Shogun 2 Q&A Available

Sega have published a Shogun 2 Q&A with Total War's Lead Designer James Russell.
Key points:

• Shogun 2 is set during the same time period as the original Shogun: Japan’s Sengoku Jidai: the warring states period in the 16th century, before the Tokugawa Shogunate asserted its complete control and ended the anarchy.
• There will be sea battles, less sophisticated than in Empire Total War because of the nature of the period and setting, but will involved integration with land warfare by the sound of it, with land masses visible during sea battles, and presumably usable?
• They will fold in the importance of honour, treachery, clan & family, and many other aspects of being a warlord in feudal Japan. Of course, we need a completely new set of agents and agent abilities too.
• Hero characters will have more influence on battle and castles will be completely different.

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Shogun 2 Total War Announced by Sega but no Game Footage yet

Under the aegis of "Don the Armour of a Warlord in 2011" Sega has announced Shogun 2 Total War. Shogun was the first incarnation of the hugely successful Total War franchise. I loved the original game when it came out - it was just what strategy fans had been crying out for - a strategy level game that also allowed you to fight battles at a tactical level. There have been many imitators since Shogun first came out, but I think no-one has got close to creating anything better in the last ten years.
The launch video is at http://www.totalwar.com/videos?cid=2743&mtype=video, but there's only movie-style footage, no in-game action.
There's also a video showing Japanese calligraphy - http://www.totalwar.com/videos?cid=2749&mtype=video
At the moment there's not much more on the website http://www.totalwar.com/shogun2, but the announcement email tells us that it features:

• The perfection of the series with a new Artificial Intelligence (AI), revolutionary multiplayer modes, brand new campaign map options and epic 3D real-time battles.
• New Generation AI system developed according to Sun Tzu’s principles in the Art of War
• Set during the golden age of Samurai warfare, Shogun 2 brings to life the most turbulent period of Japanese history.

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Napoleon Total War Demo Available

Fight the Battle of Ligny in the Napoleon Total War Demo

This demo features:

• The playable historical scenario of the Battle of Ligny.
• Play with either the French or the Prussian factions in this epic battle!
• The playable War on Land tutorial.
• Two in-game videos detailing the Multiplayer and the Campaign modes.

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106 Gun Ship of the Line - New Sea Unit for Napoleon Total War

New Sea Unit at Napoleon Total War Microsite

106 Gun Ship of the Line

While these warships are among the most powerful vessels afloat, they are lubberly sailors, being both slow and unresponsive. This is not a serious shortcoming because, armed with 106 cannons firing 32-, 24-, and 18-pounder balls on their three decks, they deliver a terrible and destructive broadside. They actually have more artillery than most land armies! Their cost, however, is a drawback and few navies can afford to build or maintain more than a handful of them. Historically, 106-gun ships-of-the-line were never common, and hardly ever sent to overseas stations. They were pure battleships, existing only to fight in set-piece actions, and not for mundane duties such as protecting merchantmen, policing the seas and hunting down privateers. They were commissioned and richly decorated as a physical representation of the glory of the state, but this practice went into decline as warfare became more intense, forcing ships to become more functional.

Artillerie à Pied - New Napoleon Total War Unit

New Unit details at Napoleon Total War Microsite

Artillerie à Pied

This elite unit is precise and deadly, but it does have the disadvantage of being vulnerable to fast moving cavalry and melee attacks. The soldiers who man these guns, although armed with swords, are not trained to defend themselves effectively. The power here lies in the cannons, and placing them at a discreet distance from the fray is always advisable. Formed in 1808, the Artillerie à Pied consisted of six companies of gunners and a company of ouvriers-pontonniers. These ouvriers-pontonniers were responsible for building bridges, allowing the artillery to pass swiftly and safely to their positions. There was some argument amongst the engineers and the artillery over who had command of these men but it was eventually decided that they should be assigned to the artillery. Ouvriers-pontonniers could construct a bridge of sixty to eighty pontoons, some 500 feet or 150 metres long, in just seven hours. They were also known to improvise if supplies were short, creating bridges from any materials that were to hand.

Napoleon Total War Combat Tactics Video

I assume this is an official video - looks really interesting, but I am wondering if this is a Mod rather than the new game?


Napoleonic total war ----> Video II: Combat formation
Uploaded by articho_boulet. - Watch game reviews, trailers, and walkthrough videos.

Battles on Christmas Day

Sadly there were battles in history fought on Christmas Day, 25th December, although few from the period covered by Empire Total War.

The ones I have found after extensive research are:

1553 – Battle of Tucapel: Mapuche rebels under Lautaro defeats the Spanish conquistadors and executes the governor of Chile, Pedro de Valdivia

1776 – George Washington and his army cross the Delaware River to attack the Kingdom of Great Britain's Hessian mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey.

1837 – Battle of Lake Okeechobee: United States forces defeat Seminole Native Americans.

1941 – World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends, beginning the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong.

But of course during the World Wars, except for the famous No Man's Land ceasefire, 1914, fighting was going on over Christmas.