Gambit7

SupCom is CPU intensive mostly due to the fact that every unit is handled individually, whereas TW handles large clumps of units at a time and then chunks the graphics. Both are dual-core supportable games though.

The main issue in TW is particle effects; stuff like rockets and exploding shells. And then of course shadows; which you can turn off. That's all done with the GPU though.

TW's engine is more optimized, but more demanding. I'm not sure what your system will do. The graphics UI is very customizable so you can tone it down a lot. Then of course you can set the unit sizes and available money... and many folks when online dont allow rockets and mortars.

Really though, the single-player campaign alone is worth the purchase... which I dont see you having any issues with except on the campaign map - which is similar to Civ4 with a lot going on... can bog down a system if it's not set right.

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tuoply

I'll just add that this didn't run well on my e6600 / 4 gig ram until I overclocked. At 3ghz the game runs fine, so I would agree with earlier comments that the processor seems to be the bottleneck in this game and not the video card / memory.

machowner

my rig
e6750 - 3.2ghz
4 gig ram
8800 gts (512 version)
vista 32 bit

game runs fairly good on high with shadows on low. Like gambit posted, campaign make can be a little iffy sometimes. Especially selecting the naval units. No problems really until later in game when there is a lot of units on the map.

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TactiKill Jay

Yeah, the game was really dragging for me until I OC'ed my chip as well, plus I have another 2 gig of ram on the way too. SupCom on the other hand I was able to run perfectly at 2.4 GHz and only 2 gigs of ram.

amu107.9

Yeah but I am running an AMD 4400+X2 @ 2.5GHz Dual Core.

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blackmain

This game is awesome.... Been addicted to it all week, been trying to break away for a bit for DOW 2 but I just can't.

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Gambit7

Yah, this game is actually the first game where my gf actually just sits and watches. It's like watching a history channel reinactment, only much more dramatic.

The campaign is crack... easy to learn, hard to master and much more going on than the older Total Wars. But overall just easier to deal with; albeit deeper. I think the AI is very good on the campaign map, even on easy... the computer doesnt mess around, and if your politics isnt straight you'll pay the price in the long run. The AI is stoopid in skirmish mode though; on the easier levels. Havent tried hard yet... im curious though.

it's a metagame within a metagame within more metagames within a game... and they havent even patched in the coop campaign yet :O

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Scattershot

I love this game! I just finished The Road to Independence campaign.

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westyfield

I saw an old-ish post on RockPaperShotgun.com regarding Empire: Total War. Apparently there are different box arts for different countries, here's a picture:



I guess the one with the British Redcoat soldier wouldn't have gone down too well in the US

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Banyan

I know this isn't the proper thread/forum, but I'd like to OC my CPU and hada helluva time when I first put the system together (I believe it's an E6600). I'd like to pick this game up, but noted people with similar systems were having issues. If there's OC doc in the house, can I contact you later on about how to get it OC'd and stable? Thanks!

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Gambit7

Nah, the game is pretty rock stable... it's just the campaign map can really burden your system. These last few patches were supposed to remedy that. (I havent tried it yet though, never really had a problem to begin with)

As for your OC stuff (as u know I've got the same system):
I'm running the e6600 on a p5n32e-sli with a tuniq tower for cooling.

My BIOS settings:
Unlinked the fsb/ram
1422 FSB
800 MEM (yah, underclocked... but, so what)
CPU Multi 9
Spread Spectrum Disabled (all that fancy stuff disabled actually)
LDT 5X
*VCore 1.45625*

My memory I had to loosen the timings because the newer sticks werent as aggressive. You ALWAYS want to manually control the timings because if you put it on auto some of your sticks might not accept the values. (unless all your sticks are the same)

I'm running 5-5-5-18 Auto right now. I could probably tighten them, but the gains would most likely be pretty minimal with 4GB of RAM.

This setup will get you a stable/cool 3.2GHz even w/o the cpu tower fan running. The huge stock Intel cooler is more than enough to keep it chilly actually (not necessary to buy the Tuniq). I've had it to 3.4GHz but I lost patience with stabilizing it; but it can be done.

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Jetheren

Man I want this game so badly. Just waiting for CA to fix the AI not performing naval invasions in GC bug. I started with Medieval 2 and I've always wanted to play in the Colonial Period so this is going to be very fun. Argh so many games are out that I want and not enough time and money to be spent!