Game WQ : Rome:Total War

The player takes a role equivalent to the head of one the three great Roman houses at the time; the Julii, Brutii, and Scipiones. Each of these factions have a different set of attributes, initial objectives, and a few initial provinces under control. Control of a province is given to the faction whose army is occupying the province's city. The ultimate goal is to become emperor by conquering 50 provinces, gaining support from the people, before capturing Rome itself. Cities have a variety of buildings which may be built or upgraded, such as: temples, aqueducts and amphitheatres which increase the people's general happiness and wellbeing; markets and academies which respectively increase the city's financial contribution and likelihood of producing effective family members (see below); walls which make the city more resistant to assault by enemy armies; and barracks, archery ranges and stables which unlock new military units which may be trained in the city. The player's empire is expanded by training armies in friendly cities and using them to assault and occupy enemy cities (native mercenary units may also be hired by a family member outside a city). 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.

Battles in Rome: Total War can feature thousands of individual soldiers, organised into 'units'. The formation of some units can be changed; here, the phalanx formation sacrifices mobility in favour of increased defensive strength

 

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. The base level of morale of a unit may be influenced by factors such as the command experience of the army's general (and that of the enemy general), level of combat experience, and the nature of the unit itself. On the battlefield, this is further affected by such factors as the soldiers' level of fatigue, intimidation by the enemy army, whether it holds a tactically advantageous position relative to nearby enemies, the terrain type, proximity to the army's general, or the number of casualties already taken. Players may attempt to flank an enemy's units, focus their attacks on the enemy general, conserve energy by walking rather than running their units, or switch their archers to using the slower but more intimidating flaming arrows - all as techniques to gain the morale advantage over the enemy.
Each unit has a certain distance it can travel on the campaign map in one turn, with cavalry able to travel the farthest, and cumbersome artillery pieces having the most limited movement distance. Movement is increased depending on the type of terrain being traversed, the type of roads present, and, at times, the attributes of the commanding general.

Family

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.

Julii family member with several traits and his retinue. Family members can command troops in tactical battles and help maintain order in cities, with effectiveness depending on their level of experience. Character traits can prove to cause both beneficial advantages as well as weaknesses to the character.

 

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.
The game's campaign begins with only 3 playable factions, all Roman: Julii, Brutii, Scipii. Upon completion of a campaign, 8 additional factions are unlocked. The unlockable factions are: The Greek Cities, Egypt, the Seleucid Empire, Carthage, Gaul, Germania, Britannia, and Parthia. The nonplayable factions (in the campaign) are: Macedon, Pontus, Armenia, Numidia, Scythia, Dacia, Thrace, Spain, the S. P. Q. R., and the rebel faction.