Hegemony rome: rise of caesar early access

[undercovergeek]

are there 'epic' battles? the screenshots on steam seem to show minor skirmish sized engagements

[Jarhead0331]

are there 'epic' battles? the screenshots on steam seem to show minor skirmish sized engagements

The largest battle I have experienced so far was three Legions against a mixed force of brigands from Gaul. I wouldn't call it epic.

I'm not sure if it is me, if it is the unfinished nature of the game or if it's just the way it will be, but true command and control during a battle is practically non-existent. It all boils down one mob fighting another. I don't think the battles in this game will ever approach e magnificence of the battles in Rome II.

[undercovergeek]

thanks for that JH - that was pretty much the deal breaker i needed to cross it off the list

[Jarhead0331]

thanks for that JH - that was pretty much the deal breaker i needed to cross it off the list

OK...but in fairness to the game, I really do not think it is attempting to compete with the tactical battle prowess of the Total War series.  It is a very different game scratching a totally different strategic itch. Just throwing that out there...

[undercovergeek]

yeah, its cool - i thought it might be a more detailed combat simulator to rival the battles of Rome II but without the turn based map section

It does look a great game, just not one for me

[Gusington]

What are the building options and city management like?

[Jarhead0331]

What are the building options and city management like?

Again, I haven't played much and the game is an unfinished product, but so far as I can tell, cities are used exclusively as a source of supply and to recruit military units and workers. Workers are then sent to farms, logging camps and mines to gather supplies and gold. Each of these resource camps are separate locations on the map and can be raided and destroyed.

[Nefaro]

Sounds like the first one.

I think they were supposed to be adding more city building options in this one.  Nothing to rival a city-builder but more than Hegemony.

One of the things I didn't like about the first one was that the chokepoints took up too much of the map and most battles were very cramped affairs where getting more than one unit into a fighting formation didn't happen very often without a bunch of troops colliding together.  The map was cramped with a lot of mountains and few open spaces.  That was appropriate for grand strategy in Greece, of course, but the traffic jams with more than one unit forming up were common.  I certainly don't want them large enough to turn it into a never ending Benny Hill chase but being able to line up more than one unit would be nice.  Are the maps a bit more "open" now?

yeah, its cool - i thought it might be a more detailed combat simulator to rival the battles of Rome II but without the turn based map section

It does look a great game, just not one for me

As for comparing them with the TW series.. I don't think they're quite the same style of strategy games.  Longbow's system is just a real-time grand strategy system from a small indie company.  While there is no detailed Tactical Battles, the system models something that many others don't (or don't do well):  Supply.  The supply mechanics in Hegemony  were tough enough to often make it your primary concern, especially when your army is a distance away from home.  It also makes raiding a viable option if you see the opportunity.  The AI was aggressive enough to do so.  It even had seasonal differences in supply, which I thought was really cool.  Little details like that helped give it the praise it receives.  The base campaign in Hegemony also followed a more historical tack, including an interesting narrative about all the cutthroat stuff that happened at the time.  Yet it still managed to progressively open up your options as you played so it wasn't on rails.  A good mix in such areas that often don't get much attention.  The military side of things really wasn't all that detailed and there was very little unit variety, so it's more abstract in the warfare details.

They're definitely not Total War clones, so I don't recommend directly comparing the two.  The stuff from Longbow are something unusual.   I enjoy TW's turn-based grand strategy but Hegemony had some different facets that made it unique and it played quite differently.  I expect their Rome version to be improved more, once they're finished.

[sandman2575]

I'm not sure if it is me, if it is the unfinished nature of the game or if it's just the way it will be, but true command and control during a battle is practically non-existent. It all boils down one mob fighting another. I don't think the battles in this game will ever approach e magnificence of the battles in Rome II.

I felt similarly about Hegemony PoM, although I was always vaguely aware that there was more I could be doing to direct combat if I had a better grasp of the UI.  That is, it seemed there were more sophisticated formations etc. that I just never really used, letting phalanxes just crash into eachother and sort the battle out that way.  The real Philip of Macedon would not have approved.

Early access on Steam seems like such a double-edged sword for the devs. Is it worth getting more cash up front to help fund further development, at the possible cost of alienating players who come to the overhasty decision that "this game is way too buggy and will never be good".  I guess Longbow decided the answer was "Yes."

My sense is that most players won't accept (on some semi-conscious level) that the game is unfinished, because of the psychology of "Well, I paid for it, didn't I?"    It's like willingly buying a house that's half finished, and then feeling pissed off that there's no roof or bathrooms.  Not logical, but an understandable reaction. 

[Jarhead0331]

Are the maps a bit more "open" now?

Not so far. In fact, most of my major combat has taken place within the confines of tight mountain passes located in the Alps. The narrow space combined with poor AI pathing issues has made maneuver damn near impossible, which is why most of the battles I've experienced involving more than one or two units has been just mobs duking it out.

[sandman2575]

Appears Hegemony Rome is no longer "Early Access" as of today, after (what looks to be) another substantial patch -- game's now officially released, it would appear

Has anyone been playing?  It sounds like it still has a fair amount of kinks to be worked out - ?

[Nefaro]

Appears Hegemony Rome is no longer "Early Access" as of today, after (what looks to be) another substantial patch -- game's now officially released, it would appear

Has anyone been playing?  It sounds like it still has a fair amount of kinks to be worked out - ?

I definitely want to get into it but rather backed up at this point.  I'll get to it sometime soon-ish.

[Gusington]

Officially released you say?

[tgb]

Yeah, they're calling it feature-complete and ready for prime time, although they are continuing to work on the A.I. and formations, Longbow considers it cooked.  There will still be patches and updates, but not as frequently as before.

I bought it on sale a couple of months ago, but held off on spending any real time with it.  I'll probably dive in over the weekend.

[Nefaro]

Yeah, they're calling it feature-complete and ready for prime time, although they are continuing to work on the A.I. and formations, Longbow considers it cooked.  There will still be patches and updates, but not as frequently as before.

I bought it on sale a couple of months ago, but held off on spending any real time with it.  I'll probably dive in over the weekend.

So it' pretty much in Beta now..