Rome: Total War is a PC strategy game developed by The Creative Assembly and released on 22 September 2004 by Activision. The game is the third title in the Total War Series. The games main campaign is set during the rule of the Late Roman Republic and Early Roman Empire. The player can choose to play as 3 Roman families. All of the other factions are playable outside the campaign. However, upon completion of the campaign, you can play as the following factions: The Britons, Gauls, Carthaginians, Greeks, Germans, Parthians(Persians),The Selucid Empire and the Eygptians. Outside of Battle, the player is placed in a Risk-style campaign map. The campaign map is divided into a total of around 120 territories which can be controlled via cities. The goal in the long campaign is to capture 50 territorys and be the ruler of Rome, whereas the goal in the short campaign is to capture 15 territorys and outlast(or destroy) another faction.
Controlling more cities brings benefits in its increased geographical dominance and increased income from the new population's taxes. However, more cities and larger populations become increasingly difficult to control, owing to local populaces being resistant to foreign rule, and the increased distance reinforcements have to travel. If a city's inhabitants are overtaxed, underdeveloped or unprotected, they rebel and become in effect their own faction - the player's control of the city is lost, garrisoned units are forced out of the city, and a hostile rebel army is formed in its place.
When the player's army meets an enemy army, a 3D real-time tactical battle is started, which represents the other half of gameplay in Rome: Total War. The strategic and tactical modes integrate in such a way that the landscape for the battles is the same as seen on that particular spot on the strategic map where the armies meet; for example, if the strategic map is hilly, and covered in snow, the battle map will attempt to reflect that. The game features a variety of units which are used in battle (most of which are unique to each faction), which may be broadly categorised into infantry, cavalry, archers, and artillery units. Each unit has optimal styles of use, opposing units against which it is vulnerable or effective, formation settings, defensive and offensive hit points, and arguably the critical component - morale. If a unit's morale drops too low, it becomes uncontrollable, and its soldiers will attempt to flee from the battlefield.
Each faction starts with a set of family members composed of that faction's leader, his spouse, their children, including a faction heir, any of their spouses and any grandchildren. Only the male members of the family are controllable, once they reach the age of maturity, 16 years old. They govern settlements when stationed in a city and when fielded upon the world map, command armies. Male family members are added to the family by births between married family members, as well as adoption and marriage. Family members eventually die, either naturally through old age or by death in battle, assassination or due to natural disasters. In the absence of generals commanding field armies, captains are the commanders by default. Admirals fulfill a similar function for fleets. Neither are family members, but appear in the list of forces when displayed. However, if a captain is victorious in a battle in which the odds are against him, the player may have the option of adopting the captain.
Family members can acquire traits depending on their actions in battle or when governing a city. These can have both positive and negative effects on their command, management, and influence, which in turn affect their battlefield performance and how happy a province's populace lives under their governance. Some of these traits are hereditary, and can be inherited by the children of a family member. Family members can also acquire ancillaries by the same actions. These are members of a general's retinue, but can only number up to eight. These ancillary characters can be traded between two family members if they are in the same army or city.
Like family members, agents can acquire traits and specific ancillaries, which can be traded, but only with other agents of the same type. They can independently cross into other territories (allied, neutral or hostile) without diplomatic consequences. There are three types of agents that can be used by factions: spies, diplomats, and assassins. Spies can be used to gather intelligence on field armies, infiltrate foreign cities to identify enemy installations, and serve in a counter-espionage role in the players own cities. When besieging an enemy city, the player may plant a spy in the city and use him to open the city's gates. Diplomats can negotiate with other factions, offering deals such as alliances and trade rights. They may also attempt to bribe enemy armies and agents. Assassins are used to assassinate enemy family members, or other agents. They can also sabotage buildings in enemy settlements. These missions carry a risk of death towards the agent, as is the case with spies.
Rome: Total War allows players to attempt historical battle scenarios. The player generally takes control of the outnumbered or losing army, and must fight hard for victory. Here is a list of those available:
Battle of Lake Trasimene
Battle of Raphia
Battle of Telamon
The Siege of Gergovia
Battle of the River Trebia
Battle of Asculum
Battle of Carrhae
Battle of Cynoscephalae
Battle of Teutoburg Forest
Siege of Sparta
A demo of the game was released on 23 August 2004 and is freely available for download. It features a playable version of the Battle of River Trebia, with the player taking the role of the brilliant general Hannibal.
Rome: Total War has been critically acclaimed by many reviewers who regard it as one of the best strategy games of 2004, winning numerous awards and high scores from gaming websites and magazines alike. The review aggregator Game Rankings shows an average of 91.7% from 65 major critic reviews, with 48 reviews at 90% or higher.
Links:Rome Total War Heaven
Rome Total War Official Site
Total War Wiki
Source: Wikipediaaaaaa