Rome Total History

Rome Total History (or RTH) is a Mod of the computer game Rome: Total War (RTW) based on the desire to provide RTW players with a historically more accurate game experience, without sacrificing challenge and fun. Starting in 280 BC, the scenario represents the political situation of the Hellenistic world as true as possible, but for the more peripheric areas, where no early data is available, it also takes into account later events, to represent every nation in its moment of maximum splendor.

Features

Cartography

The most prominent feature of the game is a new large map developed in five years work. Ranging from Scotland to Ethiopia and India it offers unprecedented historic detail and accuracy regarding regional boundaries, towns, harbors, forts, roads, mountain passes, ground types, sea lanes, coastlines, islands, resources. Especially the huge number of mountain passes offer many strategic choices for a completely different gameplay, while 100 landbridges guarantee an excellent computer performance. The Aegean Sea alone has 50 islands and 30 land bridges! The number of regions has been brought to the maximum of 199, with the highest concentration in Greece, Italy and Asia Minor.

Many other important towns of the ancient world are represented as forts or minor settlements. 200 of these strongholds have become permanent, which means that they will not disappear when abandoned by the occupying force.

A number of prominent places of the strategy map were customized with the battle editor, for example the Thermopylae pass, the site of Delphi, the ports of Cyzicus, Naples and Milet, and the city of Syracuse.

Some rivers have become partially navigable, and so is the Red-Sea-Canal from Pelusium to Arsinoe.

Factions

The number of faction has been increased beyond the limit of 20 by the introduction of multinational factions. For example, there is a faction called Eastern Kingdoms consisting of five nations: Bithynia, Atropatene, Nabataea, Saba, and Mauryan Empire. Each of these subfactions has specific buildings and units which can be built or recruited only in a determined area of recruitment. In this way there are currently over 40 playable nations:

- The Roman Republic

- Epirus (Epirus, Syracuse, Magna Graecia)

- Hellenic Kingdoms (Sparta, Pergamum, Bosphoran Kingdom, Bactrian Kingdom)

- Greek Cities (Achaean League, Athens, Rhodes, Byzantium, Chersonesus, Massilia, Agrigentum)

- Carthage

- Ptolemaic Egypt

- The Seleucid Empire

- Macedon

- Pontus

- Armenia

- Parthia

- Sarmatian Tribes (Sarmatians, Scythians, Sakae)

- Gaul (Arverni, Haedui, Insubres, Galatians)

- Celtic Tribes (Britons, Belgians, Noricum, Tylis)

- Germanic Tribes

- Iberian Tribes

- Numidia

- Illyria and Thrace (Ardiaean Kingdom, Thracian Kingdom, Scythia Minor)

- Getae (Dacians, Goths)

- Eastern Kingdoms (Bithynia, Atropatene, Nabataea, Saba, Mauryan Empire)

Moreover there are 197 historic rebel factions, and some of them are particularly active and strong (Aetolian League, Dardanians, Triballi, Crete, Mamertines, Masaesyli, Aethiopians).

Leaders

A lot of work has been concentrated on leaders and family trees, to represent the Hellenistic dynasties as close as possible to known historic data. Similar criteria have been used for the political parties in the Republics of Rome and Carthage or for the tribal leaders in Gaul, Germany and Spain. By greatly expanding the family trees the game features now almost 1000 historic figures from every corner of the ancient world, each with matching character (as known) and relations, including parents, wives and children. To make this possible, some leaders have been taken from later time periods, especially in those areas where historic data from the 3rd century BC is not available.

Units

Many new units have been added, although the overall feeling of the rosters is very close to the vanilla game, due to the fact that most units have kept their original colors (red for Rome, green for Gaul, black for Macedon, etc.). New units have been introduced mostly to represent the new factions, subfactions and rebels. A lot of work has been concentrated on the diversification of the multi-national factions to create a large range of different units available in specific areas of recruitment (AOR). Thus the Eastern Kingdoms recruit Bithynian or Greek troops in Asia Minor, Nabataean and Sabaean bedouins in Arabia and Bactrian or Indian troops in the East.

The AOR-system extends over the whole map and applies also to traditional factions such as the Egyptians, who may recruit Greek units in their Aegean dominions, Levantine units in Syria and Nubian units on the Upper Nile. Similar diversifications have been implemented for many other factions, especially the Hellenic Kingdoms, Epirus/Syracuse, Illyria/Thrace, Gaul/Galatia and the Celts.

Mercenaries have become recruitable in the special building Garrison, and many of them are also bribeable, which means that they realistically change sides when a player bribes an enemy army.

Buildings

Many new buildings have been added and the temple system has been converted to total polytheism. Any nation, except the Parthians, may now build between 10 and 20 different temples.

Many known temples from antiquity have been included in the game: Saturn and Vesta in Rome, Demeter in Syracuse, Hera in Agrigentum, Heracles and Castor and Pollux in Sparta, Asclepius in Argos (Epidauros), Zeus in Achaea, the Parthenon and the Twelve Gods in Athens, Helios in Rhodes, Aphrodite in Panticapaeum, Cybele in Phrygia, Ishtar in Babylon, Indra and Buddha in Taxila and Pattala, Astarte in Tyros, Jehova in Jerusalem, Dushara in Petra, Sun Temples in Saba and Aethiopia, Serapis in Alexandria, Seth in Memphis, Horus in Thebes, Zeus-Ammon in Siwa/Ammonion, Tanit in Carthage, Moritasgus in Alesia to name the most prominent.

In a similar way many other specific buildings have been included in the most prominent cities of the ancient world, such as the Marsfield and the Rostra in Rome or the famous ports of Athens, Syracuse, Tarentum, Carthage and Alexandria. In the latest upgrade the number of these unique buildings has been increased to over 100, each with beautiful artwork and a detailed description illustrating the story and culture of the city.

Other buildings have been introduced to represent or diversify the political system of each nation, for example the Ephorate and the Gerusia in Sparta, the Areopag in Athens, the Synodos in Aegion, or the Comitium in Rome.

The overall number of buildings has been increased to over 1000, many of which with new beautiful icons and pictures. Among the new buildings is a Garrison which allows to recruit mercenaries and adds better defenses to city walls.

Thanks to these additions the campaign is now a also kind of sightseeing tour of the ancient world, with new astounding discoveries in every new town.

Settlements

The game has 199 regions and cities, but thanks to the introduction of permanent forts the number of settlements has been raised to over 400. The forts have become permanent thanks to the introduction of immobilized spies. Conquering a fort will often gain a specific ancillary whose description gives more information about the history and culture of the place.

Ancillaries

Many innovative features can be found in the ancillary system which has seen a large expansion. The total of ancillaries has been raised to over 800. Many of them can now be captured by conquest, either in a city or a fort. Almost half of the cities in the game have specific ancillaries which will pop up as a prize for the conqueror. Sometimes these will be beautiful queens and princesses, for example Cleopatra, Berenice or Arsinoe in Alexandria, Stratonice in Antioch, Olympias in Epirus, Sophonisba in Utica, Julia in Rome, but you can also capture the Strategos of the Aetolian League in Thermon, the Thessalian Tagus in Larissa, the King of Cappadocia in Mazaka or the King of Thule in Scandiae. There are also very specific ancillaries, for example exotic animals, in a number of periferic places, and this makes it a worthy deed to explore the forts and cities in the most remote areas of the map.

Trade

During the mapping process particular attention was reserved to the trade system, adding four more resources and giving each region or city its specific products as referred by ancient geographers.

Famous trade routes have been implemented, in particular the Silk road, the Amber road and the Spice road, allowing those regions to generate huge returns from trade.

The roads system has been completely revised following historic roads.

Custom Battles

Several custom battles have been included in the game: Thermopylae (480 BC), Caudine Forks (321 BC), Ipsus (301 BC), Delphi (279 BC), Acrocorinth (243 BC), Siege of Syracuse.

Versions

The first version Rome Total History 1.0 was published in June 2013 and since then the game has seen nine upgrades. The current version RTH 2.0 dates from July 2015 and is available for download from the following site: http://www.mediafire.com/download/3i3rzsd2wcgtqym/RTH_2.0.rar