Whisky
The Solution
Tags: Creative Assembly; Gamewatcher; Sega; Total War: Attila
Gamewatcher has a preview for Total War: Attila, complete with a video.
Gamewatcher has a preview for Total War: Attila, complete with a video.
As for the field of battle itself, I wouldn’t go so far as to say the AI is a giant leap forwards from the rather predictable opponents offered up by previous Total War titles, (it still prefers the mass forward rush) but there’s definitely been some improvement. Siege battles in particular work well, with the computer army willing to search out weaknesses and gaps in your defences, and apply the correct units to those situations. The ability to set up barricades to block off vulnerable zones gives a welcome extra level of strategy to city fighting, while added graphical bells and whistles such as dynamic fires caused by errant flame arrows and plumes of smoke and dust from shattered fortifications give the chaos impressive cinematic sheen.
On the campaign map dealings with opposing factions are far less head-bangingly frustrating as they were in Rome 2. Diplomacy is far less arbitrary, and although the vultures are quick to circle as soon as you leave yourself in any way vulnerable, you don’t get the level of constant, enthusiastic yet pointless betrayal that blighted the previous game. Alliances can even stick this time around. As the Saxons, I had a healthy trading partnership and military alliance with the neighbouring Jutes, which persisted nicely through forty turns of gameplay. They even helped me out in a couple of nasty scraps. It would be nice if this continues going forwards; previous Total War games have wasted time developing in-depth diplomacy mechanics only to have every single faction stab you in the back at the earliest opportunity.