The Hard Truth About Total War ROME: Remastered

[@Mike-mc3ty]

I’d definitely watch a 2021 review of Rome 2

[@weisiaunet]

Me too, I've played a CiG campaign because I was excited about the remaster, but haven't liked it that much. I'd be interested to hear what ROP has to say.

[@Whitestar19]

Yeah you really should! Add it Attila too, a quick 10 minute video (or longer) with some highlights. Attila is a better game, but I prefer the time period of Rome 2.

[@Andersella]

Heck yeah

[@waltblackadar4690]

Likewise

[@osgiliath86]

Definitely yes! otoh, I would watch an angryjoe review of RII in 2021 :)

[@Toxborg]

It would be kind of cool to see a ROME 2 Review in 2021. I would love to hear your opinion on the state of the game :)

[@nERVEcenter117]

Agreed, I'm a new player to the series trying to decide what the best overall package to jump into is, and I'm not too interested in Warhammer. I want historical!

[@northernleigonare]

@@nERVEcenter117 I'd get Rome 2 and Medieval 2 total war. Both are great games that portray their time periods in history, and for the most part avoid a lot of what later games flounded with. Guess I triggered a bunch of die hard fans by recommending Rome 2. Unfortunately they probably haven't played the game since it's bad release. (I've got about 1.5k hours in game) and although I know it is still buggy, a lot of the bad things about the game are literally present in any total war game. The only time where I'd say it doesn't work well is that the crapstacks of units usually beat most battles, but If you are new I'm sure you'd rather enjoy fighting your battles instead of auto resolving them. The fighting animations are very good, and the combat is still good considering that for a long time, units like pikemen were never that viable and Rome had the strongest units which everyone would bitch about, without understanding that it's the main thing about classical / antiquity infantry. High armoured units from an empire that spanned literally a thousand years is going to be something they do very well in.

[@friendlytalbot4050]

@@nERVEcenter117 Don't get Rome 2. Shogun 2 is where it's at if you want an older TW game. Otherwise, go Three Kingdoms. That's the newest, and I personally enjoyed it. If you go with Rome 2, just be prepared to play a game of endless whack-a-mole.

[@wxj5640]

@@nERVEcenter117 Get medieval 2 , it's has the best dynamic interaction of the TW meaning that every step and every decision you do matters (unlike Rome 2 u just auto-resolve everything) And it has the best modding community that still coming out new mods after 15 years! Even if u get bored of vanilla, u can find interesting mods that include time period from Antiquity, medieval middle east, World War II, LOTR, Warhammer, the content is endless (I haven't played shogun 2 so can't give opinions on that)

[@yugatrasclart4439]

Rome II's combat is still shit. They just bandaged the shit. Plenty of bugs still around etc

[@johbowfor]

I really want to see a video making a case for rome 2 in 2021.

[@stoviedrennan8058]

The Divide Et Impera video is basically it.

[@SkySweeperSyn]

@@stoviedrennan8058 how about a video that's not about mods saving the game?

[@johncuzwhynot]

@@SkySweeperSyn Saving the game? The game doesn’t need saving

[@zubi4570]

Rome II review: yes

[@jacksonholmes9955]

I love the game

[@Vince-tt1uj]

"Just kidding. We only wanted to knock down that fence." - thats a classic.

[@thenodgod1735]

I'd watch a 2021 Rome 2 review, sure! Even though I'd never play R2 without DeI anymore, just as I couldn't play Rome 1 without EB.

[@KakashiKyle9]

To be honest in my opinion DEI is poorly optimized now. Recent patches the game doesn't run as well as it use too.

[@akshatharora2161]

@@KakashiKyle9 I feel like it’s started running pretty well recently though I know what you mean a couple of patches ago the performance really tanked

[@glendaal67]

You are playing with the Ultra unit size, that definitely brakes the pathfinding, especially in a settlement. High is better for that.

[@paulrasmussen8953]

And they warn you of it

[@glendaal67]

@@paulrasmussen8953 They do, but it does not specify pathfinding. It just says it might affect performance, which is usually understood as fps drops etc

[@bigsmoke4592]

did ultra not exist in the original or why is it broken?

[@glendaal67]

@@bigsmoke4592 the original did not have official unit size setting, but you could easily change it in the game files.

[@alexsommerfeld7977]

@@glendaal67 yeah it did. low units of 40, and they scale to 160 or so. maybe they released it with patch 1.5 but my pc could only run low when it first came out

[@Direphalanx]

This was my first total war game and I dumped many hours into it as a teen. The remaster for me has been great. Honestly I’m enjoying all the new features. For me remaster just means updated graphics better performance so all these new additions are great. My opinion definitely isn’t the most attractive one right now but I think Feral did great. I didn’t come into this expecting an awesome AI because it was never there in the original.

[@Kanovskiy]

Do you know if mods will be available for this version? I hardly played the vanilla RTW, never completed a campaign in vanilla, only mods.

[@on-jo7716]

@@Kanovskiy yes mods are available. Workshop and websites work. Plenty of mods.

[@Graue.Eminenz]

_Conclusion: it doesn't matter how much you want, you can't turn back time._

[@jakobschoning7355]

deep thought

[@TheAngrySaxon1]

Tell that to all of the people running Windows 7!

[@KeimpeJ]

AOE2

[@Elephantstonica]

Mathematically you can apparently. It’s just the game and reviews would be the same, so no point.

[@Freya27395]

Its like your first kiss. Some things dont happen twice

[@alexburke4569]

Yes a Rome II 2021 review would be awesome!

[@stefanstoyanov7460]

I'll save you a half hour of you life, it's still bad. Not as awful as it were, but is still a shit.

[@alexburke4569]

@@stefanstoyanov7460 I don’t think it’s shit. The battle A.I can still be buggy and the diplomacy is kinda whack but it isn’t shit. Unlike Empire total war. I have 980 hours in Rome 2 and I can say it’s so much better than Rome remaster. IMO

[@scorpiontdalpha9799]

@@stefanstoyanov7460 well I respect your opinion but actually, the game is good, not perfect but way better than Rome f.king Remaster

[@stefanstoyanov7460]

@@scorpiontdalpha9799 They fixed many bugs since launch, but they can't fix the biggest one, the engine itself. No unit collision, the soldiers fight individually like in some twisted Bushido wet dream. Even the cavalry chasing routing infantry engages in individual duals with them instead of trampling them under their hooves. If I select more than one unit and gave them a move order I expect them to move and assume the formation Igave them, not forming a straight line. The campaign AI is not any better either. I shouldn't be begging like a beggar for a simple trade agreement wich will benefit us both. It is not like in Rome 1 where you have limit of how many trade routes you can use. Seriously, I can wrote a book of what is wrong with this game, but I think this is enough.

[@scorpiontdalpha9799]

@@stefanstoyanov7460 Well, at least Rome2 looks amazing and of course there are some bugs but I think it doesn't impact that much Campaign AI is stupid but I don't find much trouble with it Diplomactic system is also fine in my opinion The biggest reason why I hate Rome Remastered is CA waste time with that shit to satisfy old players instead of making Rome 3 which can be a combination of all good things from Rome 1-2

[@parkergiele]

I would love the Rome 2 review !

[@mexx2602]

Honestly, I've been playing Medieval 2 for the last 13 years and for me Rome Remastered was the first time I really enjoyed another game that's not Medieval 2 and yes I tried most of them. I just don't like the modern games. Just give me Medieval 2 Remastered and I'll die a happy man

[@bergonath8851]

Same here. The newer games just don't cut it for me.

[@on-jo7716]

What about shogun 2? I think that's probably the best yet. Yes I've played all the total war games but personally I find that the most attractive and in my opinion medieval 2 wasn't so great personally because of the camera being so weird to use lots of games durning the time we're using simple camera mechanics and yea I know you can change it but it seems very difficult with the settings because some things just screw around in my opinion.

[@whiskeybacon4581]

I'd like to see a 2021 review of Rome 2. Great, underappreciated game that can still be very fun.

[@leeham6230]

It's shit. Try to do a hammer and anvil with cavalry, and watch as the game just doesn't let you. Your Cav will get 5 kills charging into the backs of enemies. Atilla has much better battles, but CA abandoned it and it runs like shit. I wish they would have stayed with it, since it's a far superior game to the polished turd that is Rome 2.

[@on-jo7716]

@@leeham6230 Attalia was ass.

[@on-jo7716]

My only true issue with it is that Rome 2 cost so much money. Like 60 bucks where I live I think plus the dlc is a bit more or maybe I'm thinking of Rome 1 but yeah Rome 2 is pretty good just personal issue is I don't like the newer version of the weird things like UI such as the simple basic stuff as villages or the cities I guess just don't seem to be so much important anymore as Shogun 2 or medieval total war. But mods can make all the games great again.

[@Ratich]

Ah Rome Total War, you're absolutely broken and I love you for it inspite of not having any nostalgia for due to not playing before.

[@SymeonPhronema]

Very interesting!

[@theDoctorwitTardis]

I am going to bet that there will be a massive spike once massive overhaul mods start coming out - that's what the hardcore Rome Total War players have been used to for years.

[@Drumsgoon]

Indeed!

[@marcgw496]

I probably still won’t play it much, unless they somehow tweak the AI and pathfinding. As much nostalgia as I have for the game, I don’t really want to play a game in 2021 where I try to send a cav unit around the flanks of a unit in the town square, only for them to run a triangular route through the center of the square and get slaughtered on the way.

[@MsSirAndy]

@@marcgw496 Yeah, I see. Personaly I don't have problem with it, I prefer RTW and M2TW to later games, but of course, to each his own taste :)

[@marcgw496]

@@MsSirAndy there are certainly aspects of the older games that I miss, like I actually care about generals in Rome 1. In my 500+ hours of Rome 2/DEI I don’t think I ever cared when a general died, but when stuff like the pathfinding is so broken it makes it difficult to really get immersed.

[@MsSirAndy]

@@marcgw496 the pathfinding it's a great problem, as the battle UI. Need to be fixed

[@jaoschmidt3786]

I've never stopped playing Rome total war. For me this game is a life changer.

[@K4inan]

Same here. I liked the design of roman infantry more in the original Rome though. Urban Cohorts look just like legionary cohorts.

[@blgarndogg9673]

Same here mate played it on and off since it came out. Literally just this last year started using some mods. Gonna try this out now for some vanilla and then hopefully some good mods come out for this one

[@ElZilchoYo]

The dodgy battle AI isnt any better in the newer titles unfortunately, I've seen them do all these things in Attila

[@cycomiles4225]

Ive seen them do these things since Rome 1.

[@pira707]

especially sieges being dog shit. Seems like medieval 1 had prob the best total war sieges. Big giant courtyards with enough room for a battle to actually happen.

[@robmusic1835]

Rome 2 in 2021review would be great. I walked away years ago and totally forgot about Rome2. A new review would help me decide if I should return.

[@oleksijm]

hearsay has it that, after a very bumpy start and a bunch of patches through the years, it's finally pretty good. I haven't played it though, just seen some vids. Hoping to try it out soon.

[@johncuzwhynot]

@@oleksijm Take it from me whose played Rome 2 for about 1000 hours, The game is the best of the best

[@oleksijm]

@@johncuzwhynot it sure looks good, at least on a good PC (which is not the case with me, unfortunately for now)

[@madwolf0966]

@@oleksijm hang in there bro.

[@SymeonPhronema]

It really is a good game now days; in vanilla, or modded. Well worth another look now.

[@reycero]

Total war series really suffers from their not being any other game like it. I love the city management mixed with RTS battles with great unit detail, cinematic quality and great immersion. The games have gotten lazier and lazier, and with no other game out their to keep CA on their toes. The only game I even play un-modded now is Warhammer 2, because the other games are hardly playable un-modded.

[@GermanOlle]

There are games like TW, but most of them failed: Imperial Glory (Napoleonic era, 2005), War Leaders (WW2, 2006), King Arthur (Fantasy, 2010). Knights of Honor is very similar in terms of TW, but it plays differently in some ways. I hope KoH2 will finally become a worthy competitor.

[@happycompy]

I'd love to hear your take on Rome 2 in 2021! I've always appreciated that you give Rome 2 the credit it deserves.

[@Taospark]

He mentions it halfway through the video and will gauge likes on comments for demand.

[@scottknight8265]

We all know the Third age Total War mod (Divide and Conquer: Rise of Eriador) is by a wide margin the best total war game ever created.

[@MrVictorflo]

Such a good and devoted team of modders!

[@francesco8000]

Considering that CA doesn't put much effort in the AI of their most recent total war i don't know why should anyone expect them to put effort in a remastered AI. I love Rome but let's be honest, total war never had good AI, that's why the only way they can increase battle difficulty is giving buff to the enemy. I have no idea how actually hard making good AI actually is but it's worth mentioning that AOEII did improve the AI in the definitive edition (which is a remaster).

[@jaywerner8415]

Apparently pretty hard actually. Whats even wierder, if you compare certain things from OLD total war to Modern total war, the AI actually seems SMARTER. Like Volound did bit of testing (8 legionaries 4 facing forward 4 facing backward), the ranged units in Rome 1 would priorities units facing away from them, where as in Rome 2 they just shoot you and don't care. Or as another example, in Warhammer the enemy infantry will just BLOB you, where as in previous games they at least had the common sense to not blob 4 units of troops on top of each other. About the only thing that seems to have improved about the AI from what i can tell is the SIEGE AI and maybe the campaign AI to a extent. But the actual battle AI.....its as shit as it always was.

[@dostayer3369]

@@jaywerner8415 I've actually heard that reason the sieges are what they are in Warhammer 2 is because anything more will break the AI, that's also why they didn't add cool battlefield effects, the AI just doesn't know how to handle it. The campaign AI gains cheats as well, but that's because Warhammer 2 mechanics (especially for newer factions and sub factions) can be rather complex and the AI wouldn't know how to deal with them (or most of them)...

[@K4inan]

They put a ton of effort into it. The problem is that they need an AI for the the campaign, and for battles. The more complex the game is, the harder it is to make the battle AI work. It's why WH2 AI just has hacks on lol

[@Arcaryon]

@@jaywerner8415 I don't believe that making a better battlefield AI is that difficult because in the end, it's still just coding and there are games that are arguably much better at battlefield AI. Seriously, this is literally their job, these are professionals, not amateurs. More importantly, the AI doesn't even have to be that good, just less terrible. I think nobody expects an experience like playing against another human but the stuff that is still going on is just not acceptable. On top of that, self learning AI is a thing and while it's certainly not cheap, it's certainly a perfectly viable option. After all, most battles mainly consist of ordering 20 different units for the battlefield AI ( large battles at most 160 units UNLESS one wants to play a laggy mess and pushes beyond anything the engine can handle ) and while there can be a ton of different possibilities, it's not like the AI has to be able to know every single possibility but rather apply certain rules to her strategies, like forming certain formations and using counter measures against certain attacks. It doesn't have to be genius but able to put up a fight that is less predictable. As you yourself put it - the regular battlefield AI is garbage.

[@jaywerner8415]

@@Arcaryon Agreed. Like good lord even in previous games the AI while not grate didn't act this stupid. The shear fact that the AI constantly BLOBS up its troops leaving them open to a Magic NUKE or concentrated explosive damage is just RETARDED! Even Shogun 2s AI at least met your battleline Unit for Unit and would envelope you with extra troops, its Siege AI was ASS but at least the battlefield ai did decently. And yes the AI should know some BASIC formation and tactics.

[@leonjeger88]

I like this kind of design for the campaign map. In the other games, I always struggle to keep an overview because they're so realistic. And the fog of war in the other games is extremely distracting, because it is literally a fog.

[@antoniokralj842]

Let me tell you why state of campaign map is total BS, its "smart" CA lookin at civilization V map, and 100% not for second thinkin its not going to be practical in total war, shame they did not copy one good thing, diplomacy options...

[@mattmattmatt131313]

The more detail/objects they add to the map the harder it is to quickly spot the things you actually need to see (units, towns,...). It's all just noise.

[@TheStaniG]

Yessss a follow up video to Rome Remastered. Time to enjoy and see what hard hitting facts you pull out of this remaster. I refused to buy it before this video came out. Lets see if Im still going to afterwards 😂

[@antoinehenderson1659]

Well, what did you decide?

[@TheStaniG]

@@antoinehenderson1659 even with the veteran discount, I dont think I will. Old Rome 1 didnt play this bad, I dont know what they changed thats affecting the game, but it isnt acceptable. The only thing I liked about the remaster is the toggleable levels of remaster (YESSSS), the visuals look amazing and theres better stuff on the battlemap like modern TW controls and custom move manouvres.... But the campaign map looks so lame, I dont like the UI, made it less thematic and removal of videos and it seems the AI is broken on new sizes. The biggest thing is the big modders for Rome 1 ARENT TOUCHING THE REMASTER because of how its coded, thats the final nail in the coffin. Maybe in the future when its on a 75%+ discount on steam.

[@EmpireFanatic]

Shogun 2, Warhammer and Rome 2 better? Personally I prefer the building/recruitment system of RTW and M2TW. The micromanagement of family members, armies, developing cities and retraining is what I like about those two games. AI aside I loved the original and I love this one even more. The newer games certainly have their perks and I love those as well, but yeah. Overall management is more fun and challenging than the newer games for sure. Whilst combat is better in the newer games imo. However If I was younger and hadnt played those originally, I.e if it wasnt for the nostalgia of RTW and M2TW, theres a good chance I would be on the opposite side of the fence.

[@Sapherzz]

03:20 - hiding the trees isn't a new feature, it was introduced in Total War Troy, so I would presume that Feral just continued using this feature in the Rome Remaster

[@marcusromulus5646]

He's comparing the 2004 Rome 1 and the 2021 Remaster, so yes it is a new feature since the OG Rome didn't have it.

[@jaywerner8415]

Technically its been around longer then that, cus i think you could have the trees fade away when the cam got close them in previous games. And i think you could hide foilage or at least as i said make it fade away when ya got close to it.

[@RafaSheep]

That callback to Angry Joe's Rome 2 Review was such a masterful touch and a highlight of the video.

[@K4inan]

I never knew how buggy it was on launch lol

[@pira707]

@@K4inan god it was extremely buggy. I remember once I was playing rome and I was conquering sicily and like 4 rebels with maxed experience shot out of a province and made me have ptsd. Factions used to spam armies so damn hard it was insane.

[@smokinfree5555]

Hi Darren, yea they need to do more work with it. Whether they will or not remains to be seen.

[@Ragatokk]

Rather they should have done better work with it, but it is too late now for it to be a massive success.

[@smokinfree5555]

@@Ragatokk Indeed, shame really :/

[@MsSirAndy]

@@smokinfree5555 not too late, most of the issues are fixable by a couple of patches, and modders can add a lot of what the game actually miss. There are maybe hardcodded things, but it's far from a disappointment. This has the potential to become one of the best games in the series, they just need to play their cards well. I trust the modders.

[@smokinfree5555]

@@MsSirAndy I certainly hope so, would be cool.

[@Swaggaccino]

I grew up on Rome: TW and I may be biased when I say this but I prefer the simplicity of the old formula. It was short, sweet and to the point. Medieval 2, Napoleon and hell even Empire were great in that regard. But as the series progressed into Shogun 2, Rome 2 and Attila, the formula got bogged down with excess gimmicky features that didn't flow as well and slowed down overall pacing. Feels like CA just kept tackling on features to give you an excuse to buy the new games. That being said, Warhammer 2 was pretty dope. It would be nice if they just focused on polishing the preexisting experience from this point on.

[@pira707]

yea doesn't seem that way with warham 3. I just hope they revisit medieval and make 3 amazing seems heavily unlikely though.

[@tomzicare]

Basically exactly my thoughts about the remastered put in concise matter. Excellent video Darren. And a big yes to Rome II review.

[@lautaroespora4920]

I am pretty sure the AI always shoot when they have the chance. It never happened to me in the old Rome that the units wouldn't shoot when they have the enemy in their faces. Or when they had an obstacle.

[@mrwabbit9576]

Bang on Darren. From very early it was clear that it wasn't a remaster. Not much was actually remastered, most of the original bugs and AI problems remain. It's a basic graphics upgrade with some downgrades from the original even, I prefer the original UI. They haven't even added the same custom control options from the newer games and formation drag lag is still there.

[@Spitefulrish]

The AI is the biggest issue of all the games at this stage. I dream of the day that CA creates an AI that can beat me 1v1

[@danielcaiado6924]

On max difficulty you can get overwhelmed by the number of enemies controlled by the AI, I'm playing an original Rome playthrough with a smaller faction and they keep throwing great amounts of enemies against me and eventually my army gets exhausted, I won a 100 vs 1100 but then they threw another full stack at me, I lost, I couldn't escape, I just killed as many as I could and ended up losing a great general and incredibly experienced troops.

[@Casketkrusher_]

@@danielcaiado6924 But getting overwhelmed by units isn't really a challenge, just cheap. I feel the new "ai" is more mass producing troops thus getting massive overwhelming numbers. But that's also due if you crank up the difficulty they get some ridiculous morale and denarii bonuses. Making it unfair.

[@xLionsxxSmithyx]

@@Casketkrusher_ honestly adding "Gold Bonus to make AI overwhelming force but still not difficult" is such a crappy thing to do in games... The AI isn't harder it's just got more money to throw things at you.

[@08Rolling]

Personally I was not going to buy it, but! When I saw Rome Surrectum/Rome Total Realism teams back to work in it I thought it was just worth it for the 16 euros. Got some fun with a vanilla campaign and waiting for the mods.

[@Ben-fk9ey]

Yea same here, I've got a good feeling about some great mods coming to the game so that's what I'm primarily looking forward to.

[@Latinkon]

Exactly! I recall that _Medieval II_ was not as beloved as it is right now when it was originally released back in 2006.

[@RJALEXANDER777]

@@Latinkon I think I've played more of the Lord of the Rings mod than the original game.

[@slavkoostojic2514]

Do one for Rome 2. After watching alot of gameplay on Rome 1 i just dont remeber that the AI was that bad in the original. I think Rome 2 is a different game now compared to when it was lunched. Bad spelling i know..

[@budlikycz2445]

Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition is a remaster and they even released new DLCs. Now, let that sink in.

[@caligula2167]

I would definitely enjoy the 2021 review.

[@Omega900]

The game was a legend back in the day. Obviously cannot compare to today's TW games, but I got it because of the old times. I think many people that haven't played the original back in the day are giving the low scores now. For me it's a nice return to the past with all the great memories it gave me back then.

[@MsSirAndy]

and with patches and mods the game can improve a lot further in next months and years, do you agree? this game will even be moddable than original rome... so I think it can get better than new games?

[@Monkey_SK]

I'd disagree, I've been playing since MTW and this is disappointing. There was a chance here to really celebrate Rome and as Darren said improvements to AI would have just added to that joy. CA could have given Feral a bit more time and this could have been something special but for me it's an average game update or a good mod at best. So frustrating.

[@Monkey_SK]

@@MsSirAndy Feral may not be getting paid for post launch support. So it's unlikely given the player numbers any major patches will come but we will have to wait and see.

[@northernleigonare]

Depends. I've played the old game and this one, and I am mixed about it as well. There are still plenty of bugs to the remaster which annoyed me a little and pathfinding in my recent game is a nightmare. However, I do like the new graphics and the nostalgia on both general speeches + seamlessly generated battle maps taken from the grand campaign is something I don't think you'll be able to ever experience in any newer total war.

[@MsSirAndy]

@@northernleigonare pathfinding, AI behaviour, bugs, crash and stuff can be improved with patch hopefully. And mods can also add a lot of mechanics, features, factions, regions, historical accuracy, UI improvements, unit card etc.

[@Kristaliorn]

Spot on. This game needs some serious work to the AI

[@dabo5078]

How did you get those emojis. Pls give me the link

[@TheLondonhascalled]

I had high hope for the remaster, hopefully mods will take it that extra distance。i just can't get into Rome 2 though, having Syracuse as a village just feels so wrong。

[@Bennett2142]

Syracuse is the captial of the province in Sicily.... ?

[@ablibaba6423]

@@Bennett2142 well, on one other version of the map it is. But on the grand campaign map, it is just a city without a walls, but that is the problem of many cities really. For example, memphis, neapolis and many other cities had walls in reality, but not in the game. But you can solve this easly with mods thankfully.

[@TheLondonhascalled]

@@ablibaba6423 Very true, DEI does fix that, but even then Tyre and Rhodes are villages. Only so much they could do with system。Have actually found the Ancient Empire mod for Attila to be very enjoyable. All cities have walls and they are doing a lot of work on custom settlements。

[@robosoldier11]

I can't attest mechanically speaking. But overall I think atmospheric and just lack of general updates to certain areas is what made me dislike the remaster. The fact they fell flat on the intro cinematic compared to the old one was a big annoyance. But also the fact they didn't seem to refine some of the rosters. Which say what you want that qualifies a "remaster" but them going back to spruce up some factions to make them more predominant then skins of one another would've been nice. Hopefully if they do a Medieval 2 remaster it will have more of these considerations put into it that the original team that made these games really emphasized on. That this world is alive and we are operating inside it.

[@cristianespinal9917]

It was really hard not buying the Remaster because of how much I remember liking the original and how hard so many KZbin channels I like advertised it. That said, I'm glad I didn't.

[@paperclip181]

I just love the remaster and having a blast with it but you have really great points.

[@Praetorian1995]

If you take for example the Praetorians Remastered, it just updated the graphics, same UI but with better textures, and better resolutions support. Every single mission and gameplay is exactly the same :)

[@Quartermoon193]

I like you style of review and would be enthusiastic for a RTW II review.

[@MiniSugus]

I would love a 2021 Rome review. I've been playing it without DeI recently and I think it's a great game. Launch was horrible and they promised much more, but it is an awesome game that these days doesn't get the credit it deserves.

[@anthonycaranci3944]

Yes Darren, please release a 2021 review of Total War Rome II. I still love the game! It would be time well spent.

[@danielcaiado6924]

That was always Rome 1 for you, the computer can't really perform tactics and actions so it just spawns doomstack after doomstack and throws them at you until one of you is dead.

[@danscga2487]

8:10 They both were looking at each other and were like: Oh shit, im in the wrong unit.

[@Khazrak134]

No love for Attila? imo the best total war set in the Roman world

[@NefariousKoel]

The increasing diplomatic penalties for researching technology in the non-horde factions ruined Attila for me. Ridiculous dev decision.

[@Saxony]

Great game just the worst TW game in terms of performance, it's horribly unoptimized

[@dabadadab]

I love Rome Total War. Apparently, I had my expectations of what a remaster is calibrated correctly. Just remember, we need to walk the razor’s edge with our complaints. We need to complain enough to get meaningful updates (and Medieval 2 remaster), but not so much that they say “well screw you, you don’t get anything anymore!”

[@dabadadab]

You know, I don’t think anyone is saying that they didn’t WANT improved AI. They’re just saying they weren’t expecting improved AI. Obviously, it would be great if we could have it all! I just didn’t expect that for $15 (if you own the original) with all the DLC.

[@goodcomrade2949]

They didn't fix the ai since its very hard to fix it. Also feral has no ai coder and it would also take a lot of time

[@brennan4118]

Definitely looking forward to the 2021 review of Rome 2

[@Monkey_SK]

This is an honest and fair review of the game. There was an excellent chance to do something special with this remaster and it seems to have only been 70% taken. There are some good improvements here but look at the love shown to C&C and Age of Empires. Does Rome not deserve more I ask you!

[@mihirchitnis905]

The points you mentioned from 3:15 for the changes done actually come under what a remaster might entail. The key difference between remaster and remake is that a remake will always contain a complete graphics engine change, maybe AI rework/redesign, complete gameplay rework ( note - A remaster can also contain gameplay changes. ).

[@Legho]

The clips of AI were truly glorious :D

[@skollthehunter2709]

I definitely agree, my expectations when I saw the first trailer of rome remastered were high, I won't deny it. The only point for Farrell and their new child is this - they stressed it extremely hard that they are focusing on graphics, ui and overall performance. They said the truth. People just thought they were buying smth else. I d love to see many improvements in the game, but I didn't expect to see them after they stated what is their focus. Btw. I d love to see both "why rome 2 is the best total war ever" kind of video and the continuation of your "designing the best total war" series. Also... Am I the only one that doesn't really enjoy the way which tw graphics is taking? I mean... It's too "fairy tales" like to me. My army feels like bunch of plasticine guys, not my epic army like it did back then...

[@fungunsun1]

Its because of 3 kingdoms and warhammer. It was heavily geared toward asian and fantasy nerds demographics. Attila looked good. I hope they come back to that style.

[@lawliette100]

I would love the Rome 2 review

[@1984kron]

Shogun fall of the samurai is by far my favorite experience with a single player total war campaign. I like to pick it up now and then to play it still.

[@jangiurg5295]

I am playing Rome 2 extensively and loving my time with it. DEI is also incredible, but a tad too slow for me on the gameplay (also mainly because my pc is potato and turn times in DEI take forever). But I definitely endorse it and a review would be great, to entice more people to check it out.

[@MRFlackAttack1]

He already has. It was the first video of his I watched a few years ago and I’ve been a fan ever since.

[@tibersulla2305]

I'm down for a Rome II 2021 review! On the Remaster, I'm happy with it, but only because I paid 15€ for it. If you don't have the discount, I can't recommend buying it for the full price to anyone, not even fans of the original... My main gripes, AI obviously... The UI works fine but I don't really feel it was improved, just different, like why do I have to open an extra tab to chance taxes? Not enough space after everything was shrunken down? They unlocked previous unplayable factions but didn't bother updating their roster (but this one is my personal opinion I get it). Still, Rome I has the most satisfying battles imo thanks to the collision, and I prefer spending time micro managing how to build up my cities with total freedom, than with Rome II more limited province system of constantly weighing 5% buffs on everything (including agents, generals and armies)... The new battlefield controls are a godsend. Also its nice to finally play Rome I with more than 15fps. To top it off I'm hoping the modding scene goes nuts with this game, but now I'm afraid the game fucking dies before that!

[@standingsword4004]

I'd love to see a 2021 Rome 2 review!

[@evershumor1302]

Yes, please Rome II. I would definitly be interested. You would be the perfect reviewer for that.

[@Genesis115]

LOL this entire time while you were showing the AI I was thinking about AJ's Rome 2 review, then boom you throw it on screen! Hahaha!

[@jaywerner8415]

20 years a game development ladies and gentlemen (7 if you use Rome 2s launch as a start date), but LOOK AT THOSE GRPAHICS, LOOK AT THOSE UNIT MODELS! DAT LOOK GOOD! In fact thats about the only thing i can say about Rome remastered without actually playing it myself, the Unit models have the most DETAIL iv ever seen in a total war game. Now if only the Campaign map looked the same.

[@Mankorra_Gomorrah]

I would kill for some enhanced path finding, it is so frustrating to lose extra troops or even a battle because none of your units follow orders and instead decide to go galavanting around the map every time you give them an order. Especially in cities where telling a unit to move is a complete toss up on how it reacts

[@Ratich]

Yeah the AI and pathing should have been improved. It's dated even when I got into Rome Total War in 2016 it was dated but I still love it.

[@BooshMighty]

2021 review of Rome 2 would be excellent! Vanilla and some comments on the modded game such as DEI

[@Gorbz]

I can safely say that I have recenty played both Rome Remastered, and Rome 2, and I am having more fun with Rome Remastered.

[@MrFreddiii]

I was waiting on one of these before buying it thanks bro this helped

[@ivellos]

Rome 2 and Shogun 2. Also my favorites!

[@roygrutchfield5715]

Good review, fair points. I could not play as still runnning windows 7 , will update someday 'when' I can get a new computer. Have the old disk versions but tried to buy to support the project. Maybe my expectations were not so high, but I think the new version looks good. Thanks

[@Joker-yw9hl]

I'll confess I haven't touched Rtw Remastered since purchasing it. But I just realised how awesome it is that both Age of Empires and now the classic total war games are being remastered. It's perfect for me as they're my 2 favourites. Right now though I've been back on AOE3 because of the USA DLC

[@JackSpackProductions]

DEI really does bring Rome 2 up to a super high tier Total War for me. I just wish the base game had better unit collisions and more map variety. DEI has a lot of defensive battles and the same few settlement maps get super dull after a while.

[@joewedg3703]

Rome 2 re review electric boogaloo 👍🏻

[@pixelricebowl]

This was a fair review. Thanks for making it!

[@MsWheems]

A bitter pill to swallow, Sure im really not a fan of the Rome 2 + Era, Warhammer is okay, Im a medieval 2 fan and yeah, Rome 1 is great fun from time to time, but the remaster could have been much more if CA pushed it a little further, We expected a 2021 remaster, but instead got a 2011 remaster at best. I still like Rome Remastered, but its not all good.

[@Kinuhbud]

We, the plebeians, demand a Rome II review! There!

[@hermanPla]

I just love to play a tw with the old population system, building system and dynamic battle maps. I really dislike the Rome 2 point system with population, building slot system and province system. The campaign map of Rome and medieval 2 will always remain superior in my opinion, even with the limited factions. The battles of rome 2 are vastely superior however. If CA kept the rome 1/medieval 2 population and buildings system on campaign map for Rome 2 and even added to them with the rural population system that needs balancing with the urban population (for example) then Rome 2 would be the best game ever. It always felt like I was defending a people who lived behind my walls of my cities and hostile factions taking them and enslaving or exterminating them felt real in a sense. Imperator Rome and Stelaris do this great as wel with the pop system (especially stelaris where I always buy my pops out of slavery). Every TW after medieval failed on this very important mark.

[@sethstrike9506]

I'd love to see a 2021 review of Rome 2!

[@reichspepe1587]

They hated Darren because he told them the truth!

[@EvanE988]

That seems to be a trend in the 21 century people get triggered when they hear the facts

[@1invag]

@@EvanE988 no one from any century ever liked being told they were wrong lol. It's why there's been total war on earth since mankind rocked up 😂

[@EvanE988]

@@1invag Thats not my point people in modern times are so toxic and petty when faced with facts or differing views thats why you got cancel culture people cant agree to disagree

[@shorewall]

I bought it for 15 dollars, and I don't regret it. I still play Rome 1, but I am also a late comer, first playing it around 3 or 4 years ago. So I don't mind the problems, except for the 44 GB it takes up. I can play the OG Rome 1, and it takes up like 6 GB. And I don't value graphics that much. I want to play it a little more, and then probably uninstall it to make room for other games.

[@vaughnyboy8]

Rome 2 review? YES! Do it!

[@Nevalith]

5:20 Ok so...That beat was dope. Doot Doot Do do do do doot doot do do do dooo doot doot. Who knew the sound of pikemen getting jabbylins chucked at them and just standing there taking it could sound so good!?

[@Jwlar]

Your points about the poor pathfinding are fair, but the main problem is that this remaster is built upon the engine of the old game, which is what limits and breaks these systems. If they could’ve been improved, mods would’ve fixed them over the last 16 years, and yet they can’t. Of course this comes down to feral not updating the engine, but then many would complain that the game has lost what made it “feel” like Rome. It’s a win/lose situation for the devs.

[@jumbo4billion]

I've played the original Rome TW recently and also played this one. The pathfinding is actually worse than in the old one. Units just act weird in new ways I haven't seen before.

[@Aethelhald]

Rome: Total War should've been reimagined, not remastered. The original RTW was great when it released in 2004. It was miles ahead of the strategy game competition at that time. Problem is, we've seen the awesome potential of what RTW could be with mods like Europa Barbarorum and Roma Surrectum - mods which kept the spirit and feel of the game but improved it so much, giving generals so many traits that they felt like real actual people, including so much more of the world in the map size, so many more settlements, making units more realistic, making battles last longer. To go back to the original game - even with a graphical upgrade - just isn't enough by 2021 standards. It needed to be REIMAGINED, not remastered, taking inspiration from all those amazing mods but keeping the feel and spirit of the game.

[@rigasd6355]

For me Rome remastered had the most enjoyable gameplay out of any total war game i have recently played, leaving aside mods.

[@ferrjuan]

We demand a 2021 review of Rome 2 pleb!

[@HarduntheRanger]

I imagine fixing the AI would have required a huge amount of effort in terms of fucking with old code, remaking pathing in sttlements etc.

[@Official2Shitty]

Ik. This is review is utter shit

[@QwentyJ]

Yes Darren, very interested in a Rome 2 2nd review!

[@leemanjay7276]

That one guy with the pike 😂 heroic

[@simpskins1]

Exactly how I feel playing, love the nostalgia kick but I haven't lost a single siege yet.

[@Warpedlogical]

That legend joke gave me a good chuckle

[@Zyy920]

Yes! I'd be interested for a look back to Rome 2!

[@MickyE117]

The only thing I could add to your comments is that this game is a glorified port of the port to iOS and android if I understand everything under the hood.

[@RepublicOfPlay]

I see people mentioning that, but I honestly don't see why that's relevant. I don't know if it's true, if it's a port of a port, or if they just used what they learned on their mobile port, and did the same here again. Maybe I'm missing something, but even if it is a port of the mobile version (which I've played and think is pretty great actually) what does that matter here?

[@OCinneide]

@@RepublicOfPlay It means that it's an upgraded version of the iOS version, not a remaster of the original PC game.

[@RepublicOfPlay]

But the iOS version is a port of the pc version, so again not sure what the issue is as the gameplay is the same.

[@MickyE117]

@@RepublicOfPlay The issue isnt in and of itself if its a port, many ports are glorious. The issue for me is that it just feels like a rush job like" oh yeah we have most of the parts on the shell we'll slap it together in no time". For example all the time and effort that could have been spent on pathfinding alone and it was squandered elsewhere. I am aware that deral needs to treat this like a product then need to pay staff etc and I get that but at the same time its like there was no real quality control. And frankly I am sick and tired of CA (I am blaming them here as honestly this should not have been outsourced due it being such an important IP for the company) releasing games that are simply pathetic on release and only years later do they seem to come close to what was promised. As an example Rome 2, as it stands its not a bad game right now, currently have a campaign on the go and enjoying it, but like most of their titles its not worth half of the asking price at launch. The remaster is just another symptom of a company that doesnt give a dam about the players about their own reputation or IP's. If they were making anything else on earth they would be facing lawsuits from one end of the year to the other.

[@TristandeRobillard]

Hey Republic, I just wanted to drop this comment in to let you know that I have been one of the "it's a remaster not a remake" types, but your video was mostly reasonable and I do see what you mean about it. They definitely should have made a real attempt with the AI and it was a missed opportunity. Just wanted you to know that some of us do know where you are coming from. Sometimes we get it if you try to explain yourself. It's not always in vain. Also, just wanted to share that it seems like the decision to build the remaster off of the original engine seems to be behind the AI problems, as apparently that element was coded badly even for the time. Feral appear to have decided to not try to mess with it too much for now because of how tricky that scenario is, and while they should probably have throw the AI out and started from scratch, they have pledged to continue working on it. We can hope that, with some patching, much of the jank can be ironed out. If not, then I can say for my money that I love the remaster anyway. Bad AI or not, Rome is special to me, and I love what Feral did with it. Keep trucking, dude.

[@RepublicOfPlay]

Thanks for the thoughtful comment!

[@TristandeRobillard]

@@RepublicOfPlay You're welcome. I'm glad you found it to be that way. :)

[@Jeyeyeyey]

Wish we could go back to 2004 then

[@zlmdragon]

Ya give me that Rome 2 review straight into my eyeballs and ear sockets right now

[@Pururin_Purin]

lmao its not like the ai for the new total war games is any better during sieges let alone the siege maps themselves and a lot of the goofiness is present in every total war

[@horatiocarrillo2176]

I agree with you: This was easily worth the 15$ I paid, just to revisit the good old days. It does make me want to play the Rome: Total Realism mod again, because the campaign still feels too short and easy, in comparison with the slog that was once a Total Realism campaign against so many more cities, and so many more AI armies. I did not expect Rome: Total War 3, like some people seemed to.

[@riekopo7638]

Rome 1 is vastly mechanically superior to Rome 2 in almost every way. Despite it's other shortcomings.

[@Crownsnek]

idk man i enjoy Rome 2

[@ghr501able]

Facts most of the bug on launch of rome 2 are still there after many years

[@vonPlosc]

I bought it in hopes of a Medieval remaster, also I'm down with the review.

[@wfr1108]

I'm hoping for a medieval 3, but i'm worried it'll not have the new world which is the primary thing I'm looking forwards to