Was expecting they come out World Total War to include samurai, mongol, knight and etc    . 

But they come out with empire total war  .

IGNPC: The new game takes place during the 18th and 19th centuries. Can you give us an idea what the specific date range is and why you decided to choose it?

James Russell: The action begins around 1700 and continues throughout the 18th century and dips into the 19th. We wouldn't want to put a fixed end point where we stop the player from continuing, and we have included some 19th century technologies that can be researched. We always want the player to be able to take history in a different direction, and we have to allow for the possibility that the player will drive tech research faster than happened in reality.

It's a fabulously colourful period, and there are many reasons why it's the perfect choice of era for the next Total War blockbuster: the 18th century is the great age of fighting sail, and it's the obvious arena in which to set our spectacular new sea battles. It's a dynamic time when the world was changing fast -- the Industrial Revolution was powering an astonishing rise in technology, which was also reflected on the battlefield.

Conflicts were becoming global as Europe extended its power across the world, fighting in India, the Caribbean, and of course against the rebellious American colonists in the War of Independence. All this is included in Empire -- so despite the relatively focused time period, this is the most varied, dynamic and large-scale Total War game to date.

Also, the mass-use of gunpowder weapons and artillery in this period gives us the opportunity to develop some really interesting new features and gameplay dynamics that make for a lot of variation.

IGNPC: It seems that the world and the number of playable factions are getting even larger in this sequel. Can you give us an idea of the scale of the game and some of the major players and their obstacles?

James Russell: The scale is a lot greater than previous Total War titles. The campaign map now encompasses not only the whole of Europe and the middle-East, but also North America and the Caribbean, and the Indian subcontinent. It's a truly epic canvas for the gamer to play out their strategies for world domination.

There are many factions vying for control across the world, and each of them has their own unique position, strengths & weaknesses, and their own specific goals -- the Mughals struggle to keep control of India in the face of European expansion, the Americans are determined to drive the British out, France is vying for dominance in Europe and trying to compete with Britain's colonial ambitions.

We think carefully about how the player spends their time, and this is even more important as the game's scale increases. We are putting a lot of effort into making management of your Empire more convenient and straight-forward. An example of this is the recruitment system -- you can now order units at a general, and they will automatically be built in particular regions and then sent to join your army. Before, the player was spending too much time ordering and assembling armies. This is now much less of a chore, without any reduction in gameplay (and you can still choose to recruit the traditional way of course).

IGNPC: This period also saw tremendous technological advancements. How are these being incorporated into the game and what types of new opportunities will they present to players?

James Russell: For the first time, we are actually having a technology tree that lets player's research pure technologies as well as construct and upgrade buildings.

We have a host of different technologies that the player can choose to focus on. Some will give units new abilities on the battlefield, or allow your artillery to develop new types of ordnance. Some will improve ships' sailing and fighting performance, others will develop your economy and enable new buildings and infrastructure, and others will advance the educational level of your nation and speed up future research.

IGNPC: Though some of your games have included firearms, this time around you're really focusing on gunpowder weapons. How has this affected your overall design and your approach to AI tactics?

James Russell: There's still plenty of visceral melee combat in 18th century battles, but of course the growing significance of ranged gunpowder weapons has meant a change in tactics and a raft of new features. Position, fields of fire and cover have all become much more important. Units can hide behind walls and deploy various protective devices; we've also added occupiable buildings, and you can order units inside them on the battlefield. These can become important focal points for the battle, and be fiercely fought over, as happened in many of the great battles of the period.

Of course, the AI needs to grasp these new features and use them to its advantage. In naval battles, it needs to understand the importance of bringing as many guns to bear as possible, and to understand the trade off between a ship's manoeuvrability and its strength. It has to be a lot more spatially aware than before. I think the AI is already quite effective and getting better all the time. We have a team of dedicated programmers working exclusively on AI (for both the battle and campaign maps).

IGNPC: What are some of your favourite units? Are there any cool new abilities that you can highlight in this new era?

James Russell: We have a huge array of new units and types. The abilities they have can also change as your technological level grows. For example, we have dragoon units -- mounted men that you can order to dismount and fire and attack the enemy as infantry. Then you can order them to mount up again and chase across the field on horseback.

We have artillery units, some of which can be limbered up and moved around the field at speed by teams of horses. You can develop all kinds of exotic ammo for them to fire.

Line infantry units can be ordered to form the classic hollow square formation, which protects them against cavalry at the cost of reducing their ability to focus fire in one direction. And much much more!

IGNPC: One of the bigger changes to the series is the addition of full naval battles. How do these work in practice and why was it important for you to include them as a playable option?

James Russell: We've always wanted to do naval battles, and this is clearly the perfect era for getting them in. In principle they are analogous to land battles, with ships as 'units', and your aim to sink, cripple, rout or capture the enemy fleet.

However, a ship can be damaged in a number of different ways -- you can focus on the hull, or on the crew, or on the sails and masts to cripple it. Using different ammo types (such as chainshot) targets different parts of enemy ships. Ships are constantly moving platforms, unlike land units, and they fire in a different direction from their facing -- sideways. Therefore, admirals tended to line ships up one behind the other to create a 'line of battle' that created a wall of guns facing the enemy. Manoeuvring the ships skilfully is the key to tactical success; weak but fast ships, or paralyzed but powerful ships all add interesting gameplay dimensions.

We've got a very sophisticated and realistic damage model for ships, which is key to making the destruction look and feel authentic and ensuring it's fun to try to destroy your enemy. Cannon balls can kill men, destroy guns, smash through different parts of a ship's hull and sink it. Sails and masts can also be destroyed, and the gunpowder magazine can be hit, wiping out the ship in a massive explosion. Every bullet and cannon ball is modelled.

The naval battles are a real visual feast and an integral part of warfare in this period of overseas expansion. We are working hard to ensure that naval battles assume a greater significance on the campaign map as well and that fleets really project power rather than just being transport containers for armies.

IGNPC: You've mentioned to us before that the political system requires players to determine how much liberty to give to their citizens or subjects. What are the mechanisms players can use to satisfy their people and still maintain power?

James Russell: Different government types confer their own advantages and disadvantages and so encourage different styles of play. The total control of a strong absolute monarch makes the populace easier to handle in general, but it can stifle innovation and growth. When people develop more modern ideas, they tend to demand more freedoms. But with those freedoms, the population may be harder to manage when they do become less satisfied.

Choose carefully!

As well as government type, your people will also respond to the tax rate you impose, your foreign policy, the popularity of your government ministers, your building choices in the region and much more. The aim is to provide intuitive responses to player actions in the game world, but we aim to make it about player choices - not to create management chores for the player by there always being a single 'correct' way to do things.

IGNPC: How important is religion to the game? Does it work differently here than in previous games?

James Russell: Religion plays a role in the game, but it doesn't play such as central part as in the medieval era. Religion does have an impact on happiness levels, and conversion can still help bring a newly conquered region under your control.

We've really beefed up the diplomacy side of the game, and tried hard to make the AI factions behave in a more human way and respond to the player's treatment of them. Religion does play a role in terms of factions' attitudes towards each other, and it can be harder to maintain a close friendship with a faction with a different religion.

IGNPC: You're using an entirely new engine this time around. What does it allow you to do that you haven't been able to do before?

James Russell: Well streamlining the code is always a good thing, and it's been essential to take the game to a new graphical level. We've got such a rich and diverse set of new features and improvements in all areas of the game that it made sense to start from a fresh code base.

The campaign map for example is treated in a completely different way, and is no longer based on Rome's grid system -- it's completely freeform. We've also taken buildings out of the region capitals and placed them on the map itself, so they are visible at a glance, easily upgradeable straight from the map -- and they are individually attackable. We've streamlined and improved large parts of the campaign game such as recruitment, trade and diplomacy.

On the battle map (both land and sea), the increase in visual quality and the number of men on the battlefield is incredible. The new engine has allowed huge improvements in graphics, terrain & vegetation, destructible buildings, as well as more advanced unit behaviour and abilities -- and ships of course. We've had a programmer working for almost a year just on making the sea look fantastic (and move beautifully).

IGNPC: Enough talking already! How far along is the game in terms of development and when's it going to be done?

James Russell: Well the game has been in development for over two years now. As mentioned above, it's getting better and better all the time. We still have a lot of work to do though, to make it the very best it can be. I'm not in a position to confirm an exact release date right now, but we're getting there!

The campaign map for example is treated in a completely different way, and is no longer based on Rome's grid system -- it's completely freeform. We've also taken buildings out of the region capitals and placed them on the map itself, so they are visible at a glance, easily upgradeable straight from the map -- and they are individually attackable. We've streamlined and improved large parts of the campaign game such as recruitment, trade and diplomacy.

On the battle map (both land and sea), the increase in visual quality and the number of men on the battlefield is incredible. The new engine has allowed huge improvements in graphics, terrain & vegetation, destructible buildings, as well as more advanced unit behaviour and abilities -- and ships of course. We've had a programmer working for almost a year just on making the sea look fantastic (and move beautifully).

I only started playing Total War with Rome and Medieval 2...and that quote is something that might give this game a whole new strategical offense and defense planning...either that or it may break the game. So used to attacking just a single place to own a country/area. Now I have to attack and defend several places on a particular country/area. Hmm...

this game make me think back medieval total war2......haha..my mighy France empire with king louise.....I just figuer out you can bride the Pope with money eveytime u attk christian country and almost make pope boikot you then bride him with 5k money then ur chrisian level will back to max againz and other country all no dare to all you back....haha

dunno this ship war can bride ppl or not le......money buy rules

Massive preview of the game including the holy grail: battle screenshots.
The first one is of two sizeable armies engaging each other across a field with a low wall and scattered trees and bushes. It looks to be about 15 units a side with cav and horse drawn artillery complementing the suitably chunky looking infantry formations of 120-140 soldiers.
There's billowy smoke, of varying thickness, infront of many of the infantry units. The different levels of dissipation looks great. The whole thing has a painting like look to it and there seems to be a DoF effect in the distance which aids this. Everything seems well proportioned (no giant trees etc.) and there's none of the garishness in the colours that both RTW and M2 suffered from. There don't seem to be many casualties yet but the gaps in lines with a couple of fallen bodies look fantastic.
The blurb at the side of the picture says "With walls, buildings and hedges now providing proper cover, land battles become taxing tactical tests."

Info from text (some we already know but i'll list it anyway):
"Most of the World as our military, economic and political playgroud" (hint on size of campaign map?)
"New technology is rolled out automatically" (no need to retrain units after tech advances)
Examples of tech improvements: more efficient bayonets (plug bayonets will stop your soldier from firing and stabbing), better ammunition, more reliable muskets (so muskets will fail?)
You can reform your Gov to research more effectively. Will effect the "type of military material you can develop"
Three types of Gov.
Each faction has the potential to build between 10 and 20 types of ship.
if you get your research right you'll be able to field tech more advanced than that which historically appeared in the time frame eg.steam powered vessels
Suggestion that Infantry will be equipped with grenades
"There's still a lot of visceral melee going on. It gives the player a choice: whether to hang back and fire or charge in"
Set up inside buildings and behind walls.
Dragoons mount and remount
One member of team dedicated to making Generals "more cunning"
"You absolutely can still charge around turning the map your colour. What we've tried to do, though, is up the challenge and provide options"
Depending on which nation you choose you'll have very different starting objectives. (sounds a lot more like the glorious acheivements of MTW than the take x provinces in M2)
Regions contain towns and it sounds like they hold the special buildings.
Possible to sabotage docks and farms.
harder to hold onto a city than before. The example given is English (British surely) taking Paris.
Generals no longer drawn from family tree and are recruited (although their numbers are limited). Their retinues and traits will be limited and less confusing
No campaign mapscreenies until summer
they've tried to reduce the time spent on tax fiddling and army building.
"We've done a lot to diplomacy. It'll be clearer to understand how a faction feels about you, and why. The factions will seem more human. You'll understand their decisions"
Engage in diplomacy at any time. More useful alliances and complex treaties.
lot less characters on the map. No priests, diplomats or princesses.
"The new campaign map is freer with its information. You won't have to physically have a man on the spot to know whether France has invaded Spain, for example."
Aiming for 20 ships aside in seas battles but yet to be finalised.
Hint that Sean Bean will provide voice work.

WAR! I Love the sea!!!

I wonder if this will be on this month's malaysia's pc gamer magazine.

this game is officially out liao?

Units vary more than ever, and improvements are gradually discovered. Nor is there any need to keep sending units back to retrain, as new technology is rolled out automatically. More efficient bayonets, better ammunition and more reliable muskets can be researched if you focus your economy in the right areas. Neglect to do so, and your men will be using plug bayonets that prevent the soldier from firing and stabbing, while your enemy has moved on to higher tech.

Research is not just about economy, though, as James Russell explains. “There are all sorts of ways to improve your technology, but you have to play the game according to the strategy you choose - for example, you may have to reform your government to research more effectively.” There are three types of government you can establish across your empire (the names and details for each are yet to be finalised), and each has a broad impact on your economy and populace - but also on the type of military materiel you can develop. And with sea power so important to expanding your empire, you’d be mad not to improve your ability to fight at sea. Each faction has the potential to build between 10 and 20 types of ship. Depending on how you prioritise your research, you will also have the chance to field technology that didn’t actually appear until well into the 19th century, such as steam-powered vessels.

Ever been frustrated that you can’t get inside any of the buildings on a Total War battlefield? That’s changing. “The tactics in Empire reflect the changing nature of warfare,” says James. “Cover becomes far more important. It’s the ideal time for us to allow battlefield buildings to be occupied.” Once troops are inside, or ordered to set up behind a wall, you’ll have command of the territory you can cover with your arcs of fire. It’s not quite like Company of Heroes’ capture points, but you’ll quickly realise how important it is to seize these battlefield features. “Battles are full of charges, counter-charges and vicious melees for these tactical areas,” says James. “Buildings give an area of focus. We don’t want to create obscure tactics for players to learn; the game will reflect intuitive actions such as it obviously being better for your line infantry to stand behind a wall and shoot.”

Early details about Empire’s campaign map - coupled with the historical fact that countries didn’t often wipe out other countries and steal all their land in this era - led us to suspect we’d be playing a very different type of game. No more painting the map your faction’s colour, we’d thought. In fact, says James, the formula is not too different. “You’re still sending armies out and capturing territory. Depending on which nation you choose, however, you’ll have very different starting objectives. Some will start with a couple of simple home territories, others will have the beginnings of an empire, for example in North America. You absolutely can still charge around turning the map your colour. What we’ve tried to do, though, is up the challenge and provide options.”

Jamie Ferguson fills in the details. “We’ve taken all the structures that you’d previously built in a city out of that ‘container’ and made towns around the region. This means that a player can easily see, from the campaign map, what a region holds, and also attack or sabotage individual things - docks, farms, etc.” It’ll be more obvious how valuable a region is, and what the effects of attacking it will be. You won’t have to take out the region’s city to seriously hamper your enemy: you can cut off supply lines, trade, docks and industry without tackling the main city. “We still have capital cities, though, and sieges are still in the game, but depending on where you are it’ll be harder to hold onto a city than before.” So for example, the English could take Paris if they wanted, but the populace will be very hard to control. Attacking France’s infrastructure will be easier and be more effective strategically.

As for your overall objectives, it won’t be the previous Total War style of conquering a set number of territories before declaring victory. Creative Assembly wouldn’t be pressed on exactly what a given nation’s objectives might be, but think in terms of what those countries were aiming for at the time: successful colonies, trade routes and dominance in certain regions. “We don’t want players to try to recreate exactly what a particular nation did at the time,” says Jamie, “but your goals and opportunities will reflect what really happened.”

The 18th century saw a shift in power from monarchs and the aristocracy towards politicians and the people. So no more kings lording it over the battlefield, we thought, no more assassins and spies trailing after the men in big hats, no more princesses, priests and shady characters wandering the map. For once, we were actually close to the mark. Generals will no longer be drawn from a family tree: army commanders are professional and as a result are recruited; though there’ll be a limited number you can have at once. However, these men will be every bit as heroic and characterful as any previous suspiciously-chinned prince. Traits and retinues will be limited in number (eliminating the confusing lists of Medieval II) and thus clearer; names will be more varied. In fact, some characters will be historical; not only real generals and admirals to lead your forces, but also inventors and politicians to improve city life.

James Russell feels there’s a lot to address: “We’ve looked carefully at what the player spends their time doing. Too much time in the past was spent on managing tax rates and assembling armies, so we’ve streamlined that.” You will be able to construct armies and fleets around generals and admirals; the units you want will be built at the nearest possible place and move as quickly as they can to join up with their leader. As obsessive builders of ‘perfect’ armies ourselves, we can’t calculate the micromanagement time this will save us.

But what of your foes’ actions on the campaign map? With that in mind, there are two programmers dedicated to the campaign map’s AI. Whereas the diplomatic and military AI in previous Total War games were separate entities, leading to some curious international actions, they have now been unified, which should result in more realistic diplomatic relations: more useful alliances and complex treaties. Diplomacy can now be entered into at any time, as opposed to having to send a diplomat to find a foreigner and click on it. James Russell again: “We’ve done a lot with diplomacy. It’ll be clearer to understand how a faction feels about you, and why. The factions will seem much more human; you’ll understand their decisions.”

The array of personalities we’re used to seeing standing around the map has also been reduced: no diplomats, and priests and princesses have probably got the chop too. Instead of spies and assassins, we now have the rake, a presumably caddish bounder who’ll ingratiate himself into your enemies’ corridors of power. His abilities have yet to be confirmed, but we’re guessing that it’ll be something more deadly than guzzling all the Prussians’ sherry and seducing a duchess. Spies have not definitely been cut, but the new campaign map is freer with its information: you won’t have to physically have a man on the spot to know whether France has invaded Spain, for example.

Jamie Ferguson chips in: “There are visual and audio clues to help the player use the wind. It’s a simple concept and is easier than you might think to use the ships in battle.” Still, though, it’s completely new territory for Creative Assembly, whose previous games have been strictly landlubbers. “It’s been a lot of work. One guy spent a whole year working on the water. When you see raindrops hitting the sea, cannonballs skipping over the water... and of course waves get bigger, ships roll. In the Caribbean the sea is a beautiful blue, while the North Sea is grey.” There’s also a global weather system and climate types, so the weather conditions and position of the sun all dictate what you’ll see in a sea battle.

With Empire’s release scheduled for November, meaning there’s less than six months left for CA to realise their ambitious dream, it’s a slight concern that the campaign map is still under wraps. Adding the third major element - sea battles - to the two existing aspects of Total War has thrown up many new challenges, but this experienced team is well equipped to cope. Confidence is high that Empire will be CA’s crowning glory.