I'm just starting to get into the Total War franchise and

Shogun 2

It is the best

>>381420354
Shogun 2/Fall of the Samurai
Attila
Warhammer

Are the best TW games

Every else is meh, but playable if you like the time period. Rome 1 is pretty fun if you're okay with how old it is.

>>381420354
From the ones you have listed; get Rome 1 and Attila

>with the ancient empires mod

lol

>>381420354
Shogun 2 is great, if you're into Japan.
Rome 1 is good, but quite old and you will notice it. 2 got a lot of hate and indeed it did some things wrong, but personally I really loved it, and since Med2 is my favourite one chances are that you will too.

What makes Total War so great is that it lets you do grand strategy, but is actually accessible instead of going full overcomplicated autism

>>381420420
Fall of the Samurai sure, but vanilla Shogun 2 is awful. Zero variety, and it started the casualizaiton of the franchise

I like Rome 1 the most, spartan hoplites a best
I can't get into any of the oney on the new engine, something feels incredibly off

Ignore TW, Pirate VIctoria 2 - thats what real men play.

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>>381423256
by real mean you meant autists, right?

>>381423649
no, real autists play Aurora.

>>381420421
This anon said the indisputable truth. Rome 2 is absolute fucking garbage, even after all of these patches; the very foundation of how units interact in that game is garbage. Unit interaction and mass wasn't even considered until like 10 patches in, and battles are ugly as fuck and drag on and on. God, it's so bad, even after all these patches. Don't get Rome 2.

Get Shogun 2/expansions for the best intro to the series, also arguable best polish. I still play that game, even all these years later. THe music, the art, the battles, the UI, it's all so excellent that many people still refer to it as the pinnacle.

Attila is what Rome should have been, and better still. It's also a lot harder than any other Total War (imo), so if you're looking for challenge, this is the one.

Warhammer is surprisingly well done. It has some of the spitshine of Shogun 2 with a simpler gameplay of Attila. They removed a lot of the stuff that made Attila challenging, like sanitation and fertility, politics and whatnot, but they added magic and a more robust hero system. Overall, it's a good one.

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>>381420354
It sort of depends on what it is you enjoy about Med 2. The city building and the 'roleplaying' aspects like training your generals, transferring retinues, seeing castles and cities grow, and having your general gain traits naturally as you play are THE reasons why med 2 and rome 1 are rated so highly.

Every later game in the series has moved away from citybuilding, trying to make it as small a part of the game as possible. Med 2 and Rome had extensive building trees, especially with mods, and you could actually play the game in different ways because of it. In later games the citybuilding is almost nonexistent, and it's never worthwhile to focus on developing your cities instead of spamming units.

Generals and leaders from shogun 2 and onwards have also lost all charm and personality. They no longer gain traits, you min max them by 'leveling up'. So you can't let a general lead all your cavalry forces and hope that he becomes a great cavalry leader, or watch him become better as you win battles. Instead you follow the exact same path down the perk tree every time.

A lot of people on here swear by Shogun 2, but in my opinion it was somehow even worse than Empire, and the final nail in the Total War franchise. If you've got a boner for japanese history and don't mind a linear map it's still sort of fun for a little while. Otherwise Atilla is the best of the modern games, but it doesn't hold a candle to Rome 1 and Med 2.

>>381420354
>>381424939
To expand on my post; Med 2 is much closer to Rome in both gameplay, tone and engine than any of the other TW games. The new engine is in my opinion trash, and it has ruined both the campaign map and the battles.

What you should definitely do is to get some mods. Stainless Steel 6.4 for Med 2 is generally considered to be the best one, and it expands upon, does bug fixing, adds new mechanics and generally just fixes everything that was wrong with vanilla.

If you decide to try Rome 1, you have several amazing mods to choose between. Europa Barbarorum and Roma Surrectum 2 to add a ton of historical accuracy, new units, better combat, redone maps and so on.

>>381423256
HoI 2 and 3 are better than vicky in every single way.

>>381424939
thanks it was a big help.
I think I've decided on Shogun 2 and Attila.

>>381424939
Generals in Shogun 2 do gain traits.

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Atilla is decent and defo adds some great new features to the series but it is still a trash game, the worst AI in TW history and horribly unbalanced, painful to play really

>>381428267
Rome: Gold is so cheap I think you should get it anyway, and definitely get the expansion pack for med 2.

>>381430278
It's not the same.

>>381420354
Warhammer is the best TW game, nothing else even comes close. I've played every single TW game except the original Shogun and Warhammer takes the series onto a whole new level when it comes to unit variety and tactical depth in combat.

>>381432247
What difficulty are you playing on? I remember being able to and having a lot of fun doing that in all TW games, especially the old ones with phalanx.

How is Atilla compared to Rome 2 and Shogun 2? I have about 50 hours on each of them, not sure if I should even bother trying Atilla if it gets a decent sale or just reinstall Stainless Steel.

>>381432618
How are the generals, traits and so on, and how diverse are the building trees?

Same as with Atilla I'm on the fence on whether or not it is worth buying at all.

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>>381432680
Typically on Shogun 2 and Rome 2 I play on V hard, can't remember if I only play on hard on Attila since I play it so infrequently
Playing as horsefuckers you just run away till their general is isolated and then surround him, the effect of your general dying in Attila is ridiculous so every battle as horsefuckers is the same ridiculous massacre.
For the non horsefucker factions it's still the same just general snipe early on and the battle swings massively. It was always fun in the old games to have a few nearly dead units on each side fighting to the death after the generals were killed.

I think Shogun 2 is the most polished and best balanced, the unit variety is a bit lacking but it's still a solid game since you don't often feel bullshitted by bugs or super OP units.
To me Rome 2 feels mostly the same as Attila but in a different setting and without the things I think make Attila poor, but Rome 2 is pretty divisive so I can't really tell how others would feel about it. Rome 2 would defo be better with Attila migration system. Which reminds me the victory conditions for migrating factions in Attila are bullshit and really railroad you in, I don't like the game trying to pressure me into somewhere when really I should be able to chose wherever I want to migrate to

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>>381432791
Basically, the generals can all be built into direct melee powerhouses, capable of taking out entire units of men alone (as the should, per lore), commanders that give your troops shitloads of very significant bonuses, tacticians that have a shitload of significant bonuses related to unit recruiting and overworld map actions or a mix of any of these archetypes. Mage generals, obviously, have their own magic skills as well as tactical skills and play drastically different, compared to melee generals, but are still just as powerful (except for those with the Metal lore, because it's shit).

Generals are also very diverse in their potential combat capabilities and special perks. Some are suited to be duelists, capable of striking down enemy Lords in single combat, others - more suitable at annihilating hordes of weaker foes or laying down support ranged fire.

Overall, Warhammer shits on any other TW game when it comes to both functional and aesthetic variety and the generals (or Lords, as they are called in WH) are no exception.

>>381432791
>how diverse are the building trees
The settlement building trees aren't really diverse, because economy and construction isn't really the focus of Warhammer. SOme buildings have alternative or unique structures available to them and different factions have drastically different buildings here and there, but again, construction and economy are not the game's strong point, don't buy the game for that alone. Warhammer is all about combat.

>>381433201
>It was always fun in the old games to have a few nearly dead units on each side fighting to the death after the generals were killed.
I agree, that's why the old engine with mods like Roma Surrectum 2 are so great, the battles drag on and can be really bloody.
From reading your post I think I'm going to pass on it, maybe try a few battles and refund.

>>381433202
>>381433307
It looks interesting, had a lot of fun with the original warhammer mod too. When does the sale start?

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>>381434064
It's frustrating bc to me Attila is so close to being a great entry to the series but it's just held back a bit.

Think the sale starts at either 5pm/6pm UK time, dunno elsewhere think it might be 10am PDT.
Warhammer is going on sale for 66%

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>>381420354
Just play medieval 2

>>381434361
>Warhammer is going on sale for 66%
Does this include the DLC?

>>381434545
DLC for 33%, they said it on their FB page

>>381434635
OK, thanks. I'm not that guy, but I'll be getting the DLCs, since I own the vanilla game already.

>>381432247
>>381433201
>Attila
>worst AI
Have you even seen what the AI does on sieges in M2 sometimes, or the horrible clusterfucks of the releases of Empire and R2? Also, horsefuckers have always been OP except in gunpowder games, and fighting to the death is not very realistic except for a few units, routs are what ended battles.

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There is a superior game out these days, ladies

Rome is the most fun campaign in the series. Just have fun slowly plotting to take over the known world and then shape up for a massive multi unit siege of Rome for the final chapter

>>381435324
Not exactly the same type of game, although I do enjoy it.

>>381420354
Rome 2 after the patchs is now pretty good and with the Divide et Impera mods it is a very solid game. Rome 2 will probably be dirt cheap this sale. The only reason i would recoment 2 over 1 is the grafics that make it look dated. Rome 1 is a classic and hands down the best total war ever made. Atilla i could never get into.

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>>381435202
>AI does on sieges in M2 sometimes
They are't too bad at them, on offence they know to blast down walls then send in the melee units. They're worst thing is maybe how they like to charge horses in as well regardless of spearmen or stakes. On offence there's usually not toooo much that's retarded.

Empire sieges are trash I'll give you that, Rome 2 sieges can sometimes be ok, getting rid of the capture point victory without changing the AI to account for that is their biggest mistake. I don't see too many Rome 2 AI defence that is worth talking about since I usually wipe the army then the garrison doesn't stand a chance anyway

Attila sieges are mostly the same as Rome 2 to be honest. I'm the defender in this siege, they occupied my town, didn't go at all for the capture point and just let me wail on them with arrows till they routed.
On open battles against infantry the AI is mostly the same as Rome 2 but for horsefuckery they willingly walk into mssares. Attila is full of horsefuckery, the namesake of the game is horsefuckery, you'd think the AI would know a little bit about how to deal with them but they just don't. Horsefuckery has been shitty but at least in Rome 2 that was confined to the shitty nomadic factions in the far corner of the map

>>381436151
I see you haven't encountered the beautiful bug where the m2-AI marches around your castle in single file while getting shot to shit by towers, among other greatest hits.

>>381436151
>they know to blast down walls then send in the melee units
They only use cannons and catapults on the outermost walls while citadels have three different layers of wall so if your smart then you will only defend the innermost wall anyway.

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Gunpowder a shit. Don't listen to the weebs.

>>381436545
Rise of the Samurai has no gunpowder.

>>381436713
kys pokemon was the best anime

>>381420354
Shogun 2 & Fall of the Samuria are the best, unless you really hate the setting/period.

Attila is what Rome 2 should have been, though the setting doesn't quite have the same mass appeal. It's also the most demanding title in the series. And don't count on Ancient Empires ever getting properly finished.

Warhammer is great if you like the licence or just want fantasy battles - the campaign is pretty basic though.

Rome 1 is too dated now and I'd honestly recommend Rome 2 with mods instead if you really want that period.

TLDR - get Shogun 2.

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Medieval 2 > Rome 1 > Shogun 2/FotS > Attila > Napoopan/Empire > Rome 2 > POWER GAP > Warhammer

Honorable mention: Medieval & Shogun 1. I didn't play them as obsessively as I did the rest, so it doesn't feel right to list them.

>>381436983
Butthurt /his/fag detected.

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>>381436373
No I haven't... how innovative

>>381436520
Fair point, at cities and castles they aren't too bad. That does remind me of fighting the Mongols where they put all their infantry 10 metres from the innermost gate and just stood there for ages while they slowly carried the ladders through.


I think it's quite sad how the gunpowder games were all gone before Rome 2 brought in good ambush battles and good line of site hiding. Those two things could have been great fun in Empire/Nappy/FoTS. They also need to teach the AI how to set and bait the player into ambushes

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>>381436545
>weebs
What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Artillery Academy, and I’ve been involved in numerous battles against Austria, and I have over 300 confirmed victories. I am trained in gorilla warfare in Spain and I’m the top general in the entirety of Europe. You are nothing to me but just another conquest. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my fucking words. You think you can get away with saying that shit to me via Courier? Think again, fucker. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of revolutionaries across the world and your location is being tracked right now so you better prepare for the revolution maggot. The revolution that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You’re fucking dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill you in over seven hundred ways, and that’s just with a whiff of grapeshot. Not only am I extensively trained in warfare, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the French Empire and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable ass off the face of the continent, you little shit. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little “clever” comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your fucking tongue. But you couldn’t, you didn’t, and now you’re paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will shit fury all over you and you will drown in it. You’re fucking dead, kiddo.

Medieval 2 = Rome > Empire > Shogun 2 > Napoleon > Rome 2

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>>381423256


>>381420354
Depends on which time period you like more. Attila is probably the best tw game to date but I still prefer rome over it.

>>381437527
>empire that high
>empire above napoleon
wtf are you even doing? I know opinions are a thing and all, but that's just objectively wrong.

>>381437915
Napoleon looks a bit better, but in scope it is much more limited than Empire. Disregard the buggy launch, the game ended up fine, and with a ton more replayability than Napoleon.

>>381437360
If you'd just pick a book for once in your life, you'd see human history is infinitely more interesting than orcs and goblins and skeletons.

>>381438145
Even if the scope of Empire is better Napoelon is so much more polished and balanced. Also, one-province France is really unforgivable.

>>381437915
I can understand that a bit desu, the scale of Empire is undeniably impressive, and while Ship-of-the-line naval combat is in Napoleon it basically never happens, and lacks the fun progression from Empire's sloops to its massive First rates. There's also a lot more fun factions to play as.

A lot of the military tech progression in Empire is good fun to unlock desu. If you can get past its bugs, bland generals/agents, and sporadic retardations (France as a single region) there's definitely some interesting things you don't really get much of in other TWs.
Ship of the line combat is also 3000 time more interesting than the naval combat in Shogun2/Rome2/Attila, only FoTS comes close

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>>381437915
I liked Empire.

>>381438406
It's not either or you know? But I guess a /his/fag wouldn't actually know that.

>>381420354

It's all downhill from there bud.

>>381438406
This might shock you but I actually love history, legal history mostly but history in general too.
That doesn't prevent me from accepting that warhammer is always going to have more diversity then then any historical title.

Also FotS is the pinnacle of historical TW it's literally the best time period for it because of the rapid evolution of war over such a short period.

>>381438595
So did I, but it's not objectively better than S2 at all.

>>381438449
If you play France or Britain you still get plenty naval action, though there is less of it for the rest of the factions.

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>>381438719
>nostalgiafags

>>381420421
You got your shit all backwards. The last good TW title was Napoleon. After that you get dumbed down shit like Shogun 2
with a bunch of features lacking that were present in almost every single earlier title and they continued the trend from there.

Rome and Medieval 2 are the best in the series, Napoleon is pretty fun and the first Medieval is still good. Series got thrown into the trash with fucking DLC up the ass (the fucking blood for Warhammer is DLC). Its utterly embarrassing. Fuck what this company has turned into.