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Rome: Total War

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Rome: Total War
Developer(s)The Creative Assembly
Feral Interactive (Mac OS X)
Publisher(s)Activision - Original
Sega - Current
SeriesTotal War
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
ReleaseSeptember 22, 2004[1]
Genre(s)Real-time tactics, Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer
Battles in Rome: Total War can feature thousands of individual units.

Rome: Total War (often abbreviated to RTW or Rome) is a critically acclaimed[2] strategy game composed of both turn-based strategy and real-time tactics, in which the player fights historical and fictitious battles set during late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire (270 BC – AD 14). The game was developed by The Creative Assembly and released on September 22, 2004.[1] It is the third game of The Creative Assembly's Total War series.

Gameplay

The player takes a role equivalent to the head of one the three great Roman houses at the time; the Julii, Brutii, and Scipii. Each of these factions has a different set of attributes and initial objectives. After a winning campaign as Romans (or using a simple mod) it is possible to play with other factions and take on a role similar to that of Hannibal, the brilliant Carthaginian general during the Second Punic War or the Gallic warlord Vercingetorix. Gameplay consists of a combination of turn-based strategy and 3D real-time tactical battles. The 3D real-time action is uniquely different from most standard RTS games in that tactical maneuvering is critical to success whereas most RTS games take no account for the direction units are facing, flanking movements, breaking of lines, etc. The tactical module addresses the criticism of unrealistic mutual blood baths in other RTS games (units will "rout" in Rome: Total War).[3] The high-quality 3D graphics engine is able to render over thirty thousand men on a single battlefield. The strategic and tactical modes integrate such that the landscape for the battles is the same as seen on that particular spot on the strategic map where the armies meet. Each unit has its own type, stats, armour, weapons, and upgrades.

The game is similar to its predecessors, Shogun: Total War and Medieval: Total War, although there are some changes to the mechanics of sieges and city fights have been added. Most notable is that players now move their units with movement points; in previous games units were moved by territory.

Armies can be built to conquer nearby provinces; to conquer a province, you must capture its settlement. Fleets at sea can also ferry troops, and blockade enemy ports, thus cutting down income from trade. While doing so, players can build certain buildings within their cities to move up through the tech tree to train more advanced units, increase a province's income, and/or keep the population happy. The ultimate goal is to conquer 50 provinces and capture Rome, thereby becoming Emperor.

Family

Each faction starts with a set of family members composed of that faction's leader, his spouse, their children, including a faction heir, any of their spouses and any grandchildren. Only the male members of the family are controllable and these only once they are 16 years old, at which point they reach adulthood and become "full" family members. They govern provinces when stationed in a city and when fielded upon the world map command armies in the field. Male family members are added to the family by births between married family members, as well as adoption and marriage. Family members eventually die, either naturally through old age or by death in battle, assassination, or natural disasters.

In the absence of generals commanding field armies, captains are the commanders by default. Admirals fulfill a similar function for fleets. Neither are family members, but appear in the list of forces when displayed. However, if a captain is victorious in a battle in which the odds are against him, the player may have the option of adopting the captain.

Julii family member with several traits and his retinue

Family members can acquire traits depending on their actions in battle or when governing a city. These can have both positive and negative effects on their command, management, and influence, which in turn affect their battlefield performance and how well a province they govern operates. Some of these traits are hereditary, and can be inherited by the children of a family member. Family members can also acquire ancillaries by the same actions. These are members of a general's retinue, but can only number up to eight. These ancillary characters can be traded between two family members if they are in the same army or city.

Agents

There are three types of agents that can be used by factions: spies, diplomats, and assassins. Like family members, agents can acquire traits and specific ancillaries, which can be traded, but only with other agents of the same type. They can independently cross into other territories (allied, neutral or hostile) without triggering a transgression message that happens when an army attempts to do the same. They can be attached to an army, at which point they travel with them until detached to operate independently. Spies can be used to gather intelligence on field armies, infiltrate foreign cities and serve in a counter-espionage role in the players own cities. In any mission a spy can be discovered and killed. Diplomats can negotiate with other factions, offering deals such as alliances, trade rights, or protectorate. They may also attempt to bribe enemy armies and agents. Assassins are used in Rome: Total War to assassinate enemy characters, as well as sabotaging buildings in enemy settlements. These missions carry a risk of death towards the agent.

Mercenaries

On the campaign map, generals can hire mercenaries for an amount of Denarii (Roman money at the time) when there are mercenaries available in a territory, which are already trained and can be put to immediate use. Mercenaries vary depending on where they are recruited from, often being accustomed to the local terrain and tactics. There are disadvantages of using mercenaries; including high recruitment costs and mercenaries take part of the looting from a settlement instead of going to the player.

Unlike other units, when mercenaries are retrained their equipment is upgraded, but their casualties are not replaced. They also have a lower morale than many of the other soldiers that are able to be recruited.

Factions

The 3 Roman Factions: Julii, Brutii, Scipii. Unlockable Factions: Egypt, Carthage, Germania, Gaul, Britannia, Parthia, Greek Cities, and the Seleucid Empire. Non-Playable Factions: Thrace, Numidia, Dacia, Armenia, Spain, Pontus, Macedon, Scythia, Rebels, and Roman Senate. These can still be played by adding them to the 'playable' list in the file 'descr_strat', found in the rome total war folder at Activision\Rome - Total War\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign. (excluding the Rebels).

History

A demo of the game was released on August 23, 2004 and is freely available for downloading. It features a playable version of the Battle of River Trebia, with the player taking the role of Hannibal.[4]

Prior to its release, a preliminary but completely workable version of the game engine was used in two series of TV programs: Decisive Battles by the History Channel where it was used to recreate famous historical battles,[5] and Time Commanders by BBC Two, where teams of novice non-gamers commanded ancient armies to replay key battles of antiquity. The game engine was fine-tuned specifically for these television shows by military historians for maximum historical accuracy.

The original music soundtrack for the game was composed by Jeff van Dyck, who received a BAFTA (British Academy) Interactive Awards nomination for his work. His wife Angela van Dyck features in some of the vocals; Angela also wrote the lyrics for the song "Divinitus", written in quasi-Latin. The game's most notable collaboration between Jeff and Angela is "Forever", which plays while the game's credits are rolling.[neutrality is disputed] "Forever" was originally meant to be the game's main menu bostie.[citation needed]

Reception

Rome: Total War has been critically acclaimed by many reviewers who regards it as one of the best strategy games of 2004, winning numerous awards and high scores from gaming websites and magazines alike. The review aggregator Game Rankings shows an average of 91.7% from 65 major critic reviews, with 48 reviews at 90% or higher.[10]

Expansions

Rome Total War: Barbarian Invasion

Main article: Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion

Barbarian Invasion lets you play as barbarian nations of Eastern Europe. Also includes West-Rome and East-Rome. There are no families in this game and religion is also a major part in playing.

Rome: Total War: Alexander

Main article: Rome: Total War: Alexander

The Alexander expansion puts the player in the role of Alexander the Great and replays his conquests and battles.

The Mac version of the game was released on February 5, 2010 by Feral Interactive.[14]

Modifications

Rome: Total War allows for the manipulation of some game resources, including its text files and textures. This has led to the creation of many modifications, or "mods". Some of them change the game's unit skins and the campaign map to make it more realistic; others still move the games focus to a different time and place. The three favourites are:

  • SPQR-TW, a modification based on the rise of the Roman Republic and later, the Roman Empire.
  • Europa Barbarorum, a modification designed to be a definitive, historically accurate, full conversion of Rome: Total War.[15]
  • Rome: Total Realism (RTR), a modification which aims toward a much more realistic and historically accurate Rome: Total War. A completely redone unit roster, with many new more historically accurate units, and a new extended campaign map make it one of the most popular mods made for the game. The latest version - which is still in development - is Rome: Total Realism VII (RTR VII). RTR VII is a mod based on the struggle over the West, with a map encompassing Iberia, Punic Africa, all of Gaul, Italy, Greece, the Balkans, and part of Asia Minor. It is, however, not a minimod, and aims to max out the possibilities of the RTW Engine. It begins in 280 BC. In the west, Carthage, the mighty trading nation seeks to expand the borders of its empire. In Italy, Pyrrhus of Epirus has launched an invasion to suppress the power of the rising Roman Republic. To the east the Greek nations continue to descend in turmoil, no man or people great enough to re-unite the mighty Greeks as Alexander the Great once did. To the north lays the threat of the mighty barbarians, whom all civilized men fear. With no land safe, and no people willing to be tamed, the world is on the brink of total war, and only one people will survive. In the process of developing this mod, a set of "mini"-campaigns were released:
    • Rome Total Realism VII: The Iberian Conflict (TIC), the first "mini"-campaign in a line on its way to the final release of Rome Total realism VII. TIC is concentrated on the struggle between Celtiberia and Carthage, both fighting for the domination of the Iberian Peninsula. This campaign is full with difficult missions that can make or break your succes.
    • Rome Total Realism VII: Fate of Empires (FoE), the second and last "mini"-campaign in a line on its way to the final release of Rome Total realism VII. FoE is a mod set in the Western Mediterranean during the era of the Punic Wars. There have been introduced new gameplay challenges, especially at the strategic level, without compromising the open-ended campaign feel. The player will have to master new ways of settlement integration, economic development and expansion and, additionally, face tough challenges in the form of financial crises and hostile invasions, which will occur throughout the entire period covered by the mod. This mod features six playable factions: the Roman Republic, Carthage, Epirus, Celtiberia, Cisalpine Gaul and the Massylii as well as a whole lot of so called "mini-factions".

References

  1. ^ a b The Creative Assembly
  2. ^ The Creative Assembly
  3. ^ Lost Battles, Philip Sabin, page xvii
  4. ^ http://www.gamershell.com/download_6784.shtml
  5. ^ John Gaudiosi, "Rome: First a Game, Now on TV," Wired (05.17.04).
  6. ^ Ocampo, Jason (September 23, 2004). "Rome: Total War Review". GameSpot. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  7. ^ Butts, Steve (September 22, 2004). "Rome: Total War Review". IGN. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  8. ^ Gillen, Kieron (October 1, 2004). "Rome: Total War Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  9. ^ Kosak, Dave (September 22, 2004). "Rome: Total War Review". GameSpy. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  10. ^ a b "Rome: Total War Review". GameRankings. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  11. ^ "Rome: Total War Review". Metacritic. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  12. ^ Adams, Dan; Butts, Steve; Onyett, Charles (March 16, 2007). "IGN: Top 25 PC Games of All Time". Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  13. ^ http://top100.ign.com/2005/011-020.html
  14. ^ "Feral Interactive : Rome : Total War".
  15. ^ "Europa Barbarorum mission statement". Retrieved 2008-08-17.
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