Food issues in RTW2 really suck

[Lord El Supremo]

I've already submitted a negative review for the game and said I would take a second look. I did. I like it even less now. My initial complaint was sluggish and clunky battle play compared to MTW2. Rome 2 is just not as smooth moving your troops around in battle. Battles take forever. The units take an eternity to kill each other. Cavalry generals die like flies. Don't send a horse general into battle-they'll be dead in about five seconds. If you like your general don't allow him to engage. But by far the most annoying issue in the game is the food. I understand they put this crap in Attila, too. I did the edict, I did the building, the food issue never goes away. I suspect the food monkey is on your back constantly until you're nearing a campaign victory. Which I'm guessing probably takes about two years of your life to complete. Doesn't it defeat the purpose of a war game to hamstring a player's military potential with constant food shortages? I want to build big armies and battle. Not be constantly paranoid about food. What made the developers think we'd like to be punished for having large armies? Or have a flashing red death's head hanging over our provinces turn after turn? Making food an aggravating problem takes a large measure of fun out of the game. People want to build big armies and fight. Not be constantly bothered with food shortages.

[x260bm]

Why don’t you just build farms?

[Crimson Sky Dux]

Ancient economy was based on farming above all. So build some farms and manage your economy and buildongs carefully. It's not that hard man.

[Alwyn]

One complaint people make about Total War games is that it's too easy to keep taking enemy regions, so the game lacks a challenge. In earlier games you could upgrade every building everywhere and, as far as I can remember, there was no downside. Now, we need to think about the consequences of upgrading buildings. For me, this need to plan ahead and make choices is part of what makes this a strategy game.

We might want a barracks in every province (there's no need for a barracks in every region, except perhaps in a border region), but it doesn't have to be the top-tier one everywhere. The same thing goes for other food-consuming buildings like temples.

Which faction are you playing? Some factions have temples or other buildings which produce food. Skye's tips on food might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7QSEnu8DxE

Yes, cavalry generals are squishy, especially if you're Rome or Carthage (using a non-elephant general).

Poeple's experiences of sluggish and clunky play varies. Older games look sluggish and clunky to me, as I'm used to newer ones I wonder if turning down the number of piexels in the display (in advanced graphics options) or reducing the unit size and graphics quality would help?

I'm surprised that you say that battles take forever. I've seen a lot of people complain that the battles are over too quickly.

[ＳＨＡＤＯＷ２ＫＫ]

Sounds like a l2p issue OP, no offence, food management is easy with farms and edicts and also political moves to gather more food.

Battles are not that difficult even on legendary.

Managing your buildings is key, you do not need to construct high tier builidings that have negative bonuses in every province.

I normally have many legions and manage my food supply to be fine, even using mods like Divide Et Impera.

Etc Etc

[IGX]

Food is one of the easiest issues to deal with in Rome 2. If your having trouble building farms and buildings that provide food then you really shouldn't be playing this game. Try Shogun 2, it doesn't nag you for food but its has this fun mechanic called realm divide.

[Desert Kitsune MarlFox]

FYI armies don't take food at all you just need equal food production or a food surplus to prevent starvation adn the only things to take food are mainly town centers, temples/public order buildings and military buildings

it is VERY VERY easy to manage food and public order up till at least very hard(can't say for legendary as i don't play on that) and this is coming from a Suebi player who builds the most food hungry temples in like EVERY single slot so i can manage very high taxes the entire campagin

[Migz - DH]

I can't say that I ever had serious problems with food production in TW:R2.

[Choke me Wesker]

" Or have a flashing red death's head hanging over our provinces turn after turn? Making food an aggravating problem takes a large measure of fun out of the game. People want to build big armies and fight. Not be constantly bothered with food shortages."

Well it's a good thing food isn't a problem then, it's so easy to have enough i'm honestly amazed that you have problems with it, also Medieval 2 is the clunkiest Total War game by far, i mean you can't even properly place your units on walls or in a city...

[MANWHATADONGA]

I have no problem with units in M2.Food in R11 god thats easlie.

[NED STARK]

Honestly I wish economy was more complex in this game, I would play it more. So I don't think this game is lacking in the "fighting" at all. That's basically the focus already.

[Berserk Belta]

I think SHADOW22K has probably hit the nail on the head:

If you handle building in this game as you would in earlier games (e.g. M2:TW) and just build everything you can everywhere, you will get food and probably public order problems.

You are supposed to take your time and build things a) in a way that will create balance and let you exploit resources and b) so that they are well-placed in terms of your strategic needs. I love the older games, too, but this is one of the ways Rome II does it better in my opinion.

[Portwills]

Horses are vulnerable to spears and missiles. You don't have to get your general on a horse with most factions. If you're using shock cav, pull back and charge again. Use your cav to chase down light units, protect your flanks, flank the enemy while your line is engaging them or counter enemy cav.

And build farms and your economy based on what culture you are or what regions you have. You can get like +300% income for farms or culture buildings or industry buildings if you manage it well, money and food really aren't a problem if you just build your things wisely.

ps: yes battles are long, they're supposed to be. Legions and hoplites could fight for extended periods. Also get some high tier melee cav like Aspis Companion Cav and you'll start wrecking things.

[Migz - DH]

Originally posted by Portwills:

ps: yes battles are long, they're supposed to be.

The irony is that "too fast of battles" was a very common complaint by players when the game first launched. Eventually, CA made some changes that made battles, apparently, a bit longer, so that complaint isn't as common as it once was. Still though, few of my non-siege land-based battles take longer than ten minutes total or longer than five minutes once engaged. So, what really is a "long battle", or a "short battle", to most people?

[Ape-tier Buffoonery]

Devote any 2 region provinces to solely food production. As in build a cattle/goat ranch or granary and a farm and keep enough public order buildings in the capital as you need to keep the province self sufficient while also providing food to rest of your empire.

They're (2 region provinces) a waste of an edict and you can't stack as many +% income or even get as much flat income from buildings compared to 4 province regions (who should be your economic piggy banks).

Doing this allows to squeeze every penny out of large provinces and even allow you to properly feed military provinces.