my game is still at 1.0.0.0 but steam says updated...who cares

how up ur stars on multi ?

Owh my god...

Yesterday my bro managed to play online.

Today I wanna play offline mode also cannot.

Steam ar steam...

I did not play much with pikemen so I am not sure how actually effective they are, good to read they are not totally useless 

Btw, shouldnt the title of your post be "Protecting your artillery" instead of "Protecting your cavalry" (Under the Tip of the Week 1 Title) 

I am waiting a lot on the new gameplay patch, might want to give ETW another try after if I see a satisfying list of fix in it.

Hi guys,

Update 3 for Empire: Total War is available to download now via Steam. Below is a list of all the major fixes included with the release.

Many thanks,

Mark O'Connell
(aka SenseiTW)

CRASH FIXES
- Fixed crash when disbanding generals unit.
- Fix for crash on trying to merge ships from port into ships next to port.
- Fixed rare crash relating to boarding.
- Fixed crash to do with reinforcing armies.
- Fixed crash on revolution video attempting to play.
- Fixed crash for double clicking on sinking ship on campaign map.
- Fix for crash on merging units but moving into fort before army arrives.
- Fixed several crashes related to rakes.
- Fixed crashes relating to battles when running Czech or German versions of the game.
- Fixed crash on moving army into region of faction player has military access and then cancelling military access.
- Fixed crash on trying to exchange ships between 2 fleets.
- Fixed crash on spamming move orders to puckle guns locked in melee combat.
- Fixed hard lock on inviting host to their own MP game.
- Fix to prevent loading of mod causing crash post patch.
- Various end turn crash bugs fixed.
- Fixes to crash bugs relating to completion of revolutions.
- Some fixes relating to merging and disbanding.
- Fix for several crashes in land battles.
- Several crashes relating to attacking cities fixed.
- Several load save game crashes fixed.

CAMPAIGN
- Armies now placed correctly on battlefields in relation to campaign.
- Fix for nearby ships sometimes not being included as reinforcements for battles.
- Fix for incorrect numbers sometimes showing on trade routes.
- Units with limits on how many can be recruited now show how many are available.
- Various fixes relating to rakes and infiltrating.
- Fixes relating to problems moving armies/merging into army's right next to settlements.
- Various trade bug fixes.
- Fix for moving agent from settlement moving army instead of agent.
- Fix for several bugs relating to military access and armies being in regions.
- Fix for tattered flags appearing on fleet/armies even when at full strength/fully repaired.
- Fix for sallying out armies breaking siege at times even when losing the battle.
- Fix for bugs relating to capturing ships on returning to campaign map from naval battle.

LAND BATTLE
- Improvements to path finding have been made.
- Some fixes to units not garrisoning buildings.
- Fort gate ownership made clearer with faction flags appearing at the gatehouse.
- Fix for problem relating to artillery unlimbering after being ordered to limber.
- Fix for puckle guns moving on their own in some circumstances.
- Fix for big slowdown in unit movement on some battle maps in the Road to Independence episodes.
- Fix for missile cavalry not reloading when out of combat.
- Jaegers now have muskets instead of incorrect rifles, Prussian Jaegers keep rifles.
- Quebec episodic land battle fixed ground type in deployment area
- Fix for unrealistic numbers when ending a land battle by quitting on the battle results screen.

NAVAL BATTLE
- Several fixes for ships clipping into each other.
- Improvements to boarding have been made. Crew is more fluid in attack and more resolute in defence. Men survive long fall and officers join in the boarding attack.
- Crew uniforms improved to make identification of the crew type and faction easier.
- Defending ship is not allowed to fire cannons anymore during boarding procedure.
- Improved naval grouping UI and group movement made.
- Improvements made to ship collisions to reduce chance of ships getting stuck.
- Fix for sail damage not being shown when volumetric effects turned on.

MULTIPLAYER
- Various fixes for joining games/game lobby issues.
- Fixes for problems relating to spectators being kicked/locking up on other players joining games in certain instances.
- Long riflemen and winged hussars removed from early era battles.
- Fix for insufficient funds always showing on unit cards even when enough money is available.
- Player name is now displayed on unit tooltips.
- Team chat is now displayed in a different colour.

AI
- Basic fix for AI being unable to move army by fleet.
- Aggression of factions in campaign improved, as well as tweaks to diplomacy.
- Improvements to campaign AI relating to its waging of wars, recruitment and movement of armies.
- Improvements made to battle AI to make it more reactive, use buildings better as well as squares and rakes.
- Siege battle AI improvements made.
- Improvements to naval AI to make it bunch up less, its use of galleys and long range units such as bomb ketches.

MISCELLANEOUS
- Delete save game button added to save game list.
- View replays button added to single player Play Battle menu.
- Various sound fixes and improvements.
- Various incorrect text messages fixed.
- Fixes to various graphical glitches with display of walls.
- Fixes made for stuttering videos.
- Fix for several game option settings not being saved correctly, including settings such as floating flags.
- Fix for unit voices/attack confirmation being heard for all units in an alliance instead of just for the player's army.
- Armour and shield values are now added into melee defence value shown on unit cards.
- Lots of other small and minor bug fixes.

BALANCING
- Land unit recruitment cost in campaign has been increased, with higher cost on higher difficulty level.
- Ship recruitment and upkeep costs have been increased in campaign.
- Various balancing and cost adjustments to improve multiplayer land battle balance.
- Ship costing improvements made for both campaign and multiplayer.
- Economic tweaks have been made to campaign to reduce amount of money made in later part of campaign.

EXTRA NOTE:
- We are aware of an issue with community created maps that results in a crash when someone without the map tries to join the game. This crash will be fixed in the next patch.
- Further work is being done on improving AI Naval invasion behaviour and this will be included in the next upgrade patch.
- Please also note that this update is save game compatible but you should start a new game to see all of the benefits.

The shadow glitch goes away when the battle has started. It only appears during Deployment phase, which has never happened before this patch =/

The patch has killed my French campaign thanks to the new economic balance, I'm broke and have to disband most of my army. And all of a sudden Spain which is my ally backstab me and attack my capital Paris off guard !!

Need to start a new campaign, the AI now will very most likely Declare War on you if the relationship is Hostile, very aggressive.

hi frags, is the multiplayer session still on tonight?

“Morale is the state of mind. It is steadfastness and courage and hope. It is confidence and zeal and loyalty. It is elan, esprit de corps and determination.”
General George Catlett Marshall quotes (American military commander during WWII 1880-1959)

One thing I wondered about the General: does it give a bonus on the whole battlefield or does he have to be in a certain radius around the troops?

I "think" it's battlefield-wide but it's not really "realistic" in a way since you can hide it behind a forest and leave it him there for the whole battle just to get this bonus, kinda "cowardly" for a general 

Okey, interesting. Would have been good if we could see these radius in some way though. CA can say they want to keep a "realism" of it though... both ways have pro/cons

Hi guys,

I have tried running the game in Vista and for some reasons, I think there are several Ultra settings for some options.

I can't remember whether these settings were in the XP version or not.

I would like to double confirm if possible.

Thanks.

I am kind of a completionist myself so enjoy going after achievement. While I did not manage to get many in ETW yet I did not know you could farm lots of them by hosting a "multiplayer" game against a AI, good to know 

About the mission one, I feel all nations were actually supposed to get missions during the grand campain like in the previous TW (from the Roman Senat, from the Pope etc) and it was kinda cut by CA before launch without taking out the achievement. I guess doing the RTI first few scenarios few times would be enough.

Oh well, I will do these when I get myself to reinstalle TW (might be soon, seems patching made the game better)

Thanks for the tips frags, good post as usual from you 

LOL...I very less Achievements only...kekeke...Frags so many achievements already...very pro already.....

i still noobie   

One precision also that I noticed about the "kill X people" achievement, it does not count if you auto-resolve the battles during the campain, you have to really fight the battles to have the counter goes up. Well, in a way it's logical for it to work this way but for someone like me who do end up auto-resolving quite often during campain, it's going to be tough 

I personally managed to get the "American Hero" one which is actually "bugged" (or at least was when I did it) and you need to do some stupid steps to unlock it. I got the steps from the twcenter forum and do not remember them right now. You won't get it by doing the RTI in a normal way.

The best genadiers country is not france....is Ottoman country that hand carry small small cannon ball.....the effect same as genediers

Hi guys,

We will shortly be releasing a number of free new units for Empire: Total War. Today I would like to reveal the first of these - Russian Grenadiers. This new Russian unit is great for assaults and their grenades pack a mighty punch!



The team is still working hard on the next update, and will be implementing many new fixes.

Thanks,

Mark O'Connell
(aka SenseiTW)

Wednesday May 27, 2009

Empire: Total War Strategy Guide!

Hi guys,

To help you in your quest for world domination, the Empire: Total War team has put together a list of tips to give you the upper hand in battle!

Naval Battles

Maintain station! - Grouped ships will try to maintain relative positions and follow the lead ship around. So, if you group your ships in a line they will then move in a line around the map.

Fire! - The stern is the weakest part of the ship, so concentrating fire on this weak spot will deal the greatest damage to an enemy ship. But conversely, this is the weakest point on your own ship and must be protected at all times.

Chain Shot! - Using Chain shot to take out the sails of the first ship in an enemy line will slow down the whole line as they regroup.

Beware the Broadside! - Try to keep your fleet to the stern or the bow of enemy ships, all their fire power rests in their broadsides.

Boarding! - Don’t board a ship until you are absolutely sure that it is no longer a threat. Also, make sure that you have taken care of any other threats from the enemy before beginning the boarding process.

Concentrate Fire! - By holding down the Alt key and clicking on an enemy ship you can order any ships you currently have selected to concentrate all their fire on that one ship.

Divide and Conquer! - When commanding a large naval force it is advisable to split it into three separate groups; one to approach the enemy fleet’s port side, one to approach from starboard and a third to cover any gaps which may appear.

Stay upwind! - Always try to keep your ships upwind of the enemy. It will give you the upper-hand and allow you to maneuver into position much quicker than your enemy.

A Whiff of Grapeshot! - After dealing some damage to an enemy ship’s hull with regular shot, draw in close and use grapeshot for maximum damage. The holes created in the hull expose the crew to incoming fire.

Lay alongside! - When firing grape shot, line your ship no more than a ship’s width away from the enemy hull. This will allow the shot to spread effectively and dispatch the maximum amount of enemy troops.

Come about! - When using line astern make a conscious effort to turn ships around periodically, in an attempt to distribute hull damage equally. If one side is allowed to take the bulk of the damage, the ship will go down.

Land Battles

As one! - When you group units they remember the relative position of each other so, when you give them a move order, they will reform in the same positions at your chosen destination This, in combination with the new rotate/move buttons on the HUD, allows you to quickly and easily move groups and even to break off parts of a formation into a new group.

At Ease! - Hitting the enter key deselects all the troops you currently have selected.

Flanking Fire! - Forming a horseshoe around enemy units will give your men maximum coverage and increase enemy casualties. Positioning Light infantry in trees to the left and right of your main force will give them the opportunity to get a couple of rounds off before the enemy even knows they’re there.

Form Line! - Drawing your men out into long thin lines will increase the area of battlefield covered by their field of fire. So, no matter where the enemy comes from you will have men covering it (unless they outflank you!)

Deploy defenses! - When defending an area which has limited routes in and out, it is often best to deploy chevaux de frise, followed by a line of earth works. This will protect your army from cavalry and infantry and create an easily defendable position.


Hold it! Hold it! FIRE! - Canister shot is an excellent shot type to use in close range combat. Taking your cannons off fire at will when this shot type is selected will allow you to hold your men until the last minute and release the canister shot just as the enemy reaches you for maximum effect.

To the last man! - When presented with the choice to end the battle or continue, it is often better to continue and wipe out the entire army to prevent them reappearing on the campaign map. Cavalry are particularly effective in this mopping up role.

Skirmishers! - When confronted by a complex enemy formation use Light Infantry to lure enemy units out. Once this is achieved, your light infantry can skirmish away from the attackers, leaving supporting units to deal with them piecemeal.

To me men! - If your men are losing their resolve and routing from the field, send your General and his Bodyguard unit to boast their moral and bring them back to the cause.

Dig in! - Earthworks are particularly effective against an enemy which is heavy on Line Infantry. Your men will be safer from the barrage of bullets.

Dragoons! Flanking Manoeuvre! - Dragoons provide an excellent opportunity to outflank an enemy. Ride your dragoons around the back of the enemy and once there, dismount and begin firing into his rear.


Take Cover! - Deploying your men behind walls will provide essential cover from enemy bullets.

Form Square! - Square formation is particularly effective against Dragoons and other cavalry units.

Cannon fodder - If you’re willing to lose men for the greater good, send your militia or a similar unit down the centre of a battlefield to draw enemy fire. Then bring your better troops around the sides to deal a devastating blow to the enemy front ranks whilst they’re engaged.

The General has fallen! - Killing an enemy general will decrease the moral of any remaining troops, making them more likely to rout.

Up close and personal - Press the Insert key with a unit selected to get a first-person view of the battlefield!

Campaign Map

Raiding trade routes - Raiding an enemies’ trade route will cripple their economy. If a trade route is shared by an enemy and an ally you will only raid enemy ships and never those of your allies or countries you are not at war with.


Foreign policy - If your Rake succeeds in an act of sabotage, the faction you attack will automatically blame their greatest enemy and the relationship between those two nations will suffer as a result.

Clamor for reform - Enlightenment technologies naturally lead to a more enlightened populace. However, an enlightened people often chafe against the bonds of their lot in life, leading to unrest. In order to restore order in regions affected by such dissatisfaction it may be necessary to increase your military presence, or even destroy educational buildings.

A nation of Trenchermen - Not using a character to his full potential will result in them gaining a negative trait. If you have a 9 star general but leave him to fester in some back water province he will gather negative traits and slowly slide into obscurity. Making sure your best generals and agents are in constant use will see them improve and result in a much more effective character.


Money makes the world go round - So, when offering any diplomatic proposals, sweeten the deal with a little cash incentive.

History repeats itself - Saving your campaign before beginning a battle will allow you to replay the battle, should you be displeased by the outcome. It also gives you the opportunity to try out a variety of tactics on the same battlefield to discover what works best for you.


Quick reference - For those wondering what happened to double right-click zoom-to camera functionality, this has now moved to double mouse-wheel-click.


White gold - Trade is an essential aspect of a successful campaign. By sending trade ships to the various trade theaters around the world you will significantly increase your country’s economy. The best strategy to adopt in relation to trade theaters, is monopolization. It is much better to have a single ship in each of the Trade Posts in a theater, rather than having three ships on a single post.

Thanks,

Mark O’Connell