14 DAY TRIAL // One of the big draws for the Total War series has always been the fact that those players interested in more historical details or in more complex gameplay mechanics could get something more than the normal release of Rome, Medieval or Empire by turning to mods. Some of them, like Europa Barbarorum, Rome Total Realism for Rome or Deus Lo Vult and Third Age for the Kingdoms expansion for Medieval II, are so complex and change the structure of the initial release so much that they can be called completely new gaming experiences.
And now, one of the biggest communities linked to the Total War series hosted on the TWCenter website, is aiming to attract attention to the fact that Napoleon: Total War, the game SEGA and The Creative Assembly are aiming to release in late February, is severely limiting the modding possibilities by not putting out any tools or documentation that could help fans change the game to better suit their needs.
Marcus Cornelius Marcellus, once the leader of the Rome Total Realism project, writes that “As I sit down to play, I cannot stop myself from thinking… 'what if we could…' Perhaps I am incorrigible, perhaps I have some sickness which needs to be addressed, which is brought about by playing your wonderful games. But indeed, I am not alone, for there are rank upon rank of individuals such as I across the globe who sit and wonder the very same thing.”
He shows that support for modding has extended the shelf life for titles like Rome: Total War and Medieval, and that players have moved from an older Total War release to a newer one in order to get to play those mods that have captured their imagination.
It actually makes sense for The Creative Assembly and SEGA to offer as many modding options as possible, as the innovation of the crowd of gamers interested in mods can offer the companies themselves new ideas for the series. All those interested in learning more can log into TWC and read the petition.