When They ALMOST Made The PERFECT Total War - Empire: Total War 2022 Review

[@BonkerzGamer119]

there is nothing i want more than empire 2 to be the next historical total war, the global theatres and naval combat is all I want

[@AndysTake]

Would love that!

[@alessiobenvenuto5159]

There is something better tho: Medieval 3

[@arvidgreat]

@@alessiobenvenuto5159 no it can come after

[@alessiobenvenuto5159]

@@arvidgreat they would be both interesting, but medieval 2 aged much worse, especially the camera controls and the UI

[@montyjarvis6920]

@@alessiobenvenuto5159 already have it in the 1212AD mod for Attila, it'll be hard to beat that mod

[@PanzerWrek]

Empire was my 1st Total War game and still my favorite. I have over a 1,000 hrs in and still not bored with it. Fingers crossed that they announce development on Empire 2 within a few years.

[@minimortensen2902]

i think a new total war will be released in 2023 or late 2022 if lucky. It will most likely either be a empire 2 or a medieval 3. But since medieval already has a medieval 2 and empire doesn't, makes me believe that it would make more sense to make empire 2. I can't even imagine an empire total war with the resources that we have today. It would be too epic!

[@Metaldude1945]

@@minimortensen2902 I can't wait for a single Unit George Washington wielding two Cutlasses dueling with King George who wields a blunderbuss with an axe attached to it. /s

[@GeneralxRushton]

I think empire 2 with the tools today would be sick but I could see them trying for a WW2 Era aswell

[@KrakenUnleashed]

@@Metaldude1945 pls no

[@AndysTake]

Still hoping for an Empire 2, or at LEAST a completely fixed and expanded Empire remastered.

[@QueenMooSuko]

This will always be my favorite Total War game. The economy aspects, population actually mattering towards the growth of your regions (even if only to a point, the town/village turning into cities system, which you can then develop according to your needs is really cool) this was always so engaging... rushing the full development potential of my regions was always my favorite way to play this game. Having multiple schools to research more than one thing and not being stuck to a single research choice is something I miss greatly. Economic growth actually existing in this game (it was last in shogun 2) is something else I wish Total War didn't forsake. The idea of tax having an impact on population growth, emigration to colonies, and the overall wealth of your population (immediate VS long term gains) instead of tax ONLY being about public order and raw income from static sources and nothing else, was such a lovely aspect of this game. If this game ever saw a remaster, a genuine remaster that refined what was attempted here, got the same polish its spiritual successor Napoleon got, and expanded on the depth of the theaters, I think it could easily become the most celebrated total war game.

[@NapoleonBonaparde]

1700s warfare is the perfect setting for a total war game, they should make a Empire 2

[@irgendeinname9256]

As Napoleon your opinion on that is probably kinda biased

[@BetaProtogen]

@@irgendeinname9256 as a random furry on the internet I can vouch for napoleon

[@Andrewbaysura1]

​@@irgendeinname9256 but it is true, something about thousands of soldiers lining up only to be brutally murdered by artillery or a Calvert charge or a volley of fire is so much more interesting than thousands of dudes bunched up slaughtering each other in every battle.

[@irgendeinname9256]

@@Andrewbaysura1 i like that era too. But I also think what's much more important than the setting is how they implement. I hear most people say that they want an empire 2, a medieval 3 or a pike and shot total war but tbh any setting could be a really great or bad total war so I don't really care about that.

[@Andrewbaysura1]

@@irgendeinname9256 hopefully if they do a TWE 2 then... Hopefully they will have learned from their mistakes and do better.

[@akrav1983]

Had a lot of fun with Empire back in the day. I remember capturing the entire map as Prussia. Having the Prussian life guards versus the Indian elephants was awesome. I sure hope that CA brings back the naval battles in their next historical title.

[@Kodoschannel1]

I would play Poland all the time and smh the Prussians gave me the worst time lol

[@Zaubernudel]

Haha, i did the same in my first game

[@MrNebelschatten]

@@Kodoschannel1 Thats historically accurate lol

[@TheThingInMySink]

>I surely hope that CA brings back ________ in their next historical title (assuming there is any at this point) Look, as much I would LOVE to have hope for the future of TW, if you've ever wondered why year after year they come over to drop a turd in front of you and then saunter off to make the next Warhammer TW? It's because you keep having faith in them. Understand this: the devs who made your favourite TW probably moved on years ago, hoping for that same passion from today's CA is pretty pointless. Same goes for most of the big names in gaming, the makeup of these studios change, the publishers change, the deals change, the priorities change.

[@krankyboi4484]

@@TheThingInMySink no, don't say that... please T_T

[@_Azurael_]

Empire total war with the full world map, starting in EU IV start date, with colonization and exploration mechanics, tech similiar to Empire (with gradual improvements to army, economy and navy), and a deep enfâsis on trade routes and rare resources for economy (as it was irl), and thus making the navy the most important asset in the game. The small towns are actually an important part of Empire, think their importance should be even bigger, so protecting them would be essencial. Think this is my perfect Total war. Obviously, good graphics, no bugs, decent balance, etc, are a must.

[@legendrogue237]

To compensate for the Ai they could set certain actions or play styles for each faction rather than give them cheats or the standard ai behaviour of every faction.

[@_Azurael_]

@@legendrogue237 just give the AI historical objetives. Portugal wants to explore the sea and get to India, the brits and France are rivals, ottoman want to expand, etc...

[@legendrogue237]

@@_Azurael_ Exactly , they could also add indepth historical and ahistorical events or the player's decisions which might as well heavily impact a faction's playstyle. Proxy wars could be an interesting mechanic whilst there should be more indepth puppet/vassal mechanics. To add to it a Political system could be implemented to influence policies , economy military and colonies . The possibilities for content are endless .

[@Vee_9001]

I think starting in 1444 and having the whole world is too ambitious. I think even in something as expansive as Empire needs a tighter focus than what can be achieved in a pdx title. Imo I think a province system like what we saw in later total war games would honestly not be that bad of an addition in Empire. The trick imo is tying it into population, perhaps by the province population allowing the city growth, which can allow for more units to be trained in a turn or raising the cap for training elite units. I do think you’re absolutely correct that trade has to be center in Empire. As is there just isn’t enough focus on it, compared to war. I also think diplomacy should be a bigger part of the game. Idk what to do abt the former, but for the latter I think it might be good to have ‘coalitions’ temporary alliances that allow minor actors to fight among themselves, but if any larger faction comes in they all defend. I think also revamping vassals might be good, having it so that you can force a faction to be your vassal after the war, reducing your threat in exchange for not outright annexing, and perhaps occupation costs and differences in culture can be increased as well. Vassals can attempt to be rebellious depending on their economics, military score, how harsh you choose to be as their ruler, and distance. Maybe there could also be ‘sponsors,’ where a major nation can choose to secretly agree to fight for a rebellious Vassal. There could also be an event for having them, Austria for example might be able to form Germany by conquering or vassalizing all of the German states.

[@_Azurael_]

@@Vee_9001 cannot agree with "too ambitious". IF they can make the Warhammer map, they can make the whole world. They need to be ambitious or they will start to lose the historical audience for good.

[@aquilazyy1125]

I was 9 when one of my grandpa's students gave him a pirated copy of Empire, which he in turn let me play. English isn't my first language so I stopped playing after a while, but I kept a fond memory of it. It wasn't until I was in high school before I stumbled upon a review of the game again and found its name, so that I could download it again and play. I did not actually get a legal copy of it from Steam until I was in uni. Didn't try any other game in the TW series yet. They just can't astonish me as much as Empire did back in the days.

[@lucasjleandro]

Empire was my first Total War. More than 400 hours in steam. That one deserves a Empire 2. With countries splited into provinces, political mechanics, more units by countries, missions, chapters and Campaigns like 7 Years War, French Revolution, cities sieges remodelled

[@redacted5052]

Empire was close to greatnesses, but it was just too unfinished and the mechanics needed way more polish. Still a solid game.

[@AndysTake]

Well said!

[@Andrewbaysura1]

And my god the muskets... Sounded worse than horrible!

[@Knochentroke]

The nostalgia. My first Total War game and to this day my favorite. It has aged in some aspects like controls. What would I give for modern unit controls on the field. But the campaign map is still the best I played, with Shogun 2 getting a close second. The scale alone makes its title justice. You could feel that you are building an empire, having provinces on 3 different continents. Trade was really deep compared to others. You have to go out of Europe to get valuable goods and ship them back to your capital and then send them to your trading partners. Tech was also fun. Better trade? Get better ports and plantages buildings. Better armies? Get canister shot or line fire. And navel combat. So much time as a kid was simply watching these battles. Two lines sailing past each other and unloading hundreds of cannons in unison and even then you would not fully grasp the scale of this battles. A single ship could carry more cannons than most armies in that age. It offers just the feeling of building and commanding an Empire, something that has gotten lost today. I just don't like the focus on individual characters like in 3 Kingdoms. Sure, I like the story of them, and having named ones makes the game better, but the rest just got a bit forgotten. Units tide to them and only 6 units? Even with that, you could only have 1 or 2 armies at the beginning, denying the option of splitting most of the time. And having no growing economy just feels boring. In Empire, some techs gave you huge boosts in income, both in trade and industry. But I start rambling. Emipre is just unique in the series. It still has so much potential. Only thing that stops me sometimes are the controls and a bit the AI. And fort battles...

[@Antaragni2012]

Well, the fact that we are here talking about TW historical games from 2007 is a sign that the developers are focusing too much in fantasy and leaving us without options. So let's talk about MODs for all these good old TW historical games! I am ok with that.

[@caballeroquimera2501]

Mods are one of our only hopes right now, because CA would rather make Troy 2 than Medieval 3, Empire 2 or any historical game.

[@gerardotejada2531]

@@caballeroquimera2501 more like three kingdoms 2. Troy didnt sell, and Its not played. Saga games have been a failure.

[@darken2417]

My favorite mod for Medieval II has to be the Elder Scrolls mod. Its shockingly good.

[@legiohysterius4624]

@@darken2417 what's your favorite faction?

[@darken2417]

@@legiohysterius4624 Empire. They can expand in any direction and have access to many unique troops both by default and due to their proximity to special locations like the Dawnguard fortress. And they can easily buy land from Skyrim and the Bretons. And they also have to protect their isolated fortress all the way in Vvardenfell.

[@vladimiralexanderlagos1477]

It is my most fondly beloved entry in the whole Total War series. It had its drawbacks, as pointed out in the video, but it had this feel of empire building like no other game in the series. It felt grand, ambitious, and the battles felt relevant and cinematic, even if they got buggy as hell every now and then. The idea of juggling between several war theatres also added so much opportunity cost and forced to make some heavy decisions because you simply could not dominate on all theatres in the early game. I really hope they release a sequel someday.

[@grantmurphy7965]

I really liked the battles on Empire, the pacing was perfect, the battlefield would shift, you could scan over the map after the battle and actually tell what happened. It told a story in a way.

[@Voron_Aggrav]

I certainly remember battles I just looked at the map and just felt horrified by the sight of it, especially fighting the natives would lead to maps where there was just piles of death where brutal clashes happened, Or the sieges where the AI just couldn't understand that it could never win as I just kept pouring quicklime unto them, a few thousand soldiers crammed together without any chance to do anything but fall, clean victories but never ones I enjoyed due to that

[@MajSolo]

I like the audio in naval battles. I like zooming out a little then the sound go darker, sea sounds disappear, and the sound from canons roll across the sea and echo. The ships do not like to be close to each other and can get entangled, so I place them in zig zag so each ship have some free water ahead of the bow. The fire lane sides are in contact with the ship next to them. When the first enemy ship comes each of my ships fire and there is almost no interruption in the canon fire. Just a second here or there. The first enemy ships are already sinking before they passed my zig zag line of ships. They do not have time to surrender. But you need tech that speed up reloading. Early in the game some enemy ships might survive and start harassing you ships at the end of the line but just bite together and pass all enemy ships before you decide on what is next. Minor nation fleets are the smartest, Spain the dumbest navy they cooperate so that you can keep your line and they try pass your line again and again, India is I guess the most dangerous cause they have crap boats that go into close combat carrying gun powder that your canons will ignite exploding the enemy ship setting fire to your ships. It can become a mess. I call such enemies "crazy fleets". I think they can be identified at start of the sea battle by them having two lines of boats. 1 normal line with heavier boats and 2nd line with crazy crap boats that go head on to cause disorder in your line. Later in war France might have rocket ships what ever it is that cause fire to your first rate ships and eat through such a massive ship and make it explode in 90 seconds, totally unreal, so beware. ;)

[@Aahe42]

Empire is so good with mods, I have been playing it a lot lately and have grown to love it even more despite its flaws.

[@AndysTake]

Can relate!

[@stoutyyyy]

Yep, mods really iron out a lot of the flaws

[@rhyceg]

I remember some of the cancelled features like the naval landings and where the ships were able to participate in a costal land battle. Features that eventually made it into Rome 2. But they would have just been so incredible given the period. I really hope for a Total War: Empire 2 at some point.

[@gerardotejada2531]

I LOVE Napoleon and Shogun 2. To the point they are my absolute favourite historical games. Gunpowder battles are really amazing in Total War.

[@Freshbreadthe2nd]

Napoleon is the best historical title, far ahead of Empire

[@jaywerner8415]

Ya know, i would still love to know whos bright idea it was to make "follow up games" for total war, cus just imagine if they spent all the time and money making the "main game" grate and just taking on the "follow up game" as DLC or and expansion like FoTS was. The improvements over Empire in Napoleon are obvious (ships being able to repair in battle for example), how hard can that POSSIBLY BE?! Empire still has the best TECH PROGRESSION of any total war to date, its not about unlocking better stuff and small bonuses its about upgrading your existing troops and getting them more tools (although as you progress you do get more troops and better troops, BUT most of them are limited in number) and the "province capital" and smaller cities that you can specialize i feel had alot of potential, certainly more so then the modern building system. (why is France only once city? it should be 4 or 5 at least) Empires only real downside is the battlefield AI, which is sad cus empire also has alot of interesting little features like garrisoning buildings for cover or using walls for cover. Not to mention certain units have access to certain fortifications when defending (light infantry are the only ones that can lay mines), not to mention all the units have at least SOME purpose.

[@AndysTake]

I know… to all of this. I think the decentralized provincial system is great, but NEEDS to have many more cities and much more complex ones. The way it is in the later games.. just not fun at all compared to the Empire system.

[@jaywerner8415]

@@AndysTake I suspect they are STILL using it to this day cus it cuts down on "clutter" on the campaign map so they can CRAMP the Cities so close to each other for this "province/reigon" system they have now, and so the AI only has to take cities and doesn't just go around raiding the countryside cus it feels it cant take the city. (thats is technically a smart move but ultimately its just super annoying) Seriously EVERY "region" is like the size of Westphalia or those other small german states these days and RARELY much bigger. The easiest "compromise" between the 2 systems i can come up with is you have a Central city with multiple slots, and you have 3 "towns" (including ports) that you can specialize in a few different ways. They KINDA did this in Thrones but....its sucked cus its just Match the colors for bonuses.

[@JarthenGreenmeadow]

@@AndysTake I hate that you can only recruit from a general. It makes supply lines pretty much worthless. In Empire I follow my main army with a half stack of infantry exclusively to reinforce damaged units after a fight. Also the ability to detach cavalry and have them scout/raid. Really important aspect that just disappears when you can only have troops recruited at a general. The province system is just bad. Its so much worse than Medieval 2 or Empire. Growth.... just.... growth. Worst mechanic ever.

[@BiggusDikkus73]

I'm 25 just got a PC this year and this was my first total war....it quickly became a top 3 all time game for me and I have nearly 200 hours in it in under 8 months

[@not-a-theist8251]

I love the decentralized provinces of napoleon and empire. So emersive

[@severanfenrir4051]

Yes, yes, and yes. The only thing that would have made it better is fort engagement defenders actually being able to fire muskets and cannons properly at enemies advancing. Or large army engagements when you have two or three armies around and enemy one and you can bring your full force to bear.

[@Voron_Aggrav]

It probably would've worked better if they used the Garrison building feature on the Walls, so it would've actually known men where using that section and made using the cannons easier instead of the horrible way you always had to fiddle with it to finally work

[@six2make4]

I just remember beating basically the entire game with line infantry and a couple of cannons.

[@jaywerner8415]

That DOES work.

[@jaykilbourne1110]

*cough* Napoleon *cough* 'Cuse me, had to cough.

[@Voron_Aggrav]

Cannons, howitzers and line infantry to guard them, my standard line-up 2 cannons 3-5 howitzers, 2 charge cav, 2 melee cav, and the rest infantry, Cav doesn't always shine, but they can be amazing when put in the right place at the right time, as it gives you a lot of flexibility especially combining the Shattering effect of lancers followed up by melee cav as they've got no time to recover from the charge

[@Freshbreadthe2nd]

Its actually far from being the best, but i agree that the potential was there. With less bugs, more features, better AI and better path finding, it would have been awesome

[@harrisoncurtis204]

I never understood a lot of the hate Empire got, I thought it was the best campaign map by far. The fact there are strategic locations located on the map like resources and forts which can be occupied or raided makes the world so much more interesting and alive. You actually want to send small armies and units to keep these minor settlements protected from roaming bands of native raiders, etc.. Only thing it was missing is combined naval/land invasion battles!

[@edwardo8404]

YES IT IS, because you can the ambition for this game is so far ahead of their technical capabilities, so even if players hate it because of bugs, there are some who saw past the bugs and seen the diamond that is empire total war

[@Voron_Aggrav]

With Empire more than any other I'd just say remaster it, fix the problems don't touch Anything else except maybe the province system and you've got a solid title, 64 bit architecture and a functional AI would already be most of the problems I've encountered solved as it always runs like a hog in a tub of lard

[@kingofmadness6834]

I would say a perfect total war would be empire and napoleon mixed with some ai improvements

[@captainnyet9855]

CA should have made that and called it Empire.

[@mcgee227]

Ive played Total War sense it started. Empire is still my favorite. The new ones are far to complicated.

[@Planewalker1999]

I like how much of the technology actually matters in this game. More modern ones have a ton of basic “+5% stat boosts” and other boring stuff

[@Hamss_]

In this Total game Warship battle was more excitement especially that in the Sailing Age

[@gentlesirpancakebottoms6692]

Empire was awesome yet at the same time disappointing mostly due to the poor AI both in battles and on the campaign map. Mods have done a lot to fix this but the game is too broken to truly be fixed. Of all the games that deserves a sequel or remake. Or just even a proper remaster, its this game. There is so much to this game. Almost too much, thats why it falls a bit flat and deserves a second chance. I want to love this game and it deserves to be the best TW ever.

[@ronduptor]

I really liked the game. Definitely not my favourite, but good amounts of fun were had. The soundtrack tho, I think is the best of the whole series. Melancholic, era fitting, "remixes" of famous pieces. It's tied on 1st place with Rome TW in my opinion. Still got chills when I hear the main theme, or one of the loading screens. Thanks for the video

[@AndysTake]

Thanks for watching, Lionel :) I think the music is nice as well, I just wanted a bit more and present tracks. Partially why I prefer the OST in Napoleon, but empire has some very nice tracks as well!

[@CallofPlastic]

This was my first Total War game. At the time I was seeking an RTS, and was interested in the US Revolutionary war campaign, and gave it a try. I loved it and would eventually go on to log 1500 hours in game. Together with George Washington, me and Mel Gibson pushed back against British colonialism and carved out our own independent nation. The Darth Mod, in my opinion, made it even better, with bigger battles. The shipping routes added strategic depth to the game, as you could disrupt enemy trade. During one campaign, I realized that the pirates in the Caribbean were actually more beneficial to be left alone to harass my rivals, than to be invaded. Besides America, my favorite faction to play as during the long campaign were the Prussians. Balancing relationships between the protestant north and catholic south, while trying to reunite the Prussian empire was a challenge and enormously fun. My only wish would be that the entire world was included, besides just trade ports. Empire was the easiest Total War game for me to play and understand - it was much more tactically satisfying and even when the odds are stacked against you, if you used the right combination of tactics, you could achieve victory. One example is that I had a small town come under siege by enemy calvary, and I remember taking the three groups of local townsmen, placing them behind a stone wall at the bottom of a hill. The enemy calvary began their charge and as they crested the hill, I had the townsmen place down spikes at the last second. A handful of the enemy cavalry were impelled, and it forced them to retreat and regroup. As they turned around the townsmen began firing from behind the stonewall, further dwindling the enemy's numbers, spurring a full retreat. There are so many more stories I could tell regarding Empire's tactical balance. If they make an Empire 2, I would love to see the entire world included.

[@AndysTake]

Loved this, thanks for sharing!

[@ix_aspect_xi8734]

Empire is the ONLY total war game that hasnt had a sequel, and i think its because they are sitting on it to make something HUGE. The warhammer series showed us they can truly make MASSIVE maps with hundreds of provinces. I believe warhammer 2 eye of the vortex had over 300 provinces. Now that theyve finished their warhammer trilogy, my hopes are VERY high that they push out an empire 2.

[@ACM1PT95]

Empire was my first total war game ever. I spent long hours on this game but I have to say that the only reason why this game is still playable to me is because of the mods. In my opinion the mods saved this game

[@rale_p229]

True.

[@y.r._]

I'm rooting so hard for Empire 2 one day. Hopefully it'll include the 1600s as well as China and Japan. That would be beyond awesome.

[@lordedmundblackadder9321]

I have Medieval II, Rome, Rome II, Shogun, and Napoleon, but my favourite has always been Empire. The game isn’t perfect, but with Minor Factions Revenge it can get pretty close.

[@kennethcogdill3022]

I hope the next one has the whole world map.....i want all the native american tribes....south america ...africa...Australia....china and japan......playing as the zulus in south africa would be awesome

[@ItsSamHussey]

All they need in an Empire 2 is playable minor nations, more nations as a whole, a world map, abilities in Napoleon such as puppet governments, looting, and a turn lasting half a month, maybe some more units and definitely more government options too! I’d love it, I would genuinely pay £50 for that game if it ever came out

[@Pug46YT]

Total war games deserve more attention then they get

[@tiborcsendes5269]

At least a few of them.

[@Pug46YT]

@@tiborcsendes5269 true

[@GokWan-jl1wu]

Just want to note that today 7th may 2024 I played my first total War And it's this very one 3.99 on steam worth it

[@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter]

Use the large address aware patch for a new install.

[@nyxknight7555]

This is my second favorite behind Rome and the one I want the most remade or a second one bigger battles bigger worlds naval battles preferably campaign map character interactions maybe multi tier battles with a positioning, skirmish, main battle, and rearguard fazes with many more units and armies on the field at the same time also a much better ai is a must for the love of good more more death blobs? Please?

[@M4A1BestGirl]

This game was an underrated masterpiece. Even though it had several bugs/glitches, including dumb enemy AI thst would sometimes hide behind a wall, retreat for no reason, get stuck because of the terrain, not attack, or just completely disappear, this game was ahead of its time and was actually very educational.

[@BittermanAndy]

I love Empire, but it REALLY suffers from not having some of the advanced controls added in newer games like Warhammer (Alt+drag to move in formation, that kind of thing) - black powder warfare is ALL ABOUT manoeuvring in formation, but in E:TW, doing so is next to impossible.

[@stix_0910]

yes that kind of control was added in later titles, rome 2 started some of this (eg left click drag), Attila improved on this (eg Alt+drag, shift+drag etc), then from warhammer onwards CA created a new game engine. There are formations in Empire but battles controls def not as advanced as later titles. See youtube video "Empire Total War: Formation Guide (Commentary Walkthrough)"

[@blackadder564]

My only problems with Empire is that the number regions per nation is too small, and the map is too small. Most of south America is missing and the same in Asia. Oh and you can't play all available factions. Warhammer Immortal Empires proofs they are capable of fixing this.

[@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter]

You can play all factions. Just download one of the many mods that enables this.

[@mi12no]

The relevant portions of North America in the late game stages are also missing. We need a sequel to span the world without any extraneous bs they have in the saga series.

[@jonsmitt9769]

I wish we had a shogun2 style gameplay on the empire map. Tech allows you to build gun batteries for forts, ports and other map chokepoints. Have naval/fort battles. Like realm divide discourages early game expansion, have diplomacy actually matter as territorial expansion scares AI into forming alliances, fortifying and attacking. Generals have trainable abilities. Rare trade resources can be obtained by tech/diplomacy achievements. Compete for trade deals. Late game trains/merchant shipping allows rapid auto transport of armies. Tech revolutionizes battlefield with Gatling guns prompting trenches. Howitzers bring the evolution of star forts into bunkers. Percussion shells demanding ironclad ships requiring coal depots.

[@stevennicholas5472]

Being quite old now, i'd give up one of my testicles for a new release of Empire that amalgamated all the progress from the TW releases since E:TW. what they tried to accomplish back then, few companies have tried to replicate since. Empire is still the first TW i install after a machine rebuild; thanks to Darthmod, but now that TWII incorporates some of its features, i'lll probably just go with that. EDIT: Excellent video, by the way, summed up my feelings perfectly; it has so much to offer. If only....

[@Tadicuslegion78]

The only time a government/head of state ever affected my campaign when it wasn't my faction directly was I was fighting a war against, it was either Prussia or Austria, and I was crushing them and wanted peace to focus on other things, it was only when the old Queen died and a new king took over that they agreed to peace. so yes, an Empire 2 that made governments/monarchs more important would be great

[@Dayrahl]

I'd say yes. The single most ambitious total war ever made, slightly to ambitious but man the mods make it hold up. I've spent at least 5000 hrs in it

[@bencab8732]

Which mods would you recommend? Thanks!

[@Bojanglesz89]

I watched the video until the end and hearing the music I remembered that they did not bring Jeff van Dyck back to do the soundtrack for Empire. This was also a big mistake! I like Empire for the reasons you mention, but there were indeed a lot of downsides too. CA should watch this video and make a superior sequel!

[@oddersisadog]

Napoleon was fun but it was too small and I craved to conquer the whole world map not just eastern europe.

[@krystofcisar469]

We need 30 years totalwar... Would be total blast title which can recycle all those empire ideas while evolving from late medieval armies well into pike and shot/ linear warfae era. + releasing it in 2030 would be great move which would definitely pay of for CA :D

[@ottson]

On my deathbed, this will probably be my favorite game ever. It's got some rough edges, but it's beautiful and ambitious

[@blasty137]

- Do you love or hate Empire Total War? - Yes.

[@gmodrules123456789]

The thing I liked was that it’s really easy to just “get in to”. You start with a relatively sizable amount of territory and military, so you can go and have big battles pretty quickly.

[@thewingedhussar4188]

I feel they really should do a empire total war 2 They did all the other games, might as well update this one. Otherwise I would LOVE to see a total war set during the Bronze age (I mean real bronze age, not troy/fantasy). Where maybe the sea peoples are a secret hidden boss that emerges when enough rebels gather together. An you have two possible tech paths you can go down. One that is better suited for fighting the sea peoples and another that fights the other factions. All while dealing with environment issues. Another good idea is South Africa, where we could play different tribes/peoples. With the added bonus of having the Boers and British being major threats to deal with. In a real way it be like Shogun 2 : Fall of the Samurai. Third possible good idea is having a game take place In india/South East assia during some point in time. Imagine the different types of warriors you can play around with. Fourth idea would certainly be a steam punk total war game set in Ancient Rome. Or at least a mod that would add steam power as part of the tech tree.

[@Voron_Aggrav]

Empire and Napoleon both got steam power, at least the Darthmod versions But yeah I'd love a Steampunk mod based on like the Empire/Napoleon style of combat

[@thewingedhussar4188]

@@Voron_Aggrav What about a steam punk Rome?

[@adamzeller4160]

Empire was the best hands down.

[@davidcolborne9468]

Still have a campaign every year or two, so much you can do in this game. My favourite was playing as Austria and using the Windbaersch Jaegers (or similar name). Could obliterate entire armies from some factions with just two units

[@Da__goat]

Would love to see the game get a sequel that expands and builds on its original framework-time period from 1650-1800, the golden age of sail. More regions, reworked game engine, new models. Molders have kept the game alive and some of them are absolutely epic like PuA, which has been under development meant for 10 years

[@SureSShuffle]

So I remember when it came out, I wasn't a huge fan. It came out broken af and the AI/ player mechanics were nearly unplayable. By the time Napoleon came out though, it was a completely different game. Also hats off to the modding community, they have expanded and improved this game beyond belief.

[@brandonly27]

Yeah, but I don't understand why all the siege battles are in forts. Were there no walled cities in the 1700s? It seems strange. And even if the cities aren't walled, it seems like they could have just recycled whatever they used in Rome Total War (to make the cities bigger as your troops march through the streets). The sieges are disappointing.

[@jasonhansen]

I think Empire Realism Mod is what makes this mod a gem give the battles a lot more depth and the Ai can actually beat you.

[@gerardotejada2531]

Would love Creative Assembly to look at Europa Universalis 4 for the next Empire 2.

[@AndysTake]

Same!

[@twrampage]

While I'd love a new Empire, I think the best way forward for the Total War franchise would be to do a soft reboot of sorts with a new Medieval on a new engine. They could add in some Crusader Kings style character/family management for something new. Then, after that, they can turn to a new Empire, taking their experiences both good and bad to create it on a scale that we haven't seen yet. Being able to colonize more of the Americas and Asia would be awesome.

[@kaisercorn4857]

One thing that I believe you missed. It was the first total war with modern camera controls. You didn't have to put up with the crappy controls from Medieval 2 or Rome anymore.

[@ivanspasov9831]

2022 and i still enjoy playing the game plus napoleon total war, i have so much good memories to it, and still feels like a perfect total war game.

[@stevenhoughton1406]

Empire is my favourite Total war game I have clocked up thousands of hours playing it. I'm a Brit so I've only ever used Great Britain every time I play it can't Imagine playing as anyone else. I hope they give me Empire Total War 2 soon and I will pray they don't mess it up and they make it greater than the first one.

[@LeoMajor1]

I have like 900 hours on this game according to steam. If it got some more crucial updates it would be the best total war ever.

[@shorewall]

I wanted to get into Empire for so long, but I was worried that it would be too different. I finally played it, and loved it. I love setting up gunlines and blasting away the enemy, then charging as needed to break them. And I LOVE naval battles. I will sometimes auto resolve land battles, but I will always play out naval battles, even just to run down one trade ship. It is so much fun. I would buy a game just for Empire's naval battles. And I love how the musketeers reload, and fire by rank. It feels real, unlike Warhammer total war and their gunlines. I like fantasy total war, but I NEED more good historical total wars! You could tell they cared about simulating reality in Empire.

[@marekkos3513]

Shogun 2 !!! Thank you and have a nice day

[@JarthenGreenmeadow]

Empire Total War Darth Mod is the best Total War experience. It adds a pile of unique units for every faction and unlocks a bunch of factions to play like Pirates. If you like Empire and havent tried it, you're missing out big time.

[@wardaddy6595]

@6:40, "you kind of never have to deal with the Government...which is kind of a bummer". Said no one EVER!!!

[@mamchi]

I am 40, I still play Empire Total War. I have experienced a lot of strategy games and I believe that Empire is one of the top top games. It is a shame that a renewed version or Empire 2 is not launched yet. I am ready to spend my money.

[@mi12no]

7:25 I disagree. They gave us control over town buildings which you miss the point of almost entirely. The economic wealth of a region or levels of buildings affects the AI response. I learned that the hard way with the Ottoman Empire.

[@noneinparticular2338]

I still play it. Universities/Schools.etc... as you say are very important , i recomend capturing German regions to imcrease not just research but "professors". Also ministers can be fired , i tend to look for new ministers every 2 turns. It takes sometime to build a full 5.stars government but the rewards are worth it. I fully enjoy the game , continents, trade in places where you must mantain a fleet to fence off marauders bit with up to 15 trade ships per spot it is well worth. Naval battles are impresive though the AI does better than a human in equally balanced battles , the human must click and move the map manually whereas the AI does it at cpu speed. There are so many aspects to the game. I am playing Russia and I left UK alive to enjoy difficult battles with elite troops. Because there are limited numbers of elite troops , army composition against different armies counta a lot. Rocket units are perfect for sieges, eventually most of the enemy army dies, though this is a boring exploit, it showcases the game as full of interesting algorythms to discover. I bet at least 50% of players of Empire are somehow connected to computer science. Anyway, thanks for the video. I am gonna watch some more in your channel. Subscribed🎉

[@fletchhadley3278]

I loved empire total war. i spent a lot of hours and took pride in my micromanagement of 10's of sectors around the globe. I haven't engaged in that type of providence management since that game, and now focus on just making everyone mad at me and defending. I hope they make empire total war 2!!!!

[@alexanderrahl7034]

Empire was fantastic. The only true problem i have, is that in its old age, the bugs have festered. Sometimes its lighting issues, sometimes is horrendous battle-ruining pathing issues. Sometimes the battle AI gets wonky. But damn do i love it anyway

[@HumanTouchArt]

I use to hate empire total war when I first got it but 12 years later it became one of my favorite total war games of all time ...causd i finally learned how machanics and everything works and has some very fun mechanics :)

[@mokkoy]

I don't like that CA turned from historical to fully fantasy games, Empire TW was a real masterpice. Still worth of playing.

[@johnny1882]

Question : are there no fifers in this mod? like in vanilla? You know, the guy near the drummer with the flute playing marching songs. I made a drummer band , they have an fifer animation but no sound of it, only drums

[@Blix-Tha-Epic-TM4L]

I love this game. Yes, it isn't perfect, but it is still alot of fun.

[@gabrielcostin8867]

Empire Total war and Napoleon total war are my favorite strategy games. They are so different than the other total war games and other strategy games but still looks like total war is going on a different path. I hope so much anothe game like that will launch

[@laszloistvankolozsi6810]

Wooooo at 1:08 what is the mod's name? 😍😍

[@Koelebig]

Empire Total War was a nice proof of concept. It needed much more of everything. Loved the naval battles in this one, but overall really underwhelming. Also, do I need to remind people of France - the big power of the day - that you can whipe off the map in just 2 battles? And the map was huge in scale, but small in detail: the home region of United Province, was much too small to be able to do anything with it defensively. Again, a nice proof of concept.

[@tomzicare]

1:10 Ahh, missing features weren't included in the video :( Italian states and Afghanistan practically playable and voiced. Great review nevertheless.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you :) and yea, missing features is an entire thesis on itself. I have a video about that though, which you’re free to check out :)

[@Tyrant_8053]

ETW is my most played TW, despite RTW having a few hours more due to some modding attempts. I just wish each town/resource nodes were actual administrative subdivisions that are part of the larger province, still as per the ETW system instead of the R2TW one, while being able to be conquered and used by a faction individually (instead of just being damaged and garrisoned), while being reflected on the campaign map as well when taken over it. That in my opinion will really make the gameplay more interesting as factions will also fight for the towns instead of just the provincial capitals in order to gain a better strategical position or even just resources and really reflect the strategical environment of war ever since the dawn of wars. That is really my only wish for ETW, other than the usual more regions, more factions, global map etc etc. I really have no complaints, the AI is dumb but the whole mindset of line battles during then were pretty dumb too so there's that. I've also never experienced any of the bugs people complain about, besides the AI forming up for line battles outside of a fort during a defensive (on their side) fort battle. Though I would I wish that there was an easier way to achieve the different governmental types besides going through 2 civil wars to get the one you prefer and that there is a way to change the dynasty itself as well. I also feel that the lack of China is a disappointment, due the fact that the 1700s were a special period in near modern history for China. They are in a golden age, undisputedly the strongest faction and their military are in weird state where the advancements of gunpowder tech from the late Ming are still lingering around, but yet the archaic style of warfare is the one being forefront by the military, while under pressure from the Imperial court itself to keep up to date and actually incorporate/improve upon western gunpowder tech. In fact, the Qing military were very gunpowder centric during the second half of 1700s onwards, up to half of the troops actually fought in musket lines with artillery support. This puts it in a unique position to allow the player to take it down a path of technological advance it never did while at the same time not making the tech tree/troops overpowered against other factions. Other than that I agree with your comments on the governmental/cabinet system, could be more engaging rather than being so simplistic. Maybe a slot for faction unique buildings in cities would be more fun plus having 1-2 more slots for smaller provincial capitals. More events with impact would be fun. But if I have to choose a favourite TW? It is definitely ETW, even in vanilla.

[@regal163]

Yes, I agree, ETW is my favourite to, but it still has those bugs which CA never did fix, the dreaded slowdown of AI turns, the sudden crash to desktop for no apparent reason, it's a brilliant game, but on starting it you never know if you're going to make it to the end, roll on ETW 2.

[@Abbittibbi]

Awesome game: just won a world domination with Great Britain just today(december 2022), thanks for this publication. One of the best feature, aside the map, is the unlimited armies and general, which are ranking up not only in combat, but as well as on map(with followers and other means). The tech tree is long, well done and hard all at the same time. Ships are awesome looking, but the naval battle are very hard, so much so I all automated them, since my chance to win are much higher. As for land battle, the only down side are the terrain and building(especially forts), I've become unbeatable(VS AI that is). The worse downside is that you cannot play minors, and change of government are not obvious.

[@Geshiko-GuP]

the game is actually very good if you ignore the fact all the maps are the same and some other things like france being 1 giant state with a singular city, youll find a very fun game..naval combat hits just right, just a nice barrage of ships...land combat is also very satisfying..surely when your enemy is charging..lines get gunned down..than in line combat..man after man falls as they exchange fire..as a cannon than blows a whole in the formation..than cavarly flanks and hits the behinds of the line infantry....so combat is very fun..and the diplomacy system is very much improved..with allies actually meaning something as they actually make me back down from some stuff..like german war with austria as prussia, so the game is very balanced in that regard..and the unit variety is great..i could go on and on..but to make it simple as the video explains it, this game is good

[@darken2417]

I love how in Empire they took the time to get voiceacting for many many factions. I was horrified when the Western mercenary units in Shogun II spoke English lol.

[@captainnyet9855]

That was so sad; especially since it was only 4 languages (actually 3, but I'll differeniate between englishes) for one unit each.

[@guardiadecivil6777]

the portuguese tercios in shogun 2 also play the fife and drum music that you hear in Napoleon Total War

[@thorgargrauwolf1366]

Empire Total War was, and still is, my favourite historical Total War game

[@vulcanjoe8258]

I remember when Empire TW was like on launch (pretty sure it was also the first TW Tittle launched on steam as well. Ran like total ass, the turn times were nearly 5+ mins even on a decent rig - but man I loved it. The other issue was the god awful a.i even now in 2022 but thankfully mods fix a lot of these issues.

[@AndysTake]

Hahaha agreed, can relate :)

[@captainnyet9855]

even with no mods ETW is completely fine, until you start a battle.

[@guidokreeuseler9566]

It may not be the best total war game, but it is the best looking and playable pc wargame set in the 18th century. There aren't many strategy games set in this period, and those others that exist are either too arcane and complex (seven years war, wars of succession) or oversimplified (American Patriots). Ultimate admiral may be the lone rival of Empire. Empire wins that rivalry for me because it is more open-ended and "grand" in various aspects.

[@gilangsuryadharma1295]

I remembered when it first come out, the naval mechanic and gameplay was remarkable.

[@liammorris1018]

It's mad i've owned empire since release but never actually played it, but recently i've been playing older total war games like rome 2, shogun 2 etc as warhammer has gotten a bit stale. Decided to launch empire for the first time after watching this video and actually sink some hours in. It's such a great game, the map is amazing and how you interact making farms and seeing them pop up, the ship battles are amazing, War is amazing especially as Britain since the Ai never rally invades you which works really well since the diplomacy from my point of view leaves much to be desired so when everyone declares war on you the only thing you should see is £ signs by sending your ships to chain shot enemy fleets and profit.

[@1991beachboy]

My favorite total war game after rome total war. I just love the period, it was imo when we got into how the world more or less looks like today and everything could have gone so differently. As a swede, you do wonder what would happen if Charles XII would've accepted truce with Russia and go join the war of the spanish succession. We haven't always been big but we are extremely powerful for our size and back then could've played a huge role of the spanish succession war. Or if Charles XII actually won against Russia and took territories from them, the world would've looked much more different than you'd think. What would've happened if Maratha confederacy actually took over the ottomans and ruled from eastern india all the way up to constantinopel? Things could've been extremely different. There's just so many scenarios that's fun to speculate about. So yeah, i love this period ;)

[@AndysTake]

Yes, Sweden was indeed a major power during this time period, and arguably one of the better ones - and I say that as a Norwegian haha. Empire’s is such a cool era and I definitely hope we’ll see it again soon.

[@1991beachboy]

@@AndysTake OG didn't know you were norwegian lol. Also just came up in KZbin algorithm, definitly subscribing :)

[@AndysTake]

@@1991beachboy thanks mate, appreciate it! :D

[@ion_force]

Campaign: 10/10 for the map and the atmosphere Tech tree: 10/10 research and gentlemen/universities is a fun system diplomacy: 10/10 Trading and selling regions is vital to a total war game (hasn't been used since!) Field battles: 6/10 AI needs mods to function siege battles: 4/10 Laughably bad but fun to cheese Naval battles: 7/10 pretty but frustrating and hard to control Overall ETW is the most feature rich, fun to play, and engaging total war game. I have spent countless hours painting the map. Which is not the case for any other historical title besides rome II and FOTS

[@TheT3MK4]

for me naval battle 9/10 why its 9/10 is because of can’t repair ships like in Napoleon.

[@ion_force]

@@TheT3MK4 wait what? Ships don't repair at military ports?

[@TheT3MK4]

@@ion_force I mean on battlefield.

[@coloradoing9172]

Campaign 6/10 for 1 province France and lack of provinces elsewhere, cheating and incompetent AI. Tech tree: 8/10 not much to say, techs change the game nicely. Diplomacy 6/10 has many of the same issues that Napoleon and (to a lesser extent) Shogun has, campaign AI is braindead at diplomacy. Field battles 6/10 braindead AI, maps are tiny, units unbalanced. Siege battles 5/10 bad with forts. Naval battles 8/10 can be good when not bugged out.

[@Kuzyn]

You could also mention that campaign map was supposed to be much bigger. But sadly files that confirm that are gone or at least I cant find it. There were screenshots of the map from some beta versions.

[@AlexAckerl]

I still can’t forgive CA for first promising a multiplayer campaign, then delivering a half hearted BETA and eventually dropping it altogether. This game would be AMAZING with mods - if there was the multiplayer campaign. However the battle AI in this game is so terrible I haven’t been able to go back to it, since single player just doesn’t make sense to me when every AI army just suicides itself.

[@AndysTake]

YES! Why didn’t they release the full multiplayer?! THIS would be perhaps the BEST multiplayer experience in Total War history because of the variety and scope. Just so awesome.

[@fenriders7008]

The multiplayer campaign is the sole reason Napoleon has more than 30hours of playtime for me. It has over 1000, multiplayer campaign for empire would be so perfect.

[@captainnyet9855]

ETW would have benefitted massively from drop-in battles alone; far moreso than Shogun 2 at least.

[@Brickgamerr]

I love empire and I'm exited to see if you continue to Norway series

[@wiseguy3696]

The Empire 2 mod is a really great way to get back into Empire, which is already a great game.