Valorian Endymion

I have to agree with that. Looking back, in previous titles, you almost don´t had much reason to use newer units due the problem which they where only avaliable at your most populate provinces, which often where way behind the front lines, taking to much time to move them there (remember the one move per turn and per province?) only to they got on a battle, suffer some casualities and then you have to to move them back to retrain them (which had to be done in one by one unit or three at most by several turns). The classic exemple was in Medieval 2, for most part, you will only use Feudal Knights, even when you start to get some Chivalric Knight, Feudal Knights still more avaliable everywhere, easier to retrain that move one Chivalric Knights unit back and forth after each battle. In my Milan campaign I remember that mostly I was allways using the same Italian Spearman and Crossbows every single battle. In another game, while defending Jerusalem from the Timurids, I often used only militia units over and over again, since moving feudal units from France to the Holy Land take so much time and since Timurid attacked over and over again, that by time the arrive, this new units would face battle and then have to go back to Paris again to retrain. Medieval 1 had the problem too, you end unlocking some units which could be only recruited in a single province, often to far way to be of any use or worth the trouble of going back and forth again. While this was meant to be realistic, often just became busy work. Empire was CA initial step to improve this, you still had to think carefully about casualities after each battle but now using your units was much easier since the whole busy work was gone. Napoleon and Shogun improved over this, you will use much more that newer unit that before, but battles still had some serious impact. I wonder that too, since I was thinking about replay some of the old games. For Empire for most time I used Darthmod.

Very good podcast! First I was more defensive toward the game, but now I am not that sure, still my opinion match much of Fraser Brown but there was point which agreed with Rob. I have played all of CA games loved a lot of them, and even Empire, which I played around 121 hours, even in the early days of the launch. But now Rome II I am not sure, maybe because I already watched that movie, or so to say. I am thinking in put it to aside for a while at least. 1) The main problem I believe was scale vs implementation vs time: Empire issue was a combination of the large scale against the whole new mechanics, and this in a slight different way(Empire was more unstable, had longer loading times, AI forget to use transport ships), happens in Rome II - too many factions, too large map, many new ideas caused the whole thing to went off rails. Shogun 1 was a smaller game, therefore it was easier to expand and improved it without adding extra weight or lose focus, Rome I was a large game, they felt they need to make even bigger and that when all problems came in. Now, while it´s clear that maybe a smaller more focused game was a better way, it´s very hard to do that when dealing with a franchise and direct sequel to make such cuts: like have less factions or map size that the original, special case for a game dealing with Rome, which almost (but not all ways, sure there is smaller games based on Rome) appear to require everything to be large. I know that now I will use a strange comparison but, it´s almost like what happened between Heroes of Might and Magic III and Heroes of Might and Magic IV. HOMM III raised the bar for the series, making it huge popular, but HOMM IV tried to change a lot of features and introduce new mechanics. However, due lot of development problems (many caused by 3DO), HOMM IV end begin quite disaster, lot of new ideas didn´t not work, they changed things that people didn´t believe it was necessary and so on. 2) CA love for fire: I never will understand how or why velites could throw flaming pilums... still is almost better that the flaming pigs in Rome I (did anyone remember that?). Also I could not avoid to think one thing: CA now have the license for Warhammer Fantasy, and that means: Bright Wizards! Inquisition and Demons too... just imagine all the fire... 3) Tactical Battles: I don´t know if just me, but I fell that battle maps where much larger and previous games and for not much reason at all. I mean, in Empire/Napoleon/Fall of the Samurai, large maps make sense because cannonsand to avoid camping (specially in naval battles, in Fall of the Samurai ship cannon range was so large that they could fire direct in to the enemy starting zone, this it was very annoying in multiplayer battles). But now, not only the increased speed make the size meaningless, but also add another step in the battle: before that, you start the battle, arrange you forces in formation and them moved toward the enemy. Now my impression is that you need first to order all troops to run toward the middle map and them deploy them in formation and so on, or just wait the enemy runs toward you. 4) Visuals: While I like the increased detail in units, I do have to agree with Rob, that often feel a bit lifeless. The concept of animated portraits was a great idea, one game that used this in fantastic ways was Warhammer: Dark Omen, where seeing the animated portraits of you commanders of each unit screaming orders or asking for help (while very wounded) add a lot to the game. But in Rome II feel a bit strange and again, lifeless. In battle units also stay too close to each other, and since almost all of them carry shields this not only cause clipping issues, but make hard to see animations. In Shogun 2, CA managed to pull animations to the really next level, watch you soldiers fighting was cool and match the game theme and inspiration on samurai movies. Even the Blood Pack DLC, was over the top but amazing because not only add blood but along side new animations it clear make feel like truly Japanese samurai movie (with all violence, blood and epic, but managed to don´t feel forced or out of place). One of my found memories of Shogun 2 was playing a multiplayer battle, 3v3 players and in the end there was one unit in each side, my monk warriors, with only 7 still alive and around 9 Yari Samurai in the other side and there was this last showdown where the animations could be clearly seen, it was fantastic. Another thing I have to agree - interface is just terrible, that weird cards making everything too abstract, missing text description in battle is bad too.

I start EU3 a little late (I begin with EU1 and EU2 cd versions, only bit later with digital download I got EU3) , with some expansions already, but you right, remembering now, the AI by the last expansion was better. Another thing I noticed yesterday, France and its allies marching their armies in one massive stack (maybe its the annex army from CK2? haven´t found how do this yet in EU4). (I found out, still is cool to see the AI using it)

Great podcast! I am enjoying EU IV and agree almost everything said, and just like to add a few things that I think that where huge improvements: 1) It´s just me or the AI is much better using armies? playing as Castille on Ironman mode I am impressed that during the two wars which I fought to help England, alongside Portugal and Aragon, my allies maneuvered their armies to my aid in quite impressive ways, they really came to my help (and not just stand and watched as happen in many games) upon see me in danger, but I noticed also they avoid risking their armies too. 2) Talking about diplomats: I don´t know exact why, but I loved that now they have names and you send them way or wait them back. Another amazing thing was the Improve Relations option which save you from the cicle of giving gifts one after another. 3) Sieges mechanics are so much clear now and much more interesting to see, I remember playing EU I and EU II and never get how exactly sieges worked. 4) Battles feel much more decisive, I hadn´t a single ping-pong battle, except when my army could not get the enemy forces in the right time, meaning they managed to recover a bit of morale to retreat again.