Plus XP

I’ve been a fan of Creative Assembly’s Total war series since the first instalment Shogun graced computer screen at the turn of the century. The graphics were pretty (for the time), the score was ambient, the little assassination cut scenes gave it real character, the A.I was able and the strategy was near perfect. It created a new brand of strategy game, combining both turned based and real time into a beautiful unity. However it wasn’t until Rome Total war arrived on the scene in 2005 that the Creative assembly really grabbed the wider gaming nation’s attention. A fully 3D map with dozens of beautifully modelled 3D units made battles on a large scale such a joy to behold. Now we are entering the next phase of CA’s series development into 18^th centaury warfare, a great departing from their previous work. How well do they pull it off? Well…the results are mixed…

The Bad

The initial version of the game had more than its fair share of bug, even after pushing the release date back by a few months for tinkering time. While these bugs didn’t make the game unplayable it did add a lot of frustration for players (cannons refusing to fire or failing to deploy properly, units stuck in tree’s etc). This is such a pity because CA has usually been so good with realising a very competent game with only the occasional minor bugs that only detracted slightly instead of being a real annoyance.

Also the balancing of the sides especially when the difficulty level is changed is enormous. Factions like the Netherlands, Russia and the Ottomans become infuriatingly tough to play as their neighbours turn on them at the drop of a hat and their early economies rely either on poorly funded and producing towns and farms that failed to contribute as much as the more developed nations in Europe and in India.

Another problem is the sheer number of factions involved not including the main playable ones. This means when you finish your turns you’re waiting a good two and a half minutes minimum and sometimes even longer before you have control again, even with following all units off! I play a game of how much stuff I can get done before it’s my go again which isn’t something that endears the game to you if you’re so bored you seek out other means to keep you occupied.

The Different

Diplomacy is also another difficult area for the game. It’s nice that you no longer have to rely on diplomats running all over the map to make a deal. You only need concern yourself with either the Rake (a spy, saboteur and assassin) or Thugee and the gentleman (a researcher and duellist with either other gents or the wicked Rake) or eastern teachers (their non-violent counterparts). But core problems still remain. The A.I can be incredibly unpredictable, declaring war despite having a trade agreement and their government being friendly towards you.

Not only that, but on normal and higher difficulties making a deal is harder than haggling with Apu on a bad day! They literally expect you to empty double your coffers for a trade deal or Alliance (which they may never honour) and expect you to part with your best money making province for a handful of peanuts and some as yet un-researched technology.

Now the navel battles, the first time CA have enters this arena. Again the result is mixed. On the one hand the sea and ships are beautifully realised (though a large sea battle will slow all but the best rigs down). It’s incredibly detailed: every movement of the crew, the cannon shot, the explosion as a lucky shot hits the powder magazine and the entire ship is engulfed in flames and the way they list and sink beneath the waves after one too many broad sides. Unfortunately, this also initially suffered from way too many bugs, including crew suicide on attempting to board a vessel and clipping issues with waves and other ships detracting from the immersion.

Even after the fixes were made, there were still aspects of navel combat that made it fall short of being a potential show stopper. The fact that other nations were somehow able to field more and better ships than you was a common problem. There was also the lack to tactical depth, if you had the bigger and better ships or just enough to make your firepower count, you could win by simple strategy. While it’s fair to say that due to the manner of the combat we can’t expect it to be as complex as it is on land and so is limited in its appeal; I still believe that more balancing could have been done to make it more engaging.

Finally, the new technology system and agent spawning.  In previous games you enhanced your army by upgrading your various barracks, shipyards and armouries to get an edge over your enemy.  Now this is replaced with universities and new technologies. You evolve new ways of dealing with cavalry charges by researching square or new farming methods by crop rotation. So planning on building a lot of professors to get in there first? Not going to happen, the geniuses that come up with these ideas can’t just be plucked from obscurity, they appear as and when they’re recognised. The better the buildings, the more likely they will spawn and the more able they will be. Again, this is a nice idea and works fairly well if a bit unevenly. Almost everyone is one step ahead with more agents and techs than you putting the pressure on and pissing you off. And why should you need to ‘research’ the idea of forming a square? Shouldn’t you just be able to make your men do that?

The Good

First and foremost in my mind is a small feature that makes the real time battles better for its implementation, the slow down button. Reducing the action to roughly a third of its actual speed allows you time not only to admire your armada and army in their beautiful detail, but to set orders and react to enemy manoeuvres without needing to pause the action to do so.

The land battles have always been the staple of the Total War’s series strength, especially after Rome. Empire is no exception. You must acclimatise to the new style of warfare and do so quickly. Luckily the historical campaign, ‘America’s road to independence’, is a good option, not only into bringing new players to the series but showing the old guard the new way that combat works. That said, the battle for Bunker Hill was fairly hardcore and as about as accurate as ‘The Patriot’ in what really happened and how, but hey in the grand scheme of things it’s forgivable.

Hand to hand combat has never been more messy or costly than it has here. Getting in close should only be done to finish off a weakened or wavering unit; else you’re in for a long and bloody struggle. The tension as your men line up and prepare to fire volley after an approaching enemy, hoping to make the most of stopping before they did to get the first  shot in is something that still get me every time I play. Artillery and cavalry have also changed with the revolution of gunpowder. Especially after the first few military technologies researched do you realise how cut throat and quick you have to be to make a shot or cavalry charge work. A single screw up can cost you a good portion of your regiments as they’re decimated by grape shot or a surprise charge in their flank.

Not only that but choosing your battlefield has never been as crucial. A built up area with plenty of buildings for infantry to hide in is going to cause a lot of problems if you’re fighting with a army largely comprised of cavalry or even cannon will take time to get though the cover to your troops. Similarly with woods or hilly areas diminishing your artillery’s ability to hit targets accurately.

Empire has changed the game completely, from new trading avenues and navel combat to the way in which you manage your government, not to mention the new arenas of India and America to do battle in.

While this is a game with its problems and let downs, there is still a rich and immersive work with beautifully rendered battles, a decent soundtrack, a reasonable yet punishing A.I (either punishingly stupid or just brutal) and several small yet delightful details showing some creative flair still burns in the heart of my beloved Creative Assembly. I highly recommended this to any strategy fan.

- That Bloke in the Beanie