catw08.1 file

The Year is 88 BC. The ancient world is a troubled place. The Romans are definitely consolidating an Empire, stretching an ageing republic to the limit. But Social War just ended with the defeat of the Italian allies by the Senate and Sulla became master of Rome, marching into the city with his army. A sacrilege never committed before. The latter would soon take his first command in the East, against a menacing Mithridates; The first Roman Civil War starts with a democratic uprising led by Gaius Marius (father of the famous reforms). At the same time, from the balkans a huge army composed of the Dardani, Scordisci, and the Maedi attack the Roman province of Macedonia. To give the scope and ferocity of the first Mithridatic war, King Mithridates VI of Pontus invades Greece, defeating the Roman forces four times in succession, conquering Bithynia, Phrygia, Mysia, Lycia, Pamphylia, Ionia and Cappadocia, all but dismantling the Roman province of Asia, rounding up and murdering Latins everywhere in a single day. He shows the most hatred stance against the Romans since Hannibal Barca.

Started around October 2017, so two years from now and about to be completed, catw 0.8 has seen a rocky development but it is the most promising mod of the great Classical Age Total War (CATW)family so far. So what it is about ? Like the name indicates it is centered around King Mithridates IV and the wars he waged against the Roman Republic on its final straw. The Republic itself was just painfully out of a major conflict, first Roman civil war also called the Socii war. It is the time of an ageing Marius and Sulla, a young Pompey ad an even younger Caesar. Times of failed reforms and fierce rivalry between the Populares and Patricians. Mithridates is taking advantage of this turmoil back home to launch a vicious ttack on everything which is Roman in Asia minor (nowadays Turkey). The time is 88 BC. Many new powerful factions are at the peak of their power or ascending to be. Nothing is certain for Rome yet. Can you prevail in this difficult environment ?

For the first time, CATW is not only exploring a late date, but also brand new and "exotic" new factions, such as Kush and Meroe, Saba and Nabata, the Yuezhe, Saka, Indo-Greeks, Indians, Media Atropatene... The map is still 200-region strong, but now clearly more "busy" in the east and south. Cities are larger, richer, more populous, money is abundant and armies more diverse and modern than ever. Phalances and legonaries, cataphracts, but also Indian armies and even Han mercenaries, obscure nomadic tribes from the east are goung to make it more interesting than ever. It is coming with no less than 8 brand new dedicated rosters and about 100 new units, using the max out of Alex engine (RTW 1.9) as well as many new features. The final catw 0.8.1 is out !. The beta catw 0.8.0 (04 November 2019) can be found on Moddb.