Napoleon: Total War

[salty mud]

It's a good game, but it got no where near the hours Empire got out of me for playtime.

The sad thing is, Napoleon is the much better game and if Empire was released in the state Napoleon was, I think I'd probably still be playing it now. Empire kind of soured the experience and even though it's a new game, there wasn't THAT much new stuff in Napoleon - we've seen it all before. So CA kind of shot themselves in the foot with this one.

 

[LightSpectra]

Here's a question. What's the ranking for the most cost effective buildings to make in terms of economic growth? Ports, dirt roads or markets?

 

[Steph]

I'd say Markets first, then ports, then roads, unless you can build many ships , then ports may be better.

 

[501st Legion]

With Napoleon released, I see no reason why someone should bother buying Empire unless that someone wants to create a colonial empire in the Americas and India.

 

[Dachs]

...or play as Spain or the Ottoman Empire or Sweden...

 

[Jos Ballenbak]

Have you seen the new expansion for Napoleon, battle for the Iberian peninsula. It looks promising.

 

[Rince]

For those of you who don't have it yet (like me), this might be an interesting offer:
http://www.getgamesgo.com/catalogue/game/napoleon-total-war

 

[Birdjaguar]

That's a good price; thanks.

 

[Ajidica]

I just got Napoleon and I sort of like it. The only thing that annoys me is that they portray Napoleon as some sort of madman.

 

[germanicus12]

I played Napoleon the other day and came across an interesting tactic and wondered you guys have also run into this scenario:

I was leading Napoleon's forces in the Italian Campaign against the Pope who just declared war on me after the fall of the Austrian fort of Mauta (rs?) and caught my army near Milan and forced an open field battle with my forces in good defensive position. In the course of the battle, my outnumbered but experienced veterans held a stone wall for hours before the Pope's cannons blasted my army out into the open, choosing to retreat and fight another day, as I had reinforcements just days away (arriving next turn), I ordered my 3 gun crews to change to canister fire and held their fire as the infantry retreated behind the cannons. My infantry moved quick and reformed behind the cannons so they could cover the retreat of my guns, as the Pope's army advanced into range, about half range, I gave the order for my cannons to fire. Simultaneously they fired and dozens, if not hundreds of men fell, the enemy line stalled, as I ordered my cannons to retreat, my Infantry suddenly opened fire and in one volley decimated the Pope's army and caused a full rout. Suddenly, the battle was in my favor and I easily overran their cannons and killed their General with my cavalry. (Won a Heroic Victory.)

I have never seen this happen, not in Empire or in earlier Napoleon Battles and wondered if you have seen similar situations or tactics in your battles.

 

[Steph]

Not exactly. Once, I manage to rout a much larger force with two artillery battery and a few light infantry, but it was a long attrition.

I have never yet killed dozens of ennemies with shots as you said.

 

[Furiey]

I've just found a copy of the imperial edition at the local shop for £7.99, I wasn't going to get it yet as I've only just started playing Empire which the same store had at an equally silly price a short time ago, but at that price I couldn't resist.

If you sign up to the new forum you can get a free special unit.

 

[Jolly Rogerer]

Well, you would run away if you were surrounded

Nope, I'd run if I was flanked. When surrounded there's no where to go.

 

[W|M]

You could run through gaps in the enemy circle, and then run if you managed to escape from there, I guess...

 

[LightSpectra]

I played Napoleon the other day and came across an interesting tactic and wondered you guys have also run into this scenario:

I was leading Napoleon's forces in the Italian Campaign against the Pope who just declared war on me after the fall of the Austrian fort of Mauta (rs?) and caught my army near Milan and forced an open field battle with my forces in good defensive position. In the course of the battle, my outnumbered but experienced veterans held a stone wall for hours before the Pope's cannons blasted my army out into the open, choosing to retreat and fight another day, as I had reinforcements just days away (arriving next turn), I ordered my 3 gun crews to change to canister fire and held their fire as the infantry retreated behind the cannons. My infantry moved quick and reformed behind the cannons so they could cover the retreat of my guns, as the Pope's army advanced into range, about half range, I gave the order for my cannons to fire. Simultaneously they fired and dozens, if not hundreds of men fell, the enemy line stalled, as I ordered my cannons to retreat, my Infantry suddenly opened fire and in one volley decimated the Pope's army and caused a full rout. Suddenly, the battle was in my favor and I easily overran their cannons and killed their General with my cavalry. (Won a Heroic Victory.)

I have never seen this happen, not in Empire or in earlier Napoleon Battles and wondered if you have seen similar situations or tactics in your battles.

I've had the reverse happen to me. I was fighting a Saxon army across a bridge and decided to place my forces into a U shape, with the open-side facing the bridge. The Saxon artillery then decimated a good 20% of my army, since the left flank was perpendicular to the Saxon cannons using round shot.

 

[Steph]

I've started a mod for the game.

The goal is to modify the roster to force the recruitment of local troops, while keeping the basic gameplay, which I like.

Here are the changes:
- Every unit will have a region limitation. For the largest countries, like France, there are several resources available
-- Capitale : unit is limited to the capitale only (mostly for Guard units)
-- Main : unit is limited to the core province (ex for France : Picardie, but not Belgium)
-- Extend : unit can be built in more provinces at the border (ex for France : Belgium).
-- Occupied : where other countries can recruit local troops (ex for France : As Egland you could recruit French local troops in Picardie, but not in Belgium, since in Belgium you'd recruit Belgian units).

- Every unit will have a limitation to the number. It will be lower for the allied troops.

- The normal units are available only to the main faction. But for every faction, you have an "occupied" version, troops which are weaker and more expensive, that you could recruit locally. They are usually limited to the standard troops : artillery, line infantry, light infantry, grenadier... but no Guard (except some specific case).
- Uniforms of occupied troops can be slighlty different.
- Occupied units can be recruited only by the main factions (Britian, France, Austria, Prussia, Russia), or by a country close to it. For instance, Russia (main) or Ireland (neighbour) could recruit Scot units, but Ireland couldn't recruit Greek units (too far).

- Each unit has a name in the original language of its faction.

- Some factions (mostly the main ones) have "early" version of their units (ex France has bicorn infantry when starting the game, and then later in can build shako infantry).

 

[shadowplay]

I'm thinking of picking up this game but I've got a few questions:

1) Are the naval battles as difficult to control as in Empire? Controlling more than 2 or 3 ships in a battle was almost impossible for me.

2) Is there really no grand campaign?

3) Does the AI attack coastal cities?

 

[Steph]

1) Naval battles are hard. I also have some difficulties, but I cannot tell if it's harder than Empire, since I didn't play it.

2) What do you mean Grand Campaign? You can play 1805 - 1812 as France, Britain, Prussia, Austria or Russia, and there are mods around allowing to play plonger or with the other civs.

3) Yes! And relatively often if you cannot destroy his navy. And that's particularily true for Britain

 

[Joecoolyo]

I haven't found naval battles all that difficult tbh. Just set your fleet up in the line formation and try to encircle the enemy. 90% of the time, if you can pull it off, it works.

Also, yes, for number 3. Once I had to divert an entire army from my front to deal with a British invasion of Northern Germany. Pretty cool if you ask me. The A.I. is very good in this version.