Joint the Total War LYN Community for updates and online battles. You can PM me if you want to join the group.

RELEASE DATE :3rd March 2009

Official Website : http://www.sega.co.uk/empire/index.php?t=EnglishUK

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.


EMPIRE TOTAL WAR PREVIEWS
PC Gamer Preview - March 8th

IGN: Empire: Total War Pre-E3 Preview: July 11th 2008
http://pc.ign.com/articles/888/888181p1.html

IGN : Empire: Total War E3 preview July 16th 2008
http://pc.ign.com/articles/890/890553p1.html

Gamespy: Empire: Total War Leipzig Preview 21st August 2008
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/empire-total-war/901296p1.html

EMPIRE TOTAL WAR FAQ
EMPIRE TOTAL WAR FAQ 1 :
http://blogs.sega.com/totalwar/2007/10/24/...etotal-war-faq/

EMPIRE TOTAL WAR FAQ 2
http://blogs.sega.com/totalwar/2007/11/27/...otal-war-faq-2/

EMPIRE TOTAL WAR FAQ 3:
http://blogs.sega.com/totalwar/2007/12/21/...otal-war-faq-3/

EMPIRE TOTAL WAR FAQ 4:
http://blogs.sega.com/totalwar/2008/01/25/...otal-war-faq-4/

EMPIRE TOTAL WAR FAQ 5:
http://blogs.sega.com/totalwar/2008/07/14/...otal-war-faq-5/


Empire Total War Developer Diary
Empire Total War Developer Diary 1:
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=179303

Empire Total War Developer Diary2:
http://www.videogamer.com/pc/empire_total_...review-728.html

Empire Total War Developer Diary3:
http://www.videogamer.com/pc/empire_total_...review-729.html

Empire Total War Developer Diary 4:
http://www.videogamer.com/pc/empire_total_...review-800.html

Empire: Total War AI Diary

Interviews:
IGN Interview



Screenshots:
http://gamestar.de/news/pc/strategie/echtz..._total_war.html
http://www.totalwar-zone.de/index2.php?g=etw&id=5
Screenshot 1
Screenshot2
Screenshot 3
Screenshot 4






Video Diary on Mo Cap:
http://www.sega.co.uk/games/?g=238&v=696

It is on!(In game trailer)
[url]http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/958390/empire-total-war/videos/ETW_081208.html[/ur]

Land Battle Trailer
http://www.eurogamer.net/tv_video.php?play...4941&size=large

This post has been edited by frags: Dec 8 2009, 01:40 AM

Added FAQ's answered by the developer to the first post...(Faq 2 was just released 26Nov)

This post has been edited by frags: Nov 30 2007, 02:37 AM

Hmmm...a possible avenue for an expansion pack? Empire Total War : Asian Invasion?

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

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

"Nelson? Who is this Nelson?" Napolean Bonaparte

Napolean knew who Nelson was...he was just being arrogant there

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!

Take care,

Mark O'Connell

New Empire Total War Developer Diary Part 1:
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=179303

More like a history lesson...but nice reading to give you an idea of the time period.

Empire Total War Developer Diary2:
http://www.videogamer.com/pc/empire_total_...review-728.html

Empire Total War Developer Diary3:
http://www.videogamer.com/pc/empire_total_...review-729.html

Empire: Total War FAQ 4

Hi guys,

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..

Empire Total War Developer diary 4:

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.

Info taken from the SEGA website.

http://www.sega.com/games/game_temp.php?ga...os=nav_pldwnlst

Features:

* 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

Yeah i hope so...Im stoked Anyway some video to wet your appetite:

Battle of Austerlitz


Battle of Poltava Part1


Battle of Poltava Part2


This post has been edited by frags: Mar 25 2008, 04:34 PM

New screenshots :













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

Yeah i know...thats what i thought too...but its in game...This was published in a french magazine that said all the screens were in game shots...

Just off topic but Europa Universalis Rome demo is out...you can get it here:
http://www.gamershell.com/download_24442.shtml

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.

Thats all i know for now.

New IGN developer interview:
http://pc.ign.com/articles/866/866990p1.html

NIce bits of information:





















New screenshots:

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.