Until the end of the last century, a small British company Creative Assembly Created for a giant Electronic Arts Rugby simulators, cricket and such little -known sport in Russia as Australian football. The situation changed at the beginning of 1999, when Creative Assembly decided to tie up with sports games and switch to strategies, and then moved under the wing Sega. So born Total War – The most spectacular strategic series of all time.
Recently Creative Assembly and the Japanese publishing house announced their cooperation with the company Wargaming. Together they will deal with the development of Total War, and recently formed Wargaming Alliance will release a conditionally deposit strategy Total War: Arena.
The future of the famous strategic series has become a little clear. Therefore, we decided to remember her past.
The era of spinal samurai
In June 2000, the first part of the franchise was released – Shogun: Total War. As a setting, the developers chose the feudal Japan of the Civil Wars of Sengoku-Jiday ("The era of the warring kingdoms"). At that time, Japan was divided into provinces, at the head of which were local feudal lords (daimyo). They were treacherously seized neighboring territories, arranged coups and conspiracies.
► This is how the first battles in the series looked.
Shogun: Total War begins in the midst of the Civil War, in 1530. The player was offered to choose seven samurai clans with their unique units and features. Like Nobunaga's clothes, the player must stop internecine wars in a hundred years (1530-1630), unite the country and become a full -fledged military leader – shogun.
How? It is only necessary to capture neighboring lands, keep friendly provinces and hire more killers and spies. In an ideal situation, exhausting battles can be avoided by sending a ninja or a charming geisha to the enemy, who, with sufficient share of success, will eliminate the enemy general and even daimyo!
► In case of failure, we will be shown a funny CG clip.
After that, the capture of the province will become an easy task: the enemy’s troops will be demoralized due to the lack of an experienced and famous commander.
Battles, but most of the time the player will have to deal with the global card. The settlements themselves will not build, no one will sow the rice fields without your impulses, and the loyalty of the peasants will not become high only thanks to selfless feats on the battlefield. Bad crops and high taxes will quickly lower the loyalty of the population, causing riots that need to be stopped, forgetting about everything else.
► the global card was simple, but everything was at hand.
Another integral part of the Total War series became historical events tied to certain dates. For example, in 1545, cunning and entrepreneurial Portuguese will come to visit a player. Having made friends with them, you will receive firearms and other advantages, like developed trade over the years. But not everything is so smooth, because there are priests on Portuguese ships who will certainly begin to impose Christianity in the country, thereby causing the anger of Buddhists. Mass excitement on the basis of religion can also lead to riots, so the player was to carefully monitor the situation and suppress riots on religious grounds in the bud.
► Correct construction of troops is the first step towards victory.
Lovers of large -scale battles could always find what to entertain themselves: the game had a rich section of historical battles. In addition, it was possible to show the world their leadership skills in multi -user battles.
Shogun: Total War has become a magnificent and significant strategy, especially for the team that I haven't worked on strategies before. The game received laudable reviews from players and high ratings from critics, and the addition did not force itself to wait long. The Mongol Invasion It turned out a year later and asked the players an interesting question: “What if if only?..»What if the Mongols nevertheless reached Japan and won it in 1274?
The fact is that Khan Khubilai intended to visit Japan several times, but his attempts ended with grandious Fiasco. Having sent part of the troops in 1274, Khubilai was sure that he would capture Japan. But the troops of the khan were prevented by the strongest storm, which destroyed more than half of the flotilla, and with it destroyed the Khan’s plans to seize the country of the rising sun. In Japan, the saving storm was called "Kamikadze" (Divine Wind).
► If not for the storm, the Mongols could achieve such.
The new campaign was almost an order of magnitude more complicated than the main game. Two sides were given to the player – the Horde of Khan and the Khojo clan. Events in the addition are developing in the 13th century, no monks-warriors, detachments with arquebuses (gunpowder will appear in Japan after three hundred years) and many other units are simply not here, so I had to adapt to new conditions from scratch.
Middle Ages
In 2002, from the rice fields of Japan, we transferred to medieval Europe. Medieval: Total War I offered the player at once three time periods of the Middle Ages: early (1087), average (1205) and high (1321 years). From the Crusades and persecution of the Gentiles to the bloody table of war!
► In terms of graphics, everything remains at the same level.
The mechanics almost did not change, but the size of the map and the number of available nations increased: the Byzantine empire, Egypt, the Holy Roman Empire, England and, of course, Rus'! Six months later, a large -scale addition came out Viking Invasion , adding a campaign that entirely covers the period of Norman expansion (793-1066) to Britain.
In addition to the British fractions, pickets, Irish and, of course, Vikings were added. For the latter, we raided England until we finally captured the islands, like Wilhelm Conqueror. To the disadvantages Medieval: Total War You can read only an outdated graphics. In 2004, two -dimensional springs of units already looked unconvincing: their low permission was affected, and fierce battles sometimes turned into incomprehensible porridge.
Fortunately, soon Creative Assembly took up the development of a new engine and the next part of Total War.
Separate and rule
In 2004 appeared Rome: Total War. Ancient times, great Rome, the era of Caesar and Cleopatra! The developers completely dismantled the gameplay, improved each of its details and collected back. New engine, three -dimensional map and unit, as well as full support of modern (at that time) technology. Diplomacy became more inventive: I had to sit behind the map much longer. However, it was interesting, so it is a sin to complain.
The battles became truly large: on the same map sometimes converged to several thousand units. Exotic combat units like elephants, burning pigs (against elephants), druids and packs of well -trained dogs appeared.
► If you forgot to grow pigs, you will have to observe a similar picture in battles with elephants.
But most of all Rome was impressive by a scope. Six sides with more than twenty fractions to choose from! The purpose of the game for one of the Roman factions is to capture at least fifty provinces and become the supreme ruler of Rome. You can once again go through the campaign after another Roman house, but why? Why don't the next time play for the Gallic tribes and without any asterics with the obeliks to overthrow the Roman empire? No less interesting is the campaign for the Egyptians, in which you gradually captured all of North Africa and the nearest eastern countries.
► Do you want not to want, but in the civil war against Roman houses you still have to enter.
ROME required a lot from the computer: a powerful processor for leaving a huge number of units, not the cheapest video card and a decent amount of memory. The disadvantages of the game can also be classified by the weak entrance missions for any of the Roman factions, especially for the Juliev’s house. For the first ten hours, players spent rare skirmishes with galls and rebels and the initial steps to rebuild their own empire. Compared to past parts of the series, Rome swayed for a long time.
Until 2006, Creative Assembly actively supported the game with patches and addons. Addition Barbarian Invasion developed a barbaric theme and added night battles. Addon Alexander It seemed interesting, but received restrained reviews from both critics and from fans of the series. The deficiencies classified the secondary and linear campaign, which tells about the conquests of Alexander the Macedonian. Criticized the restriction of time (only a hundred moves) and the cloned units of the eastern fractions.
► at least all units and one face, but where else can you see such an extensive set of barbaric tribes?
In 2006, on an advanced engine, Rome came out Medieval 2: Total War – The first license plate in the series. The situation with Medieval 2 is almost similar to the one that has developed with the first part in 2002. There were no serious changes in the gameplay plan, but in all the rest it was a great game.
► And the hand is now increasingly striving for the "Screenshot" button.
The armor of the knights was now covered with the blood of defeated enemies and dirt from long walks. The management of the territories and the economy remained at the same level, but, in comparison with Rome, the authors paid serious attention to religious affairs. If the player has chosen a Catholic state, then he should obey the church in everything, otherwise the troubles do not pass. Did not make peace with the neighboring state, did not go on a crusade and refused to build churches? Get the holy inquisition on the threshold, excommunication and the stigma of the contemptuous heretic! The ubiquitous hunting for witches has not gone anywhere.
► or Teutonic Order will come to visit you.
The time period begins with the early Middle Ages and ends with the era of the Renaissance and the discovery of the New World. Each fraction was finalized and created by a mass of units that differ from each other, including externally. In this regard, the campaign for Rus' with the capital in Novgorod is especially pleasing. The developers paid worthy attention to the elaboration of units, but it was not without frank blunders. They mixed up Kazakhs with the Cossacks, and the random names generator sometimes gave out shocking options: traits of Kozlov, a goat from Bobruisk, a fur coat and even a freak. Trouble!
► this is the norm!
In 2007, an addon appeared Kingdoms. A large -scale addition added four very extensive campaigns to the game at once, including the conquest of America with the Spaniards and early Crusades. The highlight of the additions became new fractions like the Aztec empire, Maya and even the tribes of the North American Indians.
On land and at sea
For three years, the developers have worked on a new engine, Warscape , and the next part of the series. In 2009 appeared Empire: Total War. Now Creative Assembly decided to cover at once the entire 17th century – the century of ongoing wars, colonization of new lands and arms race. From the reforms of Peter I and the foundations of St. Petersburg to the war for the independence of the United States and the beginning of the Great French Revolution. Expanses from now on were not limited to Europe and a small piece of Asia alone. The borders of the Asian countries extended until China, and from Europe you can safely sail towards the Caribbean and North America.
Perhaps the main innovation for the series was epic battles. Ship guns rumbled, decks and masts scattered into the chips, boarding sabers rang, bringing the inevitable victory closer. Previously, the battles at sea Gamblii Casino took place automatically and in the most unpredictable way. This was especially seriously affected by Rome: Total War – often had to plow the open spaces of the Mediterranean Sea and fight off the player's flotilla from arrogant attacks.
► And I immediately recall Aivazovsky.
Unfortunately, the game itself turned out to be controversial in places. First of all, the number of factions available to the player was reduced. There were eleven of them. At the same time, the developers were not guided by the gold rule “better quality than quantity” and gave all the factions the same line of units, which differs only in color and several additional troops unique to each nation. This was permissible in the time of the first Shogun, but in 2009 it looked strange. At the start, the game struck the abundance of bugs, some of which were later adjusted in patches. Nevertheless, the intelligence of the enemy troops is still sometimes throwing out funny fortels. For example, gets stuck in the walls or refuses to help you in the battle (if we are talking about reinforcements).
The Kutsy territory of North America later managed to expand and finish using the loaded addition The Warpath Campaign. The list of nations was replenished with five Indian tribes, and the main campaign spoke about the battles of the Indians with the colonialists.
► for independence!
In 2010, the shelves appeared Napoleon: Total War – independent game, not another addition, as some players initially decided. Events covered the period of Napoleonic wars (1796-1812). With great fear, the fans waited for the story with the unfortunate addition of Alexander for Rome: Total War. The fears were not in vain: the campaign turned out to be linear, albeit not driven into such a strict framework as in Alexander.
► There are no roads in Russia, only directions.
The number of factions has declined, now it was possible to play for France, Austria, the Russian Empire, the British Empire and the kingdom of Prussia. In general, despite the serious restrictions and strong affection of Napoleon: Total War to the historical canvas, the game turned out to be a great work on Empire's mistakes. In addition to the obvious update of the graphic engine, enemy intelligence, sea battles, diplomatic and economic components were subjected to change and improvement. Finally, climatic features began to influence your detachments, especially a strong cold.
For the first time in the series, a through plot appeared, competently laid in all important military campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte. For Napoleon: Total War, perhaps the most interesting amateur modification came out – The Great War. She transferred players to the battlefields of the First World War.
Two double
The last two parts of the series dipped us in epic battles in many corners of the globe. The smell of gunpowder and sea battles have already become commonplace in Total War, so it was necessary to move forward. That's just where? On the one hand, two well -studied world wars loomed ahead, and a separate game about the Civil War in the United States clearly suggested. On the other hand, the same World War II has already stolen in the shooters, besides, the fans for years asked to return the series to the origins.
And the developers listened to fans! For many Total War, it has always been a series where a sword was considered the main weapon, not a musket or machine gun.
► Shogun 2 still amazes the quality of the graphics.
In 2011 I saw the magnificent light Shogun 2: Total War – Perhaps the best part of the Total War series over the past six years. The authors did not invent the bicycle and simply improved everything for which we loved the original. Again, we plunged into the world of the "era of the warring kingdoms", and the number of clans increased from seven to twelve.
► Funny scenes with unsuccessful killings remained in place.
The improved version of the Warscape engine painted breathtakingly epic battles. Experienced players noticed both improved intelligence and the worked out diplomacy (now the fraction pressed against the wall will rather give up than will fight to the last), and modified sea battles.
► I constantly want to fly over the battlefield, carefully watching individual fights.
In addition, Shogun 2: Total War became the first part of the series where units lose limbs and funded by blood during the battles. But you need to pay for cruelty, because the horrors of war turned into a paid addition. From other addons, it is worth noting the campaign Rise of the Samurai, telling about the heyday of samurai four hundred years before internecine wars.
However, the main interest for any fan of the series is a large -scale and dependent on the main game of the addon Fall of the Samurai , in 2012. The addition covers the Bakumatsu period (“end of the shogunate”) and the Civil War of Bosin.
The Civil War began after the American commander Perry sailed to the shores of Japan in July 1853 and demanded to stop the centuries -old isolation of the country and begin joint trade relations. In 1854, the parties entered into an appropriate agreement. For ten years, hatred of foreigners and obvious changes has been accumulating in the country, and in 1868 in Japan the battle began between the Sogunat's Incracial Forces and supporters.
The Total War series never came so close to the 20th century: automatic firearms, railways and even steamboats appeared in the frame.
► in addon they are allowed to shoot from a gatling machine gun.
But fans have been waiting for the continuation of Rome since Empire, filling the Creative Assembly mailboxes with requests and organizing petitions. And in 2013 the long -awaited Total War: Rome 2 , but met the game cool. Rome 2 has become, if not the most failure, then the most controversial for sure.
► In the main game, it will not be possible to arrange a bloody battle and shout loudly: “This is Sparta!»Please buy two additions.
The disgusting intelligence of the opponents, a meager number of accessible fractions (additional ones had to be purchased separately) and poor optimization even on powerful computers were recorded. Compared to Shogun 2, the new game became a step backward.
Fortunately, now Rome 2 is completely different. It was completed for several years: the seventeen large patches were released, who corrected most of the flaws. However, the first impression will no longer allow the game to become cult as the first part.
The head of Wargaming Alliance about Total War: Arena
Upon learning that the Wargaming division will take the publication of a new game in the cult series, we contacted the head of Wargaming Alliance Vladimir Makarychev and asked a couple of questions about the fate of Total War: Arena.
-For some time Total War: Arena has already carried out in the testing stage. What awaits us after starting?
Vladimir Makarychev: You will find many changes both in content and in functionality. Having received support for Wargaming, Creative Assembly was able to move the release and focused on the finalization of the game. I must admit that at some point we even had to limit a little the desires of the developers, since we cannot postpone the launch of the game for a year or two. Therefore, yes, many changes await you. The game that will be released in open beta testing, and what you saw before are two different Total War: Arena.
– What role does your company have in development Total __War : Arena ? And what are the sega and Creative Assembly?
Vladimir Makarychev: The role of Wargaming-to share our knowledge and experience gained over the years of work on conditionally paid games. Professionals from Creative Assembly are responsible for the gameplay, who have been creating such games for fifteen years. We give advice on monetization and economics, help to develop an e -sports element, together with developers we come up with regional features, without which the game is simply not launched in some regions.
In addition, our regional offices, together with the global publishing team, will provide Total War: Arena with professional marketing and community support in any region of the world. And the game from the moment of its launch will gain access to the more than the Stomillion global community of players Wargaming.
The role of Sega and Creative Assembly, as I have noted earlier, is the creation of one of the best conventionally pay strategies in the world. Also, the publisher and developers will participate in the promotion of the project.
A new round of development
While one part of the studio brought Rome 2 to mind, the second was developing atmospheric action Alien: ISOLATION. It seemed that the Total War series has come to a standstill, but in September 2014 they announced Total War: Attila. The game has become a kind of work on Rome 2 mistakes and the spiritual heir to Addon Barbarian Invasion. The catch was that Attila was positioned as an independent game, although there was very little content in it. All this caused the discontent of fans, but in the end the game was nevertheless met well: at the moment Total War: Attila-the last historical game of the series.
► The Saxons and the ancestors of the Vikings are of particular interest: Geta, Uta and Danes.
In May of this year, she appeared on the shelves Total War: Warhammer, based on the popular universe Warhammer Fantasy. Small figures from a popular board game migrated to the virtual world. The developers managed to understand the new setting for themselves, preserving the main features of the Total War series.
► Total War: Warhammer was the first game in the series where flying units appeared.
An experienced fan of the series will feel at home: before us is the good old Total War, only with yard, vampires and green -skinned. They still continue to work on the game, and soon an addition to the forest elves faction will be released.
* * *
Now on the agenda – Total War: Arena. Team multiplayer conditionally pay strategy. The developers chose the Rome era as a setting, but they do not deny that over time, other time periods and fractions will appear over time. Who knows, maybe in a few years we will be able to arrange epic battles in Rus' and the Horde?
All hope for a trio Creative Assembly, Sega And Wargaming.