Total War - where to start?

Mr Badger

Mr Badger

Mr Badger

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So far I haven't really been into RTS games in general and the Total War series in particular, however having been tempted into purchasing the $15 Humble Bundle I now own rather a lot of them :D

Any recommendations as to which would be the best one to start with please - ideally where the learning curve and user interface or dodgy AI aren't going to get in the way of the fun? Rome 2 appears to be the most recent in the pack and so presumably looks the best - or would it make more sense to start with one of the earlier games...?
 
The most recent game is Attila, which I haven't played. Rome 2 felt pretty clunky to me, and I didn't enjoy it much.

Also, from my POV anything Empire or earlier feels a bit dated and not particularly smooth.

I think as a starting point, I would go for Shogun 2 or perhaps Napoleon if you prefer the European context.

The Rome 2 thing may be subjective, but I found it much, much harder to get into than Shogun 2.
 
Huge Total war fan here.
Rome total war is better than rome 2 especially if you mod it, and that goes with all the total war games they are better (hugely) but cause your a new to the series don't bother yet.
For me medieval 2 total war is the best game, as I feel its when they got the gameplay right. Play the earlier games first like medieval 2 and rome.
The only rubbish total war game was empire cause its very buggy and I personally didn't enjoy the time period. But that can be sorted into a very good game with one overhaul mod.
Any questions and ill happily answer them as im a huge fan of the series.

The newer total war games also have steam workshop and its very simple to put mods on them now, one click and its done.
 
Medieval 2 was the sweet spot for me as well. I like Rome 2 a lot but my PC is a bit old for it and I hate playing sluggish games (and turning graphics down). :)
 
Rome 2 is getting quite exciting in the mod community there is two very good mods that compliment each other that turn it into a very realistic historical game. Its a bit hardcore for new total war players but its really amazing.
 
Boycey0211 said:
I'd say Med 2 as a starting point too, very accomodating for new players but still has all the great TW mechanics.
Click to expand...

+1

Once you got used to it and put some hours in. Look up the following mods:

Stainless steel: basically a much improved version of medieval 2 with lots of historical accuracy and features.

Third age: Lord of the rings mod, extremely well done, its like an AAA title but better :)
 
R2tw.

Accessible for new players with the mechanics of the current series. And when you finish it you can dive into the mods. I wouldn't do mods first.

S2 and attila are a lot less forgiving imho and not ideal for new players, and the older games may put new players off.
 
bakes0310 said:
+1

Once you got used to it and put some hours in. Look up the following mods:

Stainless steel: basically a much improved version of medieval 2 with lots of historical accuracy and features.

Third age: Lord of the rings mod, extremely well done, its like an AAA title but better :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! I'm going to test the Stainless Mod tonight :).
 
Empire! ;)

to be honest. pick the era which takes your fancy the most.

they all have differences but the core gameplay is the same.

Empire has probably been my favourite through the series i think though :)
 
Rome 2 and Attila kinda sucked. I didn't enjoy them at all and I've been a fan of the series since it first launched way back when.

The original Rome or Medieval 2 were the best games in the series and are dirt cheap if you pick them up in a Steam sale. Shogun 2 is also good and is probably the last good Total War game in the series.

These days though I've found much more enjoyable strategy games than the Total War series which I've been playing for hours and am nowhere near getting bored of them.
 
To be clear I'm not asking which TW game to buy or is the best value as I now have them all (up to Rome 2) sat in my Steam account. I have only actually downloaded Rome 2 so far and that took a while with all the DLC, so I thought I would ask here for some advice to get a good start before I fill my hard drive with games that might end up unplayed.
 
Just pick an era that interests you. They are all good in their own ways and equally all have faults, most of which can be fixed with mods
 
Mr Badger said:
To be clear I'm not asking which TW game to buy or is the best value as I now have them all (up to Rome 2) sat in my Steam account. I have only actually downloaded Rome 2 so far and that took a while with all the DLC, so I thought I would ask here for some advice to get a good start before I fill my hard drive with games that might end up unplayed.
Click to expand...

Just pick an era that your more interested in tbh. And cause you got rome 2 already installed just give that a bash. Its pretty newbie friendly compared to the others. It will also give you a general idea how to play the others really as there not completely different.
I can recommend some awesome mods for you later on aswell :)
 
Hey I am the same except I didnt bother with buying the Rome ones. I tried Medieval I but it wont work properly on my 4k monitor, doesnt display right so I moved onto Medieval II and it is sucking the life out of me. I say to myself only go on for about 15 minutes and 3 hrs later I`m still playing eek.

I've tried to install the Crimson Tide blood mod but I placed it in the mod folder and I dont think its working. Also not sure what to do with the Crusade mission apart from build an army do I then send it to Cairo. Trouble is on the way there my men start to desert and I to go about Italy and the General was just left !

Basically I am using it to learn the game then prob try Shogun 2 (skipping 1) then Empire.

Just under £15 for the entire Total War series inc Arena and in game currency was probably an absolute bargain. Who needs Steam sales!
 
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