New Total War Game

[NickD]

http://www.totalwar.com/index.html?page ... nav=/en/5/

Total War Sets Sail!

SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced Empire: Total War™, the revolutionary new instalment of The Creative Assembly’s wildly successful, multi award winning Total War™ RTS franchise. Empire: Total War™ will maintain the series genre leading 3D battles, grand turn based campaign map and rich historical flavour while for the first time introducing 3D naval combat into the series.

Empire: Total War™ is set in the 18th century a turbulent era that is the most requested by Total War’s™ loyal fan base and a period alive with global conflict, revolutionary fervour and technological advances. With themes such as the Industrial Revolution, America’s struggle for independence, the race to control Eastern trade routes and the globalisation of war on land and sea, Empire: Total War™ promises to be amongst the richest and most dynamic PC RTS games of all time.

Empire: Total War™ will see the debut of 3D naval combat within the Total War™ franchise. PC Gamers will be able to intuitively command vast fleets or single ships upon seascapes rich with extraordinary water and weather effects that play a huge role in your eventual glorious success or ignominious defeat. After pummelling your enemy with cannon fire, close in to grapple their ship and prepare to board taking control your men as they fight hand to hand on the decks.

Along with the revolutionary introduction of Naval Combat, Empire: Total War™ will see further enhancements to the Total War™ series signature 3D battles and turn based campaign map. Real time battles will pose new challenges with the addition of cannon and musket, challenging players to master new formations and tactics as a result of the increasing role of gunpowder within warfare. And the Campaign Map – for many the heart of Total War™ – will see new improved systems for Trade, Diplomacy and Espionage with agents, a refined and streamlined UI, improved Advisors and extended scope taking in the riches of India, the turbulence of Europe and the untapped potential of North America.

“Empire: Total War™ is a huge revolutionary step for the series. We’re delighted to introduce true 3D naval combat, something that adds a totally new dimension to Total War™ games.” commented Mike Simpson, Studio Director at The Creative Assembly and the father of the Total War™ franchise. “We’re genuinely excited about what we’re achieving with the naval battles and also by the scale of the improvements being made to the core of the game – the land battles and the campaign. This will undoubtedly be the biggest and best Total War™ game we’ve ever made.”

Empire: Total War™ has already been secretly in development at The Creative Assembly’s Horsham studio for over a year and is priming its forces for a release in 2008.

Stay tuned to TotalWar.com for all the latest Empire: Total War™ news and screenshots!

So... they have been working on the next Total War since before the current one was released... no wonder it was such a pig's ear of a release.

Naval battles sounds cool, and sounds like it'll be a decent sized map... I would have liked a fantasy version, myself, but at least this is something different.

Just have to make sure I don't buy this game until the first expansion has been released.

[Veilan]

Yes, yes, yes.

They just need to make sure the AI is not a total brainfart like in Medieval 2 .

[Grand Fromage]

Sweet. Napoleon: Total War, called it. :D

[NickD]

Yeah, the Napoleonic era isn't exactly a huge leap. It seems like CA are happy just refining the game. I think it runs a risk of becoming stagnant, more of the same, where you get successive games that don't really bring enough new ideas to the table, just different settings. The World Wars, a fantasy setting, or even the American Civil War would have forced the game to be something pretty different, but with the same basic ideas that make Total War games so great.

[Grand Fromage]

I expect the game will end around the Civil War era. Anything past that isn't going to work at all unless they radically change the way the game functions. They'll have to go back in time again or fantasy or sci-fi. Sci-fi plz.

[Veilan]

I could actually do without innovations for innovations sake. All they seriously need to do is fix the AI, both strategically and tactically.

For fantasy settings, I guess you can always work on a reskin, or something.

In any case, I'm looking forward to CA kicking the sh*t out of Imperial Glory.

[NickD]

I could actually do without innovations for innovations sake. All they seriously need to do is fix the AI, both strategically and tactically.

I don't think the AI is really that bad, although it could be improved. After the last patch it doesn't seem any worse than previous games, apart from the whole cavalry problem. I think the main issues are because of the whole 3D collision detection aspects of combat.

The problem with not making any innovations is that the game never really changes. That may be fine for some people, but you'll start losing your base. They may make a perfectly good game, but if it's just the same as the other 3 games they released before that but with some tweaks and a reskinning, why bother keep buying them?

I expect the game will end around the Civil War era. Anything past that isn't going to work at all unless they radically change the way the game functions. They'll have to go back in time again or fantasy or sci-fi. Sci-fi plz.

Heh, we've had this discussion before. I think it can make the transition to modern combat without too much trouble, but I guess we're not going to agree on that.

Sci fi version would be cool also. If it's in space, the battles would be much more complicated though if they have it with a z-axis.

[Grand Fromage]

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.

They're at least aware the AI needs work. :F

[mxlm]

Yeah, but they were aware of that before they released Rome, and before MII.

Given their track record, I ain't waiting with bated breath. Of course, given their track record I know damn well to not buy their titles until the gold edition is out, so I get to skip the abominable teething pains.

After the last patch it doesn't seem any worse than previous games,

That's not a good thing.

[Vaelahr]

They just need to make sure the AI is not a total brainfart like in Medieval 2 .

Total War Center

I highly recommend the mod. Improved AI is just one of the many things tweaked and built upon.

If anyone's wondered why I haven't been playing NWN lately, Medieval II is why.