Rome: Total War

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Rome: Total War
Developer(s)Creative Assembly
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)
  • Robert T. Smith
  • Mike Brunton
  • Michael de Plater
  • Jamie Ferguson
  • Chris Gambold
Composer(s)
Jeff van Dyck
SeriesTotal War
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Release
  • Windows
    • NA: September 22, 2004
    • EU: October 1, 2004
  • macOS
    • WW: February 5, 2010
  • iPad
    • WW: November 10, 2016
  • iPhone
    • WW: August 23, 2018
  • Android
    • WW: December 19, 2018
Genre(s)Real-time tactics, turn-based strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Rome: Total War is a strategy video game developed by The Creative Assembly and originally published by Activision; its publishing rights have since passed to Sega. The game was released for Microsoft Windows in 2004.[1] The macOS version was released on February 5, 2010, by Feral Interactive,[2] who also released the iPad version on November 10, 2016,[3] the iPhone version on August 23, 2018,[4] and the Android version on December 19, 2018.[5] The game is the third title in The Creative Assembly's Total War series, following Shogun: Total War, and Medieval: Total War.[1][6]

The game's main campaign takes place from 270 BC to 14 AD, showcasing the rise and final centuries of the

turn-based strategic campaign.[6] Within the campaign, players manage the economy, government, diplomacy, and military of their faction and attempt to accomplish a series of objectives on a map that encompasses most of Europe, North Africa, and the Near East.[8]
On the battlefield, the player controls groups of soldiers and uses them to engage in combat with enemy forces.

Upon its release, Rome: Total War received widespread acclaim from critics.

expansion packs, Barbarian Invasion and Alexander, were released for the game.[11] A sequel, Total War: Rome II, was released on September 3, 2013. A remastered version of the game, developed by Feral Interactive, was released on 29 April 2021.[12]

Gameplay

As with previous games in the

real-time battle system that occurs on 3D battlefields.[6]

Mediolanium
.

Control over territory in the game is represented by capturing and holding a settlement in that territory. New cities are conquered by either training soldiers in cities that are already in the player's control and then using those soldiers to

revolt and either return to a faction that previously controlled them or become a part of a generic "rebel" faction.[13]

Each faction starts with a set of family members. The head of the family is the leader of the faction; any male above the age of 16 can be designated as the current leader's

negotiations. The stats of family members can also be affected by members of their personal retinue.[14]

Agents are special types of characters that can be recruited in cities with the proper buildings. Agents can also acquire traits and retinue members. There are three types of agents:

deserting.[15]

Battles

hoplites are utilizing the phalanx
formation to better defend themselves at the cost of decreased mobility.

In addition to the turn-based campaign, Rome: Total War also features

flank them to avoid a frontal engagement.[17]

Expansions

Barbarian Invasion

Main article: Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion

Barbarian Invasion allows the player to take control of the barbarian nations of Europe and the Middle East during the

migration period
. It also adds a more complex portrayal of religion, with changes in the state religion affecting unrest and the popularity of the ruling family. The campaign takes place from 363 AD to 476 AD.

Alexander

Main article: Rome: Total War: Alexander

The Alexander expansion puts the player in the role of Alexander the Great and replays his conquests and battles. The campaign takes place from 336 BC to 323 BC.

Development

A demo featuring a playable version of the Battle of River Trebia, with the player taking the role of the general Hannibal, was released on August 23, 2004, and is freely available for download.[18]

Prior to release, a preliminary version of the game engine was used in two series of TV programs:

History Channel, where it was used to recreate famous historical battles,[19] and Time Commanders by BBC Two
, where teams of novice non-gamers commanded ancient armies to replay key battles of antiquity. Military historians fine-tuned the game engine specifically for these television shows, ensuring maximum historical accuracy. Both series also used the same music track as the battles in Rome: Total War.

Jeff van Dyck composed the original music soundtrack for the game and received a BAFTA Interactive Awards nomination for his work. Some of the vocals, including the song "Forever" played during the game's credits, were performed by his wife, Angela van Dyck. Angela also wrote the lyrics for the song "Divinitus," which was written in quasi-Latin.

In May 2014, GameSpy's multiplayer services were shut down, and as a result, the game was migrated to Steamworks as of patch 1.51.

The iPad version of the game, developed by Feral Interactive, was announced on August 12, 2016[20] and released on November 10, 2016. The iPhone version was released on August 23, 2018.[21] Although an Android version was announced on November 8, 2018, no release date has been provided.[22]

Modifications

Rome: Total War allows for the manipulation of some game resources, including its text files and textures, which has led to the creation of modifications. Among the most notable are Europa Barbarorum and Roma Surrectum, both of which aim to introduce more historical accuracy and rework how the factions are played.[23][24]

Reception

Sales

According to

Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[29] indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[30]

Rome sold at least 100,000 units in the German market by December 2004.[31]

Critical reviews

The game received "universal acclaim", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[32] Many reviewers regarded it as one of the best strategy games of all time; it won numerous awards and high scores from gaming websites and magazines alike.

  • PC Gamer (UK): All time 5th best PC game "95%"[citation needed]
  • IGN: Editor's Choice Award, 4th Best PC Game of all Time, 14th Best Game of all Time.[40]"IGN's Top 100 Games (#20-#11)". IGN. 2005. Archived from the original on July 16, 2005.[41]
  • PC Gamer (US): Editor's Choice, Best Strategy Game of 2004[citation needed]
  • GameSpot: Editor's Choice, PC Game of September,[42] Strategy Game of 2004[43]
  • Adrenaline Vault: Seal of Excellence[citation needed]
  • GameSpy: Editor's Choice[citation needed]
  • E3 2003 Game Critics Awards: Best Strategy Game[citation needed
    ]

Computer Games Magazine named Rome: Total War the fifth-best computer game of 2004. The editors wrote, "If there's a magic formula for how to make a great strategy game, Creative Assembly has it down pat."[44] The editors of Computer Gaming World nominated Rome as their 2004 "Strategy Game of the Year (Real-Time)", although it lost to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War.[45] It was nominated for GameSpot's year-end "Best Graphics, Technical" award.[43] During the 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Rome: Total War with "Strategy Game of the Year", along with receiving nominations for "Outstanding Innovation in Computer Gaming" and outstanding achievement in "Original Musical Composition", "Sound Design" and "Online Gameplay".[46]

Sequel

On 2 July 2012, The Creative Assembly announced the development of Total War: Rome II as the next edition of the Total War series.[47] Rome II became its successor on 3 September 2013 when it was released, featuring gameplay during the time of the Roman Republic and Empire, a larger campaign map, as well as a number of game mechanics both new and carried over from previous Total War entries.

Remaster

On March 25, 2021, 16 and a half years after its initial release, a remastered edition named Total War: Rome Remastered was announced. It would feature improved visuals, additional factions and a modernized interface; and cover the original game and all expansions.[12][48] Developed by Feral Interactive, the remaster was released on April 29 of the same year. The reception was positive with reviews stating that the remastered edition was the best way to play Rome: Total War today, but that the game mechanics felt outdated compared to more recent releases in the Total War series.[49][50]

Like the original game, the remaster supports modding. Among the most notable, Imperium Surrectum made by the mod developers behind mods Rome: Total Realism and Roma Surrectum for the original game.[24]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4438-6234-9
    .
  2. ^ "Feral Interactive: Rome: Total War".
  3. ^ "Feral Interactive: Conquer and rule the ancient world from your iPad with ROME: Total War".
  4. ^ "'Rome: Total War' from Feral Interactive Releases on August 23rd for iPhone – TouchArcade". 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  5. ^ "The full glory of ROME: Total War — now on Android | Feral News". www.feralinteractive.com. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
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    ISBN 978-1-9788-1919-1
    .
  7. ^ "Rome: Total War". Total War. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  8. ^ SBT (12 August 2004). "Gaming bares its teeth". New Straits Times. p. 25. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  9. ^ Metacritic (August 26, 2016). "Ranked: Best and Worst Computer Strategy Games". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
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  11. ISBN 978-0-7864-7257-4
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  12. ^ a b "In a series-first, the classic Rome: Total War is getting an extensive remaster". Eurogamer.net. 2021-03-25. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  13. ^ Vigdahl, Nick (10 November 2016). "Review: Rome: Total War". Pocket Tactics. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  14. ^ Coombes, Lloyd (27 March 2019). "Rome: Total War Review". The Digital Fix. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  15. ^ a b Ocampo, Jason (September 23, 2004). "Rome: Total War Review". GameSpot. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  16. ^ Lost Battles, Philip Sabin, page xvii
  17. ^ a b Gillen, Kieron (October 1, 2004). "Rome: Total War". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  18. ^ "Demo Versions: Rome: Total War Demo - Demo Movie Patch Download Section". GamersHell. August 23, 2004. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  19. ^ Gaudiosi, John (May 17, 2004). "Rome: First a Game, Now on TV". Wired. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  20. ^ Scammell, David (August 12, 2016). "Rome: Total War is coming to iPad". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  21. ^ Hood, Vic (August 15, 2018). "rome-total-war-for-iphone-lands-on-august-23". techradar.com. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  22. ^ "A joyful Saturnalia in prospect for Android with ROME: Total War". feralinteractive.com. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  23. ^ Senior, Tom (19 October 2010). "10 essential Total War mods". PC Gamer. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  24. ^ a b Hospodar, Mark (2021-08-30). "Total War: 15 Best Total Conversion & Overhaul Mods". GameRant. Retrieved 2022-06-26.
  25. ^ Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry; 2005 Sales, Demographics and Usage Data (PDF) (Report). Entertainment Software Association. May 18, 2005. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 4, 2005.
  26. ^ "Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry; 2006 Sales, Demographic and Usage Data" (PDF). Entertainment Software Association. May 10, 2006. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 21, 2006.
  27. ^ Edge Staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century". Edge. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
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  29. Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original
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  30. Gamasutra. Archived from the original
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  31. ^ "mediabiz.de - News - Zwei weitere Topseller erhalten VUD-Ehrungen". 30 November 2018. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018.
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  40. ^ "IGN's Top 100 Games (#20-#11)". IGN. 2005. Archived from the original on July 16, 2005.
  41. ^ Adams, Dan; Butts, Steve; Onyett, Charles (March 16, 2007). "Top 25 PC Games of All Time (Page 3)". IGN. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
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  46. ^ "D.I.C.E. Award By Video Game Details Rome: Total War". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  47. ^ MacDonald, Keza (July 2, 2012). "Sega Announces Total War: Rome II". IGN. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  48. ^ "Total War: Rome Remastered Announced, Coming April 29". GameSpot. 2021-03-25. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
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External links

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