Total War: Rome Remastered is the latest game in the long-running Total War series. As its name suggests, it is a remastered version of an earlier game. Rome: Total War has been one of the more popular games of the franchise, but since it came out in 2004, it is beginning to show its age. Total War: Rome Remastered has widescreen, runs on modern systems, and has improved graphics and AI. It also sports a new user interface, which, while it tries to be less intrusive than the original, has mixed results.
In addition to having a great single-player campaign and two expansion campaigns, there is a multiplayer battle mode. The main game alters between a turn-based campaign and real-time battles. It’s one of the things the series is known for. Fighting the real-time multiplayer battles can be difficult, though, because playing against an actual person is a lot different than playing against a computer. Some people have had a lot of practice. For those looking to get into multiplayer battles, here are some pieces of advice which may help.
Playing Multiplayer in Total War: Rome Remastered
When playing any game against real people, players should be prepared to lose. A lot. There will always be better players. Yet, there is much to be learned from them. If a player’s army is getting crushed, know that on the other end of that enemy army is a real person. Anything they can do can be replicated with practice, unlike AI which can react faster than a human or is afforded bonuses due to difficulty settings.
Starting out, players should pick a faction that interests them. Their focus, in the beginning, should be to learn how to play that faction. They should figure out which units work well and try matchups against an AI opponent, practicing tactics and matchups to see what works. Have the AI use different factions, and soon players will become familiar with what other factions are capable of.
As mentioned earlier, battles are done in real-time, which means players will need to think quickly and react rapidly to changing situations. To do this best, they will need to learn the hotkeys to the game. There are several important ones worth knowing. For example, units can be joined into a group by selecting them and pressing ctrl and a number. From then on, all units in the group can be selected by pressing the assigned number. Assign the General his own group, and when things get hectic, he can easily be found by pressing the number to get him out of danger.
Another good hotkey is to select units, hold alt and drag the mouse, and they can move to a selected location while keeping formation.
It’s a good idea to join a clan. Belonging to a clan means it is easier to find matches and communicate with other players. Try playing against more experienced players who can give feedback on what is working well and where to improve. As mentioned earlier, expect to lose frequently at first.
When that happens, be a good sport about it. Losing can be frustrating, but overall, players should be having fun. If it becomes too much of a chore, try doing something else for a while. Maybe something with co-op. Rome was not built in a day, and neither is becoming skilled at multiplayer.
Total War: Rome Remastered is available now on macOS, Linux, and PC.