Empire total war game review. Review of the game Empire: Total War. Dragoons with ponytails

Despite the fact that this part of the game from the Total war series was released back in 2009, I cannot ignore it and leave it without a review, because I consider Empire to be a rather original part. I will not oppose it too sharply with other Total war" ami, but I’ll just explain why you can love this game, and why you can scold the developers a little.

To begin with, let's recall the previous games of the famous series. , Medieval - games that have turned all ideas about tactics and strategies. Monumental and massive fortresses, huge armies. Great. But, in my opinion, both Rome and Medieval turned out to be pretty similar in terms of graphics, tactics, economics, and politics. But Empire was released on a new engine, with completely new graphics, a combat system (but how else, the new time is the 18th century, new tactics, new system combat). The developers decided to bring the graphics closer to reality. Up close, the troops look just fine, and their movements are admirable. I once hung on the battle of my line infantry with some guys from the enemy militia. At first they played on each other's nerves, shooting at the enemy ranks from a short distance, and then they crossed ... well, how they crossed - they ran into close combat. I followed the fight of my soldier. I boast - he laid down three, but how did he do it !!! Huge plus to developers for such details. Three different tricks = three identical corpses.

It was a lyrical digression. Further. The game world, that is, the strategic map, is a vast territory, unseen in the past parts. Europe, America, India, and some maritime spaces: that's what made me very happy and let my imagination run wild in terms of conquests. You must admit, it's interesting to play for Russia and sail to capture Louisiana. Innovation pleases. changed fundamentally. There is already a reliance on the correct placement of guns, on the mobility of the infantry and the surprise of the cavalry. The choice of units is quite rich, and for each country. The opponent is smart! It amused me that he so famously managed to get behind me, even if I played on the easy difficulty of the game. And the combat formations themselves have become more cunning than in the previous parts.

Further. HURRAH HURRAH!!! Added naval battles...but...what is it? I have one deja vu? Or are these fights really licked with Imperial Glory? Yes, yes, indeed, the engine is still the same. But that's not the point, joy and fun naval battles deliver no less than ground!

Let's go back to where we started. 2011 is in the yard. Empire came out in 2009. Two years have passed. Shougun 2 also came out. In my opinion, they could not surpass Empire. The gameplay is still the same, but NApoleon somehow copies Empire, and Shougun just looks unpleasant on this engine, and the idea to make Japan is not the best, if you take a Russian player as a gamer. I'm still more interested in playing for something familiar.

Neither , nor the Shogun could fix the ills of Empire, Medieval and Rome. Diplomacy and economy let us down in the total war series. Diplomacy is very unrealistic. Well, what kind of nonsense? I win, I win the war, I smashed half the enemy army with their small losses, but they still don’t want peace, they don’t pay indemnity. Although, in Empire this is the least noticeable! Enemies are really afraid of losing everything! But in battles they never accept surrender.

So in my mind Empire total war - Best game series. Such it is for its novelty, originality of the author's thought! If you want to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the world of the 18th century, then be sure to pay attention to this game, it will not disappoint you!

I've been waiting for Total War: Rome II for a long time. My fondest memories of the series are with the original Rome, despite all the subsequent games, and now that the sequel is finally out, I'm immersed in its world. Was it love at second sight, or did it mark the end of an era? It is not that simple. Details below.

To understand Rome II's place in the Total War hierarchy, it's helpful to look at the three previous titles: the original Rome, Shogun 2, and Empire. Aside from the weird voice acting that would be better suited to a Master of Orion sequel than a game set in the classic era, Rome II captures the essence of its time period just like any other game in the series. Here, as always, everything is focused on history, and not on reliable recreation of trifles. Creative Assembly studio director Michael Simpson had this to say about the historical fit: "We're aiming for Hollywood stuff... but we hope it's somewhere in between that and the real story."

Hollywood tricks are visible to the naked eye, but this is the strength of the series. When Roman generals lead soldiers into battle, they whip up their rage by playing on the fact that the enemy is different from them, their words are as merciless as swords. This is a clear example of the troops of the late empire, which served as a source of inspiration and endless allusions. I was a little dismayed when my oldest general, that graying heap of scar tissue in his lorica squamata armor, cheerfully ordered his warriors to slaughter the Celts, calling them upright pigs, not humans. The Roman Empire has terrifying potential and makes for a natural starting point for a first campaign, thanks to its central location and ease of holding.

All I want to say is that the Romans in Rome II are made with a bang, and it is convenient to start the game as them. Aesthetically, everything is as satisfying as a jar of colorful punch. The music uses melodies of an imaginary past, at times calm, with a melancholy middle, corresponding to the hardships of wartime and the realization that even the most powerful empire will fall sooner or later.

Seen from afar, Rome II is delightful. Its individual elements form a dignified, beautiful and cohesive structure. We know the formula - Total War combines advanced tactical strategy like "Risk" with large-scale real-time battles. In many ways, the previous game in the series, Shogun 2, was best example this formula. The reason for this was to some extent the choice of place and time of action - a rational approach to a more isolated setting.

For the sake of returning to Japan, the scale of Empire had to be abandoned, and with it, much of the randomness was discarded. Fewer elements were used in Shogun, but almost all of them were improved. Spread far and wide, Empire looked chaotic, Shogun 2 came out more concentrated, which benefited the game and helped to leave room for the Fall of the Samurai, an excellent addition. Unfortunately, some of Empire's shortcomings returned in Rome II, and while it's a game of exceptional craftsmanship, it wasn't exactly the right move. What an irony - Rome II is so large and vast that it is bursting at the seams from its weight.

It's a game of incredible proportions, with a much more open experience than the original Rome, offering multiple factions to choose from, even without the magical pre-order DLCs. Starting the game in different parts of the world will give you a completely different feeling. The most obvious difficulty is to understand how the diplomatic and military power of your neighbors and, in turn, their neighbors affects the geography of your particular faction's neighborhoods. Rome is able to intimidate most other factions, the game for him begins with a war with the northern neighbors. This war is extremely difficult to lose, which makes it possible to instantly consolidate the territory.

The expansion is proceeding gracefully. A faction's overall military power, fame, and global influence determines how many armies, armadas, and agents it can field on the battlefield at any given time. Faction power is no longer tied to the number of holdings, but rather concentrated in provinces divided into regions. They are slightly similar to the continents from "Risk", the effect of combining forms new strategic decisions. Sometimes it makes more sense to recapture one of the regions of an enemy province and then defend the local settlement, instead of advancing further, realizing that fragmenting the province has already weakened it and made it less useful

Another system of provinces allows you to make more interesting decisions in terms of construction. Each region contains a settlement supporting a number of buildings and development areas such as farms and training grounds. My Rome was a center of outstanding military prowess, I always sent units there for troops and created it as a kind of Fortress of Death. This means that resources and food came to the province from other places, so that the cities on the coast were mainly engaged in fish processing. These were very unpleasant places where everyone was unhappy because of the stench and the high probability of slipping on fish intestines while walking.

Centralized recruitment is quite convenient, but as Iceni I experimented with different strategies, making each settlement balanced without focusing on specialization. This is a viable tactic in which any loss is no longer so terrible. Playing as Rome was risky in that any invasion threatened to have a ripple effect that drastically undermined the well-being of the province, leaving it without food or labor. The specialization of cities can be changed by demolishing old buildings and building others, but this is a long and costly undertaking.

Due to lack of governance, slums may form in the province. They occupy a cell on which something useful could be built, and there is a penalty for their demolition. In general, regional management is the most advanced element since Shogun 2. The system effectively forces the player to think smart, plan ahead, and support their growing empire through cunning and strong character. In addition, everything is quite clear, although the game introduces new features without bothering to explain them. There is the usual tutorial chatting in the background when you first open a screen, but sometimes I found myself understanding the general gist but not understanding the intricacies of each number or icon. In such cases, tooltips come to the rescue.

In general, this the best part games. Oh yes, and the spectacle of battles. But the combat mechanics themselves are disappointing. Once again, Rome II is a superbly executed game, and I will spend many more hours playing it. Perhaps she could never live up to my expectations: a perfectly matched time period, the look at which came out exciting and impressive. But combat system, managing armies and generals, simply falls short of the game's established sense of scale, time, and place.

AI is partly to blame for this. The series was constantly kicked for him, he rarely puts up a decent resistance, and all my defeats happen only because of my own mistakes and stupid attacks on protected positions. The main problem is that the computer opponent reacts to the player's actions rather than making his own. Soon his reactions become predictable and even with all the unusual abundance of unit types, their appearance on the battlefield rarely surprises you or takes you by surprise. There are exceptions - most notably the elephants, which turned out to be as cool as I expected - but my tactics since Rome have remained unchanged, and this suggests an unchanged AI

For ships, mixed attacks of the fleet and ground troops are better suited, purely sea ​​battle, although it looks great, but does not load the brain at all. Only at the beginning my fleet was losing even to relatively weak enemies, but when I understood the importance of onboard maneuvering and figured out the types of units ON the ships, everything immediately changed in my favor. Of course, the ships that shatter into chips look fascinating, but now I put naval battles on autoboy.

When approaching an enemy harbor, the lack of fleet versatility is no longer a problem. Smashing the enemy from two sides is extremely pleasant, however, in order to take such a position, you will have to work harder on the strategic map than in the battle itself.

Unfortunately, the chances of carrying out such maneuvers are rare. The map, although large, is not an open space, but corridors between forests and mountains. There is an obvious plus in this - it is easier for developers and, of course, for players to control the movement of troops in this way; blockades, ambushes, and retreats would otherwise be much rarer. But I'd rather have a less cramped world. All roads may lead to Rome, but for some reason only a couple get out of it.

There was a clever innovation in the movement of armies. The introduction of combat stances allows the infantry to increase their speed or set up ambushes-slaughterhouses like the Teutoburg Forest. Of course, each stance has its pros and cons, and they change the beginning of the battle in an amazing way.

Unfortunately, the development of generals and armies in the role of characters and historical combat units was not as deep as one might think from the first signs. The choice of upgrades for both units and leaders comes down to, for example, improved swords or improved armor. They do not seek to emphasize the spirit of the era, which would be generally great, and do not add any real strategic variety. With a retinue of generals, too, not everything is going smoothly. This is something like accompanying characters that add bonuses, but after a few turns there are so many of them that they seem to be ballast, and not a valuable reward.

Now I'm running the game again and playing around with my saves. I want to create a Celtic empire, ready for a quick takeover of Rome. At a strategic level, computer adversaries behave effectively and interestingly, creating unlikely scenarios and unexpected alliances. The world has become surprisingly volatile, although the waiting time between turns has increased due to the difficult political situation.

Playing with no noticeable bugs (a major patch that came out over the weekend fixed two major issues I've encountered, but others have been rumored online), I quickly find myself falling in love with the game. Only later, when I move away from her a little, do I begin to doubt my feelings. The fights look amazing, bright enough to deserve the highest praise, and there are enough interesting moments in their middle and end to sustain a boring start. But still initial stages battles are monotonous, and as a result, the battles lack content.

If Rome II were a gladiator, he would enter the arena with fireworks and trumpets blaring. In the most beautiful armor that the world has seen, he would look promising, greatness would be destined for him by fate itself. Later, having overcome many opponents, he would still fall, and the last enemy would bring his sword to his throat. Looking at this, only the most cruel ruler would put his finger down. All his victories were well-deserved, but one cannot help thinking that if his armor were not so rich, lighter and more flexible, he might not have lost to anyone.

Release Date: September 2, 2013 Publisher: Sega Developer: The Creative Assembly Genres: Grand Strategy / Multiplayer Platforms: PC Rank: 103 Editorial Rating: 70 %

Worth playing? (based on reader ratings)

How do you play? + 4 (5 positive / 1 negative)

Here they are, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Four? Drop it. There are hundreds of thousands of them, and they multiply faster than your slaves manage to clean up after the master's orgy. As you finish your first glass of wine in the morning, a dozen more Horsemen of the Apocalypse jump into the saddle and look forward to bursting into your villa, slaughtering the servants, quartering you alive and burning the whole house for the glory of Heaven. Because the roof that cannot be rolled up and put in a cart is the roof of a tomb, and the tomb is inhabited exclusively by the dead.

Approximately such ominous predictions were probably listened to by the imperial Roman nobility, basking in luxury, at the end of the 4th century of our troubled era. That's when it starts.

The air filled with smoke and blood

Total War: Attila did not become a "named" part of the series, as where the campaigns were based from and to on the adventures of a cunning Corsican. Attila inspired by another page in the history of the series total war- addition Barbarian Invasion, and even dedicated to the same era, which foreshadowed one of the blackest nightmares of the civilized world. Only here this era was shown in all its perishable splendor. And with all the modesty of visual means.

The small pile on the left is the Huns' camp. In addition to production functions, it is useful in that the units in it do not suffer from the vagaries of the weather. Even from frost!

But the most noticeable difference from Rome 2- artistic. It catches the eye right from the splash screen in the main menu: against the backdrop of a red glow from a distant flame, endless hordes are jumping, militant Mongolian music is playing. Demonization in the flesh, although the Huns, the perpetrators of the Great Migration of Nations, plunged Europe into the darkness of the "Dark Ages" not for occult reasons. But who cares when the world collapses?

Each of the playable factions was provided with a mournful introduction, where the player is reminded: comrade, the hour of reckoning for free days is approaching. Or vice versa - burn The eternal City Let's trample the crops! On the campaign map, the colors have faded, red and black predominate, and fire is blazing everywhere as a symbol of reckless crushing power. Fire colorfully devours the lands that you chose to completely destroy. The boundaries of the zone of aggression around the army are marked by dancing flames.

In battle, fires are expanse. Archers with fire arrows burn not only enemies under fire, not only houses and barns - even the trees in the forest where the skirmishers are hiding will flare up from arrows flying through the foliage.

The eye will not rejoice! In dynamics, the fire is even more impressive. And very useful, by the way, if you do not want to leave potential enemies in the rear.

At the same time, the desired mood is still not achieved with the success that the developers had hoped for. Partly - because of the caution of artists who did not dare to go against reality and, for example, add crimson tones to the sky. Partly - because the game is more complicated than usual, but only thanks to the wrong properties at all Total War: Attila that advertised in the first place.

My name is Horde

At the forefront in the action of the new total war- of course, the decaying Western Roman Empire and its enemies, the Hun tribe that came from Mongolia. Byzantium will have time to mothball and fall only in the 15th century, all sorts of Franks, Saxons, Goths are just a dancer for the people of Attila, and the eastern empire of the Sassanids missed all the fun and went to be devoured by the future Arab Caliphate.

That is why Rome and the Huns are played completely differently than before.

In 395, the Eternal City owned almost all of Europe, excluding Scandinavia, Northern Germany and the territory of the future Scotland and Ireland. But the greatness of Rome is fragile: unwashed savages from all sides try the borders to the tooth, and someone gnaws at the empire from the inside. The army of Rome is small, incomes are negligible, and the popularity of the Senate and Caesar himself in the regions is falling. The elite is split, control is slipping away... in short, playing as Rome will turn into a painful struggle with the rules of history. Just have time to fight off the barbarians, retreat into the depths of the possessions and frantically count denarii, with a shudder foreseeing the cost of provisions.

Conventions now even clearer, but it can be difficult to separate the infantry from the spearmen in the crush.

The faction of the Huns is difficult not so much to manage as to understand. Steppe nomads are really nomads, they do not have cities, but they cannot capture. Because the horde! In fact, this trick has already been used in Barbarian Invasion, and in Attila just slightly modified.

Each army of the Huns (as well as other nomads) serves as a mobile city, where yurts for various purposes gather and the Hun hordes train. In order for the "parking" functions to work, the horde will have to be camped. To do this, you should keep a quarter of the movement points of the army: that is, advance three quarters of the route - and pitch tents.

At the same time, a lot of little things pop up that could not get into the field of view. So, several hordes cannot be kept in the same area at the same time: they quarrel and receive powerful fines to the already meager income, and they eat beyond measure. It is better to keep the hordes at a distance and bring them to the equestrian fist only for mass battles.

In terms of income, standard building income is always higher when the horde is encamped. Many incomes are inaccessible to her: from trade, for example. The method of earning recommended by the game - raids on every little thing with a demand for tribute - works badly: the tribute is ridiculous, barely enough for travel, and the tributaries strive to make an alliance with your enemies and start the war again. It takes valuable moves, resources, and people to reason with them again.

Close combat always turns into a dump. This is especially dangerous for the cavalry, which will be taken apart for offal in no time, as soon as it stops.

The military doctrine of the Huns is a complete equestrian fetishism. Mounted archers, mounted swordsmen: why brake infantry when there is maneuverable cavalry? That is why battles on behalf of the Huns are demanding on fine motor skills. Run, give a couple of volleys, run away; swoop in, clanging blades, and gallop away, dropping manure. Even small villages become a cemetery for small Hun forces, because there is nowhere to turn around, and the enemy has many opportunities to arrange a dump and tie down the actions of the cavalry. We will mournfully keep silent about the siege: more than one company of cavalry found its stupid death at the gates.

The game for the Huns is perhaps as intense as for the Roman Empire, but much more mobile, flexible and multivariate. If you want - rush to the Caucasus, butt heads with the Sassanids, if you want - gnaw on Byzantine merchants, if you want - a hooligan in the Gallic forests. Everywhere it will be equally difficult for the Huns, and equally interesting for us.

Who will remember the old

Something in Total War: Attila returned on the urgent advice of the public (fans simply knocked down the rating on Metacritic). For example, a family tree. Now there is more fuss with domestic politics, and the promotion of the right people and the persecution of the unnecessary have become a routine.

Similar dilemmas will confront you if you like the path of intrigue and careerism. The set of actions is not rich, but the consequences for the elite are great.

Diseases and epidemics have returned in a new form: now they do not fall on you "by the will of the gods", but serve as a direct and logical consequence of poor sanitation and high pollution. For example, good workshops and populated urban centers generate more and more garbage and sewage, and wells, as well as ditches and other primitive means of sewage disposal, will be useful to neutralize them. One more headache.

The professional growth of commanders is now expressed by a full-fledged skill tree (armies got the same joy at their disposal). Among the perks are both regular increases in zeal, prestige and cunning, as well as percentage increases to any parameters, whether it be the maintenance of cavalry units or the speed of movement on the campaign map. True, these bonuses are distributed along the tree stupidly, and some extra perks will have to be taken to get to more useful things.

A family tree is more like a return of an old debt than a generous gift. To whom illegitimate children?

But as for the promised brutal street fighting with barricades and crushing in the squares, it did not grow together. That is, formally there are barricades in the game, they are allowed to be built, but not so much as to correct the course of enemy troops. And the streets, perhaps, are too much to make a cunning maze out of them.

But still, the rules of the siege have changed a bit: the blockade of the city has lost its meaning, since it lasts ten or even all twenty moves. Help will eat you all the baldness, until the townspeople finally surrender, and the military ranks will noticeably thin out.

The Creative Assembly is a studio that produces extremely thoroughbred products. Shogun: Total War, Medieval: Total War, Rome: Total War, Medieval 2: Total War - all these masterpiece games are firmly ingrained in the hearts of gamers. With such a portfolio, the authors had to create an ingenious strategy. Should have been and created!

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The Creative Assembly - a studio that produces extremely thoroughbred products. , - allthesemasterpiecegamesfirmlyeateninheartsgamers. With such a portfolio, the authors had to create a simply brilliant strategy, at least worthy of being in the ranks of this elite. We immediately look at the assessment, and only then we read the article ...

Velvet Revolution

The first thing I want to note is the changed setting, which “flew away” in the 18th-19th centuries, in the era of colonization, during the times of revolutions, the sailing fleet, technological discoveries and great conquests. Compared to the scale, the scale has grown in earnest, the previous map has safely gone to the landfill, giving the whole mother Earth a place to roam. Of course, they do not reach the scale, but no one was going to take a piece of bread from Sid Meier. As the campaign progresses, it “feeds” us well-known historical events, such as America's struggle for independence or the industrial revolution, implemented just fine.

The Creative Assembly , to be honest, they arranged a real holiday for all strategists. Finally, there is a corner where you can unleash a real brainstorming session. Here you have a system of diplomacy, and international trade (which has probably tripled in size), and politics, and construction, and, of course, epic battles. So, for example, we can manipulate neighboring states, pitting them against each other to please our beloved. Computer dukes act according to the standard scheme and obey the strongest, signing peace agreements only with "promising" colleagues, and in the event of a bad martial law, they gladly join the ranks of our alliance.

Cities and towns went on vacation, giving way to capitals and important strategic points like metropolises and ports. But the authors did not allow free lands to be left unattended and allowed the player to populate them with their people. By the way, a lot of attention is paid to the development and colonization of new lands.

Interestingly and extremely logically built economic system, in particular - trade. You can produce absolutely nothing for sale and forget about exports, provided that you have a powerful fleet capable of protecting sea lanes. And if, for example, the fields grow fat from sown cereals, and the holds are bursting with goods - this is not yet a sign of thick bags of gold coins. Players who passed "" should be aware that a trade caravan does not always sail to its destination if there is no "roof" next to it.

Piastre-r-r-ry

The gameplay, in general, noticeably "fat" and took a much larger form. But the battles have not changed much, demonstrating their former entertainment, scale and a lot of tactical formations. The use of game scale can be positioned as a godsend for the genre. Detachments hide in the forest thicket, waiting for the right moment to attack. In general, a variety of objects, such as huts or mills, are excellent as shelters. The units also react to weather conditions: in the rain, the arrows strive to miss, and the vehicles do not want to roll properly across the field.

Oh seas! Oh oceans! Yes, of course, naval battles are the best thing in . It’s even hard to remember where else battles on the water were so addictive. Probably nowhere. Collisions of ships turn into a uniform action with all the ensuing consequences. The masts are broken, the sails are torn, the cannonballs pierce the hulls, and the poor sailors find themselves in the depths of the sea. All this action is accompanied by stunning effects of explosions and fire spreading across the deck. And what happens during an abortion! ..

Actually, not only mechanics take sea battles. The local motor draws stunning landscapes that reveal their full potential in the open spaces of water. You won’t find this in any Corsairs and other filibuster simulators. And the most magnificent soundtrack only complements the already harmonious picture of “bread and circuses”.

Without five seconds brilliant game, which will take pride of place in the collection of every strategist and will not let you go for many, many weeks. Everything is perfectly implemented in it: from the outer shell to serious military leadership ideas.

P. S. At the time of this writing, the developers announced the start of work on an update that will make it possible to complete the campaign in multiplayer mode with two players.

In the era of formation total war was considered a purely "single" series. Today it is impossible to imagine without a multiplayer mode. Hundreds (if not thousands) of online players demonstrate their superiority to each other every day and just have a good time. For the most intelligent and advanced AI is not yet equal to a person. Having tasted the delight of defeating a living enemy, you will not exchange it for anything.

Patched War

Battles in the open field are especially popular. Before uncovering the general's baton, check which historical period the "host" has chosen. If "early", then there is no need to linger here. The meager number of units and the lack of salvo fire level the tactics. In the "late" options are much more. The ideal set of a military leader: six to seven squads of line infantry, the same number of snipers plus cavalry or guns - depending on the preferred style.

Do not try to embrace the immensity, driving all units under the banner without exception. However, you shouldn't rely on just one person either. AT Empire there are no invincible dragons, and two dozen mortars are no longer able to mow down half the army. Extremely low accuracy, long reload times and unreliable ammunition that often explodes in the air keep casualties to a minimum. The wide "calm" section is another argument "contra". It is enough to get close to the enemy, and you are safe. In team races, where the front is very stretched, the allies could be covered by miracle cannons, but they are treated with prejudice. "No mortars!", "Only horse artillery!" the signs shout. The owner is a gentleman, although the fear of "terrible imba" has no basis.

Light dragoons are proclaimed heroes of modern times - mounted arrows, hitting just a little further than ordinary infantry. It was this “smallness” that turned out to be fatal in the end. They galloped up, fired a volley and, without waiting for retribution, got out - everything seems to be simple, but without good micromanagement skills you should not meddle.

Multiplayer in Empire It's two games at once. Having mastered the musket and saber, you can hardly quickly cope with a grappling hook. Sea battles require skill and endurance. Connoisseurs Sid Meyer's Pirates! they will delve into the basics in a minute, but the abundance of nuances will make you rack your brains. When collecting a flotilla, carefully study the performance characteristics. Speed, hull strength, number of guns, crew - there are no trifles here. "Pirate" duels, where everyone commands one ship, proved that expensive does not mean the best.

The sails flapping in the wind and the splashing of the waves overboard suggest that the preparatory stage is over. Do you want to attack with traditional methods or first crush the spars with knipples? An immobilized ship can be carefully shot or captured. Match "4 on 4" can not be called otherwise than "meat". When almost a hundred ships of all shapes and sizes are circling around, there is no time for frills. Against this background, even the Battle of Trafalgar looks faded.

Cinema is not for everyone

The rating system rewards persistent players. Points are awarded according to a tricky scheme: for mocking a beginner you will get crumbs, but scalping "dad" will bring a solid jackpot. It is a pity that the authors did not develop the topic. Titles, medals, records - in Empire this is not. And voice chat too. You have to endure a primitive text box or install TeamSpeak.

The outsiders were the assault and defense of the fort - two halves of the "Siege" mode. The reasons are tactical limitations. The constructions are meaningless, from the shooters - "truckers" and horses of use - like from Panama at -20 ° C. Much depends on which troops the aggressor prefers. Suppose he decided to bomb the fortress from afar. Without mortars or rocket launchers, you will not be able to respond and will be forced to withdraw soldiers under fire and reorganize, which is tantamount to defeat. The next time you spent a lot of money on artillery, and instead of a leisurely siege, the villain launched a massive offensive. Failure again! A guest who is familiar with these features will immediately run away, realizing where he has been brought.

Multiplayer campaigns will also remain the lot of the elite. After receiving the code on the site, feed it to the Steam client, and in the menu Empire a special tab will appear. Congratulations, you have just joined the ranks of beta testers! “What we call “beta” is the full version,” admitted Jack Lusted from The Creative Assembly. “It’s just that we haven’t done anything like this yet and had to warn people somehow that they might run into problems as the game progresses.”

"Chief of units" did not lie - imperfections will bring to hysterics the one who looks into the restricted area. Absence is just the first sign. Later it turns out that DLC does not work here, and the most persistent are finished off by "heavy cavalry". The longer you play, the higher the likelihood of desyncs, crashes and other surprises. Here's my favorite: both participants choose "auto-battle", both win and ... disperse to parallel universes. To eliminate the anomaly, it is necessary to send a “save” to your partner and reboot (alas, it does not always help). True fans will endure everything, but I advise you to think first.

In rare moments when ones and zeros behave well, fairy tale that we dreamed of. A full game against a person on global map with the ability to personally get into all the brawls (including - replacing stupid AI) - such total war not yet! The official debut of the mode will take place in

"Imba" - short for "imbalance" (translated from English - imbalance); an overly strong unit or some kind of tactic with which a "bad" player can easily defeat a "good" one.

A common term for "fine" detailed command of one's troops. Micromanagement allows you to maximize the effect of using certain units or tactics, but requires specific skills and experience from the player.