into the breach, and they answer "Rome's finest!"

Matter of taste. I never liked the Romans. And hated their american accent in game. For me they were rather the overly proud USA representatives in the game. The most inspiring units were the germanic tribal warriors for me.
When the snow was falling, and the romans approached my army in a forest.
Berserkers suprised them, mad women were shouting at them, and chaos arrived. The free man of Germania beat the conquerors back into Italy...that was inspiring!

Now in MTW2 most knights are inspiring to me, normans, germans...and nothing beats the spectacle when the hungarian nobles draw their swords and attack like lions against the enemies of Hungary.

[Ambrosius]

working 2-handed infantry?

[Sammyboi]

I agree with the opening post in this respect - I miss the ideology and 'pride' aspect of RTW. Sending a full legion to sack Alexandria, and having the Praetorians storm the first breach in the walls was just so much more involving than anything I've seen in M2TW. I'm hoping some nice mods will sort this out. Although I will accept that once gunpowder comes along there's scope for some really impressive moments - the first time I used a battery of 6 units of culverins (that's 12 guns!) to pound an enemy line it raised a smile. But I do miss shouts of 'For Rome!' as legions pour into barbarians.

As for renaming stuff, that would be a good addition. Right now you can already rename settlements, which I've done once so far. I took Bruge with an English army led by Robert who died in the bitter fighting. I renamed the city Port Robert in his honour.

[Stalins Ghost]

I agree man - although some of the knight units I guess fill the role of heroic battlefield bad asses, they don't really have a huge amount of character - it'd be cool if when you built a unit of knights they had a bit of individuality to them. Not even as much as a new skin or anything; but maybe more of a character. MTW had it in the form of the characters leading each unit. You could put a face to them basically, giving them some life, and history to each unit.

RTW didn't have this exactly, but yeah, the units had a bit more life to them in my opinion. I guess its down to the variety in the sides - as it is, we only really have Western, Eastern and Aztec army types.

[PurpleScotch]

Anyone want to rename his/her cities, in the city scroll click on its name (where it says Jerusalem-Huge City) then delete the letters and write your own!

Btw i do agree if we can rename units it would be magnificent!

[Metellus]

Matter of taste. I never liked the Romans. And hated their american accent in game. For me they were rather the overly proud USA representatives in the game. The most inspiring units were the germanic tribal warriors for me.
When the snow was falling, and the romans approached my army in a forest.
Berserkers suprised them, mad women were shouting at them, and chaos arrived. The free man of Germania beat the conquerors back into Italy...that was inspiring!

Yeah it is a matter of taste pretty much. I'm so used to the American accent in movies I don't hear it anymore. In fact, when we have a local film come out here in South Africa, I have to constantly remind myself that the local accent isn't a sign of bad acting.

Anyways back OnT... my versionof your Germanic victory there is the time I had to go on defensive marching my legions though Britannia Inferior... AI ambushed my small stack on the way somewhere else. All those rowdy barbarians screaming and shouting and going-on. It was quiet amid our ranks except for some coughing, grunting, and a cuss or two. We held them off although way outnumbered, by playing defensive and forming my men into a little triangular fortress. I even had archers running out of ammo and attacking hand-to-hand. The Romans, to me, epitomise orderliness, discipline, skill and focus. That's why I like them, and why RTW was an immediate hit with me. Could never get myself to play the barbarians much, hairy sods!

As for renaming stuff, that would be a good addition. Right now you can already rename settlements, which I've done once so far. I took Bruge with an English army led by Robert who died in the bitter fighting. I renamed the city Port Robert in his honour.

Yeah, I took Paris and named it New York just to irritate the French even more... doubt it had any in-game effect though