I know the game is glitchy, bugged and screwy as hell but when I have a Napoleonic urge I've always fallen back on the total war games. Anyone else play this series?

I've played few of them. I was a master of Shogun. I organized multiples of small squads that devastated large armies that they were facing, thus taking over Japan in record time.

I also played Rome but every time I started a campaign, I got bored after taking over Half of Europe. I've never finished that game. Maybe it was because by then, all my family had died of old age and I was controlling their grandchildren and great grandchildren. Made me feel like I didn't belong with them like I was some sort of immortal uncle of theirs.

Well good news! In Empire, pretty much your entire campaign from start to finish will be run by maybe three monarchs (these people just wont die!) Plus they stay in the capital and never actually see combat, so they only way they die is either of old age or if you fail to put down a revolution.

I find that that's pretty much true for me though; once I've conquered half the available land there's not much more to do. Plus, it seems to me that the game's economy isn't meant to function if you control more than 60% or so. After that point, the Empire becomes so big it starts to collapse on itself. Something I've recently found I dislike; A single region nation can trade 1000 credits worth of trade, but as soon as I take that region over, it only produces 300, with the exact same infrastructure.

Hakoshen
Something I've recently found I dislike; A single region nation can trade 1000 credits worth of trade, but as soon as I take that region over, it only produces 300, with the exact same infrastructure.

Oh right. That's because the game takes into account things like corruption and squalor. The bigger your empire get's the easier it is for some people to hide behind the massive system that's been created to run your empire and pocket some of your hard earned cash. It can only be fixed (partially) by erecting more efficient government structures in that region.

Oh and since you're talking about trade. It also can be controlled by whether or not your enemy had any trading pacts with his neighbors. When you storm in and take over, the trade can drop since you don't have the same deals.

Also the unrest in the area is high since it's an occupied territory and more resources is put into calming them down at first, traders don't like traveling to unrest regions, etc.

Well, what I dislike is if regions A and B are separate, the trade between them would be say 1000 credits, but when A takes over B, A and B have maybe 200 credits flowing between them because it's domestic trade. I understand the game wants me to depend on alliances and whatnot, but after I've made enemies of the rest of the world, I have no foreign trade and thus my economy is trashed for it.

I suppose that's an accurate portrayal though, since few nations in the real world can exist without foreign trade. I guess my empire would be no different. I'd still think though that if my empire controlled all of India, Russia, America and North Africa I'd get decent trade amounts between the different regions.

For these reasons my favorite part of the game is about turn 20, when your armies are fully formed, your campaigns are on their way, and there's plenty of alliances and enemies to be made, and it hasn't boiled down to a showdown between you and the other three superpowers.

Rome: Total War is one of my favourite games. it is SOO good.I also had Medieval: Total War and I remember it being great, but then I replayed it a few months ago and was not good (for today's standards at least). I also bought Medieval II: Total War but it wouldn't install on my PC so I put it on the laptop but was way too laggy to play.

But I made some great conquests in Rome. Ugh, (it's a long story) I am moving soon and we had to send the PC games away a few months ago and I miss it so much. I can't wait to start playing it again.

Should I buy Empire?

Yes. It's the same games you love but set in a new world era, and it doesn't look too bad either.

yeah, and I saw that you can have sea battles that look pretty epic. (when I say epic I mean it)
I think I will get it.