Rome II

[skeptical.platypus]

It's an entirely different game with four turns per year you really get attached to your generals and your agents and they become very important.

Trying to understand this, because it sounds like something I'd enjoy. I didn't feel much attachment to my generals in vanilla rome ii, other than their additional and varying bonuses.

Do you get more attached in four turns per year because your generals get more bonuses faster?

[TheCommandTent]

It's an entirely different game with four turns per year you really get attached to your generals and your agents and they become very important.

Trying to understand this, because it sounds like something I'd enjoy. I didn't feel much attachment to my generals in vanilla rome ii, other than their additional and varying bonuses.

Do you get more attached in four turns per year because your generals get more bonuses faster?

Not so much that they get bonuses faster they just survive longer since there are 4 turns per year instead of just one.

[mikeck]

Yeah, they live a lot longer, so they fight more battles, so they get more promotions and abilities. Before , it didn't bother me a bit to charge my general cavalry into the fray because if I lost my general, it was no big deal. I would replace a 3-4-3 general rank 1 with a new 3-3-3 general rank 1.

Now, if I have a general that I have secured a number of promotions for, his stats are 5-4-12, he has "night fighter" capability and because of his "zeal", a "war cry" ability that sends an enemy unit into panic...I am very careful. You just don't replace a rank 5 general with about 6 cards worth of abilities and 6-7 battlefield victories under his belt.

Same with agents, I had one that has been around for a long time. She can assassinate just about anyone and also has a huge campaign movement bonus and manipulation abilities. Meaning she can go almost anywhere quickly, and then kill you or turn you. Ironically, during my last attempt to assassinate an enemy agent, she was killed. That sucked. Before, agents does so often it was no big deal.

[Nefaro]

It's an entirely different game with four turns per year you really get attached to your generals and your agents and they become very important.

Trying to understand this, because it sounds like something I'd enjoy. I didn't feel much attachment to my generals in vanilla rome ii, other than their additional and varying bonuses.

Do you get more attached in four turns per year because your generals get more bonuses faster?

In the vanilla game, did they ever patch up the crazy rates at which your generals would die naturally?  I'm guessing they did, but I haven't played in awhile (waiting for these patches to slow down).

I recall having numerous ones die of natural causes within a few turns of getting them.  Some stuck around for awhile but a fair number of them just croaked before long, even when sitting tight at the home office.  While it technically shouldn't be that odd considering the scale is one year per turn, and these generals would pop out at around 45 to 55 years of age, it still sucked because you wouldn't get much use out of these and they'd croak shortly after you started doing so.

It was one of the complaints about the game around release.

[Yskonyn]

I think the above is a result from the turn rate in the game. I don't think this effect has been dealt with in vanilla.
That is why the 2 or even 4 TPY mod is nice.

[skeptical.platypus]

Yeah, they live a lot longer, so they fight more battles, so they get more promotions and abilities. Before , it didn't bother me a bit to charge my general cavalry into the fray because if I lost my general, it was no big deal. I would replace a 3-4-3 general rank 1 with a new 3-3-3 general rank 1.

Now, if I have a general that I have secured a number of promotions for, his stats are 5-4-12, he has "night fighter" capability and because of his "zeal", a "war cry" ability that sends an enemy unit into panic...I am very careful. You just don't replace a rank 5 general with about 6 cards worth of abilities and 6-7 battlefield victories under his belt.

Same with agents, I had one that has been around for a long time. She can assassinate just about anyone and also has a huge campaign movement bonus and manipulation abilities. Meaning she can go almost anywhere quickly, and then kill you or turn you. Ironically, during my last attempt to assassinate an enemy agent, she was killed. That sucked. Before, agents does so often it was no big deal.

Interesting. Part of my detachment from my generals and agents is that they seemed to last forever. They were almost an afterthought on the strategic map. I certainly liked having certain bonuses, but I thought there were a handful of bonuses so much better than the rest, the rest were pointless filler.

It's also entirely possible -- likely? -- that some of this issue is I don't have the same interest and/or knowledge of the roman empire as many of you do.

[mikeck]

It's all about what you enjoy...it kills me when a high ranking kick-ass legate who has been at the head of a particular legion since it's formation and won 8 victories with that legion dies. If generals are dying left and right, I never get attached

[undercovergeek]

It's all about what you enjoy...it kills me when a high ranking kick-ass legate who has been at the head of a particular legion since it's formation and won 8 victories with that legion dies. If generals are dying left and right, I never get attached

then the biggest battle begins - as your finger wavers over the quit button

[skeptical.platypus]

It's all about what you enjoy...it kills me when a high ranking kick-ass legate who has been at the head of a particular legion since it's formation and won 8 victories with that legion dies. If generals are dying left and right, I never get attached

That makes perfect sense. And it's strange that I don't find that attachment, because I do in other media (xcom soldiers come to mind in the gaming world).

Regardless, I should take a look at what mods are out there and what they do. Sin Nomine (?) and one other I can't remember brought me back to the Medieval II for many months of additional campaigns.

Any suggestions on a strong Roman empire? In none of the games I played as non romans did anything resembling an empire get established. I'm not even sure the peninsula consolidated in most of them.

[skeptical.platypus]

Durn it, mikeck, now you've got me thinking about a Rome II aar from a (hopefully long surviving) general's pov.  ;D

[mikeck]

I will say that I wish there was a larger variety of bonuses...in the end, most of my generals end up looking the same. It still hurts to lose one when they are that experienced plus I kind of like keeping a general with the same legion the whole time...role-play

[Sir Slash]

And just now, another update that includes African Elephants to go along with your Indian Elephants. In case you were getting tired of looking at elephants with only little ears. Also some new units for Epirus. Glad I just crushed them as Athens.

[mikeck]

Hmmm, might have to see if I can recruit some mercenary elephant Units. BTW, in vanilla , where the heck do I find mercenary archers...I can't get archers anywhere

[Gusington]

I also have never got a general with the night fighter ability...

[Sir Slash]

As Athens I have Cretan Archers as Mercs and the Seleucids have Persians Archers as Mercs  but if I remember correctly, only in the east of their satrapicies like Persia-- duhh. If you capture the first city south of the Selucids-- the ones they begin at war with, the one in the desert I mean, you can get some bodacious cavalry units. Still looking for Naked Amazons.