Attila: Total War

[MengJiao]

That must be why the Persians are left out, then. CA has a catch 22 with all their games as far as history - how far do they go, or not, as far as detail before they get lost...or risk dork ire by leaving factions out altogether?

  I think a lot of the "detail" in most games is pretty decorative.  On the other hand, Western pop culture -- which I guess goes all the way back to Aristophanes -- has always had a lot of trouble with the Persians.  To take one example -- supposedly everything about Sparta was so much more wonderful than anything about the Persians.  But Sparta was a minor regional power by 390 BC and Persia was busy manipulating both Athens and Sparta in the Corinthian War.  Persia also recovered from Alexander and the Selucids and was a rival to Rome and Byzantium for over 600 years.  So the evidence suggests that pop culture has had some kind of problem with how to represent the Persians for about 2500 years.  And to think Herodotus thought he was clearing that all up once an for all.
  So to represent the Persians adequately -- especially at the height of their power in the sixth century -- would take a major breakthrough in the use of some kind of imagination (which strangely enough seems to be the main quality lacking in AAA games these days) and the use of Attila in Attila suggests any excruciating pop imagery is to be preferred over any informed imaginative approach -- so not much hope for the Persians except as some kind of deviant (deviant from what?  Who knows?) lords of ultimate evil -- which might be amusing, but not necessarily very productive in terms of actual game play.  After all what is Mordor but Persia with lots of Assyrian names?

[Gusington]

Here's a simple yet effective way to represent the Persians. Problem solved 

[Sir Slash]

Anybody playing the "Last Roman" DLC yet? I played a few turns as Rome and so far it's not too different, not too same. But not-- just right either. It's a little confusing at first with the relationship with the Roman Empire which is actually the Eastern Empire but I like the idea you can become your own separatist kingdom if you want in Africa or Italy or stay the loyal sap that Justinian wants you to be. More to follow.

[MengJiao]

Anybody playing the "Last Roman" DLC yet? I played a few turns as Rome and so far it's not too different, not too same. But not-- just right either. It's a little confusing at first with the relationship with the Roman Empire which is actually the Eastern Empire but I like the idea you can become your own separatist kingdom if you want in Africa or Italy or stay the loyal sap that Justinian wants you to be. More to follow.

  I started this campaign.  I felt pretty rusty (I haven't played Attila in months), so I took the Visigoths (over on the edge, shouldn't be too hard for a rusty player).  Things got nasty right away: the Suevi attacked and looted two (yes2!) towns including a nice coastal spot.  I was playing on easy so I had the cash to raise reinforcements for 2 starter armies and headed out to see how rusty I was.  The King of the Visigoths more or less personally obliterated the King of the Suevi in a rather medieval melee of horsemen, and things have been okay since then.
  I heard that Belisarius had declared his independence, but last I looked the Vandals still looked healthy so maybe that didn't work out so well.

  I'm enjoying the campaign a lot more than I expected, but I've always liked being a Visigoth when I had a chance and I'm a total total war Fanboi anyway at least since the demo for Shogun2.

[Gusington]

I checked it out last night...think I want to play as the Vandals.

[MengJiao]

Anybody playing the "Last Roman" DLC yet? I played a few turns as Rome and so far it's not too different, not too same. But not-- just right either. It's a little confusing at first with the relationship with the Roman Empire which is actually the Eastern Empire but I like the idea you can become your own separatist kingdom if you want in Africa or Italy or stay the loyal sap that Justinian wants you to be. More to follow.

  I started this campaign.

  It's been the best hours of Total War ever.  it kind of reminds me of the Third Age Mod for Medieval II.  I guess it is the landscape and all the Germanic goings on.

[Gusington]

Really? Ever??

[MengJiao]

Really? Ever??

  The ongoing Visigoth (me) vs Ostrogoths (AI) battle is the best overall campaigning and battling that I have experienced in the TW series.
Every one of the battles has been top-notch.  I think the battle AI has gotten pretty good if you fight the battle without pausing and micro-managing.  Of course you can mess up the AI if you micro-manage, but that wasn't a command-control option anyone had in the period.

  The most recent battle was pretty cool.  It reminded me of the patch 2 days of Rome 2, when I was a Normal Parthinian.  Anyway, the battle-odds estimator showed me (the Visigothic King with the army of the King) as inferior to the Royal army of the Ostrogoths even though I outnumbered them and had Noble Gothic Lancers and even some Germanic Spearmen.  What did they have that could beat that?  Right?
  So I was a bit nervous and massed my cavalry with the King (a formula that had never failed) on one flank and got the spears and whatnot deployed on a big hill.    And then I could not see the Ostrogoths.  Evidently they were doing something clever and I had to attack them.
  Eventually I spotted them on a ridge so I got everybody onto a higher part of the ridge and attacked when I saw them charging.  They broke really fast and it wasn't until I ran the replay from their point of view that I saw why:  They went after my leader with their best troops just as he happened to be ducking out of the cavalry and getting behind the spear line.  So the best part of their army arrived between the cavalry wing and the infantry just as those attacked.  Their best troops were hit from both sides and routed so fast that when I reviewed the army for the follow up charge, there was nothing but archers and fleeing Ostrogoths left.  Given how often the Ostrogoths had smashed up my armies, that was pretty surprising.

[Sir Slash]

I'm enjoying playing as the Roman Expedition and agree the battles seem better than in Rome 2. Historically cavalry was dominant on the battlefield in the 500's and this is reflected in most infantry units having mediocre stats. But the cavalry is much stronger now and able to do multi-role functions such as scouting, missile attack, and charge effects. Some things till confuse me though. My Roman armies in Vandal territory have ample income from taxes but who am I taxing? The Vandal populace? My own armies? Or back home in Constantinople? Same with faction intrigues. Who am I trying to increase support from, back home or here in Vandal Land? I can do my own tech and raise and lower taxes but who does that effect if I have no settlements under my control? And the big one, what happens if I keep a city for myself? I hope it doesn't result in a "Realm Divide" like event in Shogun 2 where everybody declares war on me. I'm too afraid to try yet to see.

[Gusington]

Once I get my fill of undead in AoW3, I originally planned on playing some Spec Ops and then some AssCreed: Black Flag...and then this Attila. But you guys are making this sound really good. Still trying to decide on playing as the Romans or the Vandals.

[Sir Slash]

Either way, watch out for the sneaky Berbers Gus. I got them to attack the Vandals for $1000. And a couple of camels.

[Gusington]

Ooh I hope the Berbers are modded in as playable at some point.

[Jarhead0331]

Attila is the first Total War I suck at. I just can't get a good game going before disaster strikes.

[jomni]

Attila is the first Total War I suck at. I just can't get a good game going before disaster strikes.

I suck at Anything Rome 2.  Just can't get used to the building restrictions to get my economy going.

[MengJiao]

Attila is the first Total War I suck at. I just can't get a good game going before disaster strikes.

I suck at Anything Rome 2.  Just can't get used to the building restrictions to get my economy going.

  The Last Roman DLC in Attila seems a little easier.  At least as a Visigoth playing on easy.