Rome TW - Help a newbie please

Mad Mike

I got RTW last week and I would love to get into it but I am struggling to get started.

Being a total war newbie I am trying to work though the beginners campaign (the prologue I think its called). However being a busy man I can only afford to spend an occasional hour or so at it before I have to move on to something else. The problem is that I cannot save my progress. There is a save command on the main menu but it is greyed out. I have started the campaign three times now each time to be called away before I can finish or get to some point where I can save. Advice please - is there some way to save progress? If not how long do I have to block out in order to sit at a terminal and actually finish the prologue?

Any advice would be appreciated but please do not say RTFM. If it is in the manual I haven't found it so tell me where to look please.

Private Joker

Don't think you can save the prologue, Just start a campaign it's fairly easy to pick up. Also i don't think you can save at the battle screen, the game auto saves after each turn

CerebralCortex

Don't waste your time on the prologue. Its crapfork compared to the actual campaigns but be warned you can get very addicted to the campaigns. I've spent hours of valuable time playing because it is such a thrilling game.

Mad Mike

CerebralCortex wrote:

Don't waste your time on the prologue. Its crapfork

Sound advice I abandoned the prologue and quickly became hooked on the real game. Witness my eulogising from yesterday:

"On a bit of a high this morning because of a battle fought last night. One of my minor generals was ferrying a hundred or so troops across country when he was ambushed by more than 500 ramapaging barbarians. We were totally outnumbered and they had the advantage of surprise but they made two mistakes: Their first mistake was to launch the attack from the far side of a narrow bridge. Their second mistake was to forget that though we were few we were Romans! In true Horatius style my 100 Romans, fighting against unbelieveable odds, held the bridge. Unfortunately the numbers against them were too overwhelming and inch by inch the barbarian horde forced its way across. Defeat seemed inevitable as the savages pushed my weary troops almost off the bridge but then my general threw his own personal cavalry guard into the breach. The barbarians were first puzzled and then panicked as the meagre line of Romans that had been slowly giving way rallied and charged at the vastly superior force. Our inevitable defeat turned to victory as the horde turned and ran. We had lost many but their army was decimated and the glory of Rome once more held the day. In a particularly nice touch the game even recognised my general's achievement and awarded him the title "Caius the Brave". "

Pugsley

A role player? In an RTS game? thats a first, heh. Ill take my 160 greek militia vs 3600 egyptian soldiers victory though, I still hold that win in high regard, 81 friendly casualties, 1900 egyptian casualties, was quite a successful battle for only 2 units of militia hoplites I must say

Mad Mike

Pugsley wrote:

A role player? In an RTS game? thats a first, heh. Ill take my 160 greek militia vs 3600 egyptian soldiers victory though, I still hold that win in high regard, 81 friendly casualties, 1900 egyptian casualties, was quite a successful battle for only 2 units of militia hoplites I must say

When a game is a superbly presented as I defy anyone not to get sucked in and visualise themselves as a conquering roman general. I'm all for it. If you want strategy without the role play I have heard that chess is supposed to be a fairly good game!

CerebralCortex

I managed to hold one of my cities by running my Generals horses (all two of them) around the central square until the time ran out. UNBELEIVEABLE!!!!!!!!:cool:

Mad Mike

CerebralCortex wrote:

I managed to hold one of my cities by running my Generals horses (all two of them) around the central square until the time ran out. UNBELEIVEABLE!!!!!!!!:cool:

I'm not in love with that central square rule myself - When I take a city it always seems to end up in a big melee in the central square and despite the fact that I might might outnumber the enemy by 100 to one it can be tricky to shake the last one or two defenders from the square.

Pugsley

Plonk a few archers near the town square with a few hoplites/spearmen infront of them and just rain arrow's on anyone in the middle, the town square usually just ends up as a massacre for me

ISAW

Mad Mike wrote:

Sound advice I abandoned the prologue and quickly became hooked on the real game. Witness my eulogising from yesterday:

We had lost many but their army was decimated and the glory of Rome once more held the day. In a particularly nice touch the game even recognised my general's achievement and awarded him the title "Caius the Brave". "

Being pedantic. The word decimated means to reduce by one tenth. sometimes the victor passed the other army under the yoke as well:
http://www.barca.fsnet.co.uk/samnite-war-2.htm

I enjoyed your Latinised account.

Having sighted the enemy on the opposite bank Mad Mike divided his forces into two groups. The babarians known for their aggression began to advance. Their numbers being the greater Mad Mike considered the better course was to defend. Mike had determined Babarians though fierce lacked the stamina and dicipline of the Romans who when definsive fought for the hearths of their houses and the temples of their gods. The foot soldiers in one group advanced on a narrow bridge. They sought to hold the narrow crossing place from the advancing ford. Though facing ten times their number they could safely hold the small space and inflict more damage than recieved. A great engagement began and though driven back the foot soldiers and slingers made a great slaughter of many times more than their own numbers.

As theire lines began to thin Mad Mike feared they would yieil their position and ordered forward the horsemen. The babarians their advance having been halted and their spirit havin gbeen shaken were not accustomed to fighting such ways and the tundering of hoofs instilled in them a great fear. The horsement however were high in spirit and fresh before battle and as the second engagement was barely underway they had broken their line of battle and fled the field leaving the horsemen to slaughter as many as might be able.

Mad Mike

Good stuff ISAW. This role playing thing is really beginning to work for me. I'm beginning to think I really was a Roman General in an earlier life. Thinking of changing my Boards monicker to Madius Mikius.

Of course all the passage needs now is a bit of online translation into Latin:

Avinghay ightedsay ethay enemyway onway ethay oppositeway ankbay
Admay Ikemay ividedday ishay orcesfay intoway otway oupsgray.
Ethay abariansbay ownknay orfay eirthay aggressionway eganbay
otay advanceway. Eirthay umbersnay eingbay ethay eatergray Admay
Ikemay onsideredcay ethay etterbay oursecay asway otay efendday
. Ikemay adhay eterminedday Abariansbay oughthay iercefay
ackedlay ethay aminastay andway iciplineday ofway ethay Omansray
owhay enwhay efinsiveday oughtfay orfay ethay earthshay ofway
eirthay ouseshay andway ethay emplestay ofway eirthay odsgay.
Ethay ootfay oldierssay inway oneway oupgray advancedway onway
away arrownay idgebray. Eythay oughtsay otay oldhay ethay
arrownay ossingcray aceplay omfray ethay advancingway ordfay.
Oughthay acingfay entay imestay eirthay umbernay eythay ouldcay
afelysay oldhay ethay allsmay acespay andway inflictway oremay
amageday anthay ecievedray. Away eatgray engagementway eganbay
andway oughthay ivendray ackbay ethay ootfay oldierssay andway
ingersslay ademay away eatgray aughterslay ofway anymay imestay
oremay anthay eirthay ownway umbersnay.

Asway eirethay ineslay eganbay otay inthay Admay Ikemay earedfay
eythay ouldway ieilyay eirthay ositionpay andway orderedway
orwardfay ethay orsemenhay. Ethay abariansbay eirthay advanceway
avinghay eenbay altedhay andway eirthay iritspay avinhay
eengbay akenshay ereway otnay accustomedway otay ightingfay
uchsay aysway andway ethay underingtay ofway oofshay
instilledway inway emthay away eatgray earfay. Ethay orsementhay
oweverhay ereway ighhay inway iritspay andway eshfray eforebay
attlebay andway asway ethay econdsay engagementway asway
arelybay underwayway eythay adhay okenbray eirthay inelay ofway
attlebay andway edflay ethay ieldfay eavinglay ethay orsemenhay
otay aughterslay asway anymay asway ightmay ebay ablway

(Ok so I cheated - I couldn't find a free online Latin translator but the Pig Latin version is pretty good!)

Zapp Brannigan

Hmm R:TW is a good game, but for some reason i prefer Medieval Total War.
I have no idea why!

ISAW

Mad Mike wrote:

Good stuff ISAW. This role playing thing is really beginning to work for me. I'm beginning to think I really was a Roman General in an earlier life. Thinking of changing my Boards monicker to Madius Mikius.

Of course all the passage needs now is a bit of online translation into Latin:

Avinghay ightedsay ethay enemyway onway ethay oppositeway ankbay

hostiles adversa ripae Viderunt

Admay Ikemay ividedday ishay orcesfay intoway otway oupsgray.
Mad Mike copiae in partes duo diviset

Ethay abariansbay ownknay orfay eirthay aggressionway eganbay

babariae cogitere torvus infestus invectum

Havent time for the rest but my grammar is dire.

CerebralCortex

ISAW wrote:

Avinghay ightedsay ethay enemyway onway ethay oppositeway ankbay

hostiles adversa ripae Viderunt

Admay Ikemay ividedday ishay orcesfay intoway otway oupsgray.
Mad Mike copiae in partes duo diviset

Ethay abariansbay ownknay orfay eirthay aggressionway eganbay

babariae cogitere torvus infestus invectum

Havent time for the rest but my grammar is dire.

Stop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!