Napoleon: Total War

[Astor]

 

Full Story, Trailer and Screenshots.

 

History is as yet unwritten.

 

Napoleon: Total War™ is the new chapter in the critically acclaimed Total War series and opens up a new narrative layer to the genre-defining franchise. From the early Italian campaign to the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon covers two decades of relentless battles, a backdrop of a world in flames against which the story of an extraordinary military career unfolds.

 

Firstly, I apologise for the following.

 

OHMYGODTHISISAWESOMEBEYONDWORDS.

 

Words can't describe how much i'm looking forward to this. I must confess, I had expected any Napoleonic venture to be an expansion to Empire, which would, I think, have neglected the period.

 

I never would have expected an entirely new chapter in the Total War series, so soon after Empire.

 

Whether it will be any good, however, is yet to be seen. I can only hope that this will not be tarnished by the same amateur mistakes that hounded the release of Empire, which is still being patched to a workable state.

 

Updates and New Information as it comes...

[Q]

It was a very good idea to dedicate an entire chapter of the series to the Napoleonic Wars. Looks pretty awesome.

 

Now if they'd only make a chapter dedicated to the American Civil War...

[SW01]

OHMYGODTHISISAWESOMEBEYONDWORDS.

 

This exactly.

 

I can't wait for this to come out either - for all its flaws, I thought Empire a great game. Now that we get to move on to the Napoleonic Wars...well, it's just perfect!

 

I was really surprised at the idea of this being a new game too - perhaps they've been working on improving the Empire base all this time? Should be great regardless.

 

It's good that CA is going to contiue support and patching for Empire. I'm sure there are many people who for whatever reason find the American War of Independence more relevant/interesting than the Napoleonic era...

 

But now a difficult question - what to do first, use Britain to beat Napoleon, or take Napoleon on a conquest of the globe...that's a tough one...

 

Roll on February!

[Astor]

It was a very good idea to dedicate an entire chapter of the series to the Napoleonic Wars. Looks pretty awesome.

 

Oh, definitely. I'm sure I don't need to explain how much of an impact the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars had on Europe and the World in only 20 years.

 

There's just far too much to include in a mere expansion, so it makes sense on Creative Assembly's part to make it a fully-fledged title of its own.

 

Now if they'd only make a chapter dedicated to the American Civil War...

 

It's not an unreasonable idea - I for one would certainly play it, but the problem is selling it to a global market. There's just not much interest in the Civil War over here.

 

But, since Rome, we've seen that the Total War franchise is moving up the historical ladder, so a mid-19th Century Total War might not be as far fetched as it would seem.

 

This exactly.

 

I just knew you'd share the sentiment.

 

I can't wait for this to come out either - for all its flaws, I thought Empire a great game. Now that we get to move on to the Napoleonic Wars...well, it's just perfect!

 

I was really surprised at the idea of this being a new game too - perhaps they've been working on improving the Empire base all this time? Should be great regardless.

 

It's good that CA is going to contiue support and patching for Empire. I'm sure there are many people who for whatever reason find the American War of Independence more relevant/interesting than the Napoleonic era...

 

This annoucement goes some way in explaining why the patching process for Empire has been...erm... rather slow. They've obviously been busy working on this, AND trying to get Empire to an acceptable standard.

 

This is only a guess, but I think that they will be using the same engine and most likely graphics for Napoleon - it would make sense, as most of the groundwork is already done - all it would require is new units, a map overhaul and a functioning diplomacy system, something that Empire still unfortunately lacks.

 

But now a difficult question - what to do first, use Britain to beat Napoleon, or take Napoleon on a conquest of the globe...that's a tough one...

 

Frogs or Lobsters? Difficult decision...

 

*Hums La Victoire est à Nous...*

[The Betrayer]

I love the Total War series, and I hope this will not be an exception.

 

*crosses fingers for WWII:Total War*

[stingerhs]

dude, you just made my day. when ETW came out, i was thinking to myself how awesome a Napoleonic Wars based expansion would be. now, its in the works, so i am officially excited for this one.

 

just two things that i want first:

 

please, please fix the AI issues, and fix the memory issues (i'm tired of my games crashing around 1789 or so).

[Sabretooth]

I still have to play Empire (after I get a g-card), but this sounds well to me. I was expecting a new era though.

[Litofsky]

It looks promising, but, then again, so did Empire. I'm not going to be holding my breath, but I'll be keeping tabs on its progress.

[cire992]

Been playing the series since Medieval, still like Rome and Medieval II the best. Empire bored me to tears, and this doesn't exactly peak my enthusiasm, either.

[Astor]

just two things that i want first:

 

please, please fix the AI issues, and fix the memory issues (i'm tired of my games crashing around 1789 or so).

 

CA are claiming that Napoleon will possess a 'Revolutionary AI', but then again, this is hardly indicative, as most games claim to have that on release.

 

And I agree with you on the memory issue - i've only had the odd crashed savegame, but it is upsetting when you worked so hard to build your Empire only for it to be inaccessible.

 

I still have to play Empire (after I get a g-card), but this sounds well to me. I was expecting a new era though.

 

Well, in many respects, it is a new era, even if it's more of a transitional one. But I also thought that the next title in the series would portray a different time period, far removed from that of Empire.

 

It looks promising, but, then again, so did Empire. I'm not going to be holding my breath, but I'll be keeping tabs on its progress.

 

You're not the only one, Litofksy. I am a little hesitant about this announcement, coming only 5 months after the release of Empire.

 

It's also split quite a lot of (mostly melodramatic) community at large, especially those who feel 'betrayed' (far too strong a word, and quite ridiculous) by CA regarding Empire. CA made some terrible mistakes with Empire, but they've been working pretty hard to remedy the problems (even making it up to fans by giving them free units in one patch).

 

I guess we'll have to wait till February to see whether the caution is well-founded, and if this move really is 'blatant profiteering', as I saw one disgruntled fan put it.

 

I'm hoping it will be a success, but only time will tell.

 

Been playing the series since Medieval, still like Rome and Medieval II the best. Empire bored me to tears, and this doesn't exactly peak my enthusiasm, either.

 

It's certainly true that the 18th Century and Napoleonic Era don't have the same mass appeal as the Roman Empire or Medieval Europe, but it's nonetheless a welcome addition to the Total War series.

[SW01]

It's certainly true that the 18th Century and Napoleonic Era don't have the same mass appeal as the Roman Empire or Medieval Europe, but it's nonetheless a welcome addition to the Total War series.

 

Strangely (or perhaps not), I felt a little let-down when Empire was (firstly) not set in the Napoleonic era, and (secondly) that no transition occurred in-game to bring us into that era. Actually, the lack of any historical changes at all over the hundred plus year period (I had one game go well into the 1820s before abandoning it) was disappointing generally - even comparitively small things, like the lack of an Act of Union in 1801 were irksome.

 

And what do you think? Will we get Sharpe's Rifles this time? Certainly I'd be pleased to see a unit for Nosey as well as Boney.

[Astor]

Strangely (or perhaps not), I felt a little let-down when Empire was (firstly) not set in the Napoleonic era, and (secondly) that no transition occurred in-game to bring us into that era. Actually, the lack of any historical changes at all over the hundred plus year period (I had one game go well into the 1820s before abandoning it) was disappointing generally - even comparitively small things, like the lack of an Act of Union in 1801 were irksome.

 

A bit more historical variety would have been most welcome - I for one would have liked to see a change in uniforms between 1740-50, when military fashion underwent some radical changes.

 

And what do you think? Will we get Sharpe's Rifles this time? Certainly I'd be pleased to see a unit for Nosey as well as Boney.

 

I'm not too sure about Sharpe himself, but we're almost certainly going to see rifle regiments included, maybe even with the 95th included as a unique unit.

 

Anyway, on to some news.

 

Battle As or Against the Legendary General in Napoleon: Total War™

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (August 19th, 2009) – SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced Napoleon: Total War, the first in an all-new story driven branch of The Creative Assembly’s multi-award winning Total War RTS franchise. Napoleon: Total War will keep the franchise’s genre-leading 3D battles on both land and sea. The turn-based campaign is split into three different story-driven campaigns, telling the story of the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte through his most famous battles.

 

In Napoleon: Total War, aspiring generals have the opportunity to play as the legendary French general Napoleon Bonaparte or as opposing forces. Battling through Napoleon’s three biggest military campaigns, the game will take you through Italy and Egypt, narrating the early years of the fearsome commander, while the third campaign will tell the story of his fateful drive towards Moscow and, ultimately, his showdown with the Duke of Wellington at one of the most famous battles of all – The Battle of Waterloo.

 

“In Napoleon: Total War you get to actually be Napoleon - to face the problems he faced, to win the battles he won, and to build the Empire he built. Or better,” commented Mike Simpson, Creative Director at The Creative Assembly’s and father of the Total War franchise. “However, the game allows you to step in the shoes of his opposing generals as well, allowing the player to rewrite history as they see fit.”

 

Napoleon: Total War expands on the successful Total War series by taking all the features from previous games such as the full 3D land and naval battles, the detailed campaign map, and an in depth diplomacy system and expanding it even further.

 

Napoleon: Total War hits shelves in first quarter 2010.

Source.

[Astor]

Double post, I know, but IGN has a very interesting article regarding Napoleon, and I feel it's better suited to a new post as opposed to hacking the information in it onto the last one.

 

"The way that Total War development works is we do a kind of evolution-revolution cycle. We create revolutionary technology for one title - in this case Empire, which had a brand new engine written from the ground up - and all new AI. Then, for the next game, we take that technology and evolve it - in this case with Napoleon. We've taken everything we've achieved with Empire and Empire's engine and just pushed it to the limit. Napoleon is essentially the culmination of what we wanted to do with Empire, given the time to take it further."

 

Like previous instalments, Napoleon will be a mix of turn-based and real-time strategy, with gamers first of all taking time to plan their strategy down to the tiniest detail before switching to the midst of the battlefield, commanding troops in real-time as they fight on your orders. Infantry, cavalry and ships will all be unique to the instalment and altogether there will be a total of 322 new units to command. On the subject of hard stats, up to a maximum of 10,000 men will appear on screen at one time, depending on the settings and PC specs, although this time round Creative Assembly will be adding more variety in the way the men look, with the aim being to eliminate the 'clone army' problem. Indeed, the game will mix and match different body parts to make soldiers look individual and unique, with 64 different faces on offer even on the very lowest settings.

 

The hugely popular naval battles will return again in Napoleon, although some may question their inclusion. "Although Napoleon is not famous for his naval engagements or his naval superiority, that's not to say that the player cannot reverse that and play it their own way," explains Brigden. It's possible if you are a good tactician to beat the British on the high seas, and Napoleon famously said, 'Give me control of the channel for six hours and I will have Britain in less than a week!', but of course the British Navy never let him do it."

 

The first will be the Italian Campaign, set between 1796 and 1797. Here we join Napoleon as he is given command of the French army in Italy.

 

The second campaign will be the Middle Eastern campaign, set during the three years between 1798 and 1801, with players assuming control of Napoleon as he sails to Alexandria to attempt to take the countries of the Middle East and bring back their treasures for France.

 

The final campaign is the Grand Campaign, taking place between 1805 and 1812, which will show Napoleon's ultimate realisation of his ambition in Europe.

 

"Because it's building on the technology that we've already established with Empire, it won't take so long. February's what we're aiming for at the moment and we're making good guns. Obviously, with these things nothing's written in stone and it'll be down to quality, essentially.

 

I feel that last line may have been ill-chosen by Mr. Bridgen.

 

The full article, which is packed with even more information can be found here.

[SW01]

there will be a total of 322 new units to command...up to a maximum of 10,000 men will appear on screen at one time...64 different faces

 

Will be extremely impressive indeed - if they manage to actually do it. Hopefully, the 322 means we'll have more uniqueness within armies. Having 5000 a side would look incredible!

 

naval battles will return again in Napoleon

 

I should very much hope so. Adding such impressive new features then taking them away is an unforgivable developer sin!

 

The final campaign is the Grand Campaign, taking place between 1805 and 1812, which will show Napoleon's ultimate realisation of his ambition in Europe.

 

Hmmm...sounds short. Unless it is set up with many turns per year. That is one of the (many) problems I had with the Alexander expansion. Ah well, I'm sure we can trust to a helpful modder to open up a much larger Grand Campaign!

 

Thanks for putting up those parts of the article Astor - very interesting.

[Astor]

Will be extremely impressive indeed - if they manage to actually do it. Hopefully, the 322 means we'll have more uniqueness within armies. Having 5000 a side would look incredible!

 

That it would. It still won't be able capture the grand scale of Napoleonic Warfare - after all, more than 150,000 troops fought at battles such as Austerlitz, Vitoria, Jena-Auerstedt and Borodino (which saw nearly 300,000 men take to the field).

 

Even if it can't recreate the scale, it can certainly recreate the pomp and pageantry that is so often associated with armies of the time (particularly those dashing Hussars, festooned in gold braid and furs).

 

I should very much hope so. Adding such impressive new features then taking them away is an unforgivable developer sin!

 

And especially when two of the greatest battles of the Age of Sail (The Glorious First of June, and of course, Trafalgar) took place during this period!

 

Hmmm...sounds short. Unless it is set up with many turns per year. That is one of the (many) problems I had with the Alexander expansion. Ah well, I'm sure we can trust to a helpful modder to open up a much larger Grand Campaign!

 

I would expect that each turn would likely represent a month, but even then, that would only be 84 turns of play, which is still alarmingly short. I would agree with you on trusting modders, but having seen the vitriol pouring out from some community sites, it might be a while before anyone does think about modding it.

 

Thanks for putting up those parts of the article Astor - very interesting.

 

As always, you're welcome.

[jawathehutt]

I haven't bought a total war since Shogun but this may be the one that will convince me to.

[Sabretooth]

I haven't bought a total war since Shogun but this may be the one that will convince me to.

 

You mean you've missed out on every great Total War game ever made?

[SW01]

That it would. It still won't be able capture the grand scale of Napoleonic Warfare - after all, more than 150,000 troops fought at battles such as Austerlitz, Vitoria, Jena-Auerstedt and Borodino (which saw nearly 300,000 men take to the field).

 

*Imagines 300,000 on screen at once - sees social schedule evaporate*

 

Perhaps in Empire II: Total War?

 

And especially when two of the greatest battles of the Age of Sail (The Glorious First of June, and of course, Trafalgar) took place during this period!

 

Chance to finally have a Battle of Trafalgar set-battle, maybe...

 

I'll be intrigued to see if CA adds any more depth to naval battle - it's great fun as it is, but can sometimes get a bit samey - though that may be to do with lacklustre enemy naval AI.

[Ctrl Alt Del]

It's certainly true that the 18th Century and Napoleonic Era don't have the same mass appeal as the Roman Empire or Medieval Europe, but it's nonetheless a welcome addition to the Total War series.

It's not only that. While what you just said is perfectly true in general, much regarding the game mechanics was a huge letdown. I thought it was only me initially, due to the hype, but once I accessed their forums one week past the release and people were almost rioting there, I could see more clearly how they screwed it badly.

 

Still, reminds me of the Alexander expansion pack back in RTW. I might consider getting it, if they do solve the crashing issues, that is.

[purifier]

I haven't bought a total war since Shogun but this may be the one that will convince me to.

 

 

Surely you bought Medieval: Total War or maybe even the Expansion Pack: Viking Invasion too add to it.

 

If you didn't, oh man....you don't know what your missing, it's even better than Shogun. Well I take that back, Medieval II is even better, as for the rest, meh...there okay.

[stingerhs]

I haven't bought a total war since Shogun but this may be the one that will convince me to.

seriously, go buy Rome: Total War. like right freakin' now. you won't be disappointed.

[Astor]

I haven't bought a total war since Shogun but this may be the one that will convince me to.

 

I can only refer you to stinger's comment -

 

seriously, go buy Rome: Total War. like right freakin' now. you won't be disappointed.

 

It's well worth a look, it offers a lot for its price - I bought it when it came out, and have gotten more than my money's worth out of it.

 

Perhaps in Empire II: Total War?

 

We should be so lucky!

 

Chance to finally have a Battle of Trafalgar set-battle, maybe...

 

I'll be intrigued to see if CA adds any more depth to naval battle - it's great fun as it is, but can sometimes get a bit samey - though that may be to do with lacklustre enemy naval AI.

 

Quite possibly - I would like to see coastlines - the hazards of running aground would add a whole new element to naval combat.

 

It's not only that. While what you just said is perfectly true in general, much regarding the game mechanics was a huge letdown. I thought it was only me initially, due to the hype, but once I accessed their forums one week past the release and people were almost rioting there, I could see more clearly how they screwed it badly.

 

Their anger was justified in many ways, but overblown in many cases, and CA have held their hands up and admitted mistakes were made. It doesn't excuse the fact that it was (and to many, still is) a shambles, but they're working on it - but that's too little, too late for some people i've spoken with.

 

Still, reminds me of the Alexander expansion pack back in RTW. I might consider getting it, if they do solve the crashing issues, that is.

 

Apparently, they've been working on this for a while - before Empire was even released, so i'd hope that they'll have enough time iron out the problems with this, and perhaps make Napoleon the game that Empire should have been.

[LordOfTheFish]

Oh yes. This game looks great. I still need to purchase and play Empire, when I remember to that is.

[Astor]

Two articles to look at today, and we'll start with Gamespot's impressions, which contains an interesting revelation.

 

The game will also offer a technical leap over the last entry in the series, Empire: Total War. Improvements to unit rendering mean that you can actually see the faces of your men, while particle effects such as smoke and clouds are also vastly improved. Best of all, owners of Empire will be able to upgrade their existing game with the new Napoleon engine, giving Empire a new visual lease on life.

 

there will be complete seasonal changes as you play. This in turn will affect the weather, and the rain will affect weapons that use gunpowder, for example.

Gamespot Article.

 

Already, it is apparent that Napoleon's engine is markedly different to Empire's, and weather effects sound like a brilliant addition.

 

One old environment factor which has been re-embraced is Rome and Medieval's concept of pillage. Occupying a territory means you can gain gradual bonuses from its resources, but a quick and dirty plunder will net you much more far more quickly. Of course, attempting to govern a people whose fields and towns have been looted by your troops presents its own problems.

 

Units are no longer the same across factions, either; Prussian infantrymen will be differently skilled than their British counterparts, meaning that generals must learn the particular foibles of each to ensure maximum tactical efficiency. For example, men of the Russian line may not be as well-drilled as the Prussians, resulting in slightly higher reload times, but their morale and close-combat skills are better instead, meaning they're more likely to withstand the deadly cavalry charges of the era.

 

Eurogamer Article

 

Also, I have it on good authority that each turn shall represent 2 weeks of game time - making for around 182 turns in the Grand Campaign - not too far off the 200 turns it takes to play the 18th Century in Empire.

[Sabretooth]

I really hope they care of that unit-sprite thing. Then I'd definitely get both Empire and this, the engine advancements sound great. Different-faced units is something I've been dying to see in strategy games for years.