Taishi is a combatfag game.
Was NA ever another thing? Honest question.
I mean, I never played older entries in the series but Sphere of Influence is woefully simplistic behind it's facade of "historic simulation series" (which is frankly just a Sims-like layer that never added much to the strategy aspect IMO).
At least Taishi feels more honest as it takes the smoke & mirrors out and tells the player upfront it's a map-painting game.
Koei’s game are not hardcore strategy game or trying to be strategic much.
The game is mostly a historical hero, character and events showcase.
It never shy away from admiting it is a map painting game.
In fact ROTK 14 's dev talk about they want to make a casual map painting game.
That doesn't mean all those system are just smoke and mirrors.
Because those system are mostly for larping/immersion purpose.
Koei’s games seldom call their game strategy, they usually call them historical sim.
And that genre definition is probably originated from simulation games in 80s.
Simulation genre in Japan are not necessary hardcore game.
And Koei’s very rarely trying to market themselves as hardcore company,
It is often marketed as easy to access, casual game.
The more hardcore computer Japanese sengoku game in Japan are てんかとういつ series.
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/天下統一シリーズ
Unlike NA, this series is more focus on feudalism aspect of Japan.
Diplomacy and such.
However the series and company became very casual post 2000s
because there is not much market for those games in Japan.
The reason why taishi is a combatfag game.
Usually in both NA and ROTK series, every 2-3 iteration Koei will change the game mechanics.
Similar to final fantasy series where 9 is not a sequel to 8, and 10 is not a sequel to 9.
However, due to KOEI’s game usually have a theme focus, so
There are usually two gameplay elements in NA and ROTK.
1 Economy focus, by economy heavy I mean grinding and farming. Not some simcity madness.
NA: raise to power and Reppuden are both examples of ecnomy heavy.
2 Combat focus, such as Tenshouki. By combat focus it doesn't mean it is combat mission or other tactical game.
Koei never try to make any "deep" game , at least ROTK and NA series aren't doing that.
The reason Tenshouki is combat focus not because it has a very detailed or complex combat system,
In fact Reppuden probably have more stuff to do in combat.
But Tenshouki is very fast pace with character raising system.
So it tends to attract people who focus on combat.
Where Reppuden’s combat is not bad but it is too slow pace so it tend to attract people who just want to grind and farm.
Most of NA are mixed bags of two. So both type of players can found something to do.
NA and ROTK tend to borrow gameplay system from each other.
Iron Triangle is an updated version of ROTK 9.
Both combat fag and grinding fag can find something to do in iron triangle.
But not taishi, grinding fag can’t do much in taishi.
That is why it is often treated as a combat focus game.
As for none combatfag and non grindingfag NA.
Soutensoku is one.
It is one of the more underrated NA.
Heavily focused on diplomacy and ninjia scheme.
Character management is one major selling point of Koei’s game.
Because they have over 1000 historical characters with records.
The tedious character assignment can be viewed as assigning historical regiment in WW2 games.
You know, those regiment with long number and order of battle.
It is something appeal to historical fans.
The problem of taishi is, it has the most characters in the series.
Yet, player don’t get to use most of them other than building stuff in province.
And all of your farming character all sit in one castle and teleport to other side of Japan to build stuff.
It is for immersion purpose, when you write AAR or trying to be immersed into the game.
That is not as immersive as game where character has more connection to the province or land.
SOI’s character assignment system is a bit tedious.
Soutensoku is a bit better in that regard.
