Idea for Rome 2 community co-op

[Yskonyn]

I have been toying with the idea of some kind of community co-op game in Rome 2. As the multiplayer aspect of the game needs both players online at the same time and is -as far as I am aware of- limited to two players only; I had been thinking about how to alleviate this problem and come up with a way that is interesting to all players involved while accomodating more than two players as well.

What if we start a new campaign and those interested take the role of generals and Senate.
We can go as far as roleplaying a specific character in the game (e.g. All Battles led by a certain general are commanded by that player, etc) or we can keep things more general and discuss what course of action we want to take next in a turn and for example each Command the next battle in turn.

We will share a savegame. That means no updating until we all do and the savegame is compatible. Patching has slowed down so I think we will be fine.
I also suggest playing vanilla for this to prevent problems and enable most players to chime in.
We should decide on a Faction to play, discuss a broad strategy and then one of us starts.
We would create an AAR thread to jot down All Comms between us and course in the game.
We should think about how long each player plays or wether we let one player do the game (save for Battles) and the rest just advising. All that is for later to be decided.
Just let me know if you would like to participate!

[jomni]

Interesting idea. I'll be watching this.

[Yskonyn]

Thanks jommi! I had expected more replies by now, though. ;)

[Double Deuce]

Unfortunately,  I don't have a machine that will run Rome 2 so I'm limited to being a spectator.  >:(

[Skoop]

This looks like a good idea, never played much total war in MP, but if I did, this would be the way to do it.

[MengJiao]

This looks like a good idea, never played much total war in MP, but if I did, this would be the way to do it.

I played some multiplayer battles.  If anyone wants to fight "Meng" (my steam name)...let me know when and I might be able to get on  and set up a one-to-one battle.

[Yskonyn]

The point it that in my experience it's damn hard to get two people online at the same time. Schedules, timezones, etc.
That's why I was thinking about something different, so we could all play together. Even with a bigger group than normally able in the game itself.
I am somewhat stomped that there haven't been more replies...  ::)

MJ I take it you're not interesting in something I suggested? Just the battles 1 vs 1?

[MengJiao]

The point it that in my experience it's damn hard to get two people online at the same time. Schedules, timezones, etc.
That's why I was thinking about something different, so we could all play together. Even with a bigger group than normally able in the game itself.
I am somewhat stomped that there haven't been more replies...  ::)

MJ I take it you're not interesting in something I suggested? Just the battles 1 vs 1?

  I think a co-op saved game would be even less likely to work than somewhat random battles.  The multiplayer battles are great once you learn your way around.  If we set up a time frame and say 2-3 people turned up in a 2-3 hour period probably some of us would be in some of the same battles.
  I found that most players don't seem to have the Steppe Barbarian DLC and the Massategae have some very heavy cavalry plus you can put your armored horse archers on heavy armor-piercing and slowly kill off even the most massive pike formations.
  So you get your average 13-year-old Spartan enthusiast and he fields a tiny army of supermen in a vast plain and you steadily kill them off while he asks if that is fair.
   Or you get face with an army with lots of skirmishers and some catapults and pikes and they quit in 2 minutes after you mow down 800 of them while losing maybe 30 archers.
   And that all just goes on and on.

[Skoop]

^ Sounds like the Wargame series where you build decks to compete with a rival's decks in MP.

[MengJiao]

^ Sounds like the Wargame series where you build decks to compete with a rival's decks in MP.

  Yep, there's a deck-like thing in MP.  IIRC (I haven't played MP in months), there were only a limited number of winner builds/decks
in circulation most of which involved super-elite pike formations with artillery or elephants generally excluded.

   But if you upped the funding some and doubled the army sizes and set the battle in the plains and allowed elephants and artillery, you could get some pretty wild battles.  Once I discovered the Massagetae and their superheavy cataphracts and armored archers, I could win most of the time out in my Steppe world.

[Nefaro]

War Elephants used to be crazy OP and very difficult to kill.  AFAIK, they're still crazy deadly.

[MengJiao]

War Elephants used to be crazy OP and very difficult to kill.  AFAIK, they're still crazy deadly.

  In my breif days of Rome II multiplayer, many games prohibited elephants and inept players.  I figured I was somehow in that prohibited category because one thing I've learned from years of online play: I am definitely inept.  Sure, I win from time to time somehow or other, but generally I get so many lectures from adept players about various infractions that I have adopted ineptitude as my adopted mental posture.  Besides, I like defeating inept players and giving them helpful and advice and encouragement as their armies dissolve into panic-stricken mobs and (shamefroo Dispray!) run away.
  I had some elephants once.   they were indeed well able to wreck an entire army more or less on their own.  If I set up some online games, I will probably prohibit elephants and good players.