News from the Horn of Troy!! Stay tuned for breaking news!!! Run by the Press and Philosophy Guild of the TW empires. Based in the presence of the Warriors Of Troy. (c)2005-2009
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 5:30 am Post subject: Empire: Total War
Hail to everyone!!!
Firstly, this is the information www.totalwar.com gives about Empire: Total War.
* Empire: Total War will be the greatest and most awe-inspiring Total War experience ever. This is a total revolution of the Total War series,
featuring a brand new graphics engine and technology. The new, advanced graphics engine will include staggering real-time seascapes, new advanced landscape and flora systems, dynamic weather and new battle choreography and occupy-able and destructible battlefield buildings.
* Empire: Total War will not only be the most visually stunning Total War game, it will also feature a huge array of new features and gameplay. These add rich new layers of grand strategy to the formula and yet, despite this, E: TW will be the most accessible Total War game in the series.
*
The game is set in the years 1700 to the early 1800’s, a turbulent age of gunpowder, revolution, discovery and Empire Building. This period has all the ingredients for a great Total War title: fascinating changes in warfare and its technology, a large number of competing factions hungry for power, and gloriously exciting and colourful battles. This is a time when an old world is being swept away at a tremendous rate by the juggernaut of the industrial age. Revolutionary ideas are in the air, and at least one monarch meets a bloody end!
*
Against a backdrop of key historical themes such as the French Revolution and the American War Of Independence, the player’s aim is to create the greatest Republic or Empire the world has known, spanning not just a continent but the world! Can you hold on to lands in the New World, or establish a rich trading empire in the Indies?
* Empire: Total War contains a revolutionised Total War campaign spanning 3 continents and featuring new, enhanced systems for Trade, Diplomacy, Missions and Espionage. There will be an all-new fully animated campaign map with all buildings and upgrades visible. The campaign will also feature a huge cast of historical figures including Peter The Great, Malborough and Charles XII of Sweden. The game will include 10 playable factions including Britain, Prussia, France, Spain, America and the massive Ottoman Empire.
* 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. These will be the most exciting and realistic sea battles ever seen in a PC game. They will feature a realistic sailing model, cannon and musket fire, boarding actions, fully destructible sails, rigging and hulls and a full range of weather effects to influence battles. These will play out on stunning, ultra-realistic seascapes, as cannons and muskets blaze away, cutting through the smoke and fog to splinter, pierce and shatter hulls, sails and masts, laying waste to crew members and sending them to Davy Jones’ Locker.
* Empire: Total War’s revolutionised graphics engine will be put to work on land battles that will feature heavy artillery in the form of cannons, mortar and early rocket launchers, with bouncing cannonballs slicing through drifting gunsmoke to tear up lines of infantry. Bagpipes, drummers, flautists and trumpeters will fill the air with play out over the crack of musket fire, the boom of artillery and the thunderous charge of cavalry. Generals will bark out orders to their regiments as the player orchestrates the battle utilizing formations, unit abilities and drills. Weapons will jam and misfire, cannons will seize up and explode as the field of conflict becomes strewn with the bodies of wounded and dying men, lacerated and dismembered by pike, bayonet and shot.
* Empire: Total War will be the most accessible Total War game ever. Enhanced auto management, revolutionized UI, improved advice system and tutorials all combine to introduce new players to the concepts of Total War, quickly and easily.
* Empire: Total War will boast a full re-write of the AI with a wider range of strategies and tactics, providing a formidable opponent on land, sea and on the campaign map.
* A brand new multiplayer component will include player rankings, leagues and ladders and completely new gameplay modes.
The Next Article I am posting on here is a preview from IGN, August 23rd. Not Much new information has come from that date
GC 2007: Empire: Total War
Creative Assembly surprises us with a brand new sequel!
by Steve Butts
US, August 23, 2007 - Given the spate of recent industry events, many of our meetings at the German Games Convention have been somewhat predictable. Loads of developers are simply showing the same demos and trailers they've shown us over the last couple of months. So it was very gratifying to discover that Creative Assembly had an entirely new, and entirely exciting announcement to make. The celebrated developer is nearly halfway through development of a new game that makes use of a new engine, a new setting, a brand new gameplay mode, and plenty of small additions and improvements.
Empire: Total War will bring the series into the Enlightenment and show players just how exciting war during the Age of Reason could be. Set during the period between the early 1700s and the early 1800s, Empire: Total War tracks the increasing projection of European power throughout the world, from Spanish settlements in the Caribbean to French colonies in North Africa to English trading posts in India.
According to studio director Mike Simpson, the new setting fulfills Creative Assembly's three criteria for Total War games. First, it represents an era of profound technological advancement, particularly in terms of military science. Second, it contains a large number of factions of relatively equal power who find themselves in direct competition. Finally, it has loads and loads of cool content.
The Grand Campaign in Empire: Total War features a wide range of factions, from British Colonists/Americans in the west to the Mughals in India. In between will be all manner of power and prestige players, like Britain and the Ottoman Empire, and smaller groups like Native Americans and Africans. In the Grand Campaign, players will try to extend their power into a variety of areas, from the Americas, through North Africa, through to India.
Previous Total War games have included naval warfare in only the broadest and most abstract terms. Given the depth of the strategic and tactical games, it was easy to forgive the absence of equally robust sea battles. But given that this game takes place during the Age of Sail, there's really no excuse not to include full naval battles.
Naval battles will benefit from ship-specific formations and admiral traits. With each ship taking up a single unit space, players can field fleets of up to 20 ships at a time. You'll have a variety of choices to make when engaging in naval combat. Your cannons can be directed to aim for the hull to sink an enemy, for the decks to clear the way for boarding action by your marines, or for the masts to reduce the enemy's speed and maneuverability.
Obviously, the new emphasis on naval battles doesn't mean that there's any less going on with the land battles. Having already worked with ancient and medieval warfare, the team is ready to take on the challenge of rendering the battles from the 18th century with ranks of infantry firing in line, cavalry officers in bright uniforms and well-organized batteries of cannon. There's more of an emphasis on fire in Empire, but that doesn't mean that shock isn't also a vital component of battle. (Most of your fire units will have a shock attack as well.)
The rock-paper-scissors approach to unit design works even better in this era than in previous eras used in the series. Having infantry that can form lines to mass their fire, or squares to defend against cavalry charges, or spread out in loose formation to minimize damage from cannon fire are all excellent tactics that the player will have to keep in mind. Empire also allows players to garrison their units in buildings around the map now. You'll need to be careful however, because artillery can destroy buildings.
With the addition of naval battles and a much larger strategic map, Creative Assembly is doing their best to keep everything else as uncomplicated as possible. To begin with, the game won't start full tilt with access to every single feature. Players will the chance to wade around in the shallow end of the pool for a while before having to contend with all the options the game has to offer.
Even when the other options start opening up, the team has reduced many of the management hassles that are present in the series. Recruiting big armies in Medieval II or in Rome require you to issue individual production orders in a number of different provinces. Empire will allow you to build large armies simply by recruiting units at your general. He'll then translate that request into production orders in nearby provinces. Similarly, players of previous Total War games have had to balance each of their provinces individually to maximize tax output and minimize unrest. Now, the game makes use of a more comprehensive tool to manage things across your entire empire.
Given the time period, managing unrest is going to be a relatively important concern. As your society advances, your citizens will demand more and more freedom, which can definitely put a crimp in your own policies. You can choose to liberate them and become a modern enlightened state, or you could hold on to your power a little longer by crushing your people under an oppressive regime. Where previous games saw peoples aligned by religious affiliation, Empire will tend to focus more on this concept of political freedom as a component of happiness.
The team also hopes to improve the strategic AI with regard to diplomacy. In current Total War games, the diplomatic AI and the military AI don't talk to each other as clearly as they should. With Empire, the AI will take your diplomatic relationship into serious account when considering military action against you. That doesn't mean that you won't still get stabbed in the back by a good friend, but it should happen less often.
The new game will use a brand new engine, preserving Creative Assembly's record of only ever using an engine twice. We haven't seen anything in action yet but if the screenshots are anything to go by (which they should be), this is going to be even more fantastic than the already stellar Medieval II Total War.
OK THAT IS FROM IGN, Now is the one from Gamespot
GC '07: Empire: Total War First Look
Sega and Creative Assembly reveal the fifth game in the acclaimed Total War series, which is set during the Age of Sail.
By Jason Ocampo, GameSpot
Posted Aug 22, 2007 10:28 am PT
LEIPZIG, Germany--After years of countless requests from fans, Sega and Creative Assembly are set to finally deliver a Total War strategy game with guns. Sort of. The two companies revealed Empire: Total War, the fifth game in the popular Total War strategy series, and the biggest leap in the series to date. First of all, the game will introduce real-time naval battles, which is something that's long been missing in the series. Next, it will introduce a ton of new technology. Third, it will be set during the Age of Sail, so it will introduce rifles and firearms.
Empire will span the 18th century, the dawn of the modern world, from about 1700 to somewhere past 1800. This period encompassed a lot of revolution and warfare, including the Seven Years' War, a conflict that could be considered the first true world war because it was fought all around the globe. The game will run right up to the cusp of the Napoleonic Wars, but it doesn't sound like it will cover that epic conflict. If that's truly the case, it's not too hard to imagine that the Napoleonic Wars, a popular request by Total War fans, could easily be implemented in an expansion or a sequel.
The game will cover much of the planet, including the New World and India. This will allow for many new factions, though the US will probably be the biggest and most important addition, not to mention the most popular one with North American gamers. Like all Total War games, it will feature a strategic layer and real-time land-based battles, but the important new additions are the real-time naval battles that will have large formations of vessels. In the example given to us, you will be able to command about 20 ships in combat, a number similar to the number of units you can actually command in land-based battles. But because ships, like regiments, are composed of hundreds of men each, you can still have a large number of personnel in a naval battle.
There will be various classes of vessel, which will essentially vary by maneuverability, speed, and firepower. The naval warfare of this period was dominated by ships-of-the-line, which were massive floating fortresses, but there were also frigates and nimbler, speedier combatants. You'll be able to conduct a wide range of naval warfare tactics, including boarding enemy vessels.
Land battles will introduce new features, such as the ability to garrison men in buildings. They'll also introduce the use of cover, such as walls, which is required for the introduction of rifle combat. At the same time, because the weapons of the era were wildly inaccurate at long range, engagement distances will still be similar to those seen in existing games. This was an era when formations of men marched rigidly and precisely around the battlefield, while armies lined up opposite one another to trade fire until one side broke. There will still be cavalry charges and melee combat in the form of bayonet charges as well.
We are also excited that Creative Assembly is incorporating improvements into the gameplay, as well as streamlining it. After four Total Wars, there's no shortage of suggestions as to how to improve the game, and some of the stuff we heard is encouraging. For instance, the game will gradually introduce you into the campaign. You'll start with only a few things that you can do, but more and more options will slowly begin to unfold, which should help with the learning curve. Even better, the designers realized that players were spending too much time building units and then marching them around the map just to merge into a single army. So now you'll be able to designate a general to be the nucleus of an army, and new units will assemble around him. Thus, a lot of tedious micromanagement is easily eliminated.
Creative Assembly uses its engines twice. The game engine for Shogun: Total War was enhanced for Medieval: Total War. Then the gorgeous 3D engine introduced in Rome: Total War was enhanced for Medieval 2: Total War. Empire will introduce a brand new graphics engine, which is an exciting development considering that last year's Medieval 2 still looks like a cutting-edge graphical game. We were told that the game will capture naval combat like no game before it, and judging from the early screenshots released for Empire, that certainly seems the case.
Empire is still early in development, which was highlighted by the fact that Creative Assembly didn't have any gameplay on hand to demonstrate the game. We can expect more details and an actual first look at the game in the coming months. When it will ship is another mystery because apparently, it's also still too early to give any kind of release date. Still, Empire sounds like a huge leap forward for Total War, and we'll look forward to learning more about what should be another epic strategy game from Creative Assembly.
-GameSpot
Then there is WIKIPEDIA Remember though, Wikipedia is a source that is an author, could be anyone not a proper journalist. Most of the information could be correct but with Wikipedia its not guaranteed 100%, but I still use it alot Who else has a shot at what its really about??
Empire: Total War
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article or section contains information about an unreleased video game.
The content may change substantially as more information becomes available. Please do not add speculation to this article, and remember to cite a published source for details.
Empire: Total War
Image:
Developer: Creative Assembly
Publisher: Sega
Designer: Mike Simpson
(Studio Director)
James Russell
(Lead Designer) Released: TBA 2008
Genre: Real-time tactics, Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)" Single player, Multiplayer
Platform(s) Windows, X-Box 360 (TBA)
Input methods: Keyboard, mouse
Empire: Total War (commonly abbreviated to E:TW) is an upcoming game in the Total War series of video games that is being developed by the Creative Assembly at the UK branch, by the team that developed Rome: Total War.
Contents
* 1 Gameplay
o 1.1 Features
o 1.2 Campaign map
o 1.3 Press
o 1.4 Screenshots
* 2 References
* 3 External links
Gameplay
Empire: Total War is about exploration and conquest, founding colonies and fighting wars away from home, and is an epic 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, nine of which are expected to be playable. The confirmed playable factions are:
* The British Empire
* The Kingdom of France
* The Ottoman Empire
* The Kingdom of Prussia
* The Spanish Empire
* The Thirteen Colonies
* The United Provinces (Dutch Republic)
* The Swedish Empire
* The Russian Empire
Other confirmed factions, that may or may not be playable, are:
* Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
* Republic of Venice
* Zaporozhian Cossacks
Features
Total War: Empire 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, and there is a plethora of new formations and strategies to be mastered. The naval battles feature destructible sails, realistic cannon fire, grape shot and boarding action.
Not only is naval warfare a change in the battle system; the battles on land have been given a major 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, which uses 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 all-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 greatly improved along with the advice system, and the game itself will feature better tutorials that makes the game much 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.[1]
Press
* At the 2007 Leipzig Games Convention, GameSpot released some of the earliest information on Empire: Total War as it was announced. [2]
* The November 2007 issue of Total PC Gaming Magazine (UK edition) published an exclusive Empire: Total War preview. It included an interview with lead designer James Russell and some never before seen screenshots. However, Creative Assembly denies the magazine's printed release date for Empire: Total War as March 2008 as well as the suggested 75% completion estimate. [3]
The High Seas!! ARRR On a fine sunny day, clear sky's, LETS DANCE!!!
That's pretty wicked!! The god of the sea on the front of the boat, Poseidon See those musketeers? I'm guessing thats how the units will be ingame. I am also guessing (because you can grapple hook, as seen on the picture down, where you can board ships) that they are patrolling the boat and are part of the batallion on the ship!
A crazy and tough naval battle. See the American Flag?? I'm guessing that its the American Civil War or the Revolution??
A British Ship, as seen by the flag, just sailing lazily on the sunset Ohhhh
Broadside attack from a Battleship. I encourage all Warriors of Troy to read up and have a bit of knowledge of naval battles, because on both sides of the ship, The broadside is one of two sides that holds the most cannons, thus devistating in attack. I am guessing Naval Tactics will be on what ships fight which, and how; similar to Battlestations: Midway
This is a picture of a crew onboard a ship, my guess they are French, that is firing their cannons towards the enemy ship
THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING!!! This is how the game I think is going to be set up. Take note of all the options in the toolbars.
I am thinking this is a port, and it is a pretty important one because you can see the fort in the distance. I think its a fanart, maybe a loading screen, or a screen when it gets built, or maybe just a picture Its nice though
Well everyone, thats about it!!
Enjoy it, and if anything else happens just post and give us some more information, I would be glad if any more information comes through for you guys to post it If I see any new information, in magazines, I'll scan it and post it, or if it is on the internet I'll do the same!!
Cheers!!! AND ARRR!!!! ENJOY YE ALE YE SCURVY DOGS!!!
very interesting information (rubbing my eyes of soreness...) i only wish they could include pics of the ground forces and things as such... i am very intregged at to what they will look like and how they will operate when i use them i know you have mention some ways they are operated but i mean when im using them...
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:51 am Post subject: Empire: Total War Information Reply
Hail all!!!
Yes Choas indeed!! It's pretty Good atm I'll keep my eyes peeled because I really want to see that as well. That is all the screenshots at the moment, but I agree they should start really knuckling out some nice screenshots for everyone to work with. I think I saw ONCE a picture of it, but I cannot remember where
I Can't wait, but any further Information I find, or anyone finds, I or you's shall post here!!!
To Cossack:
Quote:
WERE IS PORTUGUESE EMPIRE
We shall see Cossack I am sure, that there is going to be somewhere Portugal, for it was a major force throughout history. If not, I am sure it will be somewhere. It might be part of the Spanish Empire. But remember its historically correct, so whatever they were in back then thats where they will be
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:27 pm Post subject: New Information in TotalWar.com e-mail
Hail all!!
This is some more information regarding Empire: Total War that came into my inbox from www.totalwar.com.
Here it is:
EMPIRE: TOTAL WAR ARTIST INTERVIEW
Mark O’Connell from TotalWar.com recently had the chance to speak to Michael Kutsche about his Empire: Total War artwork which has graced the covers of GameStar and PC Gameplay magazines in Europe.
TotalWar.com:Did you work from any in-game references from Empire: Total War when drawing the grenadier?
MK:There were some historical book illustrations of grenadiers for costume reference in the beginning, but no in-game references.
TotalWar.com:How did you decide upon the pose that the character is in?
MK:On a magazine cover there’s only some space where the image is fully visible, you have to find a composition that fits perfectly between the text and headline. In most of the cases the briefing demands eye contact of the character to the viewer. The challenge is to meet these requirements without losing the natural, loose feel. I wanted to catch the mood of a movie-like shot but still keep everything stylised somehow.
TotalWar.com:Did you come up with any other concepts before going ahead with what became the final design?
MK:The first sketch had the muzzle of the rifle reaching out of the page.I started again and turned the pose a little. It’s often that the first sketch is the best approach; from there I do little changes and proceed to finalization.
TotalWar.com:Is the face based on / inspired by a real-life person?
MK:As you can see in the pic above, I took the chance to expose myself on the cover? :)Usually I paint without taking reference photos; since I can think, that’s the way I paint, but in this case it was a good solution.
TotalWar.com:What techniques and programs were used to create the artwork?
MK:Sketches with pencils on paper. Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Corel Painter X with a Wacom Cintiq 21UX.
TotalWar.com:Can you talk us through each of the following work-in-progresses, and how they got to each stage:
1
2
3
4
MK:
1. The first thing I did was a line drawing to become aware of the silhouette, proportions, posing etc.
2. Going over to colorizing in Photoshop and painter.
3. Working on details and changing mood of colour.
4. As I said before, I restarted again on the character, ‘cause the muzzle had to be in focus.
TotalWar.com:Were any artistic styles from the time period of influence?
MK:Yes, I had some old master paintings of battle scenarios in mind, but I didn’t want to just copy that style. I’m a big admirer of all periods of art, but mostly contemporary art.
TotalWar.com:Do you have a background in working with traditional media?
MK:When I find some time between projects, I often shut down the computerand enjoy playing around with oil paint. It’s always good to hold something in your hands that exists only once in this universe.
TotalWar.com:How long did the Empire artwork ultimately take, from concept to completion?
MK:5 days.
TotalWar.com:Finally, what is it like to see your artwork published on the front cover of a magazine?
MK:Of course it fills me with pride! I remember myself drawing a world of knights, skeletons, robots and cowboys when I was 5, so it’s cool to finally make a living with it.
TotalWar.com:Thanks for your time!
MK:You’re welcome!
____________________________
Cheers guys!! Hope that gave some more insight. Pretty sweet I think. The art should be great!!
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:58 pm Post subject: CVG News and Awesome Art of Empire: Total War and Dev. Diary
Hail all!!
Thanks to CVG for this information. It is an article about Empire: Total War. It also has some really good screenshots of the Art that is encompassed with Empire: Total War. Enjoy!!
_____________________
Empire: Total War Developer Diary #1
Mike Brunton, writer and designer
Just so you know, Good Sirs, I have worked in the games industry since the reign of George II (1727-1760) and, as a result, boast of a fine collection of wigs, steenkirks, and tricornes. In these lesser days my speech and creative work are of a largely meteorological nature, consisting as they do of an enormous amount of wind.
I've also worked on most of the TW games to date and if you've ever tittered at a general's speech before a battle the blame must be hurled in my direction, like unto the manner of a dead cat (and one man was so popular that people did hurl dead cats at his funeral cortege in 1732 - gosh, what fun we had).
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One of the small pleasures of coming to work each morning at Creative Assembly is the chance to read all the email that comes in from chaps who are very keen to help me in all kinds of ways.
Each day, I'm given the chance to invest in all kinds of sure-fire share deals, enlarge my reproductive organs, spend money on the charms of comely young ladies, buy medicines that are guaranteed to cure all kinds of ills I never even dreamed that I had, and a hundred other services that I never even knew I needed. This, strangely, is a very 1700s start to a day. And it helps with the mindset of the Empire: Total War period too.
Had I been walking down a street in London on my way to some sort of gainful employment in, say, 1720, I would have faced much the same barrage of dodgy offers. Jobbing stock dealers would have been keen to part me from my guineas in exchange for investments in mad schemes to gather moonbeams, or plant colonies in the Americas (I know, the America idea sounds mad, but apparently it worked).
Young and not-so-young "actresses" (of both sexes) would have been willing to let me sample their bosomy charms, for a financial consideration. Apothecaries and physicians would have vied for my money to cure all manner of afflictions (and if I wasn't ill to start with, I would be when they finished).
The main difference between walking down the London byway and cleaning up the spam would have been the smell: the stench in 18th Century London was enough to wilt your cravat.
The smell was appalling even before William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781 (come on, bottom jokes are always funny). Oh, and I could have popped into a coffee shop to meet my fellows and indulge in a dish or two of very expensive, and highly fashionable, coffee.
In other words, the 18th century sometimes looks rather modern. When we started looking at the Empire period this was one of the things that struck us. We were also struck by the fact that people spent quite a lot of effort and most of the century trying to kill each other in wars, or in inventing better ways to kill each other.
This is very Total War. Wars were fought for national honour, vengeance, control of natural resources, and for what is now called "regime change". This is also very Total War. Science and the whole "Enlightenment thing" got going, and were immediately condemned by some as ungodly. And nearly everyone in Britain must have been very drunk.
This last point is quite interesting and, if you are a liver, rather scary. Given the amount of drink they threw down their throats, it is a wonder the Georgians could stand up, let alone go out and conquer the world!
The population of London - including children - seems to have drunk around 4 pints of gin each, week in, week out. That's on top of the other tipples like ale, claret, port, porter, beer, sack, rum, brandy, cider, untaxed "gin" (well, they called it that) from backstreet gin mills, and (had they been around at the time) brake fluid, aftershave and surgical spirit. When Londoners got gin, they rioted.
When Londoners ran out of gin, they rioted. In between, they threw cobblestones at passing Frenchmen. This did not count as proper rioting, just patriotism. Actually, you have to blame the Dutch for all the gin. William of Orange was on the British throne in 1700 so it became patriotic to sink a glass or two of Dutch gin.
William himself was fond of a bucket of the stuff himself, and he didn't mind when stones were hurled in the general direction of a French fop. Frenchmen were always fops and dandies and prided themselves on their fashion sense. Even French peasants wore stylish rags and called themselves the "sans culottes". Only in France would a lack of trousers be class warfare!
When they weren't fighting each other (and that wasn't very often, to be honest), the Europeans packed their booze and set out to see the world, and then conquer it. They took their wars with them, and European armies fought each other in every corner of the globe with and without local allies. The Seven Years War, for example, was a global conflict, and saw battles in the Americas, in India and in almost every sea between.
And now, according to the nice doctors (pah! Quacks and poxmongers, the lot of them!) from the Home for Mildly Confused Gentlefolk, that's enough. Do you know that once I could have had them whipped round the fleet for such impertinence? Or put in the stocks? Ho hum, the modern world...
Next time round, we'll have a look at some of the colourful characters who changed the world, and take in a bit of corruption, consider trade, look at a robot tiger (no, really) and briefly discuss life, the universe and everything.
Pictures:
Seeming that was the work of the Developer Diaries #1, these are number 2 & 3:
Number 2
Empire: Total War Development Diary
By Pro-G Staff - 11/01/2008 - 2:11pm GMT
Pro-G Staff
The words of Mike Brunton, writer and designer on Empire Total War at The Creative Assembly.
This is the second bite of the cherry of history in Empire: Total War. It's time to look beyond Europe, and then briefly consider the Enlightenment. Don't worry, though, this isn't going to be a history lesson - at least not like some of the history lessons that I remember. I think I'd sooner nail my own tongue to the rear bumper of a Trabant than go through some of those again. Yuck.
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Europe developed a global reach in the Empire period: there were fortunes to be had in the Americas, in the Caribbean and, above all, in India. A man could make a fortune in Madras or Bengal, New France and Jamaica - if he survived disease, European rivals and hostile natives. In the meantime, many carved out an Empire in the name of their respective monarchs, with an eye to royal favour, of course. The period was one where lining one's own pocket was an accepted, if not quite respectable, part of serving the nation: John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, thoughtfully appointed himself as one of his army's chief supply contractors. The money helped build Blenheim Palace - not bad for someone who started out as a gigolo!
And during a century of warfare, there was a tactical and strategic revolution in the way that war was conducted. In 1700 some men still carried pikes in European armies mostly, it has to be said, because it was very expensive to give them muskets. Within the space of a few years, the infantryman had been given a musket, a bayonet (that stopped him firing), a better bayonet (so he could shoot as well as stab his enemies), a completely new drill book, and (as the old joke has it) the chance to see the world, meet interesting people and kill them. Wars in Europe and in the distant colonies caused changes in tactics, equipment and strategy throughout the period. You'll see these in Empire: Total War.
Yes, there were powerful Empires in the world when the Europeans "arrived": the Ottomans and Mughal India. Yet it was the apparently minor powers like the French, British and Dutch who sailed away to make money, by trade, warfare and outright theft. No Mughal admiral ever dropped anchor outside Rotterdam or London and demanded trade rights. Then again, to be fair, the Mughals had more money than they could ever spend. Trade with India actually caused a silver shortage in Europe because the Indians quite sensibly wouldn't take crappy European products for their shiny, lovely stuff. The Europeans really lowered the tone in India: Sultan Tippu of Mysore hated the English so much that he had a tiger automata made that gored an equally mechanical Englishman to death, just so he could laugh at it.
This really is the century where the modern world starts. Apart from the wars that barely stopped during the century, it was a time of tremendous intellectual vigour. The Enlightenment is well named, even if it did look like a bunch of be-wigged gentlemen thinking about life, the universe and everything. They were doing that, and they were having great ideas.
They were colourful, clever and downright odd. A quick selection illustrates the point: Isaac Newton, for example, invented calculus (the basis of quite a lot of mathematics) but then didn't really bother telling anyone until Gottfried Leibniz claimed to have done it too. Without them: no difficult maths, no computers, no computer games. Yet Sir Isaac was also an alchemist, trying to find the secret of immortality and turn base metals into gold. The word "millionaire" appears in France, thanks to the efforts of a banker, gambler and con artist called John Law. Before him, no one had ever had enough cash to count it in millions! Adam Smith accidentally creates the modern world of work by showing that dividing jobs up into repetitive tasks makes money. Thanks for that, Adam, and the 9-to-5 working day. Benjamin Franklin showed that genius and gormless stupidity are but a heartbeat apart by flying kites in thunderstorms to see what lightning did. And Carl von Linné created a system of labelling plants and animals so cunning it's still in use today. You are a "Homo sapiens sapiens" and not just a lumpy collection of bone, muscles and floppy bits thanks to Carl. If you're not a Homo sapiens sapiens and you're reading this, then welcome to Earth! It is quite nice, apart from all the bits we've buggered up.
So, although you might not believe it just yet, Empire: Total War is set in a world that's going to seem strangely familiar and then different too. It's dramatic, world-spanning, bloody-minded and just plain fun. And there's plenty of stuff that's just interesting. Consider, for example, this piece of oddness: Londoners rioted in 1752 when Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar and skipped 11 days to get the date into line with the rest of Europe. People went to bed on September 2, and awoke on September 14. The old-style Julian calendar was wrong, but the "new" Gregorian scheme caused outrage for two reasons: people had (obviously) had their lives shortened by this daylight robbery! It was the work of foreigners and Catholics! I think the hard drinking led to the trouble: too many people just thought the latest hangover had lasted 11 days!
And so, as Samuel Pepys would have it, to bed. Next time round, I'll try to find something to say vaguely interesting about warfare in what I've come to think of as the Age of Enormous Wigs and Big Hats. In the meantime, where's the gin?
Number 3
Empire: Total War Development Diary
By Pro-G Staff - 11/01/2008 - 2:11pm GMT
Pro-G Staff
The words of Mike Brunton, writer and designer on Empire Total War at The Creative Assembly.
It's now time to turn a bleary and gin-sodden eye (drinking gin is a large part of "method designing" for Empire Total War) to matters military in the 18th century and in particular land warfare in the period. I can promise that the next few instalments are not going to be a detailed history lesson - hurrah! - but more a gallop through the subject - huzzah! - while backhanding matters of interest with a sabre - swish! - from time to time.
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So what happens to armies and warfare during the Empire period? That depends on the army, and even the continent, involved in warfare. The French and English/British still fought like two cats in a sack, but where they fought was very different. Their soldiers would face each other in the Rhineland, the backwoods of America and the steamy heat of India. This is a function of what today is termed "power projection" (or "putting your army in some other blokes' country and making an awful mess over there"). This was what the Europeans learned to do during the 18th century: they could ship troops halfway round the world and fight on their own terms. Doing this involved naval power (so that's why there are naval battles in Empire: Total War!), and that's a subject for another day; here we're looking at land warfare.
Firstly, don't run away with the idea that the 18th Century is one of unbridled expansion for the Europeans, backed up by muskets, bayonets and the guts to use them effectively. The effectiveness of European armies varied from decade to decade as lessons in warfare were learned, copied by enemies, and then discarded in favour of a new idea. European armies didn't always have it their own way. In the Balkans, the Turks may have been slightly old-fashioned but their Janissary armies were no laughing matter for anyone facing them, even if they could be beaten. In India, more than one nasty shock awaited the Western invaders as elephants (and what's a Total War game these days without some heffalumps?), rockets and imported European artillery (along with imported European gunners) were turned against them. The cannons made by Indians weren't all that bad either, even if they did go in for a lot of decorative fiddly bits. The use of massed rocket attacks impressed the British so much that they copied them as the Congreve rocket system, and then turned them on their own enemies in later wars (without, it has to be said, very much success). In North America a completely new style of light skirmishing warfare was required for success in the dense forests of the eastern seaboard. In short, depending on where you're fighting, you'll have a different experience in the game.
Not only had the nature of warfare changed, but its context and purposes too. Any medieval monarch could have understood the "why" of the War of the Spanish Succession: to stop the French Bourbons putting one of their relatives on the throne of Spain. Less than a hundred years later, the Bourbons' problems, guillotine-wise, brought their power to a sudden, painful and cravat-ruining halt. Once they were gone, the French Republic was engaged in a very different kind of war of survival. Other powers (for which read "the rich, powerful and well bred") wanted the infection of revolutionary Republicanism cut from the European body politic before it could do any more damage (the bloody progress of events shocked supporters of the infant Republic). Napoleon Bonaparte's seizure of power (and his conscious aping of Roman precedent) merely confirmed the view that a new, dark tyranny (of the unwashed masses, if nothing else) that threatened the natural order of things had arrived. The concept of a war of ideas - republicanism, liberty, patriotism, tyranny, equality, freedom - had arrived.
If the French Revolution hadn't happened in France, the rest of European civilization probably wouldn't have been so bothered by the whole business. Hang on, then it would have been the French Revolution... Still, revolutions are going to be possible; you might even be able to engineer one. Back to the point: It was almost an article of faith that the French were the pre-eminent experts in war, and fielded the finest army in Europe. The French army did suffer defeat on occasion, but it remained a mighty instrument of policy. It defined "soldiering" for generations: young men who wished to be soldiers went to France to learn the serious business of killing. Both of Britain's greatest generals, John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough (yes, same family as Winston), and Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington (yes, the boots man), had French connections early in their careers. Churchill even received a commendation from Louis XIV for his bravery in leading a forlorn hope. He might have purchased his first commission from his profits as the Duchess of Buckingham's toy boy, but John had guts! Young Arthur was quite a bit more respectable (or a stuffy prig) as he attended a French military academy after his schooldays at Eton.
We'll return to this gallop across land warfare in the next part of this developer diary. In the meantime, I'm off to polish my Patriotic Fund sword. Here's to a bloody battle, or the pox!
_________________________
All the best and take care!! I hope that was some fun and real interesting. Was for me.
Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:37 am Post subject: More images of Empire: Total War. Including an IN BATTLE ONE
Hail Everyone!!
I was surfing the internet today and I stumbled across some pictures of how the actual battles in Empire: Total War will be like. As such the case their are also more fan art and one looks like an ingame prototype of how detailed the battle will be. Enjoy!! I will also add at the end FAQ 1, 2, 3 and 4 off the Total War Blogs (www.totalwarblogs.com).
THIS PICTURE IS UNAUTHENTIC!! I FOUND OUT TODAY ON THE 05/02/08 FROM THE TOTAL WAR FORUMS THAT IT IS A MOD!!! SAME SIMILAR I AM QUITE CERTAIN THE 2 SHOTS BELOW THAT LOOK LIKE THEY'RE NEW!! THE ITALIAN WEBSITE STATED IT WAS EMPIRES BUT IT WASN'T!!
Anyone who knows what this says you'll have some clue.. Its in Italiano
Thank you to VGCLUB.IT for the pictures
Friday Jan 25, 2008
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 Naval 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
Friday Dec 21, 2007
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
Tuesday Nov 27, 2007
Empire:Total War FAQ 2
Hi guys,
Welcome to our second Empire: Total War Q&A, where we provide more answers to some of your most burning questions!
Q: How many factions will there be in the game? And will [insert name of home country here] be included?
A: These two related questions are two of the most popular, particularly the “Will my country…” bit. People also wondered how we end up with the faction list. Surprisingly, nationalism and irrational prejudice do not drive our choices. If they did, then Yorkshire, Dorking, the Kingdom of Bognor, Chicken Madras and the Democratic Workers’ Republic of Woking would automatically be factions. In every game.
Naturally, not all factions are equal. This has always been the case; it is far harder to win as the Western Romans, big though the faction is, than the Saxons in R:TW Barbarian Invasion. We tend to define factions as being potentially playable (or not), by their culture, whether they are major or minor, and whether they might be “emergent” when we look at the candidate list. We then look at getting a good mix in terms of culture, national unit and army lists, and gameplay potential.
We use “culture” as a way of collecting similar factions together and sharing resources: you’ll find Western European nations all share a lot of the same cultural baggage, so it make sense to have a common set of game resources for them. Sometimes this means we can sneak in extra factions because they are similar to something we have already done (hurrah!): it is relatively easy to add Mysore if the material for the Mughals and the Maharattas already exists.
The major/minor split is our take on whether a faction starts the game with more than one region (e.g. France = major; Hanover = minor). When we are considering who to include a minor faction is less likely to make the cut than a major one. Some potential factions end up as rebels early on because the nation in question simply did not go anywhere during Empire’s historical period. Often these were considered for full faction status before they were assigned to the rebel category: it is not sensible, for example, to do a full faction work up on the Republic of Genoa.
Emergent factions (these, you might remember, were in RTWBI) are those nations that did, or might, come into being during a game’s historical period, or could have come into being. The most obvious one in the Empire period is the United States of America. There are no guarantees that the USA will appear, but if there is a rebellion in the right sort of area, at the right sort of time and other factors are appropriate, then rather than seeing rebels, you will see the Continental Army marching off to war.
So, the Empire: Total War factions have yet to be finalised. There will be at least 10 playable factions in the game, but we’re currently engaged in a free and frank exchange of views about the candidates for inclusion on that list. Some, like France and Prussia, have guaranteed places as playable factions because they were significant in the wars and politics of the time. The powers that changed status (waxing and waning) are the ones that cause us problems! The full faction list is much longer, and it includes all the AI-controlled factions that we don’t think are that rewarding for a human to play.
So, we are currently looking at around 50 factions and scratching our heads to decide which ones make the cut as being interesting both historically and in terms of game play. The final point is that what we’d like to do with the factions and what’s practical are not always the same thing. Often we’ll have to exclude a faction for time reasons. If we’re going to have to create a completely new set of buildings, units, animations and on-screen messages for a minor (and therefore relatively obscure) faction, the chances are that it won’t make it into the game. And sometimes more does not automatically equal better. It can mean that the development marmalade is spread too thinly over too many slices of conceptual toast.
Q: Will famous characters such as Wellington make an appearance in the game, and will they have special abilities to reflect their historical importance? What new character traits are there?
A: Famous and some not-so-famous characters are present in the game, yes. However, because the unfolding of a TW game isn’t a fixed path, there is not going to be a guarantee that an Arthur Wellesley (the Duke of Wellington eventually), a Napoleon Bonaparte, a George Washington or anyone else will *always* appear when the game is played. If they did, then camping on their spawn points until the right date would not make for a very interesting game. This, by the way, is all part of the larger counterfactual-historical debate in Total War games: history probably won’t repeat itself exactly as you play.
We’re having to be quite disciplined about the famous people that we include as characters and ancillaries, simply because there could be thousands of them, all with their own claim to a place in the game. Should we include Mozart as a famous composer, Thomas Slade, a naval architect of some genius, Lancelot “Capability” Brown, the man who completely reshaped the English countryside, Jethro Tull, the folk rock band and agriculturalist, or Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, a right royal pain in the neck? They’re all interesting people, and made their contribution.
The traits system is being revised for Empire: Total War; the Rome/M2TW system could “spam” traits sometimes and we need to address that. We’re not going to give you a list of the new character traits because it (a) would be a bit boring done like that; and (b) the list isn’t finalised, so that if we tell you there’s a trait called “Sausage” might not ever make it into the finished game. There is a trait called Sausage, by the way, but it’s not really the kind of thing you want to talk about in polite company. However, just to whet your appetites there are two interesting traits: “American General” and “Indian General” that have potentially interesting effects. These are gained by Europeans fighting in the relevant parts of the world and represent “going native” in terms of skills and attitudes. If everything goes to plan, the American General trait will even give a general and his unit some stealth ability on the battlefield. It’s also possible for generals to develop a complete dislike of the two continents too - not everyone likes curry or burgers, after all.
When the list has firmed up at beta, we’ll return to the subject of traits and historical characters in another FAQ or as a developer diary.
Q: The bayonet was invented in this period, so how will the various types be used on the battlefield? Will key technological inventions like this be events on the campaign map?
A: The bayonet is quite an interesting technology that directly impacts on battlefield behaviour in units. Before it arrives, musketeers have to reverse their muskets and use them as crude clubs to beat down opponents. The plug bayonet is a big step in the right direction, but once it is fitted (like a cork in a bottle neck) it prevents a man from firing and reloading his gun. It does give a musketeer a short “pike” for hand-to-hand fighting, and that’s useful. Incidentally, the bayonet was seen as a substitute pike and accordingly pike drill was used after its introduction. The ring bayonet allows fire and slow reloading, but isn’t very secure in its fixing to a musket; it’s better in a fight, but not that much better.
Finally the socket bayonet slides onto the musket and then locks on a barrel lug. The blade is offset, so that the musket can be loaded and fired easily, and it won’t come loose when thrust into an enemy’s guts. This kind of practical, brutal weapon made it possible to introduce “modern” bayonet fighting as a drill.
And no, we’re not handling technological advances as set historical events. We’re giving you more control over the game than that, but as to how -that’s for another day.
Q: Won’t the rampant expansion of European powers over less developed countries unbalance things in Empire? Won’t players be able to simply sweep aside native populations and establish colonies?
A: No, not necessarily. This is where the art of the game designer comes in, at least in our opinion. It’s our job to make sure that the game isn’t just a predictable rush for colonies. The question also ignores the number of wars that went on across Europe during the 18th Century as well.
There was “rampant” European expansion during the Empire period, but the European nations and their trading companies weren’t guaranteed to have things their own way at all. In India, for example, the Europeans fought against each other and used proxies in a series of vicious little wars that could have seen the Europeans driven out on several occasions. That they weren’t is more a tribute to cunning diplomacy, bribes, and the fact that some local princeling was always willing to cut a deal.
Interestingly, native populations weren’t always swept aside. At least part of the sense of grievance felt by the American Colonials towards the British government was fuelled by the agreements that London had struck with the native tribes to restrain their colonisation efforts. In India the Europeans were in no position to sweeo “the natives” aside. Instead, they mounted a “hostile takeover” and left the senior and middle management in place; the poor old peasants at the bottom of the heap probably never realised that they were now farming “colonial” land.
Q: Will the game be totally different from M2TW?
A: Firstly, Medieval 2: Total War was a development of the Rome: Total War engine. For Empire: Total War we’ve started again with new game and graphics engines. Apart from anything else, we needed to do this for the naval combat system. This follows our revolution-evolution pattern of game development at The Creative Assembly: a new game engine, an evolved version of it, rinse and repeat.
Secondly, the Empire period requires a different approach to the medieval era. Warfare, politics, and technology have moved on. We have a “palette” of game mechanics that we can use to bring these to life, and we must pick and choose the right ones for the subject matter. Naturally, some aspects of a Total War game are “givens”: a turn based strategy game and real time battles. We won’t - and wouldn’t want to - change that. Within that broad constraint, though, we hope to use mechanics that are appropriate to the period. Papal sanctions are important in the medieval world, but they don’t matter so much during the Enlightenment. Therefore, the Pope doesn’t need to be simulated in detail in Empire. The choreography of musket fire is important, so that gets a lot of attention. And then there’s the naval game: not to blow our own trumpets too much, but some developers would publish that as a separate game in its own right!
And finally, the development team on Empire is not the M2TW group. The Empire people did Rome: Total War, and some of the core team have been on TW games since Shogun: Total War. Chrysler don’t just have one team working on all their different car models, you know!
Keep your questions coming on our official forums, and stay tuned to TotalWar.com for all the latest Empire: Total War news and updates!
Take care,
Mark O’Connell
(aka SenseiTW)
Wednesday Oct 24, 2007
Empire:Total War FAQ
Hi guys,
We recently offered our forum community the chance to submit questions about Empire: Total War to the team. Here we’ve tried to address some of the most common themes.
Will the emergence of new governmental systems be reflected in the game? Will we be able to play as a monarchy or republic and will that affect the gameplay?
Revolution is a key theme of the era. In Empire there are three different potential forms of government. Players will have to decide how to contend with social changes as their society “progresses”. This is a really exciting area we’re currently developing at CA. Ruling a monarchy with an iron fist involves different challenges from governing a republic. The three government types have their own advantages and disadvantages and as pressure for reform grows, revolution and civil strife can occur, and players will have to deal with the consequences of that.
Will religion play an important role in Empire: Total War?
It’s clear that the Enlightenment caused a few headaches for some of the clergy of the time. With that in mind, religious issues are still relevant in Empire, but less important than in Med II. The Pope won’t be dropping Lord Nelson a line asking him to retake the Holy Land, but religion does play a part in social order and diplomatic relations.
Will diplomacy be improved?
The 18th century was a little more civilized than some periods we’ve covered in previous Total War games. To reflect this we’re giving our diplomatic AI a complete overhaul. Previously in Total War the diplomacy AI and the campaign map AI were separate entities but in Empire we’ve unified these two aspects so they work more harmoniously. Diplomatic relations are now much more closely linked to your activities on the campaign map. And you probably won’t get your ambassador’s head back in a bag.
Will trade be more important than previous Total War games?
Absolutely. Empire is a game about war AND colonialism. The expansion of trade was a driving force of the European colonial effort. Trade is the both the impetus for and the engine that powers imperial advancement so we’re obviously paying a great deal of attention to this area of the campaign system. Combined with the new naval battles, establishing and protecting your trade routes have become a very exciting new aspect of strategy.
Will you try to improve the computer AI during battles?
Again, the changes in the period require a massive shift in AI. This is as true of warfare as it is of diplomacy. The tactics of the 18th century battlefield require a completely different mindset to the largely simple tasks of running one bunch of men with sharp objects into another bunch of men with sharp objects. Winning the day on an Empire battlefield will require a more intricate tactical awareness than in previous centuries. It was less about pure brawn, more about brains. Our AI routines have had to change radically to reflect this fact.
War in the 18th century? Won’t troops just line up in front of each other and fire away?
Um, no. It’s a bit of a paradox that the “romanticized” idea of the warfare is one that can be interpreted as dull. Men did not line up in orderly queues to be shot while singing their national anthems (apart from anything else, there were no national anthems). Muskets are not modern assault rifles, and once you’d fired your gun you had to close with the enemy and use cold steel. There’s nothing tame about a battlefield of any era, and hand-to-hand fighting was still a major part of any engagement. The bayonet is invented during our period! Melee fighting was as vicious in the 18th century as it had ever been. Cavalry played an important role on the battlefield too, not only in some famous charges but as a vital harassing force, constantly menacing the enemy into formations which were vulnerable to artillery. Formation discipline was crucial to victory so players will have to learn and master these, making more intelligent use of formation and maneuver than before. Add to that the importance of finding cover from enemy fire plus the ability to occupy and defend buildings and you have an environment more diverse and tactically challenging than any previous Total War battlefield.
How are the physics of naval combat going to work? Are there going to be factors to do with the wind/weather etc.
Naval battles are one of the most exciting new things for us in Empire. We’ve wanted to do proper naval warfare for ages but this is the first time that the era and our technology have been up to the standard we’ve demanded. Those high standards had to include factors like wind and weather. The sea battles in Empire are not just lip-service to naval conflict, we’re as serious about them as we are about our land battles and that means, wind, weather and of course water. We’ve had one guy just working on getting the water to behave realistically for two years! We’re doing stuff like modeling every cannonball so we can map accurate damage to masts and sails, things that will make Empire’s naval battles feel truly authentic.
Will the game be moddable?
Of course. We’ve always wanted to encourage our modding community and help them out. There’s been a lot of great work created for previous Total War titles and we’ll be looking to encourage more of the same for Empire.
Will land battles suffer and lose attention, from the incoming sea battles.
Not a chance. As we’ve already mentioned the change in land warfare is so dramatic in this period that if anything we’ve had to concentrate on that aspect of the game more this time around than ever before. All previous Total War games have dealt with a largely similar style of combat. This time around we’re having to work and think extra hard to get authentic land battles that accurately reflect the period.
Will naval battles be fun and easy to command?
We’re working hard to get a balance between ease of use and depth in naval combat. We’re confident that we’re heading in the right direction and it’s already fun to play naval battles in the office, even roping in members of the CA staff who haven’t been working on the naval stuff, so it can’t be that hard to pick up!
Will multiplayer actually be considered when the game is created?
Multiplayer is very important to us this time around. A lot of the team are long-term multiplayer fans and we felt it was time to address their needs more openly. We’re trying some things out in multiplayer that are completely new to Total War which we hope players will find interesting.
Thanks to everyone for your questions, and stay tuned to TotalWar.com for all the latest Empire: Total War news and updates!
Mmm fantastic thread Vladimir!!
Ive been reading trough thewhole thing for about an hour and all this information is just amazing.
Gamespot compared to this thread sould hang their heads in shame. Id ave to say this has 20 times the info iI last saw that they had.
Great job
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If you can help them out be sweet. More of a fansite, I didn't get any info there 
