EMPIRE TOTAL WAR Empire: Total War is about exploration and conquest, founding colonies and fighting wars away from home, and is a strategy game spanning the 18th and 19th centuries, in which you direct your nation to dominate Europe, North Africa, America, India and South East Asia.[1] The player will use both complex strategies on the campaign map and fierce commands on the battlefield�both on land and sea. The game will feature gameplay correlating with that of the previous games in the Total War series, but with major additions to the campaign map and battlefield.More than fifty factions will be included in the game, ten of which are expected to be playable.
It is also confirmed that changes in government may occur during the campaign as the rise of democracy becomes and issue in this time period. One instance is the United States of America may only come into existence if the rulers of that area are unable to maintain social order. The French Revolution is another example that may occur if the people of France are no longer satisfied with their sovereign.
Features
Empire: Total War will feature 3D naval battles, a feature new to the series, as well as large land battles with muskets, cavalry and artillery. Buildings and structures can be garrisoned, as well as the being destructible, and there is a plethora of new formations and strategies to be mastered. The naval battles feature destructible sails, realistic cannon fire, grapeshots and boarding action.
The battles on land have been given a makeover too:
* The firing of cannons, and arrows and muskets is made more realistic. * Music makes its way into the battlefield in the form of bagpipes, drums, fifes and trumpets. * Weapons may jam and misfire, and cannons can explode. * Generals shout orders at their troops as the regiment goes into combat or fires at enemies. * The battlefield becomes strewn with dead, dying and dismembered bodies. The game makes use of ragdoll physics to add to the chaos.
A full list of confirmed features can be found in the frequently updated TotalWar.org forum summary thread.
Campaign map
The previous title's diplomacy and military AI have been given major changes and have been completely refined. There are also new systems in place to draw armies out of cities, by the inclusion of barracks and mills outside the city walls to defend. The new animated campaign map features a huge cast of characters, and shows every single building and upgrade, rather than just the cities and castles of previous games. The auto-management system is improved along with the advice system, and the game itself will feature better tutorials that makes the game easier to learn. There will also be an added focus on managing unrest in the player's empire, and the degree to which the player expands or denies political freedom to the population.
Yea, what's with all the fuss. I used to play total war, a lot but then kind of sick of it right now. Their factions are always focus on european-based factions.
Naw...they haven't made something like this yet. The rules are going to be very different from traditional Total War. The emphasis is now on gunpowder age technology with less emphasis on close combat. Cavalry attacks are also more specialized.
any chance they'll think about allowing players to control individual units and fight on the battlefield? should be pretty cool..
Nope... maybe forship battles but not for land units. TW has always been about massive scale battles and having to micro-manage individual units would be totally against the rules that make up Total War.
urgh i can barely run Medieval II. This one for sure cannot..
This period i'm not too keen. i'd like to see Dynasty: Total War. Then take my warriors to conquer up until the Malay Archipelago where the natives have bloodrage ability whilst brandishing their kris. Fuiyo!
Later we might have China's Premier complaint about Chinese forces being getting their asses handed to them like that stupid African woman who sued because RE5, was it? that had black zombies in it when all the while all the zombies were whites and no white people made complaints.
Anyway, it's EMPIRE: Total War. I don't see any significant developments outside of Europe during this period.
Later we might have China's Premier complaint about Chinese forces being getting their asses handed to them like that stupid African woman who sued because RE5, was it? that had black zombies in it when all the while all the zombies were whites and no white people made complaints.
Anyway, it's EMPIRE: Total War. I don't see any significant developments outside of Europe during this period.
How come no Chinese Empire, no Indian Empire nor the great Mongol Empire. I demand these empire always white empires.
Given the time span, the China dynasty didn't interested in adding more lands through power. India at that time wasn't India of now. It was separated kingdoms with different religions until British came and united them. On the other hand, even middle eastern empires weren't that aggressive to conquer more lands even though they'd encountered the far easteren kingdoms earlier than those europeans.
Given the time span, the China dynasty didn't interested in adding more lands through power. India at that time wasn't India of now. It was separated kingdoms with different religions until British came and united them. On the other hand, even middle eastern empires weren't that aggressive to conquer more lands even though they'd encountered the far easteren kingdoms earlier than those europeans.
Yeah thats true also but some how there were still disputes and great influence of power using military might, and there are lots of politics and trade goin on especially during the silk route era. Thus there are those parts that can be used, and Total War has alot of management of the cities and allying, so I guess that comes into play.
Well, what can you understand from the phrase 'Total War'? Means, full scale of wars and battles. Cities management, allies, and more importantly about real world are not really their main dish. Simply a game about war.
On the other hand, even if they included other races, this would make the game bigger in term of hard disk spaces. Plus, they only want to cope with European and American markets (developers).
Do you know that Koei made games like Sengoku Musou for PS2 whatsoever which simply about Chinese Romance of Three kingdoms and Japanese Warring States? The games sold pretty well in Asia. Right now, Koei already released a similar game about Frenchh and British 100 years war (Bladestorm). Guess what? Because the game has included France and Britain inside, the game sold pretty well in the West and also in Asia because people already know about the game. It is just about market needs.
but thing is, from the looks of the previews, the game is during the push of europeans all over the whole as they search for money, spices, and to spread their religion
tat time, time, china's navy mana ada power, india lagi mana ada navy?i dun recall any history saying indian navy power at all even before the rise of the european even middle east countries are more to land power, like genghis, or those islamic empire which managed to conquer spain.
but thing is, from the looks of the previews, the game is during the push of europeans all over the whole as they search for money, spices, and to spread their religion
tat time, time, china's navy mana ada power, india lagi mana ada navy?i dun recall any history saying indian navy power at all even before the rise of the european even middle east countries are more to land power, like genghis, or those islamic empire which managed to conquer spain.
While that history may be so...Total War games may not necessarily be based on historical fact...for instance the expansion pack for Shogun Total War which is based on what might have happened if the Mongols reached Japan...it never happened...Did romans really use Flaming pigs???Or did the Aztecs actually have hornet throwers?
What im trying to say is that its not 100% historical accuracy...they do bend history a little to make a fun game...as for an Asian based game i dont see why its so much of a problem...AOE3 did that with Asian Dynasties...On the thing about Koei games its just a fact that those type of games are not really popular in Europe or the states...period...Doing hundred years war might have made it easy for some people to decide buying that game...but it didnt translate into it being a success did it? That game is just not very good...Europens like complex games thats why total war and that Anno series does so well
Given the time span, the China dynasty didn't interested in adding more lands through power. India at that time wasn't India of now. It was separated kingdoms with different religions until British came and united them. On the other hand, even middle eastern empires weren't that aggressive to conquer more lands even though they'd encountered the far easteren kingdoms earlier than those europeans.
QUOTE(fujkenasai @ Dec 4 2007, 09:33 PM)
Yeah thats true also but some how there were still disputes and great influence of power using military might, and there are lots of politics and trade goin on especially during the silk route era. Thus there are those parts that can be used, and Total War has alot of management of the cities and allying, so I guess that comes into play.
QUOTE(Dark Steno @ Dec 4 2007, 10:24 PM)
Well, what can you understand from the phrase 'Total War'? Means, full scale of wars and battles. Cities management, allies, and more importantly about real world are not really their main dish. Simply a game about war.
On the other hand, even if they included other races, this would make the game bigger in term of hard disk spaces. Plus, they only want to cope with European and American markets (developers).
Do you know that Koei made games like Sengoku Musou for PS2 whatsoever which simply about Chinese Romance of Three kingdoms and Japanese Warring States? The games sold pretty well in Asia. Right now, Koei already released a similar game about Frenchh and British 100 years war (Bladestorm). Guess what? Because the game has included France and Britain inside, the game sold pretty well in the West and also in Asia because people already know about the game. It is just about market needs.
Like I said in the earlier page... this latest version concerns the rise of Europe and the conflicts ranging from Trafalgar to the rise of Napoleon etc etc. There were NO SIGNIFICANT developments OUTSIDE of Europe at this period of time EXCLUDING the American War of Independence.
Like I said in the earlier page... this latest version concerns the rise of Europe and the conflicts ranging from Trafalgar to the rise of Napoleon etc etc. There were NO SIGNIFICANT developments OUTSIDE of Europe at this period of time EXCLUDING the American War of Independence.
I know and I like to tease fuji because he likes to complaint the same thing before (as in why China/etc. didn't included in the game?).
Joined: Jan 2003
From: Bladin Point, Northern Territory
Damn i want.
The only thing i'm worried about is the interface when it comes to commanding gun powder units as their commands and strategies were very demanding for that age.
Here's a small treat..Some pre-alpha screenshots...
AS you can see there is a shot with the user interface in it...its a prototype user interface so its not final...you can see a 800X600 link to the screen in the first post of this thread(if you want to look at the UI closer)...Its very different from previous Total Wars and has more options...well...commanding a naval fleet is a complex task...
The skies look as great as always ...these CA guys always very good at getting the look of the sky in their games...
This post has been edited by frags: Dec 8 2007, 02:26 AM
Here's a small treat..Some pre-alpha screenshots...
» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
AS you can see there is a shot with the user interface in it...its a prototype user interface so its not final...you can see a 800X600 link to the screen in the first post of this thread(if you want to look at the UI closer)...Its very different from previous Total Wars and has more options...well...commanding a naval fleet is a complex task...
The skies look as great as always ...these CA guys always very good at getting the look of the sky in their games...
Hmm this reminds me of Pirates of Carabean, I wanna see Captain Jack Sparrow and that octopus guy
I hope the expansion is about pirates and pirate kingdoms(ahem Japan) during the ming dynasty.
Anyway, China was very strong during imperial age. However towards the end they were weaken by 8 other countries during the opium war.
Opium critically wounded China which then leads to massive corruption.
If were not for that, China would be first world country and also a super power.
Anyway, in the modern days China is a power to reckon with and they are on their way to become a super power. With its cheap labour and they high value professionals (For eg. accountants)
Malaysia 3 years experience get RM3600-RM3800 per month
In China, for similar experience you'll get RM18,000 per month
Added to the main page new Faq 3...hot off the press! Merry Chritmas people!
Empire: Total War FAQ 3
Hi guys,
Just in time for Christmas, we are pleased to bring your our third Empire: Total War Q&A, featuring more of your questions from the official forums. This month we are taking the fight to the seas with an indepth look at Naval warfare.
Q: Will naval battles be fun and easy to command? A: Where possible we have tried to use intuitive and easy to grasp controls. There are a fair number of elements of control and game play that are shared with the land battles in Empire. Most people who have played Total War or another RTS game will select units, give basic orders and be able to move the camera around without a tutorial. We have also been working extremely hard at making naval battles fun to play from the first minute, while leaving room for depth in the gameplay. The variety of ships available just adds to that depth and enjoyment. The user HUD is going in the right direction, but is still undergoing refinement and development. It's a good sign that the fans over at the Total War Center were able to work out the functionality of a lot of the prototype interface in one of the screenshots, and all with a little guesswork and no help from tooltips.
Q: What's the maximum number of ships we'll be able to command in battle? A: The number of ships that will be commanded by the player is still subject to development. There are gameplay issues being resolved. It's very likely that it will not be more than 20 per player. More than that could make battles too tricky to control, certainly for most "normal" people (or "us", to use the shorthand term). Experts will, of course, scoff at our uselessness, but then we only have the standard number of fingers having not stitched on extra ones to give us an advantage in WOW. What has to be remembered is that most ships have two broadsides to fire, as well as boarding actions to fight. When you mix in the effects of wind, waves, shot type selection, timing of broadsides, hull and sail damage, and the crew being killed... Well, the experience is already epic and engaging. With too many ships to control, battles could be overwhelming rather than fun.
Q: Will ships gain experience and associated bonuses and, if so will, they be gained by ships sunk or men killed? A: Ships crews will gain battle experience and this will have gameplay effects. We'll talk more about this another time.
Q: How are the Physics of naval combat going to work - are there going to be factors to do with the wind/weather? A: That's cheeky, more than one question in a question? It's a taste of the cat, for you! Not easy to answer in a short Q and A either. Where do I start? In this game we are looking at trying to create the best and most realistic environment and sea battles you will have ever seen, running in real time, in a game. Golly. Ships have buoyancy models that effect their motion through and across the waves. Get a big hole in your hull and you will sink. All ships have location modelling of hull damage too. The wind itself is modelled using simplified physics acting upon the ships, the ships sails and the sea. Rain, fog and snow are also weather that will be present in battles. The projectiles fired from cannon each have their path and velocity tracked individually and so will cause varying amounts of damage to anything (sails, masts, rigging, hull, decks and men) that block that path. Obviously a big first-rate ship of the line is going to be able to take a pounding; a sloop, on the other hand, is going to have to rely on keeping out of the way of the big guns. As part of creating a realistic sea battle, the sea will be using statistically accurate waveforms found in seas in the real world. These waveforms are animated using a Fast Fourier Transform. The sea surface itself is rendered using the Fresnel equation to blend between reflection and refraction. This sea acts upon the ships that sail on them, causing them to roll and pitch. This roll and pitch then effects the accuracy of the gunnery. Have we baffled you with technical terms yet? Good. Hope that answers your question.
Q: Will ramming be a last ditch tactic that can be employed in naval battles? A: You can certainly attempt to ram but, as you probably know, ships of this period were not really designed for ramming. The damage that you might do to your ship definitely makes this an act of despair! Ships of the line are not lightweights, and a few thousand tons of wood, steel and men colliding will cause havoc! Having said all that, a sloop should do everything it can to avoid getting in the way of a first-rate: failure is not pretty for the sloop.
Q: Will merchant ships be part of your fleet, so that the warships need to guard the merchant ships in a battle? A: There are two types of merchant activity in Empire: trade routes and trade fleets. These can be guarded by your navies. There is a boatload to say about this so I think we are going to leave that for another time.
Q: Will you be able to see men jumping off the ship when it is sinking? A: Yes. Some will be holding on for dear life as the ship slips beneath the waves and visits Davy Jones' Locker. As most sailors of the 18th Century weren't good swimmers, this is a very sad sight to see. The designers are still angling for ambient sharks (but without frickin' laser beams on their heads).
Q: Will we be able to use captured ships in our own naval and merchant fleets? A: Yes. There is a whole chapter that can be written about this but that's for another time
Q: Will the ships be very expensive or take some time to build, so that recovering ships or taking ships has a real effect? A: Yes. Building ships is a large investment of time and money. The bigger they are, the more they cost and the longer they take to build. For example; HMS Victory took 6 years from the laying of her keel, in 1759, to her completion in 1765. They are also a drain on your resources once constructed. Achieving a balanced but effective naval force will be one of the challenges of the game.
Q: Will my faction's navy be able to take on repairs at neutral or allied ports? A: No. There are a number of issues involved in allowing the player's warships to enter friendly/neutral ports that don't really add anything good to gameplay. One of the challenges in Empire will be to maintain a fleet at sea and have sufficient ports around the world to carry out repairs and replacement of lost crew and ships. If you want to do well, you're going to have to emulate the Royal Navy!
Q: Will Pirates/Privateers play any roles in the game? Can we hire them to harass ports of call or go after enemy nations merchant ships to disrupt their trade? A: Yes. They will raid your trade routes and on occasion attack ports that are poorly defended. If they think they can outgun an isolated naval vessel they will give it a go too. The player can raid the trade routes of enemy factions and also blockade enemy ports with their naval vessels during wartime.
Q: How will we get to India? Will you incorporate a 'warping' system where you warp around the map or do we sail around the Cape of Good Hope? A: We have a cunning plan but we can't give too much away just yet. Keep an eye out as we reveal more in the fullness of time. You will like it.
On behalf of the entire Total War team we'd like to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Welcome to our fourth Empire: Total War FAQ. This month we are once again setting sail on the high seas to answer more of your Navel warfare questions.
Q: Is there a deployment stage for naval battles and if so, what exactly can be set during this phase? A: Yes, there is a deployment phase but what can be done during the phase is still in development. We do know about the formations and tactics of the period and their benefits and drawbacks. It's just a question of which ones actually make most sense in a gameplay environment. As we develop the game the best formations will be added to the mix. Like everything "in development", what we have right now and what we'll have on release may change.
Q: Can naval battle formations be set during battle? A: They can, but it's not always that useful. In the 18th Century, once a battle commenced, changing formations and tactics was very unlikely unless you had a lot of time and sea-room. Communication was only possible by signal flag and by sending boats. In the swirling smoke of battle both of these became impractical methods of communication. It's a bit like forming up a "Big Wing" (for those of you familiar with WW2 air tactics) for a dogfight when the battle has already started. Changing formations can leave your ships vulnerable to attack while you try to sort yourself out. There's nothing stopping you doing it, but you'll need to be aware that it can all go horribly wrong - just like the real thing, in fact.
Q: Will naval battles incorporate a morale system and if so, how will this work? A: Yes naval battles will have a naval battles morale system. It will be different in a number of ways to the land battles. We will provide more detail nearer release.
Q: How dynamic will the weather conditions be during a battle. Will wind speed and direction change regularly? A: Wind speed and direction will change but not dramatically. You won't suddenly find yourself in the middle of a storm, for example. You are more likely to get changing conditions from battle to battle in the same area.
Q: Will varying weather conditions affect range and accuracy? A: Yes. The intensity of the weather will determine how much effect. We won't allow battles in full-on storms as it just wasn't wise or often even viable to open the gun ports in conditions above sea state 5 on the Beaufort Scale (to be a trifle anachronistic for a moment). That's waves up to around six feet high. Fighting in a sea rougher than that risks swamping when opening the gun ports. Q: Will the damage model include critical hits? A: Yes. A ship struck in a particular location, will show those effects at the point of impact. So if you somehow mange to hit or set fire to the ships gunpowder stores the results will be spectacular to say the least.
Q: How will ship damage in your fleet be displayed in the user interface? A: Through our very handy, clear and useful UI, damage will be indicated in a number of ways: per side of the ship's hull, to the sails and to the guns. Even if you don't bother with the UI and just look at the ship itself you will have a reasonable idea of how much trouble it is in.
Q: How will range be incorporated into the naval battles and how will it be communicated to the player? A: Range will be indicated using feedback from positioning the cursor over valid targets
Q: Will naval battles include a waypoint system to allow the player to set a series of movement orders? A: Yes. The player can set waypoints that will be clearly visible. Q: What range of camera controls and views are you looking to include in naval battles? A: This is an element that is still in development. Lots of people have different ideas about what they want. What we are doing at the moment is looking at how many of these are useful and practical.
Q: How much control will the player have over the speed at which naval battles are played out? A: At present it is planned to allow the player to speed up and slow down time in battles as well as pause the game. Q: Will reinforcements be included in naval battles as they are on land? A: Yes. Although that may not be what you think it is, as we have changed the campaign map and the methods of reinforcement from Rome and Medieval 2.
Q: Can any military ship be used for troop transportation or are there specific transport ships for this purpose? A: Troop transportation will involve commandeering transport ships as needed, filling them with troops and shipping them with a protecting naval convoy. Transports can't defend themselves, so you'll probably want to send a defending naval vessel with them.
Q: Can crew be trained to be more efficient and effective via campaign game upgrades? A: Yes there are items and systems on the campaign map that will effect the quality of your ships and crew.
Q: Will there be night battles for naval combat and if so, is this an option presented to player at engagement in the campaign game? A: Yes. They will normally be more like dusk and dawn battles than true night-time warfare. Finding a ship in the dark at sea isn't easy unless there is enough moonlight and a clear sky. Even then, it's hard.
Q: How will naval officers be rated and affect crew and ship performance? A: There will be Admirals, Commodores and Captains. Commodores and Captains have a set of fixed effects and Admirals are of variable quality. Admirals, like generals, will have their own set of character traits and ancillaries that can add to their skills. Q: Can crew from sinking ships be rescued? A: No. The poor souls drown horribly and the sharks feed with gusto! Q: How are lost crew numbers replenished post-battle? A: Two ways. Either by pressing captured crew from ships captured in battle or by heading back to friendly ports for more men.
Next time we will be dropping anchor to discuss a different area of Empire: Total War, so keep your questions coming on our official forums!
Take care,
Mark O'Connell
This post has been edited by frags: Jan 26 2008, 02:08 PM
You mean playable faction? Take a look at the first post of this thread. But be aware the list is not final or 100%....since its from what we know from pre alpha..
The words of James Whitston, designer on Empire Total War at The Creative Assembly.
My name is James Whitston and I'm a designer at the Creative Assembly's UK office where we're currently working on Empire: Total War, the latest in the epic series of Total War games. Most of my work is focussed on the part of the game closest to my heart: battles and the units that fight them.
The historical setting for Empire is the 18th Century Age of Enlightenment, a time of new ideas and widespread change in many spheres, and the game reflects this in more ways than one. As well as the changes brought to our land battles by the increasing adoption of gunpowder weapons and military drills, players will also be blown away by the smoke and thunder of Empire's all-new naval battles.
Previous Total War games have always boasted a broad array of units, each lovingly crafted and with its own strengths and weaknesses. Every unit is in turn part of a wider roster unique to each faction, providing flavour and reflecting the different historical styles of waging total war. This is something which we've taken the greatest pains to carry over to the naval side of things.
Step one was to get a feel for the ships of the period and their general capabilities. Even at this early stage, the engine was a complex beast and we were able to simulate the whole range of handling characteristics from the fast and nimble little sloop, able to out-sail almost anything into a wind, to the ponderous first rate line of battle ship, a mobile artillery battery which is happiest with the wind blowing on its rear quarter.
Next came the flavour element: what differentiated French ships from British ones? What differences were there between Spanish vessels and those of the Ottomans with whom they shared the Mediterranean, and so on. As fans would expect, we spent a lot of time on research and this was a far wider-ranging process than simply looking at the ships themselves.
We examined naval engagements from various points in our period, looking at the tactics used and the wider factors behind those tactics. This began to reveal general trends in the shipbuilding policies of different nations. For example, Britain's strategy was to project its power at sea through weight of numbers, so it tended to build strong ships which could remain at sea for long periods without falling to bits and which were able to fight their corner in a battle. Using such information as a guide, we created factional variants of the ships we already had, and even added several whole new types where they were needed. Currently there are almost 50 ships up and running, with many more in the pipeline.
Whilst all of this goes on, new features are steadily being added to the battles. Total War's land battle engine is a mature thing which has evolved and improved steadily across several releases. In short, we know how to do amazing land battles. The naval side of things is totally new though and we don't just want it to be 'ok': it has to be great fun to play, accessible and totally absorbing, every bit the equal of our land battles and campaigns. We've got a lot of great ideas, and there's an element of trial and error as we feel our way forwards, but it's already amazing. Each new mechanism we add presents the player with more options for dealing with different situations, or even many ways of dealing with the same one, and mastering these choices is turning out to be as much fun as we thought it would.
This week the code governing dismasting and sail damage went in. Until now, fleets tended to have fairly straightforward fights, exchanging broadsides of round shot in an attempt to sink each other. Now I can order my fleet to load chain shot designed to cripple the enemy's masts, sails and rigging. Once they're helpless I can come in close to hammer the crew with grapeshot from a safe angle. Or I can position my ship across their bows from where I can fire murderous broadsides of round shot through the timbers and along the length of the gundeck within, turning it into a slaughterhouse. The amount of evil cackling which can be heard around the office at the moment seems to confirm that people enjoy this sort of thing!
So, what does it look like then? Simply jaw-dropping. The artists, coders and animators here at Creative Assembly are the best there is at what they do, but they've somehow gone way, way beyond anything even they've achieved before. Cannons, fire, smoke, flying splinters, wreckage, magazine explosions; you name it, it's there and it looks incredible. Sometimes it's a struggle to stop staring like a halfwit and do something about the enemy ships bearing down on you through the mist.
All of these ingredients are coming together nicely now. The naval battles are really shaping up as an awesome new facet to Total War's traditional line-up of epic campaigns and land battles. That's all from me for this diary. Next time round I'll go through some of the units you'll have at your disposal in Empire: Total War, on both land and sea.
* Take command on the high seas. New real-time 3D naval warfare takes Total War's unparalleled battle action to the high seas, with players commanding single ships or vast fleets. * Become a founding father. Control the fate of the United States of America, from its revolution against the British to overcoming the challenges of a young independent nation. * Brand new multiplayer component includes player rankings, leagues and ladders, and completely new gameplay modes. * All new graphics engine and technology features staggering real-time seascapes, new advanced landscape and flora systems, and dynamic weather.
Shipping date NOVEMBER 2008!!!!!!
This post has been edited by frags: Mar 23 2008, 01:14 PM
These are all in game shots!! Looks better than the first screenshots we saw!!definetely see an improvement! The detail is amazing on the ships even the damage model...I have a feeling we will get more info this week...
This post has been edited by frags: Mar 30 2008, 01:16 AM
As for ETW updates....Im afraid there is none. There has been some delay in news coming out....speculation has it that it seems they are building a website for it and waiting for it to complete so they can post info there....
There has been a lot of progress made and it seems that the sea and land battle are generally solid and they are currently working on single player campaign. It seems set that the game will ship with 10 playable factions which somehow include the US colony.
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.
QUOTE
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).
QUOTE
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.
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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).
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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...
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...
YEah...there are some really interesting changes. They are positive changes for the better. The idea of building outside settlements is not that we have to attack more building to control a city(you should be able to control a city by taking its central position). It is so that we are given the option to take specific buildings so the enemies economy/supply is hurt.
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
This post has been edited by RegentCid: Apr 29 2008, 12:30 AM
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
How do you bride a Pope? Marrying him? It's "bribe" la wei.
I was mistaken...The information glut is not because they are building a website. There is a ETW magazine exclusive soon and they cant release any info before that exclusive. They are not telling which magazine will feature it. or magazines..
This post has been edited by frags: May 4 2008, 12:52 AM
Okay so i found out that PC Gamer UK has a huge ETW preview blowout coming out in their next issue...its out May 8th in the UK....no freaking idea when it will translate to our region. But i will post when we get more info...ermmm these kinda stuff always tends find some way unto the internet...hehe
Initial report from subscribers say that there are 13 new screenshots and the battles looks really good and each unit actually has more men than ever before. There are some nice smoke effects in the screenshots too...Anyway more info soon i guess.
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.
This post has been edited by frags: May 4 2008, 01:25 AM
Finally it is out! The first land battle screenshot is on the internet! They look really nice! Trees look more realistic, soft shadows, smoke particles and nice detailed uniforms.
I wonder if this will be on this month's malaysia's pc gamer magazine.
I think it would be out in next months mag. BTW the article is out on the web on games radar. No real reason to get the mag...unless you want to read about the other games too.
PC Gamer UK E:TW preview (courtesy of GamesRadar) Ross Atherton, PC Gamer UK
Summary
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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.
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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, youd 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 didnt actually appear until well into the 19th century, such as steam-powered vessels.
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Ever been frustrated that you cant get inside any of the buildings on a Total War battlefield? Thats changing. The tactics in Empire reflect the changing nature of warfare, says James. Cover becomes far more important. Its the ideal time for us to allow battlefield buildings to be occupied. Once troops are inside, or ordered to set up behind a wall, youll have command of the territory you can cover with your arcs of fire. Its not quite like Company of Heroes capture points, but youll 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 dont 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.
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Early details about Empires campaign map - coupled with the historical fact that countries didnt often wipe out other countries and steal all their land in this era - led us to suspect wed be playing a very different type of game. No more painting the map your factions colour, wed thought. In fact, says James, the formula is not too different. Youre still sending armies out and capturing territory. Depending on which nation you choose, however, youll 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 weve tried to do, though, is up the challenge and provide options.
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Jamie Ferguson fills in the details. Weve taken all the structures that youd 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. Itll be more obvious how valuable a region is, and what the effects of attacking it will be. You wont have to take out the regions 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 itll 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 Frances infrastructure will be easier and be more effective strategically.
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As for your overall objectives, it wont be the previous Total War style of conquering a set number of territories before declaring victory. Creative Assembly wouldnt be pressed on exactly what a given nations 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 dont 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.
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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 therell 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.
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James Russell feels theres a lot to address: Weve 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 weve 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 cant calculate the micromanagement time this will save us.
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But what of your foes actions on the campaign map? With that in mind, there are two programmers dedicated to the campaign maps 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: Weve done a lot with diplomacy. Itll be clearer to understand how a faction feels about you, and why. The factions will seem much more human; youll understand their decisions.
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The array of personalities were 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 wholl ingratiate himself into your enemies corridors of power. His abilities have yet to be confirmed, but were guessing that itll 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 wont have to physically have a man on the spot to know whether France has invaded Spain, for example.
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Jamie Ferguson chips in: There are visual and audio clues to help the player use the wind. Its a simple concept and is easier than you might think to use the ships in battle. Still, though, its completely new territory for Creative Assembly, whose previous games have been strictly landlubbers. Its 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. Theres also a global weather system and climate types, so the weather conditions and position of the sun all dictate what youll see in a sea battle.
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With Empires release scheduled for November, meaning theres less than six months left for CA to realise their ambitious dream, its 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 CAs crowning glory.
This post has been edited by frags: May 11 2008, 03:16 PM
Infantry classes and tactics should be interesting. Muskets are notoriously inaccurate at ranges more than 60-100yards so expect a mass of infantry fire followed by a bayonet charge. British redcoats were taught to fire in mass concentration and could reload at fast speeds while Americans were the pioneers of guerilla warfare and of course, sniping during the War of Independence.
We should be able to get a good look and feel at the distinct infantry tactics and strategems of the various nations.
Infantry classes and tactics should be interesting. Muskets are notoriously inaccurate at ranges more than 60-100yards so expect a mass of infantry fire followed by a bayonet charge. British redcoats were taught to fire in mass concentration and could reload at fast speeds while Americans were the pioneers of guerilla warfare and of course, sniping during the War of Independence.
We should be able to get a good look and feel at the distinct infantry tactics and strategems of the various nations.
this game reminds me
american conquest and cossack and cossack 2
you need a lot of sacrifice to win .......
and also dragoons/horseman are musket worst nightmare....
Nothing really new about the game...but interesting side read.
Edit : There is a short glimpse of a map in the video. An idea of the scope of the campaign map...seems to confirm estimations...half of south america cut off...and slightly extends past india without including SEA.
This post has been edited by frags: Jun 6 2008, 10:03 PM
There is a report saying that SEGA projects a 2009 1st quarter release for ETW. That would means its been delayed. This hasn't been confirmed by anyone from CA yet. But i'll see if i can dig up more info about this.
Its been confirmed with multiple sites reporting that SEGA has pushed release for ETW to Q1 2009 ...But i suppose they need time to finish it...and its better if they weren't pressured into a premature release.
Confirmed by CA now...ETW will be released Q1 2009...so for those hoping for this year...sorry better that they have time to complete the game than to rush it.
This post has been edited by frags: Jun 9 2008, 10:00 PM
Its been confirmed with multiple sites reporting that SEGA has pushed release for ETW to Q1 2009 ...But i suppose they need time to finish it...and its better if they weren't pressured into a premature release.
Aww damn, was looking forward to something this year.... Ahh guess SC2 and ETW have to be next year.
Hi, I’m Jack Lusted a Games Tester at the Creative Assembly UK and this blog will detail my part in the Battle AI development process and how the AI testing works. This blog compliments an upcoming video development diary on the Battle AI.
First a bit of background on myself. Now I’m sure many of you from the community will know me (so you can just skip the next bit), but for those who don’t I used to be an admin of Total War Center, one of the biggest Total War fan sites. I’ve been playing the series since Medieval: Total War was released back in 2002. I’ve been working here at the Creative Assembly UK since June last year as a Tester and secondee to the Empire design team.
As a tester, I have a wide range of tools available to me with which I can see exactly what the AI is doing and thinking. This makes it easy to spot problems with the AI, and helps Richard Bull (Battle AI programmer) more quickly fix any problems that are found.
There are a variety of battles that we have set up that we use to test the AI on. Most battles will consist of me trying a variety of tactics against the AI to see how it reacts, and noting what it does and doesn’t do well. Other times we will run the game so the AI controls both sides and fights itself, to see how well it does in that situation. That is also one of the most useful ways of exposing flaws in the AI. As the project goes on, the AI will be tested under a wider variety of situations to make sure it plays well in all battles.
During each battle, we can play with all the AI debug information being shown. This lets us see exactly what each AI unit is doing and what tactics it’s engaging. This allows us to get a very clear picture of the AI’s overall strategy and so makes it easy to see where it could be improved and where it isn’t quite behaving right.
Every fortnight myself, Richard and one of the Designers will meet up and discuss the progress of the AI. We’ll talk about the issues with it, new things that have been added in and other progress that has been made since the last meeting. We’ll also make suggestions for improvements by discussing how the AI should react in certain situations and how it should play. For instance some new code has recently gone in based on an idea to try and improve the organization of the AI during the later stages of battle. After each meeting we’ll generally have a few specific areas of the AI that we’ve been asked to test before the next meeting.
The close link between myself as a tester and the battle AI programmer is new for Empire and this process of regular meetings and constant testing helps ensure that the battle AI is always moving forwards. The process will carry on right up until release, and things are looking very promising already.
Also for Empire, I’ve written a series of design documents on how the AI should deal with certain situations and general things it should do based on how myself and others play the game. These documents are constantly updated as more is added to them, new tactics are included and situations arise which have AI design implications. This ensures that there are always up to date documents detailing how the AI should play both generally in battles, and more specifically for certain situations. This helps give clear goals for how the AI should progress, and means we are aiming towards an AI that plays a lot more like a human and so should provide more of a challenge to both our experienced players and those new to the series.
If you’ve got any questions on this blog, please do send them in.
Jack.
A new screenshot to whet your appetite(it is an ingame screenie):
This post has been edited by frags: Jul 11 2008, 03:16 AM
Breaking news...A trailer for Empire Total war...its CGI no gameplay...but something at the end...the game has been dated...
6th February 2009!!!!!!
EDIT : The trailer has been removed. It is leaked and the website has since removed it. It should be up on Saturday(Malaysian time).
Added on July 11, 2008, 1:54 pmEmpire: Total War Podcast on totalwar.com,
2 podcast so far, one about writing and another on morale...very interesting podcast...I might update this post once i've digested the contents of the podcast
- Taken the Rome morale system and added and removed certain elements. Stripped it back a little bit even.
- Thie is needed because battles in Empire is very different as it involves range combat. Positional factors are more important. There must be a difference between being under fire by artilerry and small arms.
- Major change is naval battles and it needs its own morale mechanics. The main fundamentals of the morale system is transitional between the land and naval battles. But with major differences.
- Ships surrender as opposed to land units. You dont just have routing as a morale failure. Which is a major change and is worse than routing since the enemy captures your ship. Ships are very expensive.
- One of the things in previous total wars is that you can have units route, but you wouldn't know if it was possible for them to regroup. No distinction between those that are at full flught and those that can be rallied. In ETW we've added a new morale state 'shattered' which basically means your unit is at full flight and has no hope of regrouping. Units that a broken can be rallied and regrouped. Ships that reach the 'shattered' state will surrender.
-A new concept called stress. A unit that is stressed will have lower accuracy and take longer to reload and even misfir etc. Stress is linked to morale and fatigue. Low morale troops or exhausted troops will perform worse.
- The experience of units will affect the morale of that unit.
- Morale in naval battle is a bit more tricky as it involves even larger distances. Effects like flanking and how close the enemy is to the admiral, being shot at the rear will effect the morale of the enemy. A ship fires its cannons from its side which requires it to turn to its side. The morale system will need to recognise this difference from being flanked and this shouldnt be registered as a flanking attempt.
- The death of a general/admiral will have an immediate effect of shock. This effect subsides with time. As the units have overcame the innitial shock.
I have been a loyal fan of Total War series for years since the release of Total War Medieval in year 2002. I was hooked with the game once i started play it and it was also the first Ori. game that i bought. I used to play alot of their online battle and participate in many of the tourneys with my clan mates but i have stopped that for almost a year now. Why? becoz the game is still buggy (you will know it if you are a serious Total War's fan) i.e unit imbalance, louzy Ai, laggy online play etc, and all these didnt give you a great playing experience. And i can tell u, they (CA/Sega) dont really offer good after sales service to their fan and always not interact enough with the community to find out issues/bugs that arises along the way.
But Yes, I must admit that there are no other games could offer you such an epic large battle scene that you could ever imagine but however what i'm dissapointing are almost every of their release is bound to have lots of ingame bugs and product always get released before those problems are fixed. And CA/Sega will normally release a few major patches to rectfiy the game only few months after the game being released...you have to endure and compromise your self to those bugs for at least 3 months.
I really hope that this round they can really get their act right, i dont mind to wait but please only release when you feel that it is good enought to do so, dont launch it when the product isnt complete yet.
Welcome to our fifth Empire: Total War FAQ. This month we are focusing exclusively on your Land Battle questions…
With so much of the warfare in the period being focused on the use of gunpowder, will there still be a role for melee units? Despite the emergence of gunpowder, melee and dedicated melee units remain important parts of warfare in Empire: Total War. Flintlock, muzzle-loading small arms were unreliable, relatively slow to reload and not always accurate. If you were sensible you carried a sword, or a bayonet, or both, or an axe or almost anything as a backup weapon. Once you’d fired, you had a tactical choice: try to reload before the enemy closed to stabbing range, or charge home before he could fire and reload. Hence the need for melee combat. The comparative short effective range of musketry makes this a ticklish problem for commanders. At the start of the period, players will have to make the choice between shooting at the last moment and not being prepared for melee or fixing bayonets. The land battles are being designed so that there is no single ‘right answer’ to that decision. This ensures that the tactics of timing and manoeuvre are vitally important. The period was full of successful bayonet charges and cavalry attacks. There’s a huge, rich variety in the period and we’re determined to get all that flavour into the game. Empire is definitely not just Rome or Medieval with gunpowder units. With ranged combat being so much more important to the way land battles work, will units be able to use cover and stances to protect themselves? Absolutely, finding cover on the battlefield for your units introduces a brand new idea to the land battles. Buildings on the battlefield can become a tactical focus of battle because of the cover they provide. Historically, farm and village buildings often saw some of the most ferocious fighting in many famous battles of the period, from Blenheim to Waterloo. Empire allows for this by letting men deploy in buildings for the first time in a Total War game.
There is a downside, of course. Concentrating your men in buildings makes them prime targets for enemy artillery. All the buildings on Empires battlefields will be destructible so the walls can come tumbling down!
Buildings aren’t the only cover. There are deployable items such as chevaux de frise (a kind of portable barrier studded with hideous spikes and blades) and earthworks that provide partial protection for units. The walls, trees and the outside of buildings that can be used as cover too. In addition, some units (skirmishers, in particular) are trained to fire from a prone position in order to reduce their vulnerability to incoming fire.
With ranged combat now so crucial, will the land battle engine UI display areas of fire in addition to unit range? Aside from range, the battle UI will enable the player to view a unit’s line of sight and there are elements that communicate unit movement and fields of fire (the area that can be hit by a unit with its current facing and formation).
What effects do the weather and environment have on armies in battle? Weather and the battlefield environment will have a variety of effects on the armies in battle. Fog and smoke influence line of sight, while rain affects rate of fire (or even whether a unit can fire at all) and the chance of misfires. The environment meanwhile will have a range of effects on troops via fatigue. Troops will tire on the battlefield if they march uphill or through mud and, as result, you’ll see their rate of fire and accuracy diminish. Ground types will also affect the movement rate of all troop types, as will obstacles like walls. This only goes to promote the importance of manoeuvring your units with care. If a unit is slowed and fatigued by mud, or commanded to climb over a wall whilst under fire, they could be cut to ribbons in no time by a well-drilled enemy.
Uniforms in that time period were mostly similar, how will you keep armies from becoming clones again? Not all units are created equal - a number of units are not ‘regular’ army troops, and have plenty of scope for variation. Each unit we are using has a variety of different faces, hair colours, haircuts and facial hair. Unit equipments, such as backpacks and ammo pouches, have a variety of positions and sizes and there is also some variation with unit weaponry.
We’re also introducing a system that allows us to alter any part of the unit on a per-unit basis, so for each unit type we can add variety wherever possible and appropriate. Even the most uniform of uniforms can have hats at different angles, some buttons unfastened, shorter or longer coat tails, different shoes and all manner of visual flavour. Of course, with the more exotic unit types the world is our oyster!
Faction colouring is done in a cunning way, and we can have slightly different areas of faction colour on each soldier. Dynamic dirt and wounding will mean that in the heat of battle, every man in the unit will display a different level of grime and injury. All of this is intended to give us as much flexibility in de-cloning the units of men as possible. Will we have the ability to dismount men pre-battle? Better than that - dragoon units will be able to dismount and mount during battle. Dismounting is a unit ability that won’t be available to all units and must be selected through the tech tree. This opens up many strategic possibilities - dragoons can for example, ride to buildings or areas of cover on the battlefield, then dismount and fire from the cover they’ve seized. Before battle there will also be a few units that can choose to fight on foot or horseback (but can’t change during battle).. Guns will also be able to limber and unlimber on the battlefield; this means that horse artillery will gallop to where they are most needed. Units could deploy stakes in Medieval 2 - what kind of deployable items will be available on the battlefield? There are a variety of weapons and defensive structures that can be deployed in battle. Some in real-time, others in the deployment stage of battle. We’ve already mentioned the chevaux de fries. This can be deployed in the pre-battle deployment phase and provide an effective defense against cavalry charges and limited cover. Other examples include the infantry earthworks and gabions (large wicker baskets filled with earth), which can be deployed pre-battle, and provide significant defensive cover form small arms and artillery fire. The latter is a defensive emplacement that offers strong protection for artillery units from small arms fire but fixes your artillery to a set field position - lose the position, and you may have lost your guns! There will also be items such as wooden stakes, depending on other factors. How will fixing bayonets be handled - will it be an order you can issue? The order to fix bayonets can be given to any, musket armed, infantry unit that carries them in battle (and not everyone did, strangely). At the start of the period, a bayonet plugged into the gun barrel like a cork in a bottle - the musket became a heavy spear, but could no longer fire. As the game progresses, more advanced bayonet technology becomes available, including ring bayonets and eventually socket bayonets. The socket bayonet in particular didn’t interfere with loading or firing. Actually, that’s not quite true - historically the French decided to offset their socket bayonets above the barrel exactly into the firer’s eye line. This made aiming a bit of a tricky exercise.
Will there be different types of ammunition available? Artillery units in Empire can gain access to a variety of ammo types that can be selected by activating a unit ability in battle. Ammo types include explosive shot - these are cannon balls that fly towards their target and then burst and fragment, showering an enemy with shards of metal that can be devastating to a unit of infantry. Canister shot or grape shot works in the similar way but at a shorter range, turning a cannon into a giant sawn-off shotgun. Then there are grenades which are delivered via grenadiers on the battlefield, with their range and effectiveness based on the experience and training of the unit.
I hope you have enjoyed our Land Battles FAQ. Keep your questions coming on our official forums and stay tuned to www.totalwar.com for the latest updates!
Some how the latest trailer gives me the feel of Pirates of the Caribbean with fogs and the ship I wonder if there is the black pearl or the flying dutch man.
We had speculated that the special weapons the eastern powers might be able to use would be some sort of fire ship but we weren't even close. Creative Assembly revealed the brand new rocket ships that can really make short work of the enemy battle line ships. These are unlocked towards the end of the tech tree and are armed with basically a large firework on a ramp. When fired, the rocket arcs up into the sky and crashes down onto the deck of enemy ships. They seemed uncannily accurate in the build we saw, setting fire to the admiral ship in a matter of seconds.
The team also showed off another late game unit, the steam ship. This industrial wonder can steam under its own power, making it a great asset when the wind is low. It can also move at double speed by using the wind and steam power at the same time. The steam ships also have cannons that can fire in all four arcs around it.
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A picture of troops fighting in the rain reveals some distinct tactical disadvantages, from wet powder to muddy fields to reduced visibility.
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Creative Assembly didn't have a great deal to say about the campaign but they did reveal two interesting items. First, in addition to the grand campaign, the game will include a Road to Independence campaign that lets players take charge of America from the founding of Jamestown to the victory at Yorktown. They also mentioned that the campaign AI will now advise the tactical AI about how important a battle is. So if an enemy is fighting while retreating on the strategic map, they might tell the tactical AI to fight a delaying action, preserving as many of their troops as possible. If the battle takes place just adjacent to the enemy capital, the campaign AI will tell the tactical AI to go all out and fight to the very last man.
This post has been edited by frags: Jul 16 2008, 03:33 PM
Those company sure used GTX280 SLi or Tri-SLI to turn on all MAx and full AA 16X to make picture nice to attrative you buy this games. SO you need Triple GTX280 for it if u buy this games and want taht graphic....LOL
fujkenasai your Rig sure can play since can play WIC also and Mediaval Total War 2. Just turn setting to medium to playable then ok le
Those company sure used GTX280 SLi or Tri-SLI to turn on all MAx and full AA 16X to make picture nice to attrative you buy this games. SO you need Triple GTX280 for it if u buy this games and want taht graphic....LOL
fujkenasai your Rig sure can play since can play WIC also and Mediaval Total War 2. Just turn setting to medium to playable then ok le
A developer has said that his workstation is using a X1900 with something like a X2 4200..game is playable but not optimised yet...debug code...so expect it to run on even lower spec when its done...The engine has been said to perform quite well. So your rig wont be an issue le...I'm pretty sure even mine would run it decently well enough...no worries..
Those company sure used GTX280 SLi or Tri-SLI to turn on all MAx and full AA 16X to make picture nice to attrative you buy this games. SO you need Triple GTX280 for it if u buy this games and want taht graphic....LOL
fujkenasai your Rig sure can play since can play WIC also and Mediaval Total War 2. Just turn setting to medium to playable then ok le
How do you know that Im playing those games? Were you in those threads too? Sorry Im bad at remembering names.
QUOTE(frags @ Jul 17 2008, 01:49 PM)
A developer has said that his workstation is using a X1900 with something like a X2 4200..game is playable but not optimised yet...debug code...so expect it to run on even lower spec when its done...The engine has been said to perform quite well. So your rig wont be an issue le...I'm pretty sure even mine would run it decently well enough...no worries..
Thats great news I hope they really optimize it so that rigs like ours can run it like the screen shots that they are showing us.
A developer has said that his workstation is using a X1900 with something like a X2 4200..game is playable but not optimised yet...debug code...so expect it to run on even lower spec when its done...The engine has been said to perform quite well. So your rig wont be an issue le...I'm pretty sure even mine would run it decently well enough...no worries..
Hoping my C2D T7100 + 3GB RAM + 8600M GS will be able to play it.
Okay i found these in a german forum...they claim they got an exclusive interview and came out with this...this cannot be verified...Its a web translation of german so bear with the bad english and grammar..
» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
Facts [Empire: Total War]
[Groups]
It has already been announced that in Empire: Total War to the fifty different groups exist. It will also give the groups at the beginning of the campaign do not yet exist, but by rebellions may arise, as for example in Scotland will be the case. The following groups were already confirmed the dickgedruckten be playable, the United States of America, but probably only in another, small campaign:
* Cherokee * France * UK * Hanover * Iroquois * Range of the Moguls * Then Mara * Mysore * Netherlands * Austria * Ottoman Empire * Poland * Portugal * Prussia * Scotland * Russian Empire * Sweden * Spain * Venice * United States of America
Pretty interesting factions...One or two surprises in there...of course now not all factions are playable from the very start as some appear later in the game..this leads to speculation that the campaign has different starting dates to accomodate some later faction being playable.
» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
[General]
Compared to other parts of the series will emerge at Empire: Total War much change. The following things were in relation to the general gameplay and the campaign already confirmed:
* In addition to the usual big campaign is yet another, small campaign, especially the way the United States of America to treat independence. It is controlled by the founding of Jamestown to victory at Yorktown rich. * The card will be all parts of the world, from the west coast of North America to India, north of the equator. * The Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been completely redesigned, according to the developer, is the AI for each battle, even if the same starting conditions are completely new. * The agents are no longer on the map to be seen, however, the agent system. * The alliances and enmities are now the actual historical facts, as well as the military and economic strengths and weaknesses of the groups. * In Empire: Total War, there will be three different forms of government, these are: absolute monarchy, constitutional monarchy and republic. The form of government at various levels will affect the game, such as diplomacy and technologies. * The taxes are now individually adjustable for the nobility, the Bürgetum and farmers. * At the beginning of the campaign, there will be no more rebel provinces, also the regions historic name. * There will be more cities in a province: A provincial capital and several smaller cities, but also all have names. * The players will allow themselves to Fort farmers, it can not be founded their own cities. However, it will make a difference whether you colonies in the wilderness of the American continent was built or whether the well-developed infrastructure of India uses. * There will be a different commodity system, but is no longer known, except that there are trade routes is blocked and can be plundered. * Most of the buildings are now a province on the map and be located outside of cities, it is possible, for example, a province economically without destroying the risk to enter into a siege. * The card is now no longer divided in boxes, in which each an army or a fleet, are, but it will be possible to the armies and fleets relatively freely on the map.
No more rebel regions! I dont know about this one...this will make it more of a challenge...
» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
[Country battles]
Here are the facts already confirmed in the country battles:
* It can go back to a maximum of twenty units commands. * In Empire: Total War is the gunpowder a much larger role, but plays in the melee battles continue to play a major role. * The entire field is destructible. * The player will be able to build walls behind which to hide units, also will make it possible to units in Häußern or behind walls to hide. * There will be different formations, which will be important to select the correct tactic for a win to develop. * In the units will also musicians, the atmosphere of the game will improve. * The weapons of the soldiers will stick and fail. * Some special cavalry units, it will be possible during a battle of their horses and again abzusitzen aufzusitzen other cavalry units will decide before a battle.
Like World in Conflict I mean this is a time where artilerry and projetile weapos played a role...so this is important.
» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
[Others]
Other things that have already been confirmed: * To a certain extent, there will be a ranking system. When commanders on land and sea, are three ranks. * Empire: Total War is a completely new graphics technology. * A new dynamic landscape system brings more atmosphere into the game, and there will be a completely new ballistics and physics to what the battles are real. * There will be a brand new multiplayer mode.
RIght...so this cannot be verified...
This post has been edited by frags: Jul 26 2008, 02:14 PM
There is no doubt Creative assembly are the best developer for "large scale" strategy game. (sorry for supreme commander fans). I have played all the total war series (excluding some bad expansion), there is not pretty much innovation in gameplay only enhancement in graphics (which is why medieval 2 score ranks lower than Rome).
However, they take a huge gamble by not progressing to titles like Rome 2, Shogun 2 (i'm still waiting) but create a totally different era than b4. The colonisation age (from IGN, gamespy & gamespot preview), there is lack of melle units as opposed to its early games. I will have no doubt they will push the map to a "huge proportion as well" I will tell everyone what they are waiting for in this game (no not the graphics, sound, story.....etc) BUT the naval battle.
I love naval battle scenes (pirates of the carribean, master & commander), so this alone will push it for at least Top 5 games of the year.
There is no doubt Creative assembly are the best developer for "large scale" strategy game. (sorry for supreme commander fans). I have played all the total war series (excluding some bad expansion), there is not pretty much innovation in gameplay only enhancement in graphics (which is why medieval 2 score ranks lower than Rome).
However, they take a huge gamble by not progressing to titles like Rome 2, Shogun 2 (i'm still waiting) but create a totally different era than b4. The colonisation age (from IGN, gamespy & gamespot preview), there is lack of melle units as opposed to its early games. I will have no doubt they will push the map to a "huge proportion as well" I will tell everyone what they are waiting for in this game (no not the graphics, sound, story.....etc) BUT the naval battle.
I love naval battle scenes (pirates of the carribean, master & commander), so this alone will push it for at least Top 5 games of the year.
I think you will be very happy once you see an in game footage of naval battles. It is said to be stunning ...
This post has been edited by frags: Aug 13 2008, 09:51 PM
OMFG!!!It looks amazing!!!!The fire effects and actually the animation looks so smooth...no framerate hiccup...WOW!!!i think i will LOVE this game! Total War forever!!!
Here is a screenshot of the naval gameplay trailer. A look at the UI. It looks similar to the prototype UI that was available earlier. Sorry for the big screen. Easier for you guys to see.
Some question marks in there not sure what they are...
Here is a screenshot of the naval gameplay trailer. A look at the UI. It looks similar to the prototype UI that was available earlier. Sorry for the big screen. Easier for you guys to see.
Some question marks in there not sure what they are...
I hope they have ships that ram into the spanish armada during Queen Elizabeth the 1st Era.
Well not really...close but not quite...you cant build your own cities remember Total War is a genre by its own. Turn based campaign with real time battles.
Added on August 16, 2008, 1:43 pm
QUOTE(fujkenasai @ Aug 16 2008, 12:58 PM)
I hope they have ships that ram into the spanish armada during Queen Elizabeth the 1st Era.
Ships that crash into each other does do damage. Ships built for ramming? Maybe...Ships are pretty expensive...So i'm not sure if that will be a good strategy using regular ships. Developers still dont want to say whether got fireships in the game...I mean surely they have to have that...
BTW there is a steam ship in that trailer if you look closer...you will see it...Those American ships got p8wned!
This post has been edited by frags: Aug 16 2008, 01:43 PM
Basically you start out on a campaign map. The map is divided by regions and each regions has a single city. This map has many cities/regions and these cities are controlled by you, the other factions as well as rebel factions(small independant cities). On this campaign map you make your upgrade choices(upgrade your cities) and build your armies(each city can build units for you)...each city has a slot for city upgrade and army training and each of this takes a a number of turns to complete. Most units take one turn to train and buildings/infrastructure for cities take much longer. You can group these units you have trained from the cities into an army and these armies are led by generals that have stats of their own. Win more battles and they get better stats that improve the morale of your troops or create shock in the enemy troops.
There are also agent units like spies, assasins, priest, diplomats that you can train and move around the campaign map and they each have their own functionality(you can guess lah what they do).
You can move these armies around the map and they just like Civ have movement points. Not in number but represented by the movement line. Obviously if you have thing like siege equipment...it will make the army able to travel less distance...all cavalry armies can travel further etc. Once you have taken your turn you end turn.
BTW if in your turn your move your army to an enemy army thse two armies will clash and you will go into the real time battle phase where you control your army and must defeat this enemy army. Just like you can, and enemy can move his army to clash with yours when it is taking its turn and you will go into the real time battle phase.
There are some very deep strategic gameplay options due to these gameplay mechanics like you can use spies to spy one neighbouring region and you can discover any attacking force that might plan to attack your region(there is a fog of war). The real time battles follow realistics combat rules...higher ground gives better range for ranged units(archers)...Units become tired running/walking long distances(trekking uphill)...Use forest to cover your army from ranged fire/ to ambush your enemy. Use heavy cavalry to charge weak units to break their morale(oh like DoW units got morale...break them and they will route running for their lives)..Use pikemen to stop and kill these cavalry charges(like in Braveheart). Oh and also if you move an army to an enemy city you siege it and you go into real time battle when you attack it...here you attack the city(what type of walls depends on how upgraded the city is) in real time and control and manuever them by first breaking the walls/gate and taking the town/city center.
Obviously defenders have a huge advantage as they can place their troops at the most advantageous location. There i tried my best to explain..
You can clearly see the different cities here and the armies on the turn based campaign map. Move the army to the enemy city to siege or enemy army to attack them in real time.
Whe you attack them you go into this real time phase...you control units...very tactical and realistic strategies..
This post has been edited by frags: Aug 16 2008, 02:48 PM
Well not really...close but not quite...you cant build your own cities remember Total War is a genre by its own. Turn based campaign with real time battles.
Added on August 16, 2008, 1:43 pm
Ships that crash into each other does do damage. Ships built for ramming? Maybe...Ships are pretty expensive...So i'm not sure if that will be a good strategy using regular ships. Developers still dont want to say whether got fireships in the game...I mean surely they have to have that...
BTW there is a steam ship in that trailer if you look closer...you will see it...Those American ships got p8wned!
Ahh yeah I mean fireships forgot the term for it, those ships saved Britain from the Spanish Armada.
Whoo hoo Iron Clad.
QUOTE(frags @ Aug 16 2008, 02:45 PM)
Medieval total war Though they have better graphics my favorite is still rome since the romans have an empire, is it me or does rome total war have higher walls?
Ahh yeah I mean fireships forgot the term for it, those ships saved Britain from the Spanish Armada.
Whoo hoo Iron Clad. Medieval total war Though they have better graphics my favorite is still rome since the romans have an empire, is it me or does rome total war have higher walls?
No Iron Clad as far as i know in ETW Yeah the walls in Rome did seem higher...maybe because the structures in the city were smaller in Rome? More bigger buildings in M2TW.
No Iron Clad as far as i know in ETW Yeah the walls in Rome did seem higher...maybe because the structures in the city were smaller in Rome? More bigger buildings in M2TW.
What i really like about total war series is that you can really win even with odds stack against you. Try play the historical campaign you will know exactly what i mean (ie : Hannibal campaign in Rome) Its not bcos of the weak AI of your opponent.
This game requires you to use your armies effectively (positioning, manoeuvring & technic) Its not like other genres : 1) Scale : it was big, as you control literally > 10,000 troops at a time plus facing the nemy of the same size (so no isnt everything) 2) Drawbacks : You will not always win with the same type of soldier. If you like to use heavy cavalry (very expensive) or war elephants you will face crushing defeat if charge head on spearmen with phalanx formation. Likewise if you use all spartan hoplites to attack your enemy, if they use cavalry archers still you lose. It requires balance in every sort of way.
I have once face an enemy with odds stack against me (ratio of soldiers 1 to 3), but i literally beat them with clever manoeuvring with the cavalry & infantry. When you look at the end of the game by "heroic victory", hardcore gamers will know how i feel or luckily scrape through with close victory.
Having said that, i was a bit dissapointed at some of the gameplay with medieval 2. It has gorgeus graphics & vast expansion but the scale was not there anymore, hope creative assembly brings back the excitement of ROME which has garnered them so many awards. I know its different era (colonization vs medieval) but creative has done that before, they can do it again.
Yeah Im more intrested in other cultures and design than the western designs got bored with them maybe cos too much of a cliche.
Well so far the non european faction than is confirmed to be playable is Ottoman empire and the Mughals. Ottoman I presume would own parts of the middle east and maybe north Africa and the Mughals some parts of northern India...
What can fans of the total war franchise expect from Empire? At the GC, we had the opportunity to interview studioboss Mike Simpson on the upcoming title A chat with the chief dev:
As announced, this time around you will have to prove yourself as ruler in the 18th century - this is the age of enlightment, of the industrial revolution, and ends during the chaotic phase surrounding the french revolution. According to Simpson it will even be possible to have Napoleon amongst your ranks, if you recruit an artillery unit in Corse towards the end of the century...
Two important innovations will make the franchise even more attractive during this turbulent period: Firstly, there will be real time sea battles. Creative Assembly will serve you the same exciting and tactically refined war experience as on land. You can send entire fleets into battle, pound either the rump or the sails with shots, or fire directly at the crews, there will be boarding manoeuvres, and the possibility to sink frigattes quickly with well-positioned shots. Up to 20 ships with each around 100 men on board should provide chaos and a storm of explosions at sea; last but not least also pirates will feature.
Secondly, the engine has been totally overhauled. Besides the jump in graphics Simpson thinks that also the AI mechanisms on the strategic map have been improved. This map will feature in a fresh design the worlds of North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, and India and shall provide more freedom and comfort while developing new strategies and tactics. By the way, Simpson mentioned that the Indian forces are highly efficient and that that part of the world will be very difficult to conquer because of its high cultural level.
Instead of recruiting troops manually from each settlement to be joined later on, each general can now automatically call men to his arms - these come from the cities on the map to him. New agents and diplomacy functions are planned, but Simpson did not want to got into too much detail yet. What we could extract from him was that you will be able to use sea blocades to bring the economy of a nation to its knees.
Fighting on land will feature many new possibilities because of the use of firearms and artillery. You will now only be able to besiege star shaped bastions and not first get the walls down and then storm the cities (like in the middle ages), but on the other hand the environment gains in importance: you can shelter troops, build earth trenches, use walls and buildings as cover, as well as reduce everything on the battlefield to rubble and ashes.
During the fights, the principle of stone-paper-scissors still counts: a cav unit does not stand a chance against densely grouped troops, arranged in a square and equipped with bayonets. These on the other hand are rather cumbersome, and the ideal victim for artillery attacks from the distance. There will of course be a multiplayer mode, but there is no information on that yet.
We are curious whether this game can trump the only good real time strategy for this period, Imperial Glory."
After the overwhelming battle, the devs show us the second pillar of this strategy title: The Campaign map. In this turn-based part of the game you draw and move troops, or build cities. Everything like the predecessors. But the game world of Empire is gigantic: Next to Europe there is America and even India to conquer. The territories contain many more cities than the previous titles. Additionally you can now place units with the accuracy of pixels, a tiled map, as in Medieval 2 does not exist anymore.
The building of important buildings has been similarly revised: you no longer have to change into the city view to build, say, a harbour, but do this simply at the desired point of the map. To recruit troops you previously had to go into cities and then draw them together at a point of the map. Also this is part of the past. Each General can now recruit troops within his area of influence, depending on which city is nearby. The forts able to build such armies have a much more strategical role as in Medieval 2: These forts have now a radius of influence that no enemy army can cross. Passes in mountains and rivers can be effectively sealed.
Politik spielt bei Empire: Total War eine gewichtige Rolle. Politics plays a key role in Empire: Total War.
Of course the devs of Creative Assembly have also given great consideration to the economic system. You not only rise taxes for single regions, but also separately for the lower and upper classes. The proper political work is now carried out by ministers, coming with an opposition. Each of these politicians brings certain advantages to the state, but has also to put himself up for election. The colonies on the other hand are ruled by governors. But also here: if you don't feel like micromanaging, the computer takes over these jobs.
We got to see two new units during the presentation: The "Rake" replaces the spy and the assassins from previous titles. He can make assassination attempts or infiltrate enemy armies. The infiltrated troops are from now - despite the fog of war - on always visible to the enemy. !
The second new unit is the Gentleman: he can challenge opponents to duels and get them out of the way. His input for science is crucial: put the good man into a city with a university, and he will develop new technologies. Typical: also here historic role models are used, such as Isaac Newton.
Regarding science: a Tech-Tree comes into play in Empire: Total War . At the just mentioned universities you can research things such as new troop formations or types of amunition. Also the mine field mentioned in the battles will be developed here. The tech-tree is divided in three parts: Philosophy, technical knowledge and weapons. Particularly important is the first one, because only this can be used to gain prestige and esteem. Prestige you can use in the areas of military, shipping, economy or enlightment. The more powerful your fleet with trading vessels and warships, the more prestige. What do you need this for? Well, one of the campaigns has the goal of "becoming the most esteemed nation".
Diplomacy: an overview map now helps to distinguish friend from foe Here you now see each country in a colour, red countries do not really like you, and green ones are your allies. You can now make diplomatic suggestions such as the payment of money in a normal or demanding manner..
An enormously important point of the game is the seatrade. You can now exactly observe who is shipping what where and how much money they are earning doing this. If you want to annoy your enemy, just park your fleet in the midst of their trading route, similarly to the blocking of harbours in previous games. Every time the ship of an opponent goes past you, you now earn a substancial part of their income. Of course pirates can not be missing from such a game. The protection of your shipping routes is consequently immensely important!
The last innovation the devs showed us after a good hour of flooding us with info is the revolution. You may know this from previous games. but also here things have changed. If such a rebellion occurs in your capital, you have to decide: do I join the revolution or the loyal troops. You gain control over the corresponding army and go into battle to defend your doctrine. Thus, with a success of the rebellion the state can change from a monarchy to a republic.
So far our first comprehensive insight from the halls of the GC. The love to detail that the devs have put into their baby is daunting. In a side remark we get to know that alone the creation of the seas for the sea battles to over a year to develop. We think: it was worth it!
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Well I'm no medieval warship expert but that ship seems fictitious in nature. It looks like a Nef of a Galleon, a Nef could use oars, Galleons generally didn't however the picture looks like neither. Also look closely it seems to combines a Greek trireme and a 19th century armored warship, with a ram thrown in for extra measure in a position that is pretty much useless for battle lastly note that the cannon facing forward on the poop deck would destroy the men and guns on the foredeck, if ever fired.
This post has been edited by Monster Hunter G: Aug 24 2008, 02:51 PM
Very curious as to how the combat will actually pan out. If you played M2TW, the gunpowder units were rather annoying as only the first line of infantry would fire and then retreat to the back to reload. Rinse and repeat for the total number of battlelines in that unit. However, 18th century combat required one mass of infantry to fire AT THE SAME TIME as muskets were relatively inaccurate.
British redcoats were trained to fire in a mass and speed of reloading was emphasized, not accuracy. Hope to see the same for Empire.
yeah... next year sure must presuade my dad get my own game rig.. lol 512mb gc or 1gb gc.. single gc enough for me.. lol.. then the mobo must dual sli capable.. lol
yeah... next year sure must presuade my dad get my own game rig.. lol 512mb gc or 1gb gc.. single gc enough for me.. lol.. then the mobo must dual sli capable.. lol
The video memory is not the thing which makes a video card good. Its not that important. Video Memory helps if you have a bigger monitor and if you have to r un the game in higher res. Other than that no real difference. Its all about the graphics chipset.
The land battles looks good.Looking forward to this game too.
*Adds Empire Total War on the list. I would love it if they go to WW1.
China 3 Kingdom will be damn awesome.
Doubt they'd put China campaigns in unless you're talking of the Three Kingdoms history onwards. There's nothing much going on for China during the 18th Century.
i think they should remake RomeTW and if possible China 3 kingdom
i prefer close combat warfare rather then range combat warfare
QUOTE(Cheesenium @ Sep 30 2008, 06:02 PM)
The land battles looks good.Looking forward to this game too.
*Adds Empire Total War on the list. I would love it if they go to WW1.
China 3 Kingdom will be damn awesome.
QUOTE(Aoshi_88 @ Sep 30 2008, 06:15 PM)
Doubt they'd put China campaigns in unless you're talking of the Three Kingdoms history onwards. There's nothing much going on for China during the 18th Century.
Looking at the time period of Empire: Total War I'm almost 100% sure the expansion pack is going to be about Napolean. Maybe...just maybe they could do something similar like in Kingdoms where they have 4 different smaller cmapaigns instead of one. In that case there is chance of them including maybe a American Civil War campaign, Napolean Campaign and maybe Far East campaign.
But not sure if CA UK will make such a huge expansion pack.
Aoshi88...I only have one word...Opium Wars or Anglo-Chinese Wars 1839 to 1842 and 1856 to 1860. As i said...maybe expansion pack.
PS : ETW ends 1820 so just perfect for Opium Wars and Napolean in the Xpack.
This post has been edited by frags: Sep 30 2008, 06:33 PM
Doubt they'd put China campaigns in unless you're talking of the Three Kingdoms history onwards. There's nothing much going on for China during the 18th Century.
I mean the Chinese 3 Kingdoms.Not in Empire Total War.
Still,by seeing the way Total War is being made.It seems more like they putting the time line of their games closer and closer to our present date.
Do correct me if im wrong.
A WW1 Total War would be sweet but not after that.
I mean the Chinese 3 Kingdoms.Not in Empire Total War.
Still,by seeing the way Total War is being made.It seems more like they putting the time line of their games closer and closer to our present date.
Do correct me if im wrong.
A WW1 Total War would be sweet but not after that.
Not really. You forgot Shogun Total war before Rome. Set during the Shogunate Daimyo era of feudal Japan then they went to Medieval Europe and only then back to ancient Europe. So it doesn't really follow a timeline. The reason they picked the Renaisance era was because of Naval battles(more important then ever).
Total War games have a certain flavour of warfare that is about epic battles and not long range/ small skirmishes. Formation of the army is very important in all Total War games. Making a more modern Total War game will be a lot different that the previous ones.
Empire period still is about army formations and positioning because Muskets aren't acurate and they need to fire a volley at a certain range to maximise its damage. Thats why one regiment had so many men in it. I'm afraid WW1 or even WW2 will change that. I dont think i will like that.
This post has been edited by frags: Sep 30 2008, 07:18 PM
Not really. You forgot Shogun Total war before Rome. Set during the Shogunate Daimyo era of feudal Japan then they went to Medieval Europe and only then back to ancient Europe. So it doesn't really follow a timeline. The reason they picked the Renaisance era was because of Naval battles(more important then ever).
Total War games have a certain flavour of warfare that is about epic battles and not long range/ small skirmishes. Formation of the army is very important in all Total War games. Making a more modern Total War game will be a lot different that the previous ones.
Empire period still is about army formations and positioning because Muskets aren't acurate and they need to fire a volley at a certain range to maximise its damage. Thats why one regiment had so many men in it. I'm afraid WW1 or even WW2 will change that. I dont think i will like that.
In WW1 and WW2, you'd end up with 120men companies. And that's company level, not down to platoon or squad-level yet.
In WW1 and WW2, you'd end up with 120men companies. And that's company level, not down to platoon or squad-level yet.
Yes i realise using the term regiment is not quite accurate to describe a single unit. My point is there is less emphasis on cohesion in formations of units...more on movement, surpression and cover.
Moving to modern times will change what we know of Total War. I mean imagine WW2 in RTW.
Massive new info and goodies! Empire: Total War FAQ 6
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QUOTE
Hi guys,
Welcome to our sixth Empire: Total War FAQ, where this month we tackle even more of your Land Battle questions…
Will guns be distinguishable by their appearance and smoke etc?
You will be able to tell the difference between very large, large, medium and small cannon, carronades, 8 and 10 inch mortars, rifles, carbines and muskets, I’m not sure you will get more granularity than that. We felt that anything more is unlikely to be noticed in the thick of battle.
If artillery gun crew lines are broken, will they flee to safer ground until its safe to return, or will they route from the field?
This question is not easily answered as it depends on the situation. If the artillery is sufficiently spooked, they will flee. If not, they will route to a safer place until they can return to their guns or the situation turns so bad they have to run from the field of battle.
Can we have the option to preview a battlefield before choosing battle?
Generals don’t always get to pick the ground that they fight on and great generals will even take the ground chosen by the enemy and make it their own. Or to put it another way: The current mechanism assumes that the battlefield chosen is the best that could be attained as a result of manoeuvre and counter manoeuvre of opposing forces and the limits of terrain in the area. We give the player time to review the battlefield in the deployment phase and there are a number of cues as to the likely composition of the battlefield obtainable by looking at the campaign map.
Will Empire: Total War generals (not captains) play a lesser role in field combat compared to previous Total War games?
It depends? If the question is: will they be less likely to be able to act like a powerful killing machine the answer is a categorical yes. In the period of this game generals were far less renowned for their individual prowess (although some exceptions are present that prove the rule - e.g. Charles of Sweden) in battle and much more for their ability to swing a battle by being at the right place at the right time and inspiring their troops with both good planning and sensible commands. In the same way, failure to place your general where he is most effective will result in problems keeping your troops from being quickly demoralised.
Will there be a “fire by rank” system for troops in line formation, e.g. British redcoats? And will you be taking into account that some armies may have better skills than others in some areas e.g. British troops could fire and reload their muskets faster then the French could?
The short answer to all that is yes but with some reservations. It will depend on a nation’s research into tactics, the units deployed, their experience, what system is used and how good they are compared to their opponents. The British were not always the best at everything. If they had been they would have beaten the Americans in the War of Independence, Wellington would not have needed the support of Blucher at Waterloo and he would not have said it was “a close run thing”.
Are different countries’ uniforms, colours and changes in uniforms included?
Yes but as much as we would like to include every uniform, every turn back, every button, every badge and every uniform colour represented by every nation, in the game, and reflect all those uniform changes in detail over the 18th century (100 years), the logistics really aren’t viable for a game made in the time we have.
As a result we chose to select a representative sample of uniforms from throughout the period to reflect that change and variety. Every nation has a “national colour” that we use to represent that nation and is featured strongly in their uniforms. On top of that we add variations, where we think its effective, in their uniforms that are appropriate either according to faction or unit type or in some cases both. That isn’t the end of things though.
Will Calvary with swords point their swords at the enemy who they are charging at instead of holding it upright like in “Rome: Total War”?
We completely overhauled the animations system for Empire. Cavalry will now lower their swords or lances in the final approach of a charge.
Can riflemen be ordered to hide in long grass and shoot when enemies are on top of them and then charge with bayonets?
Simple answer: Yes as long as they are trained in field-craft and you have researched the bayonet.
Early guns were very sensitive to damp and damage. Will this be represented in game?
Yes, of course. Rain and snow are both significant contributors to misfires and hang-fires, along with unit fatigue, training and morale states. If it is raining or snowing too much then gunpowder combat becomes next to impossible A particularly inept soldier can end up blinding themselves with a flash in the pan or rupturing a cannon and killing the crew.
Will the battle maps be bigger?
Yes they are. The battlefield playable areas are currently up to 1.4km2.
Will the environment determine movement rate and morale?
Yes both have a noticeable effect on the movement and morale of units, according to their origin and the environmental conditions
At the time of the American Revolution, the standard British six-pounder cannon had a crew of fifteen men working the gun (not just standing around it). Will we see this sort of realism reflected on the battlefield? If not, why?
Sadly, no we won’t have 15 men crews. This is because the choreography required was something we found to actually detrimental to gameplay as well as being incredibly complex to code. In the end we went for a smaller number that carry out a representative set of actions, most importantly those involving loading and firing.
Will it be possible to shot at the horses so they are dead, but the riders stand up and keep on fighting without their horses?
We are looking in to a suitable method of implementing this but we have yet to come up with a solution that works in all cases.
Will our men finally be intelligent enough to load their weapons while the enemy is still out of range, and then FIRE when the enemy gets into range?
That would depend on the player. Have you set your unit to fire at will or to fire when ordered? How well trained are your troops? If they have time, your units will change to their melee option.
Q: Will famous characters such as Wellington make an appearance in the game, and will they have special abilities to reflect their historical importance?
If the conditions are right they will.
What new character traits are there?
This is far too big a question to answer in an FAQ. Traits and ancillaries certainly haven’t been ignored. They have been updated and crafted to fit the period. Per character you can expect to see more meaningful, character building and far less contrary traits and ancillaries. Although this will mean fewer traits per character there will be no less variety than previous games.
That wraps it up for this month. Keep your questions coming on our official forums and stay tuned to www.totalwar.com for the latest updates!
Take care,
Mark O’Connell
Faction Preview: France
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France has had fifty years of military and administrative excellence under Louis XIV, the Sun King and his servants. They achieved this in spite of a backdrop of strife and rebellion sparked by France’s involvement in the Thirty Years War. Louis and his able ministers, Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin, were able to steer France away from the feudal struggles that hampered growth, and they created a centralised government where the King’s power is absolute.
In 1700, France is the pre-eminent power in Western Europe, with an unrivalled army, vast colonies and a King who is respected and feared by all, both at home and abroad. Few nations pose any real threat to his well-equipped armies and heavily fortified borders.
The French Bourbon dynasty is strong, even though Louis XIV is aging. There are sons and relations aplenty, with legitimate claims to many titles. To the south, the lack of a Hapsburg heir in Spain – and the feeble-mindedness of Charles II – means that a Bourbon could one day rule in Madrid. A course of action that brings this about has much to recommend it. Of course, not all offshoots of the Hapsburg line are weak as their Spanish cousins. The Austrian Habsburgs, and other European nations, may not be entirely willing to see a Frenchman or French nominee as King of Spain. No matter.
France is surrounded by possibilities, and beyond Europe there are other continents to conquer and colonise: New France in North America, and the riches of India. The untrustworthy British may have to be swept aside or crushed, but what is wrong with that?
Land Unit : Grenadier
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Grenadiers are large, strong men, armed with muskets and carrying bags of bombs to hurl at the enemy’s ranks.
Explosive grenades are one of the oldest types of gunpowder weapon, and one of the most dangerous to use. Grenades are a simple cast iron ball, with a fuse sticking out of the top. Fuses are notoriously unreliable, and grenadiers can die as their own bombs explode prematurely. Yet no matter how terrifying grenades are for the throwers, they are infinitely worse for the targets! Grenadiers see themselves as elite, and occupy the place of honour at the right of the line on parade. They have good reason: only large, brave men become grenadiers, because it takes a big chap to throw one properly. Even their uniform makes them look bigger thanks to the pointed grenadier’s cap; a tricorne gets in the way of a good throw.
Historically, grenadier regiments and battalions began as ad hoc assault forces. All line infantry regiments had grenadier companies; collecting these sub-units gave commanders a useful group of heavily armed, aggressive and skilful soldiers. Grenadier companies remained in line infantry regiments after the creation of grenadier regiments, but they abandoned grenades. Instead, each grenadier company became a “heavy mob” of the biggest and strongest soldiers in a regiment.
Naval Unit : Sloop
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A sloop of war is usually ketch-rigged with two masts. These small vessels handle well in restricted waters.
The ability to navigate in exceptionally shallow or dangerous waters makes sloops very useful in such seas as the reef-strewn waters of the Caribbean. They can also operate without the need for extensive onshore naval facilities nearby. They are also extremely useful as fleet auxiliaries, carrying out communications tasks and vital inshore scouting work, and can hunt down smaller prey such as privateers and small enemy cargo vessels. A sloop-of-war (sometimes a corvette in French service) is a different vessel from a civilian, merchant sloop, having a flush deck, two square-rigged masts, guns, and a larger crew.
Historically, a post captain would rarely command a ship this small. The commanding officer was the “master and commander” (this is the origin of the modern naval rank of commander), and held the formal rank of lieutenant. Captain Cook RN commanded HMS Resolution, a sloop converted from a collier (coal ship), on his epic Pacific voyages and was highly satisfied with its performance. Sloop captains could be aggressive: before his promotion to post captain, Thomas Cochrane commanded the 14-gun HMS Speedy and managed to capture “El Gamo”, a Spanish xebec of 32 guns with a crew six times larger than his own!
Dev Diaries : Land Battles in the Old Regime and the early Enlightenment
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Hi there,
My name is Jamie Ferguson. I’m a senior game designer on the Total War series. Some of you may know me from the official forums where I show up, from time to time. In this two-part diary I’m going to be talking about both the historical background of war in the 18th century and its game implementation and impact on the Land battles of Empire: Total War.
Well, where do you start? Drinking a soldier’s 2-pint ration of grog (an 18th Century concoction of water, rum, sugar and limejuice) might get you in the mood but won’t help with keeping a clear understanding of things. We could just talk about the various features of battle in Empire Total War, but that wouldn’t really give anyone an insight as to why they are there. So bear with me as I’m going to include some background to the why and wherefores of Empire: Total War.
The first myth we have to destroy, as a developer of Empire, is the common and preconceived idea that 18th century warfare was “slow”, “plodding”, and just involved “blokes standing in a line and then blasting away at each other. Warfare in any period can be stripped to it’s most basic form. In previous Total War games – Shogun, Rome and Medieval, we’ve explored a wide variety of historical warfare and unlocked an enormous amount of fun through the strategic possibilities presented by each period. This is certainly the case with Empire – the land battles in this game will be the most spectacular and strategically varied we’ve ever created.
The reality of 18th century warfare was far from simplistic. It was based around a rapidly changing world, full of new and developing technologies, both in warfare and society. This was the era of the Enlightenment, the Agricultural Revolution and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The “old way” of doing things was being shaken to its foundations by new thinking, new writing, new weapons and anything else that seemed new. Battles in the Empire period were just as likely to become free flowing, and sometimes, chaotic affairs, as they were in any period before or since. Just as in history, a player in Empire will have to consider the formations and positioning of units at the beginning and during a battle. These will be important because manoeuvre, counter manoeuvre and tactical planning of well-timed attacks are a vital element of successful combat. Denying the enemy space for manoeuvre is, as a result, also essential. The principles then, are easy to grasp.
"All that is advantageous to the enemy is disadvantageous to you, and all that is useful to you damages the enemy" Vegetius
What is often forgotten is that the fast, dispersed and mobile warfare of the modern age is only possible because of electronic communications and modern weaponry. In the Empire period troops had to be within telescope range of the commanding general and musket armed troops needed to be used en-masse and at close range. After all smooth bore muskets were very unreliable and inaccurate, especially at the beginning of this period. Many a battle was lost for the want of a competent officer in the right place at the right time or the infantry lines becoming too raged and dispersed. To reflect this in Empire, your armies’ performance will be affected by your general’s proximity to his troops. Spread your forces too far and you might have problems on your flanks. Leave your forces to thinly spread and their fire becomes ineffective. All of this will require a successful player to think on their feet and be aware of the ebb and flow of the battle. The player is going to have to be aware of the use of combined arms (Infantry, Artillery and Cavalry and their formations) in order to get good results on the battlefield. Just lining up your troops and firing away at the enemy isn’t going to win unless the enemy are seriously outnumbered or you are protected by the walls of a fort against an enemy devoid of artillery.
"No man is to be employed in the field who is not trained and tested in discipline" - Vegetius
“Is that’s all that’s different?” You ask. Well, as many of our fans know, Total War games follow a Revolution/Evolution cycle. Empire is our revolution and appropriately enough revolutions were taking place on the battlefield, as well as in the streets and fashion houses of cities in the 18th Century.
So although, in 1700, there were still some, old style, 17th Century levy troops of pike-armed men and armoured heavy cavalry, their time was coming to an end. Even if the threat of being stabbed by a foot or two of sharp metal was still a good way of making the enemy blink, a massed volley of lead musket balls was an even more effective method of removing your opponents. Increasingly so, as musket weaponry was now beginning to be mass-produced and allowed standing armies of relatively cheap but combat effective troops. As a result new and, sometimes experimental, unit types were becoming common. For example Dragoons, Musket-armed Grenadiers, light infantry and line infantry and mobile artillery were becoming a permanent feature of standing armies. A far cry from the previous melee based armies of Total War. The armies the player starts with at the beginning of Empire will reflect this transitional phase. And it will up to the player to modernise, improve and build up their army. Failing to invest in research or improving your military infrastructure might result in your army being outclassed by its opponents.
"Let him who desires peace prepare for war." Vegetius
Unlike previous Total War games troops won’t only be a result of the buildings you construct. We wanted to create that feeling of revolution, change and innovation that was such a strong feature of the period throughout the game. For example; the soldiers that fought in this period were often a reflection of the government that they fought for. As a result unit availability won’t just be based on a faction or culture. They will also reflect your nation’s government type as well as its scientific and technological research. Revolutionary or Republican units aren’t going to be available to an Absolute monarchy and Imperial Household Guards aren’t going to be available to a Republic. The same also goes for technological advancement. A rifled musket unit isn’t going to be available unless you research all the right elements that make mass produced rifled barrels (as opposed to smooth bore muskets) possible.
In previous Total War games when you got something new you had to hire completely new units to take advantage of that new item. Although there are still cases where this is true, we now also have improvements that automatically get rolled out across your nation’s armies and navies. For example bayonet improvements starting with the “Plug” bayonet and moving through to the final “Socket” version that improve your musket troop’s melee ability and also gradually become less of a hindrance to your units’ ability to fire. There will be researchable innovations in military drills, such as the Prussian firing drills, that increase your units’ rate of fire. Or improvements in construction like the copper bottoming of ships, that make them less prone to fouling and thus faster moving. All of these will be rolled out to existing units, automatically.
Blimey! So much to talk about and so little time and space to tell you all about it. I guess I’m going to have to leave us there, waiting for the next part of this diary where I shall talk more about the actual units and the ways that the player can effect changes to the battlefield itself. Speak to you soon. http://www.totalwar.com
The system of provinces and regions are a bit different in Empire. As you can see whole of England is a single region. But the way it works is that there are outlying towns in that region and London is the capital of that region.
And yes you can settle in the carribeans. You dont build new colonies like civ still but maybe you take over existing settlements. You can see the water surrounding the Carribean is of a green colour. This will reflect in the naval battles in the area with greenish sea.
A lot of info in this screen. You can see here you have a single region management UI and this one is for England(when you click London). You can see that there is different happiness levels for the aristrocats and the plebes, you can set different tax levels for them or exempt taxes from the region(very handy if there is a rebelion going on).
As it had been said before, you can recruit troops from your generals. Just click on your general and you are given the options of troops you can recruit from nearby towns(it depends on your upgrade level of course to determine what troops you get). Less micromanagement about remembering about recruiting troops from specific cities.
The functionality of the diplomacy screen looks similar to previous games except you can also trade technologies/ or sell them and use them for negotiation.
Major change(for the better)...you cant simply go waltzing in any territory. You need to declare war on a nation or sign a military access pact to be able to enter to a region not belonged to you.
As usual you get an interface that allows you to look at your entire empire and be able to change tax rates etc. The tutorial message says any ungarrisoned city will generate militia which can defend the city. You cant move these militia out of the city. Militia are useful for day to day policing of public order.
Here is a summary screen of your government and gives details such as properity, wealth, prestige, state religion, capital. There are different tabs and one named Ministers allow you to look at your cabinet and hire ministers which might give your specific boosts. Also the text below the summary says "Hold the highest prestige rating until the year 1799" kinda hints that the game ends at 1799 and doesn't go past 1800. You would most probably be able to continue past this like all previous games though.
You can upgrade your capitals by focusing on trade or military by picking different upgrade types. You can see that some upgrades will appear in your capital and some will appear in outlying towns in your region.
And of course you still have agents(reduced) like in Empire spying/assasination/sabotaging duties is done by the rake. Similar system with ancilarry charaters like previous total wars.
This post has been edited by frags: Oct 29 2008, 12:59 PM
Good News! Empire: Total War will be using Steam for its multiplayer infrastructure. No more gamespy!
QUOTE
Full Steam Ahead for Empire: Total War LONDON (28th October, 2008) – SEGA Europe Ltd. today announce that Empire: Total War™ will incorporate Steamworks™, a complete suite of publishing and development tools that offers PC game developers and publishers access to the game features and services available through Steam.
Steamworks will support both the retail and electronic versions of the Empire: Total War game giving players game updates, downloadable content, friend-list support and achievements. To play single-player Empire: Total War,players need only to connect to the internet once via the Steam client after installing the game.
Steamworks will serve as Empire: Total War’s multiplayer backend, providing server browsing and match-making functionality, bolstering Total War’s new level of commitment to multiplayer game modes and features. Further details on multiplayer will be announced soon.
SEGA is also pleased to announce the Special Forces Edition of Empire: Total War. This premium-packaged edition of the title offers true aficionados of the series the chance to build their empire with the help of a range of exclusive elite units and plot their next move on a detailed print of the globe-spanning Campaign Map.
Additional elite units are available as pre-order bonuses with major game retailers throughout Europe, alongside a pre-purchase incentive when purchasing the title as a PC digital download from Steam. For details on content, availability and pricing, please visit www.totalwar.com/empire/preorder.
"We are delighted to be working with an infrastructure as effective as Steam" said Mike Simpson, Studio Director at the Creative Assembly. "Having their matchmaking and support systems on board for Empire; Total War makes a huge difference both for players and for the development team. It not only helps make multiplayer slick and sizzling, it also frees up a huge chunk of the team's time which helps make the whole game better."
"Total War has become one of the most successful franchises in PC strategy gaming, one of the industry’s mainstay genres," said Gabe Newell, president of Valve. "We’re honored Sega selected Steamworks as they expand the franchise with leading-edge online services."
Empire: Total War is set in the 18th century, a turbulent era that is the most requested by Total War’s loyal fan base and a period alive with global conflict, revolutionary fervour and technological advances. With themes such as the Industrial Revolution, America’s struggle for independence, the race to control Eastern trade routes and the globalisation of war on land and sea, Empire: Total War promises to be the richest and most dynamic PC RTS game of all time. Empire: Total War will be released on the 6th of February.
For further information on Empire: Total War please visit www.totalwar.com. For assets on Empire: Total War or other SEGA games please visit www.sega-press.com.
You can pre purchase ETW now in Steam and get a free download of RTW!
ANd they also announced a special edition:
QUOTE
In a time when a soldier’s life could be given easily and quickly, it took extreme courage and determination for a true hero to forge a reputation for themselves. Whether through harsh and highly disciplined training, generations of successful military tradition or world-leading technology, the units available as part of the Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition are among the very best of the best.
The Special Forces Edition introduces six of the most influential military forces of the 18th Century. True to the period, these exclusive elite units become available on the campaign map via a certain faction or once a specific geographical region is under control.
The Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition also includes a beautifully illustrated version of the Campaign map, showing all three theatres of war (America, Europe and India) and their connecting, highly prized trade routes.
Special Forces Units The following elite units are included as part of the Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition. This premium packaged edition for aficionados of the Total War series comes complete with a unique Steam unlock code. Once the game is installed and verified by Steam, players can enter their code and unlock these elite units which will then appear in the single player game.
HMS Victory - The Royal Navy’s most distinguished and formidable first rate ship of the line; Lord Nelson’s 104 gun flagship is one of the most heavily armed ships of the 18th Century.
Rogers’ Rangers - Major Robert Rogers’ company of rangers are highly trained elite light infantry, specialising in reconnaissance and special operations. They are extremely mobile in even the most challenging environments.
Ottoman Organ Gun - A viciously powerful field gun, able to inflict incredible damage on the opposing army. Emphatic proof of the Ottoman Empire’s advanced knowledge of gunpowder and firearms technology.
Ghoorkas - "Better to die than be a coward" has been the motto of these elite Nepalese soldiers for centuries. Disciplined, tough and courageous, they carry a deadly 18-inch long, curved knife known as the kukri.
Corso Terrestre Guerillas - An independent light infantry guerrilla regiment, experienced in skirmish and stealth tactics. Surprise raids and ambushes are the guerillas’ favoured tactics, a way to compensate for their limited number and light armour.
Bulkeley's Regiment - A French unit of Irish mercenaries with a fearsome reputation for hardiness. Exceptionally tough and resilient, they make for a highly flexible and dependable regiment.
Not very thrilled about special editions having exclusive units.
Sweden dominates Scandinavia and the Baltic, a Northern European empire that is the legacy of the incomparable warrior-king, Gustavus II Adolphus. Even though he died in battle at Luetzen in 1632, the army that he created helped Sweden profit from the seemingly endless religious struggles of the Thirty Years War. The nation emerged from that conflict immeasurably stronger in military terms, and able to invade its Baltic neighbours at will. This military power did, however, cost money and Swedish lives. Neither of these commodities is available in abundance, and the prudent stewardship has been necessary too. Charles XI, however, has left an impressive arsenal in place for his son, should he wish to take up the sword; and Charles XII has an obsessive interest in soldiering.
As the new century dawns, Sweden is a strong, aggressive state, surrounded by jealous rivals from whom she has taken territory in the last hundred years. To the east, the Russians would like unhindered access to the Baltic, and therefore Western Europe beyond. To the south, Poland-Lithuania wants its lost lands back. To the west, the other Scandinavian nations want independence or an end to Swedish domination of the Baltic.
In all these potential threats, however, lurk opportunities for those bold enough to seize the chance. Individually, Sweden’s rivals are not quite as threatening as they might appear: Russia is huge, that much is true, but incredibly backwards. There is no reason why the Baltic, as a Swedish “Mare Nostrum”, cannot become the basis of a new Northern, Protestant empire. Sweden’s armies are the equal of any in Europe, and her navy is not without resources and skill. With a home empire secured, who is to say that an overseas empire cannot be taken and held too?
Naval Unit
Fifth Rate
Frigates are single-deck warships, used for a variety of tasks thanks to a combination of good handling, firepower and endurance at sea.
“Fifth rate” is a Royal Navy term for the largest of the single-deck frigates, square-rigged ships that carry some 44 guns, usually no heavier than 12-pounders. Originally a French design – but quickly adopted by the other European powers – the frigate is used for pursuit, convoy protection, commerce raiding and reconnaissance work. The design’s excellent sailing characteristics and good handling, especially in inshore waters, make it a useful addition to any blockading fleet. The frigate’s ability to operate far away from a home port also makes them it a useful cruiser, carrying the fight to the enemy in unexpected waters.
Frigates can have the advantage over larger, two-deck ships in rough waters. A frigate captain rarely has to worry about his gun deck taking on water, and can therefore fight in conditions that leave bigger ships at a disadvantage. However, fifth rates are not powerful enough to face battleships. They have the speed and handling to stay out of trouble; they do not have the strength of construction to survive a pounding! Against sloops, brigs and merchantmen, however, they are deadly. This makes them excellent postings for officers hungry for prize money and glory.
Frigates captains made splendid role models for fictional heroes: Thomas, Lord Cochrane earned a fortune in prize money, gained the nickname “le loup des mers” (sea-wolf) and was the inspiration for fictional heroes Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey.
ok imma get special edition no matter what my parents say cause this game is worth it,every TW game is worth it(only i know that M2TW and M2TW:K was worth it) btw special edition can preorder from tsb right?
ok imma get special edition no matter what my parents say cause this game is worth it,every TW game is worth it(only i know that M2TW and M2TW:K was worth it) btw special edition can preorder from tsb right?
btw to u people who are doubting whether or not to buy this game,IMHO Total War series never let u down,they always shine and give great gameplay and graphics...i gotta admit this is the only PC game that i want to buy if there are a series of them
This post has been edited by Boomeraangkid: Nov 5 2008, 12:10 AM
btw to u people who are doubting whether or not to buy this game,IMHO Total War series never let u down,they always shine and give great gameplay and graphics...i gotta admit this is the only PC game that i want to buy if there are a series of them
Since it was announced August last year. Heck been waiting for the next total war even before it was announced.
My rig could support the previous TW games. Is the requirement much higher in this one?
QUOTE(Aoshi_88 @ Nov 5 2008, 07:57 AM)
Don't think so though they claim it's a new game engine.
Possibly higher. It is a new engine. The old engine(RTW/M2TW) was an engine that ran only on a single core. The new one will have loads of physics and stuff. But they say it will run on a 2 year old machine. Requirements arent out yet.
I wait this game for so long already i think is near to release already......Can't wait to play British Empire for the Queen Elizabert
It should be King George the fourth in 1730 something and his father George the third before that. Queen Victoria took the throne during 1800's and this period was known as the Victorian period and the famous term "The sun never sets on the British Empire" was coined during this period as Britain became the most powerful nation.
So during Empire's period it should be "God save the King" not queen.
Shipping goods of any kind by land is difficult and expensive. Any item that has to travel more than a few miles goes by ship wherever possible.
Most roads are simply terrible, and bulk cargoes (such as coal) must go by ship anyway: it is the only way of moving goods cheaply and relatively quickly. It also makes the whole world a marketplace, even if the customers are not sure what to make of the goods they are being sent (British merchants insisted on exporting heavy woollen cloth to India for years, even though there was no obvious market for it).
Coastal trade can also be very profitable. For example, a “cheese fleet” did nothing but shuttle back and forth between London and the northwest of England, bringing Cheshire cheeses to the London market. By a happy accident of geology, Cheshire had rock salt mines that provided a preservative for the local cheese to make the sea journey to London. Although salty, this was undoubtedly healthier than most food on a gentleman’s table in the 18th Century!
Faction Feature The Ottoman Empire
The history of Europe over the last centuries can be seen as the history of the Ottoman Empire and a few annoying, small nations that thwarted Ottoman ambitions. Ottoman power is unmatched in its extent and grandeur, straddling the traditional trade route between Europe and Asia. The Ottomans also have power over the whole of the Mediterranean coast of North Africa.
This Turkish, Islamic empire supplanted the Orthodox Byzantine Empire in the 15th Century and since then it has had a continuing, if not always whole-hearted, ambition to expand further westwards into the heart of Europe. In living memory Turkish armies have reached the gates of Vienna, Austria, only to be turned back by the steadfast defenders. Turkish expansionism has always been a part of palace politics: when a Sultan has felt secure at home he has attacked Europe; when a Sultan has felt threatened by his Janissary military commanders, he has sent them to attack.
The Ottomans face challenges but within these are great opportunities. The army and navy look old fashioned compared to those of some states, but the soldiers of the Sultan are numerous indeed. Strategically, the Empire is in a potentially strong position: the Balkans are a natural bastion to defend Istanbul, and a possible springboard for conquest into central Europe. There may even be valuable allies to be found among Austria’s rivals: the authority of the Pope to stop his European flock making treaties with infidels is all but gone. Control of the Mediterranean would allow a Sultan to do as he please with the smaller European powers. And to the east, the route to India offers the chance of riches.
This post has been edited by frags: Nov 13 2008, 07:12 PM
hell yea.. this is a must have for all strategy fans out there.. one thing i love about this series is that the depth of micromanagement skill needed.. really need some brain power to win each battle..
It should be King George the fourth in 1730 something and his father George the third before that. Queen Victoria took the throne during 1800's and this period was known as the Victorian period and the famous term "The sun never sets on the British Empire" was coined during this period as Britain became the most powerful nation.
So during Empire's period it should be "God save the King" not queen.
I just cant wait to play the empire with biggest naval power and land mass across the planet in human history, but I guess keeping them in check and not giving them independence is another matter. Maybe I should keep the tax low and keep everyone happy while I invade the world.
QUOTE(alpha_company @ Nov 13 2008, 10:15 PM)
yup.. u got that right. really need brain power to strategize. how to attack and create routs, siege etc..
i remembered rome where i can win with only 1000+ army against a combined 6000+ army.
RTW was a cheat arrows and ammunition never runs out.
I just cant wait to play the empire with biggest naval power and land mass across the planet in human history, but I guess keeping them in check and not giving them independence is another matter. Maybe I should keep the tax low and keep everyone happy while I invade the world. RTW was a cheat arrows and ammunition never runs out.
The British and the Spaniards got their ass kicked by the Dutch numerous times, one of the smallest countries in the world. The first faction I'm going to play with are the Dutch. Ever heard about the Spanish Treasure Fleet and Piet Hein or how Michiel de Ruyter whiped out most of the British fleet on the Thames?
First i'm going to play the Vietnamese because they kicked French ass in Dien Bien Phu-..... oh wait... that was in 1954. Wrong century.
That will be an option in the next of the TOTAL WAR series Then I definitly will not play with the dutch, it took the Germans 3 days to occupy the Netherlands but then again the dutch didn't had a choice, the city of Rotterdam was bombarded to the ground (a lot of civilian casualties) and the Nazis threatened to do the same with other major cites (eg Amsterdam) in the Netherlands. I probably would go for the Partizans
A defensive posture for musket-armed infantry units, creating an impassable wall of steel to fend off cavalry attacks.
As the name suggests, this is four two- or three-rank lines of infantry arranged as a hollow square, with everyone facing outwards. It is a version of the obsolete pike “hedgehog”, making any cavalry charge a suicidal exercise. Bayonets are fixed to muskets when appropriate and possible.
Forming a square requires good order in the ranks. The outer companies of an infantry unit in line have to “fold back” to form the sides and back of the square, without losing cohesion in the process. The unit colours take up station in the centre, a final rallying point should the square be broken. It is also possible to form larger squares with more than one unit.
The square is, of course, a tempting target for enemy artillery. Whether it is better to form square in the face of cavalry and risk an artillery barrage, or stay in line to mitigate artillery fire and risk a cavalry charge can be a tactical conundrum!
Theoreticians argued infantry could defeat a cavalry charge by firepower alone. Brigadier General Richard Kane (later Military Governor of Gibraltar) remarked, “If a body of Foot have but Resolution and keep their Order, there is no Body of Horse dare venture within their Fire…” but for him that fire was to be delivered from a square, not a line. He was arguing for discipline as the key to success.
Platoon Firing
This firing plan for musketry ensures an infantry unit keeps up a continual barrage of shots against an enemy.
Nearly all line infantry carry smoothbore, muzzle-loading muskets. These take considerable time to reload after firing: anything up to a minute for poorly trained or nervous troops. During that time, the enemy can close or return fire unmolested. In the time it takes to reload, a unit can be cut down, its half-loaded weapons useless in the face of an aggressive foe. It is sensible to make sure that not everyone in an infantry unit is reloading at the same moment; this, in turn, means that not everyone should be firing at the same time.
Platoon fire is a way of dividing a unit into smaller groups that each fire, reload and fire again in turn. The result is a “rippling fire” down a line formation and, as the last platoon fires its muskets, the first is ready to fire again. A unit can always give some fire to the enemy at all times, even if this is less than a complete volley. When more than one unit is involved all the troops in every first platoon fire, followed by all the second platoons, and so on, creating several rippling barrages down the battle line.
The word “platoon” in this context does not have the modern meaning of being a sub-unit of a military company. Platoon assignment to what was a “fire group” was made on an ad hoc or informal basis, and could mean a whole regiment being assigned to a “platoon”.
The British and the Spaniards got their ass kicked by the Dutch numerous times, one of the smallest countries in the world. The first faction I'm going to play with are the Dutch. Ever heard about the Spanish Treasure Fleet and Piet Hein or how Michiel de Ruyter whiped out most of the British fleet on the Thames? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Pieterszoon_Hein http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_the_Medway
The means of 'one of the smallest countries in the world' is for current time. Back then, they're colonizing south east asia, africa and also south america.
The means of 'one of the smallest countries in the world' is for current time. Back then, they're colonizing south east asia, africa and also south america.
Yes, correct. In 1641 the dutch assaulted and wrestled Melakka from the Portugese with the help from the Johor Sultanate. And they stayed there for 183 years. In the 17th Century the Dutch East Indian Company (VoC) was the largest trading company in the world. The dutch were also responsible for most of the slave trade in those days. At one point in time the dutch traded New Amsterdam (now better known as New York) with the English for Suriname (South America), if it wasn't for that, there was a good chance that Dutch would have been one of the main languages in the world
Great Britain is not a natural creation, but the marriage of separate kingdoms and peoples. The new nation has been through a century of unparalleled turbulence: an unwelcome joining of Scotland and England; religious strife; civil wars; an executed king; military dictatorship; a populist monarch restored; and the overthrow of a second king. Less than 15 years ago, the hated Catholic James II was forced into exile in the Glorious Revolution and a Protestant monarchy restored. A short, vicious war in Ireland put paid to any chance of a Catholic Stuart restoration. Nonetheless, the exiled James Stuart has sympathisers, the Jacobites, throughout Britain. Despite – or perhaps because of – this turbulent history, Britain is an engine driving the scientific and cultural advancement of northern Europe: turmoil fuels creativity.
As an island nation, Britons have always looked to, as Shakespeare puts it:
“…the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, as a moat defensive to a house…”
Britain’s strength lies at sea, but in trade and colonisation as much as naval power. Trade taxes pay for the navy; the navy allows unhindered trade. The English Channel keeps the French at bay and, to a lesser extent, the Dutch. With Dutchman William III on the British throne, there is ambivalence in the traditional rivalry with the Netherlands!
The English and Scots like to think that they can sleep safe, that no foreign invader or tyranny need worry them. They are partly right, but only as long as there is no centralised Continental power. A nation that can unite the resources of Europe will surely crush the dream of Albion. This, then, is the fundamental aim of Britain: to side with the weak in Europe against the strong – and steal as many overseas possessions as possible while doing it!
Guess what? I'd an idea for something like nusantara total war. There were lots of kingdoms like malacca, johor-riau, sriwijaya, mataram, demak, aceh, khmer, thai, vietnam, brunei, sulu, moluccas, etc. and each have their own religions (islam, buddhism, hinduism, pagans) plus uniqueness (like archery was from chinese technology so malay kingdoms didn't really have them). just consider portuguese as mongols and dutch as timurids in m2tw and both brought christianity (catholics). While British brought Protestanism.
This is just my personal idea for making project to develop local games as well as ideas for my master degree. tho i have more other different ideas.
Guess what? I'd an idea for something like nusantara total war. There were lots of kingdoms like malacca, johor-riau, sriwijaya, mataram, demak, aceh, khmer, thai, vietnam, brunei, sulu, moluccas, etc. and each have their own religions (islam, buddhism, hinduism, pagans) plus uniqueness (like archery was from chinese technology so malay kingdoms didn't really have them). just consider portuguese as mongols and dutch as timurids in m2tw and both brought christianity (catholics). While British brought Protestanism.
This is just my personal idea for making project to develop local games as well as ideas for my master degree. tho i have more other different ideas.
I like the idea, a lot! I would like to see the Yogyakarta faction. Led by Diponegoro
There been a bunch of previews(Hands on) thats been writen by the press the past couple of days. CA had a press invitational and let them play a multiplayer naval battle with 3 ships a side. I'll just highlight one of the hands on from IGN:
First off, let's get the numbers out of the way. Empire's sea battles are impressive skirmishes with up to 20 ships fighting on each side, with numerous factions engaging simultaneously. While this number may sound modest compared to Total War's land battles, which typically involve thousands of troops, the slower, more considered pace of the naval conflicts – and the impressive attention to detail – more than compensates for the lack of numbers.
QUOTE
Controlling your fleet couldn't be easier with individual ships selected by clicking on the corresponding icons at the bottom of the screen, after which orders are issued using the simple, intuitive command interface. Successfully navigating your fleet is anything but easy though, as you have to factor in wind speed and direction when moving your ships into position. Add the task of lining up each vessel's cannons to accurately fire off a volley and there's a stiff challenge in store for any fleet leader.
QUOTE
ndeed, navigation certainly took some getting used to and our first attempts at bombarding the enemy resulted in farcical, wayward shots plopping harmlessly into the sea while the remainder of our fleet meandered across the waves in the opposite direction. Although our skills as a wannabe Napoleon were partly to blame for the poor show, it's also due to Total War's tireless pursuit of battlefield realism, which means pretty much everything – from the height of each ship's mast and the size of their hull – affects the manoeuvrability of your fleet. The good news is that it gets considerably easier with practice and within an hour we were ordering our ships around with precision and speed.
QUOTE
To fully appreciate the visual splendour of these naval battles it's best to zoom right down into the action. Up close every last detail is clear to see, from the crystal clear waters on which your ships bob up and down to the foam that forms on the crest of each wave. The level of detail on each ship is equally impressive, with hulking galleons crawling with crew and soldiers – the bigger ships carry over 200 individuals, all kitted out with the correct gear. Move the camera in close and you can see cannon crews hurriedly reloading below deck between barrages, while up top men rush about their business with military precision. The battlefield is further brought to life by dynamic weather effects and skirmishes that begin in searing sunlight often end in a torrential downpours, with swirling winds making accurate navigation and cannon-fire almost impossible.
QUOTE
Our only concern is the need to micromanage your ships' cannons – you must manually order each side of every vessel's hull to reload after firing, unless you order them to fire at will. While this worked well during the smaller battles we played it remains to be seen how manageable this mechanic will prove during some of the larger and more intense sea-based confrontations.
The United Provinces are a Protestant stronghold in North-western Europe, a place where science, trade and freedom of thought have flourished since the Spanish were driven out in the last century. Having tamed their land and held back the sea, the Dutch have also embraced the sea and become the foremost naval power in the world. A mere generation ago, the Dutch navy sailed into the Thames and burned the English fleet at anchor: this kind of bravado and expertise is not quickly forgotten.
Dutch merchantmen range across the world’s oceans, and the wealth of the world passes through Dutch ports. Dutchmen can be found trading in the Indies, where they give the locals a run for their money, and the Caribbean. They are everywhere, in fact, where there is a profit to be made. Spanish claims to the New World and its trade are cheerfully ignored, as are Spanish threats. The Dutch have learned to live with Hapsburg threats hanging over their heads. Having beaten off brutal attempts to bring them to heel, the Dutch now have little love for Hapsburg-ruled Spain or Austria. A distant Catholic emperor holds no appeal for them. An expansionist France, on the other hand, does bear watching, and guarding against.
Other rivals close at hand are now less of a threat than they used to be. The British have been… tamed is too strong a word… brought to their senses by having a good, honest Dutchman on their throne. William III of Orange was an acceptable Protestant ruler for the British when they needed one. His presence has done much to calm relations, especially as the equally-mercantile British have designs on world trade that should rightfully be Dutch!
For the future, the Dutch have much to be hopeful about. They have a strong navy, and a tradition of victory. There is wealth aplenty in every corner of the world, if only the Dutch have the will to go and take it!
That is not new lah...The first one is the PC Gamer exclusive preview(July i think)...the second one is from a German magazine (from early this year) which i forgot its name(I think its called Gamestar)...all pre alpha screens...
Rumour has it that there will be more hands on previews soon...because CA allowed a couple of journalist to try out land battles as well(recently)...
Does this really mean that for Asian Pacific region they would cover Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, South East Asia and India in their world map for conquest? Id really like to take those area as my own.
Does this really mean that for Asian Pacific region they would cover Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, South East Asia and India in their world map for conquest? Id really like to take those area as my own.
No they have said that SEA will be a trade theatre...You cant conquer any nation in trade theatre's. Just trade with them...Asia Pacific region i dont think will be in(Chine, Hong Kong etc)...They mention the Indies which includes Malaya and Indonesia and maybe philipines...But only as trade theatre...
India will be a theatre of War where you can have full interaction with..
This post has been edited by frags: Dec 4 2008, 02:54 PM
No they have said that SEA will be a trade theatre...You cant conquer any nation in trade theatre's. Just trade with them...Asia Pacific region i dont think will be in(Chine, Hong Kong etc)...They mention the Indies which includes Malaya and Indonesia and maybe philipines...But only as trade theatre...
India will be a theatre of War where you can have full interaction with..
I see, Ive not been keeping up with the news update as much. Then what about australia? I hope in the expansion they would include those famous colonies of the Brit Empire like Hong Kong and Singapore. Events like the opium war and the black ships.
I see, Ive not been keeping up with the news update as much. Then what about australia? I hope in the expansion they would include those famous colonies of the Brit Empire like Hong Kong and Singapore. Events like the opium war and the black ships.
Australia still question mark...my guess is that it wont be in...Expansions yeah...thats what i suspect...Or maybe they will choose to do like what they did in Kingdoms...A few smaller campaigns focusing in particular regions...
I will be really suprised if they didn't do a expansion centered on Napoleans campaign(SInce the current timeline cuts off just before the Napolean Era).
Australia still question mark...my guess is that it wont be in...Expansions yeah...thats what i suspect...Or maybe they will choose to do like what they did in Kingdoms...A few smaller campaigns focusing in particular regions...
I will be really suprised if they didn't do a expansion centered on Napoleans campaign(SInce the current timeline cuts off just before the Napolean Era).
I thought it cuts in between that cos it focuses on the modern era period of the 1700s and 1800s, and napoleon would be (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821). My guess is that it will be another expansion for napoleon himself, just like in RTW they have barbarian invasion and Alexander's campaign.
So save up boys.
I think if Im goin to play his campaign Id be drinking wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah while playing. Some how the french just makes me think of red wine grapes and cheese.
This post has been edited by fujkenasai: Dec 4 2008, 03:24 PM
I thought it cuts in between that cos it focuses on the modern era period of the 1700s and 1800s, and napoleon would be (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821). My guess is that it will be another expansion for napoleon himself, just like in RTW they have barbarian invasion and Alexander's campaign.
So save up boys.
Yes...but Napoleans campaign only really started late 1700's something like 1798/99...That means near end game already...I dont think ETW will feature 1800 to 1820...I think they cut that out already. Empire: Total War will end at 1800...which means(most probably) that Napolean will emerge as a threat really late in game...Sort of like a preview of what is about to happen in the next century...
But there has been talks by CA that the french revolution can be forced to happen earlier etc...so I'm not sure if France will get Napolean earlier due to french rebelion early...it is possible...
Yes...but Napoleans campaign only really started late 1700's something like 1798/99...That means near end game already...I dont think ETW will feature 1800 to 1820...I think they cut that out already. Empire: Total War will end at 1800...which means(most probably) that Napolean will emerge as a threat really late in game...Sort of like a preview of what is about to happen in the next century...
But there has been talks by CA that the french revolution can be forced to happen earlier etc...so I'm not sure if France will get Napolean earlier due to french rebelion early...it is possible...
There is always room for expansions, esp with such a good engine.
Besides his era isnt too far ahead where they have tanks and planes, so I guess its still ok to be in the expansion. See how the public demand is I guess.
This post has been edited by fujkenasai: Dec 4 2008, 03:33 PM
Mamluks are fearless light horsemen, deadly when deployed against a broken or unsupported enemy.
Mounted on tireless light horses and armed with scimitars, they are commonly employed to harass an enemy force, restricting its space to manoeuvre easily. Once battle is fully joined, they will often time their charges to coincide with those of a supporting infantry unit, seeking to break the enemy quickly then wreaking havoc amongst them as they flee.
Mamluks were traditionally slave soldiers of the various caliphs and sultans of the Middle Ages, captured as children and raised in the Islamic faith to provide their master with a force of men unconnected to any other part of the hierarchy. Over time, the Mamluks accrued power of their own and even went as far as seizing control of Egypt; they founded a Mamluk Sultanate in 1250. Though the Mamluks’ strength enabled the Sultanate to repel several invasions by Christian crusaders and Mongols, it was eventually overpowered by the Ottoman Empire in 1517. The Mamluks so came into the service of the Sublime Porte.
Faction Feature
Russia
“Muscovy”, as its rulers have previously called it, is a sleeping giant, with age-old traditions and ways of doing things. Here, the feudal way of life has become so entrenched that the serfs are as tied to the land as cattle, and with almost as few rights. It is a vast, deeply conservative and religious country: Mother Russia and the Orthodox Church are the two pillars of national belief. The Tsar may be the father of his people, but by tradition and practice he is a stern parent. Ivan the Terrible was well named, and he has not been the only ruler with an iron will. Russia needs a strong hand controlling the “Third Rome”, the true home of Christianity (according to the Orthodox Church) after the fall of Byzantium.
Now, however, Russia is changing, awakening. It is beginning to look outwards, towards the best that the rest of the world has to offer in terms of ideas, culture and might. These things must be introduced carefully, to avoid the ills of free-thinking that beset some Western nations. When Russia does fully realise its strength, however, it will be formidable indeed. It has boundless resources to draw upon, and the steadfast courage of its people to bolster its armies. It can be a formidable foe, and a difficult one for an enemy to attack. One thing that Russia does have is endless space, and the lack of apparently defensible frontiers actually becomes a defence in itself. Invaders can be lured deep into the steppes, and left to the mercies of “General Winter” and Russia’s endless, empty lands.
To the west lies the wealth of Europe and access to the wider world through a port on the Baltic. That the troublesome Swedes are in the way is a bonus, for they will have to be crushed! To the south, there are fellow Slavs and Orthodox Christians in the Balkans to be incorporated into a Greater Russian empire. The infidel Turks have lands and wealth aplenty too, but possibly the strength to defend them.
And beyond, there is a wider world awaiting conquest by the sons of the Mother Russia.
Creative Assembly's large-scale Napoleonic strategy title Empire: Total War has been delayed to early March, according to publisher Sega.
Empire was originally expected to hit the PC on February 3, so we're looking at approximately one extra month of waiting before we get our pretty revolution simulator, and about two months before us history dorks all head out to the store for a new PC.
Hope they delay cos they wanna give us the best gaming experience, and not like GTA4 giving us some 1/2 ass game. Until they patch their game properly Im not goin to get it.
Hope they delay cos they wanna give us the best gaming experience, and not like GTA4 giving us some 1/2 ass game. Until they patch their game properly Im not goin to get it.
Actually
QUOTE
Hi guys,
We can confirm that Empire: Total War's release date has been moved to March 2009. Here is the full reason and we wanted our official forums to be the first to know!
"The extra development time will allow us to finalise and polish Empire, making it the most accomplished and epic of the Total War series." said Kieran Brigden, Studio Communications Manager at The Creative Assembly. "There is a great deal of anticipation around Empire Total War and we want to ensure that it is the benchmark for strategy games upon its release."
Significantly the additional time will also allow us to implement the underlying technology for a much desired feature (thanks to your feedback!); a multiplayer campaign mode. An opportunity to participate in the 1 versus 1 multiplayer campaign mode beta will be made available to all Empire Total War buyers post release.
Many thanks,
Mark O'Connell (aka SenseiTW)
They are trying to include a multiplayer campaign mode....confirmed Thats why delayed...But they are going to make it 1v1 only for the beta.
Actually They are trying to include a multiplayer campaign mode....confirmed Thats why delayed...But they are going to make it 1v1 only for the beta.
Wow this is great news
Im over joyed to hear this, this makes me more enthusiastic to get the collectors edition but I hope it will not take too long to get to my hands. Im looking forward to play the campaign multilayer, I wonder how long it will take to finish the game or will the players just get bored of it when their empire is big enough.
This post has been edited by fujkenasai: Dec 16 2008, 02:33 PM
Breaking News! A polish site has uploaded actual in game footage. Video capture!!! Why read preview about other people playing the game when you can see it for yourself! I'm not sure if CA will force the link down...so watch it as soon as you can.
I think they purposely leaked it so that they get people eager to buy the game. Damn its still 3 months away in total war time line I can have 1/2 completed ships already.
The Spanish have a long been conquerors and colonisers in distant parts. Indeed, the Spanish and Portuguese signed a treaty in 1494 that neatly divided the world between themselves. The Spanish went conquering “for God, Spain and to get rich”. They succeeded, to a great degree, in all three aims.
Spain is a staunchly Catholic country, and the Church and the fearsome Spanish Inquisition still have their hold over men’s hearts. This partly explains why, for all its wealth, Spain is economically backward: the Church sees usury (money lending) as sinful. This may be so, but this lack of credit does not help the merchant classes. Economic growth is also not helped when it is beneath the dignity of any hidalgo gentleman to earn money or work. But a gentleman’s honour is worth defending and a nation’s glory is worth winning, so courage is not in short supply. Indeed, Spain is blessed with courageous men on both land and sea.
That Spain will need defending, and soon, is self-evident to many. Charles II, “El Hechizado” or “the Bewitched” is a feeble-minded and pathetic figure, a shadow of his Hapsburg ancestors, and childless. Spain has suffered from his weakness of mind and government, but Charles cannot live forever. When he dies, what forces will shape the destiny of the Empire? Will Spain once again face its Protestant rivals down? Will new there be a new generation of conquistadores to plant the Spanish flag on distant shores? His successor will have much to ponder, but a brave nation to lead back to greatness!
This post has been edited by frags: Dec 23 2008, 01:46 PM
More news from a Gamespy preview...apparently CA are mulling releasing downloadable new content. New campaigns etc...like the Alexander campaign for Rome....for a fee.
This defensive weapon is a landmine constructed by military engineers and fired by the defenders lighting a fuse.
A fougasse consists of a pit, sometimes dug at an angle, with gunpowder packed into the bottom and suitably wrapped to keep it dry. The hole is then backfilled with rubble and stones, taking care not to break the fuse, creating a huge “canister shot” weapon. Any enemies caught by the explosion are blown to smithereens by the blast. Damp, of course, will cause the fougasse to misfire, like any other gunpowder weapon.
Historically, a later and nastier, refinement used a flintlock mechanism to fire the charge. As well as making the explosion more reliable, this allowed military engineers to turn the fougasse into a booby trap. A piece of twine tied to the trigger acted as a tripwire: an unfortunate booby then stumbled and fired the device into himself and his nearby comrades.
During the 20th Century, the fougasse was refined into a flamethrower by burying oil drums on top of the explosives. And at the time of writing, the fougasse remains in use, as only one of the IEDs (improvised explosive device) used by insurgents against occupying forces in Iraq.
2009 is the year to become an RTS freak You couldn't have picked a better year...
Im already a RTS freak.Most of my games on my computer are RTS.
Im not gonna say 2009 gonna be a good year for RTS cause i used to say that every year.At the end of the year,i always wonder:"Was year ???? a good year for RTS?".
Still,i think this year have quite a lot of RTS coming out.Hope Halo Wars and End War comes to PC too.
This post has been edited by Cheesenium: Jan 7 2009, 01:08 PM
Prussia itself has only been “German” since the 13th Century, when the Teutonic Knights carved out a new Christian state on the Baltic coast. The present Kingdom of Prussia is a new state, the result of a union between the duchies of Brandenburg and Prussia, and it is a Kingdom only because the current ruler, Elector Frederick III has decided to improve his status to that of King! In doing so, however, he has been careful not to offend the Holy Roman Emperor, the Archduke of Austria, and calls himself the King “in” Prussia, not the King “of” Prussia. The form of words is a fig leaf: Frederick is King. And he is the king of a potentially powerful and influential Protestant nation, a centre of gravity within “the Germanies” for all those who would look elsewhere for a lead than Catholic Austria.
The Prussians believe – not without reason – that their virtues as a people can carry them through any trouble: martial discipline, sacrifice, a sense of order, but this sense of duty should not be confused with ignorance or intolerance, no matter what others may say. Prussians have always had to fight, but that has made them competent, not bloodthirsty. They have the potential to become a great continental power thanks to their martial traditions, many of which can be traced back to the Teutonic Knights. These could form the basis of a truly world-beating army. Under the right guidance, they could unite the German-speaking peoples into a single entity, dominate the Baltic and, perhaps, extend their reach far beyond the confines of Central Europe.
This post has been edited by frags: Jan 8 2009, 02:39 AM
Im already a RTS freak.Most of my games on my computer are RTS.
Im not gonna say 2009 gonna be a good year for RTS cause i used to say that every year.At the end of the year,i always wonder:"Was year ???? a good year for RTS?".
Still,i think this year have quite a lot of RTS coming out.Hope Halo Wars and End War comes to PC too.
I do not have high expectations for halo wars well end war is like World in Conflict. I think Id still prefer world in conflict.
Recommended specs aren't out yet...but as you can see...very low
I do not think that it will be that low for recomended requirements from the screen shots. But still we still have to wait and see. This game is more about the in game than the graphics. I think Im eager to play the multiplayer grand campaign. I think players would most probably cooperate against AI, would be interesting to see UK faction cooperating with Russian. I wonder if allies can share technology and army.
I just want to play Halo in RTS mode.I kinda like the Halo Universe too.
Halo Wars will not be ported to the PC anytime soon. Its Ensemble's LAST game. That means after release they close shop. That would mean Microsoft will have to decided to outsource the port IF they decide they want to port it in the first place...
And you know how Microsoft works...especially if you look at past Halo's.
Halo Wars will not be ported to the PC anytime soon. Its Ensemble's LAST game. That means after release they close shop. That would mean Microsoft will have to decided to outsource the port IF they decide they want to port it in the first place...
And you know how Microsoft works...especially if you look at past Halo's.
This game sure takes long to complete I wonde with my kinda attitude that want to reduce my army casualties to the minimum and want to maximise my production and upgrade in every turn how long will it take for me to finish this game. I think I cant afford that in multiplayer if not my partner will either kill me or not play with me.
I thought if I buy the collectors edition it comes with it.
I think the collectors edition is the special forces edition...This info is for the steam download...I'm not sure if the retail version will be priced the same especially when it has the other extras like soundtrack etc...
QUOTE(Cheesenium @ Jan 9 2009, 03:24 PM)
Just a question,how good is the in game AI in past Total War games?
I mean the opponent or ally's AI,not pathfinding.
Sorry if i have posted this before.
Servicable...Not great...some of the earlier ones were better(the Shogun and Medieval total war)...The new ones haven't improved AI much...but they claim this one is an overhaul in terms of AI..
Servicable...Not great...some of the earlier ones were better(the Shogun and Medieval total war)...The new ones haven't improved AI much...but they claim this one is an overhaul in terms of AI..
I think the collectors edition is the special forces edition...This info is for the steam download...I'm not sure if the retail version will be priced the same especially when it has the other extras like soundtrack etc... Servicable...Not great...some of the earlier ones were better(the Shogun and Medieval total war)...The new ones haven't improved AI much...but they claim this one is an overhaul in terms of AI..
I herd that the collectors edition would be around RM169, wo they have sountrack etc.
Yeah the AI for even total war is kinda dumb, can always get tricked. But then again there is no AI that is near match for human intelligence, even if its being calculated by a super computer. I guess for simple games its still ok but for a game as complex as this its impossible.
From my experience the AI is "okey" but very easy to trick.
For example in the battles you can always surround it with few cavalries and it wont do anything about them as long as you keep them a bit far and have your main army in front of him.
So basically go with a big line of line soldiers, send cavalry on the flanks and back, engage with line, charge one "easy" target (archers or light infantry) from the back with cavalry, enemies start to panick and run, snowball effect, you win.
This "strategy" basically would win you most of the battles in the game if the AI does not have a huge numerical/quality superiority.
From my experience the AI is "okey" but very easy to trick.
For example in the battles you can always surround it with few cavalries and it wont do anything about them as long as you keep them a bit far and have your main army in front of him.
So basically go with a big line of line soldiers, send cavalry on the flanks and back, engage with line, charge one "easy" target (archers or light infantry) from the back with cavalry, enemies start to panick and run, snowball effect, you win.
This "strategy" basically would win you most of the battles in the game if the AI does not have a huge numerical/quality superiority.
I always have normal cavalry and javelin cavalry and I only have bout 2 of each and even though they have a huge army I normally have a 80% chance of success. Just let them chase my normal cavalry and have my javelin cavalry firing at them. IF they have missile units my cavalry will take care of them..
Yar, I wasnt saying my stuff was the best of the best, just that its a very basic trick most human would not fail for (at least not so easily). Lots of ways to trick the AI but overall it still does an "okey" job, at least he does not do stupid stuff like sending archers in melee and co.
It's able to generate a smart line setup with infantry first, ranged behind etc.
Still,is it worth getting the game for an almost SP all time gamer like me?
I play single player mode 95% of the time as my internet is always crappy.
Total War games have strong single player campaigns that you can play for a long time. The AI is just a small part of it. It is an empire building game too. Not just straight RTS.
Total War games have strong single player campaigns that you can play for a long time. The AI is just a small part of it. It is an empire building game too. Not just straight RTS.
That is why I think that the multilayer campaign map is a good move but still I do not know how are they going to implement it. AI is still no match for humans in planning, strategy and trickery. Would really like to see how 2 humans can fight and rule their empire.
Total War games have strong single player campaigns that you can play for a long time. The AI is just a small part of it. It is an empire building game too. Not just straight RTS.
Ok,thanks.
I'll probably get this game then.Need to find the date for the open beta to test drive the game a bit.
I also most of the times never play online but I never regretted buying the Total Wars yet yar, the single player is pretty nice.
I loved how in the medival you unlocked smaller factions after finishing the game the first time, gave it a lots of replay value as some of the races had really different units and buildings.
I also most of the times never play online but I never regretted buying the Total Wars yet yar, the single player is pretty nice.
I loved how in the medival you unlocked smaller factions after finishing the game the first time, gave it a lots of replay value as some of the races had really different units and buildings.
Too bad they do not have my fav faction the mongols completed.
I like the fire power that the mongols brought from China.
This post has been edited by fujkenasai: Jan 13 2009, 12:56 PM
Too bad they do not have my fav faction the mongols completed.
I like the fire power that the mongols brought from China.
Dude, Mongols only around early 1200s lah. And no, it wasn't from China entirely. You must understand that when the Mongols invading Europe, those groups weren't the ones who came from China. More like people from the steppes, crushing Abbasid and Khwarezmian kingdoms before going into Europe. Most technologies they brought to Europe were from those fallen kingdoms instead of China. That's just a little bit history for you.
Empire Total War is around the 18th centuries. The time where China already declined in its power.
Dude, Mongols only around early 1200s lah. And no, it wasn't from China entirely. You must understand that when the Mongols invading Europe, those groups weren't the ones who came from China. More like people from the steppes, crushing Abbasid and Khwarezmian kingdoms before going into Europe. Most technologies they brought to Europe were from those fallen kingdoms instead of China. That's just a little bit history for you.
Empire Total War is around the 18th centuries. The time where China already declined in its power.
Err he was talking about Mediaval total war 2, and there was an incomplete mongol faction in that game, and I was replying to his post.
So you are saying that the cannons that they brought to Europe were from the steppes? Mongols never came from China they originated from mongolia ofcourse.
I also most of the times never play online but I never regretted buying the Total Wars yet yar, the single player is pretty nice.
I loved how in the medival you unlocked smaller factions after finishing the game the first time, gave it a lots of replay value as some of the races had really different units and buildings.
Nice,it should keep me entertained if i dont have internet connection then.
Nice,it should keep me entertained if i dont have internet connection then.
Keep in mind I am not sure about this new version but if they do it like the previous versions (which should be if they are smart) then I do not think you will get bored with the game too soon
Err he was talking about Mediaval total war 2, and there was an incomplete mongol faction in that game, and I was replying to his post.
So you are saying that the cannons that they brought to Europe were from the steppes? Mongols never came from China they originated from mongolia ofcourse.
Thankyou teacher Dark Steno for your lesson.
The origin of cannon is unclear though. Despite Chinese being the first who found gunpowder, it is unsure who actually proposed the idea of putting a big rounded metal into a tube where the tube then ignited to launch the rounded metal onto the target. There's a dispute about who actually using the cannon first; Mongols or Arabs? In fact, the recorded battle of the first usage of cannon was between Mongols and Mamluks that happened not far from Jerusalem. Even if its true that it were Mongols who brought the weapon to the battle, I believed the weapon was taken from the fallen kingdoms that stood along the path of the marauding Mongol armies. I don't really think that Mongols were that capable of doing things back then as they're being expansionists and aggressive. Of course, there's claim that it was Chinese who used a new weapon such as that but no physical evidence over that matter except something that proved to be a hundred years later than what the Arabs-Mongols did and also an account on historical journal.
Keep in mind I am not sure about this new version but if they do it like the previous versions (which should be if they are smart) then I do not think you will get bored with the game too soon
The origin of cannon is unclear though. Despite Chinese being the first who found gunpowder, it is unsure who actually proposed the idea of putting a big rounded metal into a tube where the tube then ignited to launch the rounded metal onto the target. There's a dispute about who actually using the cannon first; Mongols or Arabs? In fact, the recorded battle of the first usage of cannon was between Mongols and Mamluks that happened not far from Jerusalem. Even if its true that it were Mongols who brought the weapon to the battle, I believed the weapon was taken from the fallen kingdoms that stood along the path of the marauding Mongol armies. I don't really think that Mongols were that capable of doing things back then as they're being expansionists and aggressive. Of course, there's claim that it was Chinese who used a new weapon such as that but no physical evidence over that matter except something that proved to be a hundred years later than what the Arabs-Mongols did and also an account on historical journal.
Well no matter who acctually started the use of cannons, in the game M2TW if Im not mistaken I think that the mongols had the biggest guns and rocket barrage weapons, thats why I wanted to play that faction but then again they do not have a complete faction. Such as no buiding structures and stuff.
Each new version was an improvement of the previous ones. Of course people will have their own favourite due to the historical time period etc...So I have no doubt Empire will improve the gameplay dynamics of the series.
Each new version was an improvement of the previous ones. Of course people will have their own favourite due to the historical time period etc...So I have no doubt Empire will improve the gameplay dynamics of the series.
Did they have that feature in shogun total war too?
Did they have that feature in shogun total war too?
What feature? You mean gun powder ah? Gun powder was available in Shogun Total War late game as Dutch expeditions set up missions in Japan and introduced Arquebusiers...well not so late game...more like mid game. You couldn't use them at all in rain...which was cool
PS : The expansion pack for Shogun was Mongol Invasion...So Mongols were there in total war games way back. They didn't have the rocket siege equipment...they had some sort of exploding grenade like thing.
EDIT : Historically a mongol invasion never happened...There was historical evidence of it being planned and even wreakages of invasion fleets of the coast of Japan...Some Japanese early writing cited intervention of the divine wind to help them stop that mongol invasions...
QUOTE
A retired emperor made a pilgrimage to Ise to pray for divine intervention and the gods answered. A massive typhoon came, worse than the last one in 1274: the kamikaze or divine wind. It wrecked the Mongol fleet and as most of the army were still onboard the ships they suffered horrendous casualties. Two-thirds of the invasion force failed to return. The thousands who remained were killed over the following days in Japanese attacks. Although the Mongols were beaten the threat to Japan remained. Another invasion was planned between 1283 and 1285 but never materialised. However, a sighting of an invasion fleet happened off Satsuma province in 1301 but was almost certainly a false alarm. Yet the coastal guard of Satsuma were only taken off their duties in 1312. Furthermore it took until 1320 for the shogunate to release the troops from their high state of alert along the coastline.
Well no matter who acctually started the use of cannons, in the game M2TW if Im not mistaken I think that the mongols had the biggest guns and rocket barrage weapons, thats why I wanted to play that faction but then again they do not have a complete faction. Such as no buiding structures and stuff.
That rocket barrage weapon was origin of Chinese. But it's not like what the game shows though. It's a multiple arrows launcher. In M2TW, the thing can destroy a stone wall (I tried it) but in reality, it's just a bunch of wooden arrows with metal tips that launched against the enemies.
QUOTE(frags @ Jan 13 2009, 03:57 PM)
What feature? You mean gun powder ah? Gun powder was available in Shogun Total War late game as Dutch expeditions set up missions in Japan and introduced Arquebusiers...well not so late game...more like mid game. You couldn't use them at all in rain...which was cool
PS : The expansion pack for Shogun was Mongol Invasion...So Mongols were there in total war games way back. They didn't have the rocket siege equipment...they had some sort of exploding grenade like thing.
EDIT : Historically a mongol invasion never happened...There was historical evidence of it being planned and even wreakages of invasion fleets of the coast of Japan...Some Japanese early writing cited intervention of the divine wind to help them stop that mongol invasions...
Thus, the origin of Kamikaze appeared at that time. That grenade thing was naphta throwers (in M1TW, it was Naffatun).
Tenanted farms can only generate so much income from rents. With an increase in town size, and an increased demand from industry for agricultural products, it is more profitable to have herds of animals, not a gaggle of tenants. Meat and wool demand increases rapidly as towns grow. Apart from any other considerations, moving people off land also creates large areas where landowners can indulge a passion for hunting. While this generates little income, it does give social status.
The “Highland Clearances” are probably the most famous example of a forced change to land usage on a large scale. Contrary to popular belief, Highland clan leaders carried out most of the Scottish clearances, driving their own kinsmen and clans into exile. The chieftains needed to pay for the sophisticated life that they could have in Edinburgh and London by reinventing themselves as Scottish gentry. Sheep simply earned more money than the crofters did.
What feature? You mean gun powder ah? Gun powder was available in Shogun Total War late game as Dutch expeditions set up missions in Japan and introduced Arquebusiers...well not so late game...more like mid game. You couldn't use them at all in rain...which was cool
PS : The expansion pack for Shogun was Mongol Invasion...So Mongols were there in total war games way back. They didn't have the rocket siege equipment...they had some sort of exploding grenade like thing.
EDIT : Historically a mongol invasion never happened...There was historical evidence of it being planned and even wreakages of invasion fleets of the coast of Japan...Some Japanese early writing cited intervention of the divine wind to help them stop that mongol invasions... Source : http://www.taots.co.uk/content/view/25/30/
Sorry that Im being misleading. I mean the feature to unlock other factions after destroying them. BTW how many factions are there in shogun total war and did they have special formation like RTW?
I guess the invation did happen but they failed and failed badly. I saw a documentary shown by national geography saying that the mongol army was ill prepared as they were not trained for naval warfare, and that the ships that they used were used for rivers. The ships that was designed for sea were able to withstand the tsunami thats why the admiral's ships were able to return to Kublai Khan and report to him. In that documentrary they also blamed Kublai Khan for rushing his army to invade japan.
QUOTE(Dark Steno @ Jan 13 2009, 04:07 PM)
That rocket barrage weapon was origin of Chinese. But it's not like what the game shows though. It's a multiple arrows launcher. In M2TW, the thing can destroy a stone wall (I tried it) but in reality, it's just a bunch of wooden arrows with metal tips that launched against the enemies. Thus, the origin of Kamikaze appeared at that time. That grenade thing was naphta throwers (in M1TW, it was Naffatun).
yeah, I find any type of machine in TW series is able to siege. Like Ballistas and Scorpions, but then in the description they are suppose to do massive damage to army.
This post has been edited by fujkenasai: Jan 14 2009, 01:19 PM
Sorry that Im being misleading. I mean the feature to unlock other factions after destroying them. BTW how many factions are there in shogun total war and did they have special formation like RTW?
there are formations and such. actually factions and units are similar. because they're just a bunch of japanese with different clans.
Sorry that Im being misleading. I mean the feature to unlock other factions after destroying them. BTW how many factions are there in shogun total war and did they have special formation like RTW?
I guess the invation did happen but they failed and failed badly. I saw a documentary shown by national geography saying that the mongol army was ill prepared as they were not trained for naval warfare, and that the ships that they used were used for rivers. The ships that was designed for sea were able to withstand the tsunami thats why the admiral's ships were able to return to Kublai Khan and report to him. In that documentrary they also blamed Kublai Khan for rushing his army to invade japan. yeah, I find any type of machine in TW series is able to siege. Like Ballistas and Scorpions, but then in the description they are suppose to do massive damage to army.
There was only seven different factions. All unlocked of course. The whole Unlocking factions thing started in RTW...If I'm not mistaken. The original MTW had all factions playable...of course there was the minor factions that you couldn't play...like Kingdom of Aragorn etc...
Added on January 14, 2009, 1:52 pm
QUOTE(Dark Steno @ Jan 14 2009, 01:47 PM)
there are formations and such. actually factions and units are similar. because they're just a bunch of japanese with different clans.
Yeah all yari this or yari that...but some factions had bonuses to particular units...thats about the only thing unique about them other than faction colour.
MTW brought unique units to each faction.
This post has been edited by frags: Jan 14 2009, 01:52 PM
There was only seven different factions. All unlocked of course. The whole Unlocking factions thing started in RTW...If I'm not mistaken. The original MTW had all factions playable...of course there was the minor factions that you couldn't play...like Kingdom of Aragorn etc...
Added on January 14, 2009, 1:52 pm
Yeah all yari this or yari that...but some factions had bonuses to particular units...thats about the only thing unique about them other than faction colour.
MTW brought unique units to each faction.
Heh aragorn sounds like some mythical kingdom with dragons and stuff.
BTW any of you tried the rome total war realism mod? It looks really good infact much better than the original one.The only thing is that I cant get to play it on my com due to patch issues will try out the platinum version when I get home.
Unconfirmed...rumour...Demo February 3rd...I don't believe this just yet as some people are saying the video trailer(in the german version says this) says this.
This post has been edited by frags: Jan 16 2009, 02:10 AM
Poland is an old idea, and an old kingdom. Like anything old, it has old enmities and problems.
The problems, and enmities, are those of any state surrounded by ambitious rivals, all of whom are looking to become stronger at someone else’s expense. Sweden’s ambitions to create an empire around the Baltic; Tsar Peter’s desires to make Russia a great European power to rival the style of Bourbon France; the Austrians and Prussians each seeking to define a greater Germany and secure their borders; even the distant Ottomans have to be considered, should they ever launch a new assault on Christian Europe. And in the middle of all of this, a Polish-Lithuanian state that is not under the control of a single, strong ruler, a man who can impose his will to defend his people. Instead, Poland is something altogether stranger: a land where the people have a say in government.
That the country has survived at all is a tribute to the spirit of its people.
And yet, these rivalries could be turned to advantage. A Polish leader who picked his alliances carefully, and his wars equally so, could do much to make his country great. The Russians have no divine right to dominate the steppes, or the Swedes to control the Baltic. The various Germans states need allies, the same as other nations, and cannot expect to take anything they want without a struggle. A clever Polish leader could make much of this situation, if he can manage the hopes, expectations and fears of his people at home.
No open beta...only closed multiplayer campaign beta for people who bought the game(after release)...There should be a demo around the corner(no official date yet)...
The first rate is the largest type of “ship of the line of battle”, intended to be the centre of any fleet. These are very expensive and powerful vessels.
While these warships are among the most powerful vessels afloat, they are poor sailors, being both slow and unresponsive. This is not a serious shortcoming because, armed with around 100 cannons firing 32-, 24- and 18-pounder balls on their three decks, they can fire a terrible and destructive broadside. They carry a crew of over 800 sailors, gunners and marines and have more artillery than most land armies. Their cost, however, is a drawback and few navies can afford to build or maintain more than a handful of them.
Historically, first rates were never common, and hardly ever sent to overseas stations. They existed purely to fight in set-piece battles, and were not used for mundane duties such as protecting merchantmen, policing the seas and hunting down privateers.
The history of Austria is one of warfare against invaders from the east, and the infidel Turks in particular. The originally Duchy was the eastern marches of the Holy Roman Empire (the Ostmark), and the defensive importance of Austria to the rest of Europe is immense. For nearly 250 years, the Ottoman Turks have hurled themselves against the bastion of Austria, reaching the gates of Vienna on more than one occasion. The last time was in 1683. Austrian bravery has kept them at bay, every time.
After the bloodletting of the last century – the Thirty Years War – within the Holy Roman Empire, Austria is a leading power among “the Germanies”. Leopold I, the ruling Hapsburg, has brought peace and prosperity, and maintained a first-class military machine (in particular, the Austrians have mastered the tactics using light, irregular troops). This gives the Austrians the potential to become a truly great power, either within the borders of the old Empire, to the south in Italy, or to the east. This latter scheme requires the Turks to be persuaded – at sword point – that their destiny lies outside Europe. The Austrians also have much to be proud of in the arts, music and culture.
Beyond their immediate borders, there are other matters for the Hapsburgs to consider. The Spanish branch of the family is now close to extinction, as Charles II has failed to produce an heir, among his other problems. Perhaps Spain should remain a part of Hapsburg domains, but this might lead to confrontation with France. And then, of course, there are the pan-Slavic, Christian Orthodox ambitions of the Russian Tsar to consider…
94% It sounds extremely promising...better than I expected!
Courtersy of Reiver from the TWC
QUOTE
Just got my subscriber edition with the exclusive review. It got 94% After i've read it i'll update with details (but no scans).
edit; Oh, and there's no demo on the disc
Ok I'm back: First off it's the UK edition. The review is by a journalist called Jim Rossignol who is a decent writer but, imo, not the best reviewer. He's also not a long term TW fan despite writing last months retrospective on the other TW games. Chances are he will be looking at the game from a different perspective to us.
Anyway: he says that he went GB in his campaign and the victory conditions were to control Egypt and a chunk of both India and North America. He says that he had to do a lot of "buttering up" to avoid wars with Spain and France to reduce pressure on his shipping and maintain the 13 colonies.
The map is split into two sections: NA and Eurasia. "The core map stretches from Iceland on the top left to Sri Lanka on the Bottom right"
He says the 4 trade regions: SA, the Ivory Coast, the straits of Madagascar and the East Indies are purely coastal.
"Once at war with the Ottoman Empire, my Great Britain campaign saw me bottling up the Ottoman fleet in the Mediterranean, keeping my Atlantic traders safe from attack"
"An empire can have up to 4 eductational establishments and use them to research many different technologies at once."
You have to balance where your money goes between investing in tech and getting the lead on the battlefield and leaving your populace underdeveloped. Not researching democracy leads to negative sentiment and a chance of a revolution.
"the tech tree and research process is one of the areas that Empire seems to have nailed down best." He likes the feedback from the main game based on your choices there whether it better bayonets or increased farm revenue. He says the tech races really pay off and that you can share tech via the diplomacy screen.
It sounds like enemies will raze your outlying towns and infrastrructure if you bunker down in your capital.
The campaign Multiplayer won't ship with the game.
"To take the regions required for a Grand Campaign win condition will always result in armed conflict"
"There's still some errant unit activity" But he says it is improved over previous games.
"The harder AI has been an absolute ******* to take on toe-to-toe. Enemy Generals work to split your ranks or to funnel you into the firing line of cannon, or to avoid your flanking tactics. They'll drive through your lines then fan back around, attempting to split and isolat your troops."
"It starts to feel like a more mature game"
"It's about judging firing arcs and reloading times and coaxing enemies into a killing field"
"The most crucial problem for me isthat the new real-time naval battles, although spectacular, are unconvincing" He says that they don't feel like sailing ships and that the battles just descend into chaos. Managing more than a handful of ships becomes a chore. they're too much like a naval version of land battles rather than a unique approach for a totally different type of warfare. "I found myself rapidly defaulting to auto resolve fleet conflicts"
"the Ai turns remain achingly slow"
Then he writes about how much he loved the game and can't stop playing it.
Info from the box outs and screens: Knights of Malta are in and there's a pirate capital in Antigua. There are missionaries as campaign map units. Ports can be fisheries, trading ports or military ports. the area of influence round ships is sizeable at a gues i'd say it extends about 75 miles in every direction so a single fleet controls about 150miles of coastline. Therefore two fleets will be able to deny the south coast of England to invaders with ease.
QUOTE(Automatic Kalashnikov @ Feb 14 2009, 11:48 PM)
I'm planning to get this game out of steam thru digital download. good idea?
As long as you got reliable(good speedy) internet connection and plenty of patience...its totally fine...Empire would be one of the biggest downloads on Steam...So keep in mind it may take a while..
Sounds pretty good, I am a single player only so I am very happy to read the AI sounds tough to take one, because in the old versions you had a lot of way to cheese fights against it (kite to towers in sieges, easy to surround and charge from behind etc.)
Now I am getting impatient, will definitely buy a release box when they come to Malaysia
Sounds pretty good, I am a single player only so I am very happy to read the AI sounds tough to take one, because in the old versions you had a lot of way to cheese fights against it (kite to towers in sieges, easy to surround and charge from behind etc.)
Now I am getting impatient, will definitely buy a release box when they come to Malaysia
I think it will be another month till I can get my itchy paws on this game. I want my collectors edition. T_T
I just looked at what is inside the Collector edition, not bad, lots of goodies and the wodden box looks neat.
I do not think I will buy it since it's just a big too "big" for me as I am moving very soon but sounds like a good collector.
I just now hope my laptop will be able to run that game without too much slowdown during big battles, I am slightly above the recommended spec so should be fine
The game graphic itself looks pretty nice, that was always part of the attraction in the Total War series for me: the huge frikking battles with lots of people on each side. As the period handled in this version is one of my favorite, I feel I am gonna love that game.
I just looked at what is inside the Collector edition, not bad, lots of goodies and the wodden box looks neat.
I do not think I will buy it since it's just a big too "big" for me as I am moving very soon but sounds like a good collector.
I just now hope my laptop will be able to run that game without too much slowdown during big battles, I am slightly above the recommended spec so should be fine
The game graphic itself looks pretty nice, that was always part of the attraction in the Total War series for me: the huge frikking battles with lots of people on each side. As the period handled in this version is one of my favorite, I feel I am gonna love that game.
Yeah pre orders are up...for those that are interested...for standard and collectors edition...I've settled to getting the standard edition...
Since I haven't done this in a while...here are a few new screenshots:
Added on February 18, 2009, 5:00 pmAnd here is the leaked early video of a historical battle in case you guys missed it...this is one of the best videos i have seen on the game...quality is a little low...but trailer isn't officially released yet...
This post has been edited by frags: Feb 18 2009, 05:01 PM
The Maratha Empire or Confederacy was born in violence, as the result of the successful overthrow of Mughal rule less than a generation ago. Raja (king) Shivaji managed to gain control of the Pune region, and from then Mughal power was no longer invincible. As might be expected, the Mughals and the Marathas still nurse a dislike for each other.\n\nUnlike the foreign (in origin) Mughals, the Maratha rulers are Indian princes and kings. They know the value of the Indian way of doing things, of the age-old strength of their lands. Their armies may look old fashioned, possibly quaint, to foreign eyes but that makes them no less effective. The empire exists solely because it has the military strength to withstand the Mughal threat.
Perhaps now, though, it is time to think of expansion. It may no longer be enough to hold off the Mughals; perhaps they should be driven from India altogether, and a new empire with Indian rulers established. Perhaps only Indians truly have the ability to withstand the Europeans who are starting to demand much of India. For now, the Europeans want only money and trade, but soon they will be after concessions, a little piece of land here, another piece there, until all is ruled by foreigners from across the sea. Unless a strong hand guides India, it is possible that the rule of Mughal outsiders will be replaced by the lordship of European outsiders.
And perhaps, one day, a Maratha could demand concessions from a European, in his lands…
the Prussians retreated? i never did understand how battles were fought during that period..
awesome effects in the game though. don't think i can run this game on my machine..
Would you sacrifice your men to help the royalist gain power back? It was more like a strategic retreat. The French had the advantageous higher ground and their artilery is the best in Europe. To rush them with infantry is suicide. Prussian army will lose a lot of men. Of course if they had known what would happen next with Napolean, they might have had more innitiative
Added on February 18, 2009, 11:36 pm
QUOTE(Automatic Kalashnikov @ Feb 18 2009, 11:26 PM)
WHERE IS THE DEMO?
Patience...it will be here soon.
This post has been edited by frags: Feb 18 2009, 11:36 PM
Also, New superior Tactics 2 trailer. Jack is talking about Winged Hussar
Will be online on Steam 10pm tonight in anticipation for the demo. Add me Knights_Of_Cydonia to your friends list if you want to join in the anticipation and what ever question you have about the game.
This post has been edited by frags: Feb 20 2009, 12:26 PM
If I can manage to make that pile of crap of Steam work properly I will try to grab the demo also. A bit busy with DOW2 atm but still pretty looking forward for ETW to come soon
Edit of Edit: OUnch 2G+ it's going to take a while >_<
This post has been edited by Gormaz: Feb 21 2009, 12:24 PM
Technically its good...graphics look good, runs well enough(naval battles are a bit demanding though)... Gameplay is really good, land battles are where it's at...its a lot slower and a lot different from Medieval(for obvious reasons)...I think need more time to get use to the new combat tactic...
Bad Naval battles are a lot more difficult and require more control... the default camera i feel is too zoomed in... loading times are a loooooooooooong some sound bug...crackling sound when zoomed in some graphics bug(i have issues changing resolution) and sliding units in 2d mip map at times... Sound effects are not so impressive...
Overall I definetely noticed bugs(maybe because i play these total war games a lot), but the engine is pretty good, the size of the map is a lot bigger...the gameplay is good...and i think that is what matters...ohhh and it makes me want to get a new PC
BTW for those that have a 256MB card like me, you can force graphics setting in the preference script file...you can ask me if you want to know the location of this file...
Wow! this game is fantastic! it totally didnt fall short of my expectation! The battle is huge, the animation is very lifelike, great graphics AND performance. Grasses, trees, soldiers' uniforms, the sea and most importantly the ships are so incredibly detailed. Its so cool watching ship cannons fire different kind of projectiles and ripping enemy ships apart.
I mean this is RTS at its finest. Except the loading time.
Anyway i have a question: Is there any friendly fire in the game? will i accidentally killed my soldiers when i order my rifleman firing into a group of meleeing mess?
Wow! this game is fantastic! it totally didnt fall short of my expectation! The battle is huge, the animation is very lifelike, great graphics AND performance. Grasses, trees, soldiers' uniforms, the sea and most importantly the ships are so incredibly detailed. Its so cool watching ship cannons fire different kind of projectiles and ripping enemy ships apart.
I mean this is RTS at its finest. Except the loading time.
Anyway i have a question: Is there any friendly fire in the game? will i accidentally killed my soldiers when i order my rifleman firing into a group of meleeing mess?
All total war games have friendly fire....this one is no different...glad you liked it...i suppose you have a good gaming rig...
What the...halfway through the sea battle tutorial, suddenly no signal to monitor and no sound at all. wtf? temperatures are still acceptable and had no problem like this before playng with crysis, fallout3 etc..
I just finished downloading the demo (yar, 2Gb was a pain through Steam).
I skipped the tutorials just to have a first taste of the battles tonight. The land battle seemed more "complicated" than the previous Total Wars, seems they added lots of new details to handle. With artillery, volleys, smore complex formations and co it seems the battles will require more work to win. I didnt go through much in the land battle yet as I think it will take me a while to go through
The Sea battle was interesting, definitely something new to the genre as it's not often you have to handle wood ship battles. It's seemed a bit "slow" to me and not that many details to manage. Wind is obviously the biggest parameter there and to remember it's all about broadsides and putting more cannons to bear on the opponents that he can on your ships
Graphics are indeed pretty nice even though I run most of the stuff on medium and "accessories" (Likes trees or grass) in low.
I think I am gonna enjoy playing a game in this time period, it's not a period of time very used outside of pure wargames, it was an interesting historical period and the wars were really complicated at that time.
I will have to go through the demo more deeply tomorrow (not enough time tonight) but good first impressions
System Requirements Supported OS: Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel® Pentium® or greater or AMD® Athlon® equivalent CPU Memory: 1GB RAM (XP,) 2GB RAM (Vista™) Graphics: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible hardware accelerated video card with shader version 2.0 support, 256 MB video memory Display: Minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels Sound: Directx9.0c compatible sound card Hard Drive: 15 GB free hard disk space Peripherals: Windows compatible mouse and keyboard
I've been having great difficulties playing the naval battle though this is just a demo, have any of you guys finished the naval demo yet?
Another thing I wonder if it is a bug or some sort when I zoom out abit my soldiers looks like 3 pixel graphics with 2 frames. Do you guys have the same problem?
I've been having great difficulties playing the naval battle though this is just a demo, have any of you guys finished the naval demo yet?
Another thing I wonder if it is a bug or some sort when I zoom out abit my soldiers looks like 3 pixel graphics with 2 frames. Do you guys have the same problem?
I have one successful naval battles. On the pixel thing...isn't it the same with all previous total wars? There are some animation issues though that I admit.
Total War games all based on this type of engine....zoom in 3d zoom out 2d...that is how they draw that many units on screen.
Exactly what is the issue with naval battle? Is it a technical problem or tactical problem?
This post has been edited by frags: Feb 23 2009, 01:09 PM
I have one successful naval battles. On the pixel thing...isn't it the same with all previous total wars? There are some animation issues though that I admit.
Total War games all based on this type of engine....zoom in 3d zoom out 2d...that is how they draw that many units on screen. Exactly what is the issue with naval battle? Is it a technical problem or tactical problem?
I think it was much better on M2TW and even on RTW, maybe I should do a print screen.
The game(the demo) limits your options based on your hardware.
The strange thing is that upclose it looks quite good just that when I zoom out it looks really crappy. Atleast they should make it look zoomed out instead of just some simplex pixel I think its a driver thing or my card isnt utilized .
The strange thing is that upclose it looks quite good just that when I zoom out it looks really crappy. Atleast they should make it look zoomed out instead of just some simplex pixel I think its a driver thing or my card isnt utilized .
I really don't see what you're seeing. I'm playing at medium and zoomed out it looks the same to me...Drivers are not optimised for the game yet...so yeah perhaps.
First impression after tutorial: WTF is this? I was completely lost in naval battle.
Then,i replay the navy tutorial to understand the game better.The game gets better now.I was winning already,using broadsides.
I need to learn how to use the wind too now.
Graphics wise,not bad but the animation needs some improvements.
This is just a portion of the game. Grand Campaign is a huge part of the game. You want to keep your admiral safe.
QUOTE(kianweic @ Feb 23 2009, 05:27 PM)
Are they using the same engine with the one they used for Medieval Total War 2?
What resolutions are you guys playing the demo at? Might wanna get this as well.....
It is a brand new engine. I'm playing it at 1024X768. I have issues changing resolution(the game black screens when changing reso) so I'm stuck at that reso
Added on February 23, 2009, 5:44 pmBuilding Feature
Star Fort
The basic concept of a star fort is that at least one, and preferably many, field of fire should cover every part of the defence and the approaches to the fort. These killing zones can be extended and made even more deadly by, at the very least, a long sloping glacis around the fort for the attackers to scale. The glacis need not be very steep at all, but the attackers face an uphill struggle with no cover at all, under murderous fire ever step of the way. The glacis also acts as a passive defence, a sloping armoured earthwork for the fort proper. Beyond the glacis a hidden counterscarp awaits: a retaining wall (sometimes with firing positions for the defenders) that drops down deep ditch that must be crossed before the actual approaches to the fort are even reached!
All of these defences are before the military architects add additional ravelins (detached triangular bastions or gun positions) in front of the fort’s own walls and hornworks and crownworks (both elaborations on the basic bastion design). The whole effect, when viewed in plan form, is baroque in its complexity, each projection of the central star giving the defence another firing position towards any attacking force. Wall length is limited to that which can be covered by flanking musket fire, as experience showed that a fort with only cannons in its defence could be taken when the cannons were knocked out.
Unit Feature
Elite Light Infantry
Light infantry forces form a skirmish line to slow the enemy advance and keep their own line unmolested by enemy skirmishers.
Whether they are called light infantry, jaegers, tirailleurs or chasseurs à pied, it is the job of these men to screen the main battle line, harass the enemy and, if possible, pick off important men in the enemy’s ranks. Unlike their fellows in the line infantry, light infantrymen are trained to think for themselves, use the ground and cover intelligently, and not fight in rigid lines. Instead, they form a loose skirmish line and fire independently at their own designated targets. The effect is a constant, low-level barrage rather than the crashing thunder of a volley but the effect is quite deadly as officers and sergeants are picked off and removed from the fight. Against cavalry, however, their best defence is to withdraw to their own battle line.
Historically, the Austrians were widely regarded as producing the finest light infantry forces in Europe. Other nations did catch up, but in the case of Britain and France it was their experiences in fighting in North America that persuaded them of the wisdom of light troops. Battle lines were simply impossible to manage in the dense woodlands, and largely pointless against the native tribes!
This post has been edited by frags: Feb 23 2009, 05:44 PM
Anyway I was saying that, you graphics option is limited based on your hardware and that the demo is an old build. Some of the bugs have been solved and there is a day zero patch to improve optimisation. Loadings have improved in the retail version.
I know this because someone went to Creative Assembly studio to see the full version in an open day event.
PS : A little hint to everyone...In naval battles, with a ship selected, press insert....you will be surprised...really cool.
Anyway I was saying that, you graphics option is limited based on your hardware and that the demo is an old build. Some of the bugs have been solved and there is a day zero patch to improve optimisation. Loadings have improved in the retail version.
I know this because someone went to Creative Assembly studio to see the full version in an open day event.
PS : A little hint to everyone...In naval battles, with a ship selected, press insert....you will be surprised...really cool.
win the land battle, almost lost coz the US hold more strategic landscape
tonight test naval battle
Actually if you test out the land scape more, and place your artillery in a good position they will be just sitting ducks for you but you have to be fast.
Interesting, but I am a bit surprised big countries like France or Spain were not cut down in smaller provinces, or is there another additional "layer" under the big block we see in the picture? Or maybe this is not the final cut yet?
Interesting, but I am a bit surprised big countries like France or Spain were not cut down in smaller provinces, or is there another additional "layer" under the big block we see in the picture? Or maybe this is not the final cut yet?
It is final...regions don't work like in medieval...there are smaller towns in a single region.
PS : I just found out that...there are no General speeches before a battle!
Yar, I read about the smaller towns in the regions (which is one of the biggest change in the Campain mode apparently).
I just though what they now called "regions" would not be equal to countries because otherwise it does not change much (ie: having one big region for france with smaller cities in it is sounds equal to the old system in Medival where France was cut in smaller part each with its city). But maybe I need to see more how it works in the game exactly to get a better idea, I admit I am still not clear on the exact changes they did since the old TW on the general mode.
One stuff that crossed my mind was how it works to know who "control" france for example then, if one other country manage to take some of the smaller cities. Some regions like the eastern border of France changed owner so many times during that period...
note: I am not being negative, just that I was surprised by the size of some of the so-called "regions". Let's see how the game works at release anyway, I trust the TW team to make things great
This post has been edited by Gormaz: Feb 25 2009, 06:34 PM
Yar, I read about the smaller towns in the regions (which is one of the biggest change in the Campain mode apparently).
I just though what they now called "regions" would not be equal to countries because otherwise it does not change much (ie: having one big region for france with smaller cities in it is sounds equal to the old system in Medival where France was cut in smaller part each with its city). But maybe I need to see more how it works in the game exactly to get a better idea, I admit I am still not clear on the exact changes they did since the old TW on the general mode.
One stuff that crossed my mind was how it works to know who "control" france for example then, if one other country manage to take some of the smaller cities. Some regions like the eastern border of France changed owner so many times during that period...
note: I am not being negative, just that I was surprised by the size of some of the so-called "regions". Let's see how the game works at release anyway, I trust the TW team to make things great
No...I explain to you lah..Your production is outsourced around your region...Say for instance, bristol makes cannons..You are french and you send an army to the london region...if you sit on bristol, you deny your enemy cannons from bristol/tax and trade from that town...To take control of the region you need to take the capital city which is London...WHich isn't easy and don't expect the local populace to be friendly....
A very interesting technique is to sit on a village/town that produces food/farms...you starve that region to submission...The AI can do the same to you...so you can't sit back in your capital city and allow the enemy to raze your country side...
Frankly this is a more interesting system than the previous one...at least it makes sense in the new period..If in the medieval period was about huge castle and entire settlements behind walls, the 18th century saw towns growing outside of these major cities...industrialisation lah
Alright, sounds good and more realist as you said, would make for economic war and starving tactics to be much more viable.
Thanks for the explanations, I will see how it turns out at release. Some details still sound a bit weird to me (like taking over whole country if you take capital... it just did not work like that at that era) but the system sounds solid if you do not look too much into historical details (which is kind of the trademark of the TW, historically correct but not into too much details).
Actually if you test out the land scape more, and place your artillery in a good position they will be just sitting ducks for you but you have to be fast.
i did put the cannon on good position (near the river bank hill) but it take too long time to scare them off. My horse try to flank them and get ambush (coz i was organizing attack for my main troop and wasnt looking at the flank troop supposed to flank them).
to be frank i love cossack firing type than Empire total war, u can command 1st 2nd or 3rd row fire 1 row by row or u can fire sekali gus. Empire total war "Fire at will look" terrible ><
i did put the cannon on good position (near the river bank hill) but it take too long time to scare them off. My horse try to flank them and get ambush (coz i was organizing attack for my main troop and wasnt looking at the flank troop supposed to flank them).
to be frank i love cossack firing type than Empire total war, u can command 1st 2nd or 3rd row fire 1 row by row or u can fire sekali gus. Empire total war "Fire at will look" terrible ><
Remove fire at will and you can control your volleys...Soldiers reload automatically...The second line firing requires a firing drill tech in the campaign game.
Actually if you test out the land scape more, and place your artillery in a good position they will be just sitting ducks for you but you have to be fast.
i did put the cannon on good position (near the river bank hill) but it take too long time to scare them off. My horse try to flank them and get ambush (coz i was organizing attack for my main troop and wasnt looking at the flank troop supposed to flank them).
to be frank i love cossack firing type than Empire total war, u can command 1st 2nd or 3rd row fire 1 row by row or u can fire sekali gus. Empire total war "Fire at will "look terrible ><
Added on February 25, 2009, 10:48 pmWow, i tried the naval battle is hard win on 3rd try
the key is just to make use both side of ur ship canon.i surround them with my ship and take them out
This post has been edited by Edison83: Feb 26 2009, 12:13 PM
Superior Tactics 3 Trailer with Mark Sutherns and Jim Whitson...
BTW...some retailers sold the game to some customers already...obviously he can't play it yet since Steam hasn't unlocked the game until release date..
Added on February 26, 2009, 5:39 pmJack Lusted's gameplay hints:
QUOTE
A few hints and tips for those playing the demo.
Groups
Grouping ships or units is very useful in Empire, and groups work different in naval and land battles.
Naval battles - at sea when you group units they will try to maintain relative positions an also follow the lead ship around. So if you group your ships in a line they will then move in a line around the map enabling you to more easily control large number of ships. Also using alt + giving attack orders will have your ships in a group prioritise firing on the target ship and not break out of the group formation like a normal attack order.
Land battles - when you group units the group remembers the relative position of each unit so when you give a move order to a group they will end up in the same relative positions as when you grouped them. This, in combination with the new rotate/move buttons on the HUD allow you to quickly and easily move groups around, and even to break off parts of a formation into a new group.
Timing Volleys
You can time when your infantry fires in land battles. Simply turn fire at will off, units will reload even with it off as long as enemies are not too close, and then click fire at will back on and your unit will fire at any enemies in front of them.
Camera Changes
I've seen several people asking what happened to double right click zoom-to camera functionality, this has now moved to double mouse wheel click.
I hope these tips help with your enjoyment of the demo.
So you need to use groups if you want to do the naval battles well.
This post has been edited by frags: Feb 26 2009, 05:39 PM
i did put the cannon on good position (near the river bank hill) but it take too long time to scare them off. My horse try to flank them and get ambush (coz i was organizing attack for my main troop and wasnt looking at the flank troop supposed to flank them).
to be frank i love cossack firing type than Empire total war, u can command 1st 2nd or 3rd row fire 1 row by row or u can fire sekali gus. Empire total war "Fire at will "look terrible ><
Added on February 25, 2009, 10:48 pmWow, i tried the naval battle is hard win on 3rd try
the key is just to make use both side of ur ship canon.i surround them with my ship and take them out
I did the same thing. Stuck them on the the hill to the left, let them take the brunt of the enemy heavy arty while i shifted my infantry into position at the river crossing.
One thing i dislike though, only the front rank of infantry will fire. Haven't found the button for rank-fire yet, or is it not in the demo? And i think you mean Cossacks: Battle for Europe and Napoleonic Wars. I have BoE installed, gonna play tonight.
First impression: Really good. I'm very impressed, they've actually raised the bar yet again since M2TW. Graphics are top-notch, though i be running at all low, it's still very impressive.
The fall: Extremely EXTREMELY SLOW loading times. I could actually go off, brew myself a cup of tea and come back for the time it actually takes to load. I heard this will be fixed in the full release. Unit commands still slightly flunky. Was hoping it would be fixed since M2TW. Gunpowder units in M2TW were rather annoying to use.
I did the same thing. Stuck them on the the hill to the left, let them take the brunt of the enemy heavy arty while i shifted my infantry into position at the river crossing.
One thing i dislike though, only the front rank of infantry will fire. Haven't found the button for rank-fire yet, or is it not in the demo? And i think you mean Cossacks: Battle for Europe and Napoleonic Wars. I have BoE installed, gonna play tonight.
First impression: Really good. I'm very impressed, they've actually raised the bar yet again since M2TW. Graphics are top-notch, though i be running at all low, it's still very impressive.
The fall: Extremely EXTREMELY SLOW loading times. I could actually go off, brew myself a cup of tea and come back for the time it actually takes to load. I heard this will be fixed in the full release. Unit commands still slightly flunky. Was hoping it would be fixed since M2TW. Gunpowder units in M2TW were rather annoying to use.
That requires a tech research in firing drill...in the campaign mode...you will get the second line firing as the first line crouches.
The tech tree in empire is actually rather good i heard
That requires a tech research in firing drill...in the campaign mode...you will get the second line firing as the first line crouches.
The tech tree in empire is actually rather good i heard
The people in the modding thread got it to work 2 lines of infantry firing at the same time. I wonder if that napoleon 5 line firing squad will be in the full campaign or not.
I am thinking whether to buy this or DOW2. Since DOW2 is cheaper and review also not bad BUT its single player campaign is not that well received. Though Total War is more expensive, its single player campaign make people go ga ga over it. However, RM179 is really expensive to be honest. Am struggling whether to buy it or not. Another option is also to get my friend to buy it for me in Singapore. Hope its SGC50. After conversion, cheaper than in Malaysia.
I am thinking whether to buy this or DOW2. Since DOW2 is cheaper and review also not bad BUT its single player campaign is not that well received. Though Total War is more expensive, its single player campaign make people go ga ga over it. However, RM179 is really expensive to be honest. Am struggling whether to buy it or not. Another option is also to get my friend to buy it for me in Singapore. Hope its SGC50. After conversion, cheaper than in Malaysia.
+RM30 for an insanely long campaigns (conquer the world as realistic as possible) and singleplayer replayability is quite worth it imo. The multiplayer part too is huge like the singleplayer mode.
But two of em are difficult to compare. One is superfast action and one is slow marching.
And i heard from gamefaq's forum that the load time in the demo is sooo long because everytime you play the game it need to unzip all the data to load. So in retail the load time should be much faster. Wonder if it is true or not?
I'm running a laptop with an 8600GS + 120GB HDD(two partition) and a T7100 proc.
The load times take forever as with two partitions, the 5400rpm disc is even slower. But i don't have any problems playing ETW as long as i don't play at medium. I can run L4D, TF2 fine. Eve Crysis ran at all LOW but the fps was 15. LOL.
Really not recommended. The demo may not actually be a representation of the final game. Considering the minimum is 256MB VRAM, the developers can always break his experience with patches etc...that is why i don't recommend him buying the game unless he gets a new GC.
PS : FYI The demo/beta of World In Conflict worked for Intel GMA users...the final game didn't...Moral of the story...you should always take the minimum requirement seriously...that is the cut off point that the developers will support.
QUOTE(Abyssio @ Mar 2 2009, 11:08 AM)
+RM30 for an insanely long campaigns (conquer the world as realistic as possible) and singleplayer replayability is quite worth it imo. The multiplayer part too is huge like the singleplayer mode.
But two of em are difficult to compare. One is superfast action and one is slow marching.
And i heard from gamefaq's forum that the load time in the demo is sooo long because everytime you play the game it need to unzip all the data to load. So in retail the load time should be much faster. Wonder if it is true or not?
Empire has long load times...final version has been optimised(it does load faster than the demo loading times)...the main screen pause doesn't happen in the final version...and yeah it could be because it is compressed.
i'm really looking forward to the games naval battle.... i haven't been able to play a nice 18th century naval battle experience so i hope this would be up to my expectation...
I will be looking around at the end of the week then!
And yar, I am looking forward to the game also because this period has not been exploited too much (WW2 is nice and all, but it's getting a bit overcrowded there for example)
beerio asks: The demo had unconscionably long load times for both the battles and to start the demo itself. Was this, as rumoured, an artifact of the compression used to keep the demo small? And how do the load times in the actual game itself compare? If they're as long as the ones in the demo I think I'll be cancelling my pre-order, as waiting a couple of minutes for a fight to load up is not really on given the number of battles in a campaign.
Kieran Brigden: That's a fair point. Since the demo build (which is incidentally very dated now) we've knocked a large amount off the loading times at the start, and to and form, battles. This is the basic process of optimisation, it takes time and is often done very close to release. You should notice a significant difference in the load times, somewhere between 30-40 per cent and in some cases more than half.
beerio asks: The demo had unconscionably long load times for both the battles and to start the demo itself. Was this, as rumoured, an artifact of the compression used to keep the demo small? And how do the load times in the actual game itself compare? If they're as long as the ones in the demo I think I'll be cancelling my pre-order, as waiting a couple of minutes for a fight to load up is not really on given the number of battles in a campaign.
Kieran Brigden: That's a fair point. Since the demo build (which is incidentally very dated now) we've knocked a large amount off the loading times at the start, and to and form, battles. This is the basic process of optimisation, it takes time and is often done very close to release. You should notice a significant difference in the load times, somewhere between 30-40 per cent and in some cases more than half.
only some extra unit, artbook, a map? not really worth the extras cost, and i suppose mods can easily get those units besides, i read that there's some sound problem with the release tat's y there's the zero day patch, though i'm not sure wat the patch fixes
This post has been edited by alwizbthere: Mar 4 2009, 06:23 PM
dunno mate, tat's just wat i read in warez, and also official forum like mssing sound etc tat's y i'm trying to confirm the problem before buying some said the zero day patch is supposed to fix the problem
QUOTE(Boomeraangkid @ Mar 5 2009, 07:47 PM)
which 1 better,special edition or normal 1?
well, special edition dun really have anythin extra, except artbook, 6-7 special units, and also a large map i think
I'm not sure if I should buy ETW this month or next month because I was actually thinking of buying 200+RM worth of EA games for TSB's March promotion ( I haven't got a clue which EA games because I don't think there any E&A games which I don't already have, maybe I should buy Mirror's Edge for my GF and pre-order RA3 expansion). But on the other hand I want the special forces edition, which is most likely sold out next month Or should just I buy 200+RM worth of EA games AND ETW special forces? That's almost 500 RM of games and I just bought DOW2
This post has been edited by yo el rey: Mar 6 2009, 10:24 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
From: Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
QUOTE(yo el rey @ Mar 6 2009, 10:21 AM)
I'm not sure if I should buy ETW this month or next month because I was actually thinking of buying 200+RM worth of EA games for TSB's March promotion ( I haven't got a clue which EA games because I don't think there any E&A games which I don't already have, maybe I should buy Mirror's Edge for my GF and pre-order RA3 expansion). But on the other hand I want the special forces edition, which is most likely sold out next month Or should just I buy 200+RM worth of EA games AND ETW special forces? That's almost 500 RM of games and I just bought DOW2
Buy the normal version and download *ahem* version for Special Forces?
Buy the normal version and download *ahem* version for Special Forces?
thanks for the tip (BTW I never use pirated software) but I gave it another thought and I'm going to buy ETW special forces this afternoon and if have some money left at the end of the month I will buy 200+worth of EA games, that surprise gift better be good!:D
thanks for the tip (BTW I never use pirated software) but I gave it another thought and I'm going to buy ETW special forces this afternoon and if have some money left at the end of the month I will buy 200+worth of EA games, that surprise gift better be good!:D
Actually both Special Forces edition and the ordinary edition are considered "separate games". In multiplayer and singleplayer you can ONLY use the "Special Forces" units if you have the Special Forces Edition, kinda like C&C3 Kane Edition and the ordinary edition.
QUOTE(arasy @ Mar 6 2009, 11:09 AM)
anyone get the copy already?
Going to get my Special Forces Edition very soon. This is the one game that I will likely play for the whole year like many other previous TW games.
Just got my Empire: Total War Special Force edition last night via courier from pcgame.com.my. The installation very troublesome, need internet. luckily i got 1MB streamyx, otherwise will take forever. but the game graphic is owsome. really like it very much, will start my campaign tonight. can't wait to get off from work.
how the hell do i install this game in another drive other than my default drive? i can't seems to find the select drive part. my main partition do not have enuff space for it
The installation took a while for me cause the steam need to update its platform first which took me about 1 hour or so (some internet problem). but i cant remember got the "failed to run install script". After past thru the steam update, its a smooth sailing for me.
Inside it just have the manual, the two cds of the game and a small leaflet explaining you need Steam to install the game.
Edit: alwizbthere yes as boon.fong said below, it will install the game inside the Steam Folder, so you have to install Steam on the partition with your free space on it.
You cannot change this, that's how Steam works.
This post has been edited by Gormaz: Mar 6 2009, 02:42 PM
Inside it just have the manual, the two cds of the game and a small leaflet explaining you need Steam to install the game.
Edit: alwizbthere yes as boon.fong said below, it will install the game inside the Steam Folder, so you have to install Steam on the partition with your free space on it.
You cannot change this, that's how Steam works.
Hey Gormaz,
Is there more copies of ETW Special Edition in 1Utama?
I think I might get my copy here as well.
This retail copy also requires Steam? You gotta be kidding me.
From what I saw I think they still have some there yar. Gamer's Corner shop one.
I cant absolutely guarantee you they have some left when you reach there but I bought mine they still had at least a Special Edition showing (I bought a normal edition).
And yes, it's another Steam game (and GFWL also from what is written on box), tonight I might not be able to play much as I have other stuff to do so I will just launch the install and let the slow ass Steam update it...
This post has been edited by Gormaz: Mar 6 2009, 03:19 PM
From what I saw I think they still have some there yar. Gamer's Corner shop one.
I cant absolutely guarantee you they have some left when you reach there but I bought mine they still had at least a Special Edition showing (I bought a normal edition).
And yes, it's another Steam game (and GFWL also from what is written on box), tonight I might not be able to play much as I have other stuff to do so I will just launch the install and let the slow ass Steam update it...
Thanks.
I think I'll get the special edition, if there is still a copy there.
I am just going home to sleep tonight. Work till 4 am this morning and came back to work @ 8 am. I think I need a break.
gonna bang my head on the wall update from steam damn slow ass
yea second to that, at first i thought the install halt, even the steam tray icon is disappear. so i stop and reinstall after two time then it is stop during steam updating (about 30min). So frustrating.
Another thing, in my Steam now I have Unreal Tournament 3 showing as "Not Installed" and a "2,4 days left" under the gift column. Is that something coming "free" with ETW?
Because I know for sure I did not have that there the last time I launched Steam...
My steam updated in record time... around 150kB/s.
Anyway, anyone else experiencing a sound bug in battle? I am.
tat was the problem i was mentioning, it was mentioned by both ori and pirated users i thought it might have been fixed by the zero day patch, but now, not too sure havent been playing it yet since getting my copy and reaching home around 5+ just now
QUOTE(Gormaz @ Mar 6 2009, 06:38 PM)
Installing now.
Almost 15Gb.... now that's quite big.
Another thing, in my Steam now I have Unreal Tournament 3 showing as "Not Installed" and a "2,4 days left" under the gift column. Is that something coming "free" with ETW?
Because I know for sure I did not have that there the last time I launched Steam...
supposedly some promotion by steam check the promo page only for this weekend, free play
is steam down now? coz it seems i can't install my game!! keep saying "steam server is too busy to handle your request, pls try again later"
Steam server is very very busy lately due to THOUSANDS of users downloading and updating their game. Just wait a little and it will die down.
Just got my ETW Special Forces Edition but can't play it yet............argh this is maddening. Also for those who plan to get the Special Forces Edition better do it fast because it's flying off stores shelves at a very rapid rate, the store had only one copy left when I reached there.
oh.. thx for the heads up tho.. yea i've thought of that either that steam is busy atm or it's server is down =/ guess we are in the same shoes than^^ hope in a few hours we can get ETW dl
i think it's stimix issue not steam cause i can just login to steam a couple of times and also doing updating in fact i'm now updating tf2 running at 180KB/s
This post has been edited by TimKen: Mar 6 2009, 08:38 PM
i think it's stimix issue not steam cause i can just login to steam a couple of times and also doing updating in fact i'm now updating tf2 running at 180KB/s
Maybe steam used seperate servers. L4D works fine but when I tried connecting Empire Total War, it runs like........
Still I wouldn't be surprised if it's the local broadband.
This post has been edited by Monster Hunter G: Mar 6 2009, 08:53 PM
I also have noticed the Advisor's voice stopping if you click around on the map at the time they are talking (and wasnt it the same in the previous TW games?). But seriously I do not mind, I can read way faster than they talk anyway.
I have not really noticed missing gun sounds in battles so far but I did not pay that much attention to it.
I have done the first scenario of the US independance campain so I did not go very far, I wont spoil it but just give some first impressions:
- Game is good!
- AI in battles seems "alright" but not consistent at the moment: -- On my first battle one of the opposant squad tried to flank me while his main line engage in front which quite surprised me! -- The AI melee units sometimes still "dance" in front of my units (which has muskets...) as it was doing in the previous TW. You know, run close to you, then run back out of range, then run back. etc... Means it does not do much as they do not engage, they get shooted at by my troups and overall get tired quickly. -- When the AI is supposed to be the attacker, it does attack! (which was not always the case in previous TW) and it can do it in masse. -- They target your General troop as priority apparently.
So overall the AI is improved from previous TW, nothing perfect yet though and I will wait to see how it does in larger battles and with different types of units (artillery, cavalry etc.)
- The General Map game has indeed gone through quite a bit of changes with the main city and smaller cities in one province. You can upgrade the smaller cities with different buildings (like different types of farms like tabacoo or cotton to get different revenues). Seems pretty neat and interesting from a strategic point of view
- I did not face any issue during installing from Steam or anything, it went pretty smoothly, the download speed of the upgrade was quick (it does not seems to be very big and I was getting 100Kbs speed). Game is around 15Gb though so pretty big
- No big bug or crashes to report so far
- The game put itself at first on everything low from a graphic settings point of view, I put some on Medium at first to try (I am unable to select High settings as apparently it does not show them if your config is not big enough). I am playing on a Dell Inspiron 9400 laptop (with a 256Mb Gforce 7900Gs) so my config is nothing big. So far the game is smooth so I will most probably try to put a bit higher for nicer graphics.
- Loading times have been reduced from the demo. Going from the main map to battle takes a bit, going out of battles is faster. Again I will wait to have larger battle to see if it makes the loading time longer.
Now going back to play for a while
This post has been edited by Gormaz: Mar 6 2009, 08:58 PM
I also have noticed the Advisor's voice stopping if you click around on the map at the time they are talking (and wasnt it the same in the previous TW games?). But seriously I do not mind, I can read way faster than they talk anyway.
I have not really noticed missing gun sounds in battles so far but I did not pay that much attention to it.
I have done the first scenario of the US independance campain so I did not go very far, I wont spoil it but just give some first impressions:
- Game is good!
- AI in battles seems "alright" but not consistent at the moment: -- On my first battle one of the opposant squad tried to flank me while his main line engage in front which quite surprised me! -- The AI melee units sometimes still "dance" in front of my units (which has muskets...) as it was doing in the previous TW. You know, run close to you, then run back out of range, then run back. etc... Means it does not do much as they do not engage, they get shooted at by my troups and overall get tired quickly. -- When the AI is supposed to be the attacker, it does attack! (which was not always the case in previous TW) and it can do it in masse. -- They target your General troop as priority apparently.
So overall the AI is improved from previous TW, nothing perfect yet though and I will wait to see how it does in larger battles and with different types of units (artillery, cavalry etc.)
- The General Map game has indeed gone through quite a bit of changes with the main city and smaller cities in one province. You can upgrade the smaller cities with different buildings (like different types of farms like tabacoo or cotton to get different revenues). Seems pretty neat and interesting from a strategic point of view
- I did not face any issue during installing from Steam or anything, it went pretty smoothly, the download speed of the upgrade was quick (it does not seems to be very big and I was getting 100Kbs speed). Game is around 15Gb though so pretty big
- No big bug or crashes to report so far
- The game put itself at first on everything low from a graphic settings point of view, I put some on Medium at first to try (I am unable to select High settings as apparently it does not show them if your config is not big enough). I am playing on a Dell Inspiron 9400 laptop (with a 256Mb Gforce 7900Gs) so my config is nothing big. So far the game is smooth so I will most probably try to put a bit higher for nicer graphics.
- Loading times have been reduced from the demo. Going from the main map to battle takes a bit, going out of battles is faster. Again I will wait to have larger battle to see if it makes the loading time longer.
Now going back to play for a while
I have but one word for the campaign map.... CIVILIZATIONS.
Yet to try out Multi... add me Aoshimaro on Steam.
This post has been edited by Aoshi_88: Mar 6 2009, 10:48 PM
i'm just curious tho, how long do it takes to update the game through steam before continuing to the actual 14gig installation? coz i'm running on an average of 60kb/s for an hour and the progress bar is still 0%
erm, try to restart your steam and see sometimes it's not your connection problem, but rather with steam itself the update only happen when u hav fully installed the game my guess is u are stuck at the part where they are copying the files from the dvds
I just do hope Steam is not trying to download the full game from the net....
If I remember for me Steam got struck at "Caching files" for a long while, this phase is just before the installation from the DvD starts itself (the DVD is not yet making noise in the drive)
This post has been edited by Gormaz: Mar 7 2009, 10:27 AM
Yea i have to restart a few time. the steam at first show 0% for half an hour on updating the platform, then when i restart it suddenly show 28% going to 32% then stop again. after few restart it managed to continue from 28% and finished the updating and installation.
one question, did any player here experience during the campaign, the game crash out to windows?
This post has been edited by boon.fong: Mar 7 2009, 10:36 AM
nope, only 1 time i did get was some artifacts after coming out from battle on my campaign map, but tat's cos my GC is overheating after playing at it for long report the bug lor
nope, only 1 time i did get was some artifacts after coming out from battle on my campaign map, but tat's cos my GC is overheating after playing at it for long report the bug lor
actually i am not too sure either, cause i was falling asleep at the moment , not sure whether accidentally push any button or not, just notice when i fully awake and the game is gone and i am at the windows.
btw, i have the special force edition, do i need to activate the extra unit? or it is auto installation? thanks
This post has been edited by boon.fong: Mar 7 2009, 12:09 PM
actually i am not too sure either, cause i was falling asleep at the moment , not sure whether accidentally push any button or not, just notice when i fully awake and the game is gone and i am at the windows.
btw, i have the special force edition, do i need to activate the extra unit? or it is auto installation? thanks
i only got normal edition, so i'm not sure, but then i heard it's only available when u play grand campaign i'm still busy trying to conquer america from the british scums
Yea i have to restart a few time. the steam at first show 0% for half an hour on updating the platform, then when i restart it suddenly show 28% going to 32% then stop again. after few restart it managed to continue from 28% and finished the updating and installation.
u mean this happens before the installation for the DVDs?
This post has been edited by Zapherces: Mar 7 2009, 02:47 PM
Having some problems with the howitzers still firing after i disable fire at will. I'm also having issues with limbering/unlimbering artillery. Sometimes pressing the button still leaves my arty in an unlimbered state.
Having some problems with the howitzers still firing after i disable fire at will. I'm also having issues with limbering/unlimbering artillery. Sometimes pressing the button still leaves my arty in an unlimbered state.
In Art of War
A soilder not always obey the general. Does that apply in Empire Total War? i really dunno.
arghh.... i seriously getting fetup with the installation. believe it, up till now the installation part haven't even start
you need to cancel it then restart steam again, just now i tried it about 5-6 times then only successful if you wait more than 5-10 mins it still not installing then you can cancel it and restart again
you need to cancel it then restart steam again, just now i tried it about 5-6 times then only successful if you wait more than 5-10 mins it still not installing then you can cancel it and restart again
yea.. now its onli working.. finally the installation is starting after i restart steam... thanks ya^^
did u guys know u can change the download site? by default is singapore which is sucks lately. You can try change it to other region to get different speed.
its under ur setting menu>Download> Download region
did u guys know u can change the download site? by default is singapore which is sucks lately. You can try change it to other region to get different speed.
its under ur setting menu>Download> Download region
oh gees ..i did not know bout that.. anyways thx for it... well do it once i'm done with the installation^^
arghh.... i seriously getting fetup with the installation. believe it, up till now the installation part haven't even start
QUOTE(TimKen @ Mar 7 2009, 05:10 PM)
you need to cancel it then restart steam again, just now i tried it about 5-6 times then only successful if you wait more than 5-10 mins it still not installing then you can cancel it and restart again
QUOTE(Zapherces @ Mar 7 2009, 05:12 PM)
yea.. now its onli working.. finally the installation is starting after i restart steam... thanks ya^^
Funny... i had no problems whatsoever. Guess our ISP and Steam don't agree with each other.
did u guys know u can change the download site? by default is singapore which is sucks lately. You can try change it to other region to get different speed.
its under ur setting menu>Download> Download region
ahahaha thanks for the tip im downloading from shanghai apparently.
anyone know where i can buy this game around kl? others then tsb.. i currently at Cheras
u can get it at sungai wang, BB plaza, digital mall (near jaya 1), 1 utama... i'm sure that most retailers that sells original pc games should have ETW
the slow loading time depends, i had tat problem when i played episode 3 of road to indepedence, almost as long as the demo when they were loading the battle at the start
Aug 22 2007, 04:36 PM, updated 15y ago
Quote
Empire Total War : Asian Invasion? 
...these CA guys always very good at getting the look of the sky in their games...
Looks better than the first screenshots we saw!!definetely see an improvement! The detail is amazing on the ships even the damage model...I have a feeling we will get more info this week...
.
Thats why delayed...But they are going to make it 1v1 only for the beta.
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