Pharaoh - Total War

[Marshal Lannes]

Oh Good ! - Narcissistic megalomania catered for in Ancient EGYPT......I am all for it.......so this is what the beetles at Total War have been dunged up with. People have been clamouring for Medieval 3......a return to historicity over fantasy, and this will be the sacrificial offering to appease the Gods and people. The only trouble is;.... how many bulls and birds will be chosen for Amun - RA.

From a personal perspective; this is an intriguing and interesting proposition. The backdrop, in terms of historicity and buildings/terrain is definitely eye candy. I will hazard a guess and assume that they will choose the Ramesside Dynasty as a focal piont for territorial conquest and power. You will have to keep the priesthood happy with donations of booty, so that they support your power and governance for the duration.

This definitely is a good idea.....you can have great mood music and explore a world which is mostly confined to documentaries and books.

They do not disclose much in the video.........maybe testing the Nile water....seeing the initial impact and response from people........and then , possibly claiming that it is an add on scenario for Rome 2, rather than a full blown title.........sneeeeeeky. !...

My only hope is that it will not have fantasy elements.........or be a Thrones of Britannia hash up............in which case ; the developers will suffer the Homdai and be mummified alive, buried in a sarcophagus for the rest of time........seems reasonable...

 

[Marshal Lannes]

Looks like a recent large poll shows a bit less than a third of people are excited about Pharoah/ Total War. Apathy has taken hold, which is not surprising as people believe that the franchise has lost it's roots by delving into the Warhammer /Fantasy genre. Apparently there has been a mass exodus from forums after the release of Rome 2 which is about 9 years ago.

Note to self - get Rome Remastered...................big and historical and fan driven rather than profit driven...............or you will get desertion in the ranks. I am not a die hard Total War player as I eventually get tired of it but definitely can see why true fans are not overawed by the latest offering or those in the last 9 years.

 

[Pfc TAZ]

I think one of the reasons people aren't too excited is that they are releasing so many games that don't really differ substantially from one another, just uses a different theme.

 

[Marshal Lannes]

think one of the reasons people aren't too excited is that they are releasing so many games that don't really differ substantially from one another, just uses a different theme.

Unfortunately for big game developers.....they should take heed of the age of cancel culture, as consumers can easily boycott brands based on any perceived dissatisfaction.......that includes not getting the games they want............the apathy with Pharaoh should be a warning signal.......and of course as you said.......trotting out the same substance is not good either...............

 

[Marshal Lannes]

Eye Candy............ratcheting it up.......an invasion of Egypt by the Sea Peoples who come from nowhere, ( at least , they are being historical ).......and so far the Campaign map is being slowly revealed.

This stuff was going on long before Alexander or Caesar were in their diapers........as someone once said; " we are just passing through history,........Jones,..........This is History ! ".

And there are no other relevant games dealing with this........so it has an extra purchase notch.....if the music , atmospherics are outstanding.....then we have a buy and not a Bye bye !..................
.

 

[Marshal Lannes]

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Good stuff -

1. Slower paced battles.
2. 25 unit/formations can be controlled.
3. Stunning battlefield/backdrops - mountains rivers etc
4. Sweltering heat effect, rain, thunderstorms; sandstorms of varying degrees
5. Multiple settlement locations have to be taken to win control; each taken forces morale effect on defenders
6. Buildings, trees, wooden stuff burns.
7. Unit pictures are good and clear.
8. Walls nice and big.
9. Music - Too limited to make comment....seems OK.
10. UI Navigation seems to be clearcut.

" Kill !............ Kill them all,......let none live..........let the sand drink their blood...........this is the price of defiance...........................this is the sacrifice,.................. to Horus ! ". .

 

[Marshal Lannes]

This may turn out to be an unexpected success...........the game system is definitely more primed for bow, sword and spear action................and little touches to atmospherics can make all the difference.
Can't wait to see the Canaanite, Hatti and Sea People factions.................looking good so far..

 

[Marshal Lannes]

Rebooted my Shogun Total War 2 game. Forgot how time consuming and immersive it is. Never played as the Oda clan.......and am having a blast with difficulty even getting a good starting position......the A.I. shows no mercy at the beginning on Hard difficulty. I can only imagine the nightmare on Very Hard and Legendary.

I prefer it to Rome.........always a good idea to leave a game for a long while and then come back to it, as it is more challenging as you have forgotten stuff and make mistakes......which starts the learning curve all over again to become a Master of Warfare and SHOGUN of all Japan....Hai ! ...... .

 

[Marshal Lannes]

The writing was etched on the Tomb wall for this one. A plethora of new review videos have come out in the last 24 hours....as Pharoah is being released today.

Apparently there is a review embargo that goes on before a release date wherein you cannot say certain things when given early access. Like this game is a big pile of steaming rhino doo .............overall; people are unhappy with immersion difficulty....the price and feeling like Troy .

Nice campaign maps and battle map environment and no buggy play......so a definite pick up in a sale wherein you will be able to get it for a fifth of the price in less than a year. They may even lump it in a Buy it and get Troy free deal.

Currently still playing as the Oda Clan in Shogun 2...I have had to restart the Long Campaign 5 times as I am getting challenged heavily by large stacks of relentless enemy. I like the way the A.I. gangs up on you when you start to lose provinces and battles. It took me a while to realize that my initial Clan leader/Daimyo has a -20 factor to diplomacy/relations which makes everybody hostile or unfriendly.

I recruited one Ninja guy who was as effective as a 90 year old guy without his legs. He did nothing but always escaped.........I was praying that he would be executed...............My current Ninja has in his first 3 missions ...sabotaged an army; wounded an enemy general and burnt down a building.

The fun here is that it is difficult, immersive...with great music; atmospherics etc. .

 

[Marshal Lannes]

You don't saaaay,............ Chipmunk breath !. I would have thought that Creative Assembly would understand that when you loot a province or customers.....................without regard for their well being or opinions,.........then your chances of instigating a rebellion increases over time.

That is soooo sweet ; dropping the price and giving a free DLC and promise to improve Pharoah and listen to the customer base.

​

A recently acquired mortgage for an outdoor swimming pool can't pay for itself, you know. Things that WDS can only dream of at the moment until they go onto steam; which has been discussed already and the outdoor swimming pools will be rolling out and be more prescient than the opinions of the rebellious rabble who purchase the games..........Hmmmm !....

 

[Marshal Lannes]

Curiosity killed the cat - Empire Total War has always passed me by in the franchise and Steam always seem to be having it on sale at a very low price; so, What the hell !.

It certainly has a large Campaign area but where it shines is in it's somewhat older school graphics attitude compared to the more modern titles. You do not get a headache when viewing the Campaign map like you do with Rome and Attilla etc. It also is more, I will learn stuff as I go along and the U.I. interface is more amenable to this as it uses symbology which is self explanatory with buildings etc.

I started off with a Grand Campaign, playing as France. Got involved with a war with the Iroquois Indian nation along the Great lakes who surprisingly have 4 regions and they annoyingly put up some defence. The battles are hilarious especially if you have cannon. The Iroquois look intimidating when you are outnumbered but you soon learn that appearance is deceptive - I like the way that they come in headstrong and get intimidated by a good musketry barrage and back off or go somewhere else to regroup or find easier pickings. The battlemaps are also very nice. I thought that the line to line musketry fire would be a bit boring but it looks and sounds great.

This package delivers a hell of a lot and has that weird - this is entertaining stuff and is drawing me in vibe about it. I have not even tried a Naval battle yet.

Fortunately , I found this video which not only showcases the gameplay but illustrates what should be done and how and why ; not a tutorial per se but an illustrative playthrough based on experience and personal gameplay which is golden stuff. You do not have to go through that experience of having loaded a large , experienced army on a fleet and get it splattered to smithereens in the North Atlantic because the weather turns bad every 5 winters and this fact is not apparent.

I can understand why people are clamouring for Empire 2, even above Medieval 2.

This game has surprised me , as it definitely fits into the - I just want to be absorbed and entertained category with a small sense of hilarity, " What happened there ! ". .

 

[Marshal Lannes]

After the Pharoah Total War debacle; the troglodyte gaming rabble seem to have simmered down and returned to their warm cave fires.............and it looks like Creative Assembly may be thinking that doing a non historical game is now back on the cards.

Foolishness to the extreme.................shrieks and screams for Medieval 3 or Empire 2 have long echoed across the valleys. CA sit in their gilded towers above the stench of the multitudinous rabble and still believe that they know best.........foreshadowing the exposed fact that it is indeed ,the troglodytes ( gaming public ) who provide the gold pieces for their continued prosperity and sustenance.

Why not do Medieval 3 Total War - Reconquista- a huge map of Spain and North Africa, which was a minor thing in Medieval 2. They could make it a double pack with the Kingdoms Crusades expansion which people really liked and so can be redone/ rebooted and made bigger/more detailed for an epic Total War Medieval 3 experience..................a bit of the old and a bit of new.......

" For troglodytes and Spain,................Spain, ..........................Spaaaaaiiiiinnnnnn ! ". .

 

[Marshal Lannes]

Dynasty - Pharoah Total War is coming out on the 25th July. The expanded content will have 168 more provinves and a 100+ more factions big and small. It's free and with all the patches/updates; looks more of a tempting proposition or you can even wait for the next steam/sale which saves you dough and keeps the tax-lycans from breathing heavily down the back of your neck.

Speaking of breathing heavily...



AHH ! ......The spoils of war and conquest......you can't beat them !...... .

 

[Pfc TAZ]

Now I'm tempted to take the plunge.

 

[Marshal Lannes]

Well - the Pharoah Total War Dynasties update is definitely out today - I have it downloaded along with the standard edition Pharoah game. Impulse buy because the boogers have Pharoah on a one third off price at the moment................. Sneaky - aren't they !....

A slight issue; although Dynasties is in my Steam library - It costs 74.4 Gigabytes to download and after downloading Pharoah - I have only 70.3 Gigabytes of spare space....so , something has to give. My patience and blood pressure, mostly. .

There is a new video review out yesterday for Dynasties which I have only just watched and is commenting on it's plus points like having better mechanics, 12 turns a year and going back to a more historical gaming feel and that kind of sealed the deal on the decision to purchase.......now, rather than later......

It could outshine Shogun for a lot of people.........the proof is in the pillage and slaughtering... .

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So - managed to download - Pharoah Dynasties and had a cursory glance. There is a bit of a learning curve as to what does what and how to do it. The feel seems good........it is definitely intriguing and you will definitely know a bit more about the Bronze Age Middle east than before. Very happy that the unit portrait cards are easily defined in terms of unit type. With monthly turns , it also moves from day to night without you doing anything but checking where everything is that belongs to you.

Start date of 1205BC.

The fog covering unknown lands has made a return from Shogun 2 , which is good. The map interface is annoying as you get screens appearing when you just move your cursor over something rather than as a result of a mouse click which is a bit annoying.
Obviously have not seen the assassination etc in videos or diplomacy stuff.

You can watch videos of campaigns but the vibe of a game cannot be deduced until you have it before you..........I would say that I prefer the feel of this to Rome....another good thing is that there are not great forests to deal with.

There has been attention to historical detail like having the tops - pyramidions - on the Great Pyramids of the Giza plateau.......

To conquer everything looks like it is going to take a long time........to sum up - it is intriguing enough to merit play.....as was the case with Shogun 2.........I will give it a thumbs up.......an entertaining piece of historical distraction when you are in the mood.

Man cannot live with Napoleonics, WW2, ACW and Samurai alone....... .

 

[Marshal Lannes]

Shogun Total War 2 - DarthVader Mod Vers 5.0.... ( this is available free on Steam ). I have been using this for most of this year and I am impressed.
Noticeable enhancements are that the unit sizes are larger. The composite forces are more balanced for the enemy. A bit cheaper to recruit regiments. Technology tree is somewhat faster.

Campaign Gameplay - Diplomacy is a lot more responsive and less hostile in most cases. As usual ;if you are powerful or growing strong...gang -ups against you are less intense. The different outcomes of faction rise and fall make every game totally replayable as sometimes you get lucky with powerful factions leaving you alone and fighting amongst themselves.....but sometimes you get unlucky and find endless horn butting points. On the Very hard level ; you get stretched........you start to understand the nuances of wily diplomacy and fighting mostly when you have the advantage in some way.
You are always under financial pressure and one major battle lost can slowly be catastrophic over time if you do not have some sort of back-up option. Try to win but allow for defeat.
Unlike in vanilla Shogun Total War; you do not have endless minor and medium sized battles which becomes irritating and boring. Here ; you will have lots of large battles. Sometimes ; rebellions are huge but their morale is poor.

Tactical Battle Gameplay - No longer are units wiped out quickly by flank and even rear attacks.....a way too easy tactic in vanilla and rout fever is not as prevalent in adjacent units. I had a battle not long ago where I had an enemy force outnumbered by two to one; also by archers. They sent in half their troops which I was going to flank with 3 regiments each and the boogers ran back to their own line back on a hill and drew me in a more disorganized state towards them and their superior morale paid off as I won the battle with two thirds loss and what should have been one quarter loss. ( That really surprised me........that is not what usually happens ). In vanilla you can make assumptions about number advantage, not here........

The most fun is when you have flame ball throwing catapults.................I love those......only when not on receiving end.

The overall look is more sleeker than vanilla ...........Recommended.................Hai !...

( Addendum - I just realised that they got rid of those stupid giant half balloon things on the generals unit's backs...............good riddance ).

The mark of a good game is how invested you become..........here, with your individual generals, who perform and grow in stats and status....when they get killed ......it is somewhat painful....... " Nooooooo ! Not my favourite one ........... he won two spectacular defensive battles in 1559 which saved the eastern flank ! "....