Why EMPIRE is the BEST TOTAL WAR GAME
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- Опубликовано: 31 мар 2022
- The Total War series is easily my favourite real time strategy game series of all time. And it seems many fans can agree on the best entires: Rome Total War, Medieval 2 Total War and Shogun 2 Total War. However my favourite in the series is a controversial pick, Empire Total War. Although musket and cannon warfare didn't grab players the same way swords and sandles did, here's why I believe Empire Total War is the Best Total War game.
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Editor's Note:-
While preparing for this video, my game capture software - OBS Studio - suffered a number of technical problems and for the life of me I couldn't actually capture any game footage for this video. I tried all the settings, but nothing seemed to work. While I would have liked to figure out the issue, I had a deadline to meet and so I decided to instead use other people's gameplay footage for this video. This is somrthing I don't ordinarily like doing and in my opinion does harm the quality of the finished video. Nevertheless it was necessary to get something out in time.
Therefore to give proper credit, additional gameplay footage courtesy of:-
Pixelated Studio
SergiuHellDragoonHQ
Vulcan Total War
ytdlder
Invicta
Sinius
Prince of Macedon
Benjamin Magnus Too
Seleucus the Victor
Brantman19
LegendofTotalWar
lionheartx10
Dino Stan 
Игры
This video is basically proof that we need an Empire 2 / Napoleon 2. I'd love to see Napoleon with the Empire map and improved AI.
Preach!
Second! Is there any hope that they’ll make an “Empire:Total War II” - ?
My god yes, ETW biggest draw back is the AI
and fots cannons
Or Empire with proper Coop for those of us with friends.
My favourite part of Empire is when it pops up saying “A new nation has formed: The United States Of America.” And I say to myself “ Time to nip that in the bud.”
I have an embarrassing amount of hours in this game and wholeheartedly agree. The sheer scale of the game with the managing of multiple theatres truly makes this a grand campaign (see what I did there? No apologies).
Something that really helped this game was the famous DarthMod that helped the poor AI a little bit as well as expanding the game even more so, fleshing it out to an even more amazing scale.
Same.
Wo du es schon sagst weißt du wo ich mir den Darthmod Herunterladen kann
I've just restarted with darthmod. It really does clear up a lot the glaring issue with vanilla.
I have 3k lol
I like Darthmod, but imo it makes the game too easy... My favourite is Imperial Splendour 2.1, it's kinda buggy at times, but it has a sense of grounded realism, hefty costs. Wars, casualties and everything is so darn expensive. Every dead soldier will cost you. Every industry you build feels like an achievement. Battles matter, since armies cost rivers of money. It's indeed a blast.
Alleged Total War Fans saying Muskets are dumb
Shogun 2 Fans:- "Then you are blind. Matchlocks and rifle infantry are the way."
Empire: Total War is still my favorite Total War game. For some reason that time period just clicks with me. Biggest issue I had with it was the fact that you could conquer most of Europe in the span of a campaign, which felt completely unrealistic. If this game is ever given a sequel, it needs a larger map, with lots of smaller settlements per province (mostly in Europe) and a culture mechanic that'd it really difficult to seize provinces that are of a different culture from your own in peace deals. Being forced to release provinces you conquered as allied states or return them to your enemy in exchange for colonial holdings seems like it might be a good alternative. Here's hoping we get to see a sequel sometime in the near future!
Yeah, having the entirety of France being 1 province felt wrong
There are other features that are too broken to be exploited for example, when a nation is destroyed all its the active armies and naval forces vanish automatically which looks super unrealistic
@albertoibort910 Also, all their colonies become rebels
Thats interesting, I only ever played as the British so never experienced the game playing in Europe. Getting involved in Europe in anyway has always been a bad idea for Britain both in games (Civilisation) and real life. Queen Elizabeth 1st was right and still is. Stay out of Europe!
Basically an Europa Universalis but with real time battles... I would be down dor sure !
Of the historical Total Wars, I agree. This is the best. It's a more interesting time period, the world was a much more complicated place in the 18th Century.
I have almost 2000 hours of gameplay on Empire and I've never fallen out of love with it. The Darthmod really propelled it into a whole other level. I've been waiting patiently for a remastered version of this game, where a lot of the annoying bugs are fixed, and the AI in battle and in diplomacy are much more intelligent. Hopefully someday this will happen.
Darthmod really made me understand how my love howitzers especially phosphorus shells Oh those beautiful phosphorus shells
@@steveisthecommissar4013 Yes they are great. I make sure to get howitzers early on. The horrible diplomacy is the down spot. Trade was the lifeblood of even enemies then and now.
Check out the mod Imperial Spleandor. It's pretty solid. Starts in like 1788 but is really awesome.
@@jonny-b4954 I have. It is 👍 great.
check out the new 4.3 Empire 2 mod
It's a buggy mess, but my god the naval battles are amazing, and the time period amazing, the map amazing, and when the battles work amazing. it deserves a sequel. #Empire2
Few things more satisfying than a line of battle sending withering fire into the enemy ships.
best game for me would be a 16th century game with:
1. Medieval 2's city and recruitment system.
2. Empire's trade system.
3. Medieval 2's cavalry charges.
4. Rome's infantry mechanics.
5. Medieval's range mechanics (gunpowder/archers).
6. Empire's naval warfare.
7. Empire's research system.
I just want the cutscenes back every time you do a hero action like assassinating people. That used to be one of my favorite features from the original Shogun Total War game. Eventually I got tired and skipped them, but at least half the time each campaign I would sit through it and wait to see how events played out. I especially loved the different geisha cinematics.
The ones in the original were so good tbf ❤
The economy of Empire is by far my favorite in any total war. The concept of region wealth is revolutionary in a total war game. Bigger Population dose not equate more taxes.
Learning the economic system in Empire took me a long time, but once I got the hang of it I fell in love with it.
economy of troy?
@@Skankhunt668 don't care about troy.
Trade trade and trade, could rack up serious cash in this game
@@Droneriverswhen I build and upgrade plantations does it automatically upgrade my trade income? I keep not making trade ships since im not really sure what im supposed to do with them and constantly back burner it
@@stephengrigg5988 trade ships are only for the trading outposts in south america, africa etc. upgrading plantations increases the amount of resources produced which will increase your trade income if you have somebody to trade them to. the capacity of trading ports in your home nation and the trade partners you have decides how much money you will make from trade resources
One thing about this game I have come to appreciate is that you can't Tech your way to victory. In Rome and Medieval Total war I would always lean heavy into Tech to field overpowered armies so the fights were not even close. Not so in Empire since your fully Teched out armies are not that much stronger than the A.I. starting armies.
Fire by rank would like a word with you lol
@@arkos4366 As would ring/socket bayonets, canister shot, percussive shot, carcass shot, quicklime shot, and 3rd Rate ships. Granted these are mostly early-mid to midgame techs, but they will annihilate a starting army every time.
@@jamesnagle5221 True, but I do agree with the main point. The ai can keep up fairly well tech wise, it never feels as one sided as marian reforms or italian milita
I think you're overstating it. The tech alters how units are used and some techs are big advantages. I think rather, it's because the units themselves don't change and it really is just a matter of researching the tech that alters how they behave (something I love). The AI doesn't have to get to the right tech and build the right building and decide the right army comp (which won't be the same as an army comp a casual player will enjoy playing against) and have all these things work together to create an effective army. The mainstay of your force will be line infantry and occasionally you'll get techs that make them better. When you get them and you have a brief period where you dominate it feels satisfying, but then you start facing enemies that have the same tech and you're looking for the next advantage.
Empire: Total War served as my first introduction into the Total War franchise and I absolutely love it. I love how it was the first game I ever played that truly allowed me to have tactical and strategic flexibility, more so than other games I played.
I've always found musket warfare to be illogical and counter-intuitive, until I (like many others) started reading more about the Napoleonic wars. Now, just like you, this is one of my favorite periods of warfare, not to mention Empire being my favorite game of the Total War series, even more so than Napoleon.
All war requires bravery, but standing in open fields less than 100 yards from your opponent, trading volleys of heavy lead, watching your mates fall over to either side of you, must have been among the most nervewracking parts of any type of warfare of any time in history. Not to mention the advanced tactics required to properly utilize your troops for maximum firepower. I tip my imaginary triangular hat to all the soldiers who served in this incredibly interesting (and deadly) period in the history of warfare.
The musket era warfare style reminded me of *something* and then I realized: It has a similar feel to phalanx battles, with muskets instead of spears.
This is part of why the Americans were so effective in the revolutionary war. They had rifles instead of muskets, and would pick off officers at a distance where muskets were ineffective. Of course there was standard line infantry as well, but it must be noted that most were simply minuteman who came with their own arms.
@@SavageHunter1112 The Brits had rifles too, often better rifles and better riflemen. The Continental Army would also very much disagree with your bit about the Minutemen who while useful to fill in the ranks in short notice have had their role in the war greatly overstated. We also cannot forget that the French carried the rebellion quite heavily, only to have their own people see what the Colonists were doing and did the same to the French nobility.
@@demomanchaos
Not quite. If the French had followed the American example, 99% of the French Revolution wouldn’t have happened. Why? Because the US changed remarkably little. The French, on the other hand, decided to completely turn everything upside down, with predictably horrific results.
@@John-fk2kyTrue, napoleon was kind of a shitty person
This was my first Total War, and aside from very buggy siege defenses I love it.
I love Empire, I just wish that the Diplomacy was better so your Allies didn't start hating you for taking 3 of the ENEMY regions in short order, and you could give regions back to them if liberated, and also that the naval battles weren't made worse when actually using tactics. Oh and some regions were too large for 1 city, should've been several regions so you could take part of it - I'm looking at you France and Spain...
When I was a kid this was my first total war experience. Me, my brother and our father would gather around the computer and take turns commanding the empire. We shared tactics and advised each other what was the best move to make. I was the best at naval combat so I tried my hand at saving our fleet from whatever conundrum we threw them at. My brother was the best at empire management so he planned our economy. It was a lot of fun and the nuances to the gameplay was really rewarding.
I love the hidden stats for the different Nations Line Infantry in Empire.
Really shouldn't be hidden tbh
@@LordVader1094 They aren't, they are clearly visible both in Custom Battle and Campaign. The fact they all seem like clones but aren't is the only reason anyone would claim the differences are "hidden"
Nothing would please me more than for CA to revisit this time period for their next historical total war game (or at least roughly) - anything from 1700-1880 or so would just be great.
or a 1600 cent till 19 centuary would cool
19th century would be epic, you go from flintlocks to percussion, from smooth bore innacuracy to rifles, to breechloaders etc etc, tech tree upgrades would be amazing
You get pharaoh lol
I liked how Empire introduced the wealth system, which made keeping your areas properly defended much more important, and actually gave you a reason to pay closer attention to your economy.
It was also in Shogun, but then for whatever reason it was eventually ditched later on.
Which is a shame, because I haven't liked any of the games after Shogun nearly as much without that feature.
What do you mean by wealth system?
I always thought I was crazy for loving this game so much so it’s nice to see that I’m not the only one around who does
Aside from the AI, the only thing I didn't like about Empire was the sieges. Empire has the worst siege battles in the entire series by far. They're just incredibly boring due to how easily you can just wipe a fort with cannons and howitzers.
New SideQuest video! Booyah!
You guys are my favourite Games channel on the You Tubes, just edging out Mandalore.
I love total war shogun 2 but not the vanilla one the fall of the samurai was the thing I loved the most and the ship mechanic on that game was really impressive
Your opening comments about the 'just one more turn' followed by "wait, why is the sun coming back up?!" is so true!
So many hours played on this fantastic game.
I pretty much agree with you, only problem I really have is the AI in the campaign constantly recruiting nothing but cavalry and artillery or just militia spamming (I've faced some armies with 8 units of cav and 2 infantry units before) but this is a problem that's been around since medieval, and it's not always an issue for the larger factions
I do really love the 18/19th century eras and both Empire and Napoleon are absolutely mt favorite two by far! I do unfortunately have the same dilemma as you for wishing Napoleon was grander across the world, yet I love how flawless it is compared to Empire!
The French Empire of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Vive L’Empereur 🇨🇵🦅
I agree. Empire is my favorite. Despite its flaws it’s the one I always go back to. The time period is by far the most interesting to me.
Agree with you. This is my fav total war too. I use darthmod as a mod. It makes the game so much better!
this has always been ma favorite as its set in ma favorite time period i hope we get an empire too but would settle for a medieval 3 as medival 2 is my 2nd . have subbed and pressed the bell hello from Scotland :D
This is probably the Total War game I spent the most time in, though Medieval 2 has more big mods.
I personally love the gunpowder era of historical warfare and find it quite thrilling to strategize with in this game in particular.
Where Napoleon disappoints for me is actually that it's a little too streamlined. Scrapping rank and platoon fire makes for a faster paced game, but I just like my muskets slow and authentic.
Because it has the biggest map in all total war title and one of the finest working naval battle.
Although I say Medieval 2 is the best total war, since it has so much freedom in modding
Completely agree, there are also some amazingly great mods for this version too. My favourite was, I think, Total Accuracy which added more smoke, noise, and accurate carriage times and better weighting for artillery and naval warfare etc. Also agree on the campaigning too.
Thank you very much for the information 😀
Полностью согласен. "Empire Total War" - лучшая игра из серии Total War!
I love playing multiplayer battles because the battles are always interesting to end because you always have options to turn the battle around
I cannot agree with you more. Empire is also my most favorite Total War title, and I agree with you that it's the best Total War game of all. No other Total War game has given me such a sense of massive scale. I have played hundreds of hours of Empire since the day it was released, and each time is more epic then the last.
Every time I play the game there's always at least 4 or 5 big Empires on the map by the time the year 1800 comes around. These large empires always end up fighting world wars together that take decades. Within the past year, I played as the United States, and built an impressive empire controlling most of the Americas and even large parts of Europe.
During that same USA game, a massive war broke out in 1850 that I could only describe as a World War. The war lasted until 1878 and was between 7 Huge empires on the map; USA (me), Britain, Sweden and Maratha against Spain, Prussia and Russia. This war ended with the defeat of Spain and Prussia, Russia reduced to only a few provinces, and the loss of at least 100 million Europeans, 60 million of which were French who suffered a genocide by the Spanish.
I could honestly write a book about that particular game experience as it lasted until 1901 if I remember the last time I saved correctly.. but that story isn't finished. There are now only 4 major Empires on the map, and only one of them likes me (USA); Maratha. Britain hates me because before the first world war of 1850, I kept going to war with them, and they haven't gotten over it. I have a feeling that it wont be long before the second World War starts, and it will be the USA vs The World.
Good
Empire is my favorite as well. The thing about linear warfare is that long-ranged fire was desultory and ineffective, whereas close-range fire eas devastating. That puts a premium on a combination of fire and maneuver.
Also, implementing cover and taking over buildings was a game changer. Regularly in my battles, a wall or a garrisoned building was key to my position, and engendered heavy fighting and a mini narrative around that point in the battle that was, in my mind, the equal of Little Round Top, or Culp's Hill, or Hugamont.
My favorite as well. Bought it at release, first campaign I played non-stop from Friday evening to Sunday morning - I was young 😜 but to this day I play a campaign per year - always with Prussia. I am always amazed how each campaign run differs from the last. The game still has its issues (nothing compared to the first years though) yet it is the best TW I ever played. We need an Empire 2 - would love World War 1 setting
It's my favourite. If it actually had worked it would be 10/10, given the actual state it was released in and how it was never satisfactorily fixed, I can't rate it as the best TW game unfortunately.
Also One thing I really liked in empire is how techs you research would change the way you used units. Bayonets and firing drills in particular, progression of dragoons, you have the same roles, and often the same units in those roles but the way you use them from the start of the campaign is quite different to how you use them by the end of the campaign. I never minded at all that "everything is just line infantry", it's true to the period and in a weird way it made me care more about my troops.
I actually like when TW depicts, usually via mod, the reality that the forces that win wars are not hyper trained elite knights taken from the aristocracy and kitted out from birth with the best weapons and armour (though those are certainly useful tools to deliver crushing blows and can be key to hard victories), but actually the random bloke with a spear or a gun, the plentiful foundation upon which conquest lies and honestly I don't think any game in TW encourages the use of your average joe units like empire does.
Which is funny because warfare in the 18th century was still dominated by the aristocracy and being a soldier was still a career, and a good one at that. Only by the Napoleonic Wars, (Empire Total War's brother that everyone hates for some reason) was it like you described it where mass conscription and overwhelming man power won the day.
@@alarminglyfastmovingskelet7289 The rank and file was not made up of nobles. At no point in history (except maybe very early) have nobles been the bulk of military forces and aristocrats would not have carried armies by themselves (look at what happened at agincourt). Roman Republic armies were perhaps the last time the landed classes still made up the bulk of forces. The Marian reforms turned the soldiery into professional non-citizens hoping to earn citizenship. The medieval era relied on feudal levies, each lord had to provide a certain number of men, usually by requiring each family to provide a man. They were usually outfitted by whatever they could afford to bring with them. The Early Modern Era was when modern professional standing armies became a thing and it wasn't nobles picking up jobs as soldiers for "decent" pay, these were people who didn't have better prospects.
Nobody is talking about "overwhelming numbers", we're talking about the composition of the bulk of an army which was typically the ordinary man.
Access to more nations would’ve been a nice addition to it
ive always been a fan of Empire Total War, ive always loved this era, people say its boring..but the thrill of being in one of these sort of old battles as muskets slowly aim, as cannons blaze above, followed bye a volley of fire as a line of infantry drops..MM its just good..diplomacy i improved from the older titles..along with its nice graphics, i also like naval battles..just something about warships unleashing cannon volleys into eachother, thought i should try shogun's, an all points in this video are just more evidence
Those people who say Napoleonic era warfare is boring don't know squat about what they're talking about. Sure melee fighting is flashy and right to the point but there's far more interesting tactical plays that can be used in musket battles IMO. Not to mention the atmosphere gunfire brings to the battlefield is just so good. The gameplay it offers is so much more dynamic than other total war games I have played.
WE NEED EMPIRE 2
generally i dont have an interest in this time period but youve definitely convinced me to give it a try. even with the ai issues im sure theres mods for that
The 'one more turn lie, 5am' line resonates closer than it should...
Agreed! I'd also like to add how is watching units for guns any different from watching units in melee combat or firing arrows? In all cases, the player is choosing the enemy unit to attack and then sits back to watch it play out. To me gunpowder warfare is better for total war games because it is more about strategy, like you mention when discussing cornering/flanking units. Meaning, battles can still be won even if the player does not have the "correct" units to combat the enemy or is numerically inferior. Is it more difficult, yes, but it is still possible. Conversely, with melee warfare, yes strategy plays a part, but I feel more emphasis is placed on numbers versus strategy.
The 18th century, and specifically the colonial American frontier of that period, is my favorite historical period for a variety of reasons, and so I agree that personally this game is my favorite. And you're right about the scale. I'd love to see a new total war game focus on JUST the American frontier and really dive deep into the imperial, colonial, and Native American factions. If they could get wilderness combat correct it would be amazing.
Objectively, overall, I will still say that Rome 1 is ultimately the best, hands down, with Shogun II a close second
"Objectively, overall, I will still say that Rome 1 is ultimately the best, hands down, with Shogun II a close second" I'd agree, but Medieval II has to be tied with Rome I, they are literally the same game, your preference will simply come down to the period you find more interesting.
I love the multiple theaters, naval combat and protecting trade routes! This is probably my second favorite even with all the hate it gets! I still think their best game is warhammer total war, really let them break loss with creativity
"really let them break loss with creativity" I mean... wasn't it the guys who made Warhammer, the ones who let lose with their creativity, the CA guys just adapted it into their gameplay loop.
I agree with every point. Unfortunately the weak enemy AI does mean some battles are far too predictable (though occassionally hilarious, like when they run their cavalry lengthways across my huge line of riflemen within range).
That said though, there are some glorious moments. I once held Punjab against maybe eight full stack attacks back to back across three turna with a pretty scrappy army because the terrain made approaching the fort under canon fire so brutal. One of the best moments I've had in a TW game.
I agree! It's even better with darthmod in my opinion. It isn't my favorite though, it is my second favorite. For current playability my list is:
Rome 2
Empire
Shogun 2
Medieval 2
For nostalgia my list is completely different haha.
I actually love the scale and era. So I’m with you there
I’m daring to hope that the recent release of mortal empires is sort of a tech test for a huge multi-theatre historical title. Lots of the empire units also fit this theory, but we’ll see..
Wonderful video and I agree with your praises and critiques of this game. My favorite for sure. Really love it. Wish the Empire AI was as good as Napoleon AI or even better. Please more videos
Empire really is a great game that has quite some nostalgic value to me.
It was always fun to play as a great or small nation, and as you say the combination of military, economic and technological systems make this title special.
Despite having bought it 12 years ago, I still enjoy it a lot and occasionally am playing campaigns - something I cannot say for Rome 1 or Medieval 2 (Rome 2 is just better, imo).
It's a game that has accompanied me for many years in the last decade and beyond, and I remember it very fondly.
i remember that I was in love with this game from the beginning. It was so fun!
When I played Rome and Medieval 2 I basically just went all out on warfare and my economy was “take a place to fund the army needed to take the next place”. So when I got to Empire I hit a brick wall because that just does not work. But now over a decade later I do really enjoy it because you have to be a lot more calculated and you need to spend time just building your economy to fund future wars, and going to war is a very expensive affair because of the loss in trade. I remember playing as Britain and it was just me and Russia left and I couldn’t go to war with them without going bankrupt without someone to trade with, so I had to wait like 30 turns just building stuff to be able to afford being the only power in the world.
Just so different to the other games that came before. Oh and building a first rate and watching it obliterate a Brig is so fun
Finally, somebody gets it! Good vid.
Took me until recently to get back into total war and after buying a few of them on sale as much as I love medieval or Rome I find myself going back to empire all the time. I love the early modern combat and playing as the great empires of the time expanding your territory across the world as Britain or Russia etc if anything just wish I didn't need mods to play as minor nations it would have been fun to create a Scottish empire which isn't an option. I wish the time period of the game as well started earlier with pike and shot warfare fighting the English civil war for the example though I know there is a mod for that I need to try though.
I want to agree but I find it impossible for me to play vanilla. In fact, I find it impossible to play any mod in Empire except for "Imperial Destroyer". If vanilla Empire is a 4/10 and Darthmod Empire is a 7/10, then Imperial Destroyer Empire is a 12/10. THAT modded version of Empire is one of my absolute favourite Total War games ever! But if we're talking vanilla, I'll take Napoleon and Fall of the Samurai any day.
Couldn't agree more....'Imperial Destroyer' is a must play mod. Iv'e heard good things about the 'Empire 2 Mod' but until i'm sure Imperial Destroyer remains installed. Would love to see a remastered version with unlimited modding.
2:01 Using Sharpe clips to demonstrate how muskets work? Now that's soldiering!
"Just one more turn" - how many times have I said that to myself!
I agree its great. From time to time im drawn back to Empire and Napoleon. Right now I'm playing an Austria Napoleon Total War campaign. But I also have to agree the Empire campaign has a global scope no other game has. I have to remember to send reinforcements to mt colonjes on America and have escorts for my Oceania trading ships. The strategizing of naval campaigns like preventing French reinforcements to get to America and so on is amazing. I once had Eugene of Savoy go a total Chad campaign all thr way from Viena to Calcutta on foot
I just hope they come out with an Empire total war 2 and finally give it the attention it needs, instead of making more war hammers which I know not many people like.
I honestly hate the Warhammer games, but unfortunately (for me) they were a huge success. Meaning there are tons of people who liked them. I'm pretty sure CA is working hard to find a new fantasy property. It wouldn't surprise me if they announced acquiring the rights to make a Game of Thrones, or Lord of the Rings Total war with the popularity both of those properties are enjoying right now. I think enjoyability of a Total War game is linked directly to your interest in the setting. I didn't like Three kingdoms when it first dropped either, I just couldn't get into it. I also had no interest in Chinese history at the time. That changed, recently I got into learning about Chinese history, so I loaded up a 3K campaign, and had one of my favorite Total War experiences conquering all of china. Creative Assembly could take a gamble and make a historical title, Hoping that the majority of their core fanbase (which is small compared to that of other major properties) has an interest in the setting, or they could buy the rights to use a setting that has a large and established base of highly passionate fans. It's an easy decision honestly.
I so enjoy Empire but it is just too unstable. If anyone has any tips to avoid the save game bug and other bugs in the game, I'd love to hear them?
Darthmod or Imperial Splendor
Empire and FOTS are my favorites, and I always wanted an Empire 2 made in the FOTS engine as it did guns and artillery so well.
I totally agree! And never understood the hate. I have an embarrassing amount of hours on there and I still can’t get enough. Of course some issues, but man it’s so fun sending volleys of musket fire down range with artillery in support. Not to mention the complex campaign aspects that are challenging and fun.
Empire was my entry point to Total War and I still remember it fondly. Im still here waiting for a Remaster or Total War Empire 2. I wish Total War explored more battles during the 18th and 19th century a period where swords and gunpowder were used side by side.
This video is vindicating on so many levels. Yeah some other games may be more polished, but when I play something like Napoleon I am disappointed because all I have to fight in is Europe. Meanwhile in Empire, I have the Americas, Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East, and India. Besides, there's so many mods out there that fix the majority of Empire's problems - like: Darthmod, Pirates Uber Alles, Imperial Splendor/Destroyer, and now the Empire Total War 2 mod.
on the topic of ai i have seen it go insane less often if you play like it expects you to play (classic line battle) artillery also makes them go insane for a good reason , if they stay where they are the artillery will tear them up so they choose to engage you rather than sit and take it
I remember when I was hyped for Empire to the point of playing guns only battles in Medieval 2. And then Empire came out and I went back to playing normal Medieval 2.
Greetings from man, who enjoys this is game as you. There are lags, there are bags, but I do not stop playing it. You answered why.
I love the different style of gameplay that this provided. My only gripe is the loading screen bug. I know it’s common and no other “fixes” has actually fixed the issue. I’m like 20 turns left in a long campaign, about to smash Russia who decided to pick a fight with me despite owning 2/3 of the map, and I can’t finish it because it crashes at the loading screen 😭.
I've been playing so much Empire lately it's so fun
I played this game for 2 years continuously. I can't stop playing it
Man, what a change several years can make. I remember seeing people absolutely hate this game, there was even an unfair review made about this game back then by some biased neck beard claiming this game was worse than Atari's ET, I'm glad to see it's getting the love it actually deserves.
My top 3 have always been Rome, Shogun 2 and Empire in that order. Always loved the time period (as someone who was raised on Sharpe and hornblower, first on the TV and then the books), and the scale felt like a nice introduction to games like the much-DLC bloated Crusader Kings and Victoria series.
I always had empire as my favorite, loved playing as the Dutch and just spreading out over the colonies.
I hold out that they’ll make a second one.
I've played world domination campaigns on shogun 2 and empire, and while I love the ai on shogun, and the fact naval can be used in seiges, empire is superior to me just because of the musket combat. Absolutely wild to me our ancestors poured out by the thousands and many watched others or ate musket balls and kept pouring powder. Thousands of men charging from the open field and hundreds of calvary waiting for just enough to get lost in the battle to not hear the hoof beat of death approaching. It's a perfect mix of modern and medieval
Please make a empire 2. It is about time
Would maybe be my favourite too, if it hadn't been so frustratingly buggy.
Musket warfare is essentially melee warfare at an extended range lol but with the option to bayonet charge for closer melee combat
I was always a Total War person, going back to Medieval One. Empire was my favourite for the reasons you point out. The scale was unique and probably because i always played as Great Britain this was always maximised. However, the reasons i loved Empire is why i left as i eventually discovered Europa Universalis 4 which satisfied the scale but in even more detail. Empire was my last Total War game.
I have a soft spot for this game. I like what it was trying to do but mistakes were made. My biggest peeve was how agents are trained. Instead of just recruiting agents they spawn randomly making it impossible to get them where they are needed. For example I had Gentlemen spawning in the Bahamas instead of England where they were needed at my universities. This forced me to load them on a ship and a send them Europe wasting tons of time.
They really should make an Empire 2 in order perfect this time period
To some degree, if it was just the "gentlemen", its not the craziest idea. A genius might not be born in London.
If that was the only issue, id play it constantly, but the poor AI is shit. Still come back to it.
empire total wars cannons were so satisfying. the way the cannon shot would skip along the terrain
Just saw this and I totally agree! I love Empire in spite of its many flaws. The tactics in this game were so different than the other entries, love the artillery and the eventual unlocking of riflemen. I also found the trading to be really satisfying, trying to get all the different commodities available, and the naval combat was really cool, even when it was frustrating. I think the worst part was the fortification battles. The AI never knew what to do with the fort walls, and I think that pissed a lot of players off, but that was the real low of the game, the rest of it really outshines the problems.
Yes definitly one of my favourites I would also love to have a victorian era total war game. With the crimean war Us civil war Franco Prussian war, the Boer wars etc.
Empire has always been my favorite, I do 18th century reenacting so this period is one I have a deep love for, bashing someone with a sword is great, but it’s not compared to blasting the enemy away with cannon then giving them 2 feet of cold steel with a bayonet charge, and it’s the only game where you can truly conquer the world. It’ll be a golden day when we get Empire 2
ETW was my first Total War game so I'm a bit biased but honestly I'm just a sucker for the gunpowder ones (ETW,NTW, and FOTS) - There's just something about the mechanics of firearms and positioning of different infantry troops relative to each other that IMO just add a whole new layer compared to the other, more acclaimed Total War games - And being a fan of naval battles as well, few games managed to get it as right as those did (well at least FOTS)
I think that an empire two would have more potential than any other future historical total war game. You have battles all over the world with a focus on trade resources causing massive naval battles. When playing the game I felt like I was a period leader. I was fighting big wars in Europe over a few bits of land sending huge fleets to fight over trade lanes and small forces to defend the colonies
Loved this game!. Going from Plugged barrel to a proper bayonet was great.
The best wins on strategy and surprise level with my online games were definitely in empire. I gosh the memories ❤
I’ve always loved musket warfare far more than melee. In high school I was talking to friends about total war and they always said that they preferred sword combat because it “required more skill and was more honourable” which I think are both also applicable to muskets. Just because you can easily teach someone to fire a gun doesn’t mean it required zero skill to do it properly.
Always been my favourite since day 1. Add Darthmod to the mix and it's a masterpiece. I dream of Empire 2 but can't see it ever happening. Having such a huge campaign map elevates the game so much! Certainly has it's issues, but I'll always come back for more ❤
I liked the naval battles the most by far. I wish there was a game that was just like that aspect of the game
Def my favourite of all total war games , shogun 2 fall of the samurai was cool too with battleships , would love an empire 2 or around the samish time period more focused on gunpowder , artillery and steam
I just love the red coat 👀
The worst auto resolve I’ve had was when I send 4 heavy first rates to deal with a sloop and fifth rate and lost 3 of my ships definitely rage quit after that
I’ve only just started playing empire after being a med2 fanboy for over a decade and my goodness i think its even better
I'm with you. I realize the AI in Empire is lacking but I still find the Empire the best, especially because no other entry matches naval warfare.
They made a far more complex and flexible AI, just to never manage to make it actually work properly. Irony.
This game is my guilty pleasure. Big map, lots of fun units, naval battles. But it really did spell the end for total war with all that it took away and all the DLC it had