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Total War Saga: Troy - now on Steam

Papa Môlé

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Voodoo Hell
I don't even care what next TW game setting is, just give me an AI that has more than two or three tactics in total and cannot be utterly destroyed by simple flanking every single time.
How to win in a TW game:
1. hide cavalry in forest or behind a hill or something
2. wait for enemy to attack (or do it yourself). Infantry vs infantry, enemy cavalry will charge the spearmen you placed on the flanks because you knew it was coming, etc. The important thing is enemy units are tied up in combat
3. take your hidden cavalry and use it to kill enemy general with it (he always stays back), then proceed to stomp through enemy backlines
4. massacre the routing enemies
Actually that’s how plenty of IRL battles were won. Just saying.

That's the problem with all these strategy games trying to pretend to be historically accurate. There weren't actually that many effective tactics in pre-gunpowder battles. Phalanx warfare in particular was rather mind-numbing from a gameplay standpoint. Even early gunpowder era was basically the same, just with pikemen instead of hoplites and musket shot instead of sling stones.

It would honestly be more interesting to make you a commander of a single unit and try to maintain your unit cohesion and morale with a limited viewpoint and whatnot, instead of always putting you in the position of an omnipotent, bird's eye view commander who can instantly send orders.
 

Fedora Master

Arcane
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Edgy
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In other words: A historical farce with stronk womyn and blacks everywhere. Mark my words.

It almost makes sense from a corporate point of view, the two most successful recent TW games are both straight up fantasy titles.
 
Last edited:
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gerey

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Can't wait to see what the woke auteurs of CA do with Helen, "the face that launched a thousand ships".

:prosper:
 

Hellion

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The official reveal will be made exactly 4 hours and 20 minutes from now, according to a Top Secret™ press release. Trailers, Screenshots, gameplay segments and all.
 
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In this legendary age, heroes walk the earth. Yet it takes only a single impulsive act to spark a conflict that will shake the world. Audacious Paris, prince of Troy, takes beautiful Helen from her palace in Sparta. As they sail away, Helen’s husband, king Menelaus, curses her name. He will bring his errant wife home – whatever the cost!

King Agamemnon, wide-ruling lord of finely-walled Mycenae, hears his brother’s call. He summons Achaean heroes from far and wide, among them swift-footed Achilles and Odysseus of the silver tongue. The Greeks set course for Troy, towards inevitable war and slaughter. For there, on the battlefield before the great city, legends will be born…


TROY is the latest Total War Saga title; inspired by Homer’s Iliad, it focuses on the historical flashpoint of the Trojan War, evolving the series with new period-inspired features.

Through Total War’s unique blend of grand, turn-based empire management and spectacular real-time battles, Troy explores this epic conflict from both the Greek and Trojan perspectives – peeling back the layers of myth and legend to reveal the realities that may have inspired them.

Experience the events surrounding the era-defining Trojan War, brought to life as never before. Realize your legend as one of eight iconic heroes. Dive into a character-led narrative drama and overcome your antagonists. Build your empire through strategy, statecraft, diplomacy and all-out war, as you conquer this vast and striking recreation of the Bronze Age Mediterranean.

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LESS T_T

Arcane
Joined
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Messages
13,582
Codex 2014
Myths through the lens of history: https://www.pcgamer.com/a-total-war-saga-troy-takes-the-series-into-the-age-of-gods-and-monsters/

Minotaur is a big guy wearing a bull's head, the god are beliefs (or rather buffs) then actual.

A Total War Saga: Troy takes the series into the age of gods and monsters

Total War is delving into mythology. For the last couple of historical games, myths and legends have been creeping into the war-torn sandbox, but in A Total War Saga: Troy, Creative Assembly Sofia is taking things one step further, honing in on a conflict where our best source is an epic poem about petty gods and a giant wooden horse. This isn't Warhammer, though, and history hasn't been entirely abandoned.

So there are gods. And mythical heroes. And even a minotaur. The team's drawn on ancient yarns like The Iliad and The Odyssey, but then squinted at them through the lens of history. Maps and archeology have been used to give cities and armies an air of authenticity, and the minotaur is really a big bloke wearing a bull's head and wielding a massive axe. When he's charging at an army, though, the distinction doesn't matter too much.

Just like The Iliad, Paris will kidnap Helen, the Spartan queen, and flee back to Troy, but from there little is etched in stone. Things might play out like The Iliad, and the eight playable factions favour certain paths, but this is still a sandbox. Instead of Greeks uniting, hopping on their boats and besieging Troy, they might just fight among themselves over territory back home. Playing as one of the Trojan factions, you could stop the Greeks before they even reach the formidable city, then take the war west.

The factions will start small and need to use diplomacy, trade and conquest to expand. As Meneleus of Sparta, you won't just be able to gather all of your buddies and sail off to Troy right away. You'll need to wine and dine the other Greek factions and try to form a confederation, or batter them into submission, before heading east with a massive alliance. And you'll be wanting to bring plenty of heroes with you, as well as an elite army, so that means you'll need to spend time building and planning. Troy is a tough nut to crack—it's essentially Total War's version of a boss battle.

This is where the Trojan Horse comes in. Unfortunately, you won't be bundling warriors into the belly of a wooden horse, but there will be events and features inspired by it. Some historians have suggested that the Trojan horse is an allegory for earthquakes, which may have been the real reason the city fell. Poseidon, the god of big waves and big quakes, was also the god of horses, so the wooden horse could represent his wrath. These earthquakes will be present in the game and plague the city, softening it up for attack.

Actual horses won't feature that much in Troy. The Bronze Age Trojans and Greeks used horses in war, but largely for transport or as status symbols. Some warriors will get to ride around in chariots, but cavalry is rare. In their absence, more attention has been given to infantry. There's the introduction of new flanking abilities, the option to switch weapon stances and new terrain types, complete with environmental obstacles.

Heroes are Troy's heavy hitters. Achilles, Agammemnon, Hector—they're all leaders with flashy abilities and even flashier armour. They like to show off in the middle of battles, challenging each other to fights, and during their downtime they can go off on their own epic quests. If you're commanding the star of The Odyssey, then, you'll get a quest to go off and fight in Troy, then you'll be recalled all the way home to fight off your wife's suitors. If you complete the quest chain and reclaim his kingdom, Odysseus will be able to wield a magical bow in battle, and he'll also be accompanied by his son, who serves as a new hero. Typical royals, always with the nepotism.

Unlike heroes, the gods won't be wandering around the map or flinging spears at their enemies, but they play just as significant a role, each representing a different major pillar of the game. Factions need to suck up the gods in the hopes that they'll bring them wealth or skill in battle. Build temples to Ares and slaughter captives after a fight and you'll put a smile on the god of war's face, netting your warriors the reward of being much better at killing. If you need another king to accept a shitty deal or cheer up a gloomy city, however, you're better off making Aphrodite happy.

The campaign map itself is definitely in the running for Total War's most striking warzone. It's around the size of Rome 2, though the scale is smaller, dominated by the Aegean Sea in its centre. Despite the prevalence of the sea, ship combat doesn't really fit with the setting—and has never been great—so you won't be duking it out on boats. The colours are more vivid, the ocean is brighter and it generally has the look of a fantasy map, especially when you hover over imposing Mount Olympus. Even the skybox is a treat, with illustrations of clouds and mountains designed to look like Greek pottery.

Total War Sagas focus on historical flashpoints, but they also seem like a good place for Creative Assembly to experiment and try out new ideas that might not be a perfect fit for the main series. Getting rid of cavalry, for instance, is a pretty bold move, and one I don't think we'd see outside of these spin-offs. So, while the Trojan War isn't really historical, it's the source of some intriguing tweaks to the Total War formula and great fodder for a game that's all about colliding armies.

For more details on Troy, check out the latest issue of the UK magazine, out now on physical and digital shelves.
 

tabacila

Augur
Joined
Nov 2, 2011
Messages
326
Sure looks that way, but perhaps the utterly retarded recruitment system from 3K will make more sense in this setting.
 
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A Total War Saga: TROY FAQ

A Total War Saga: TROY will reconstruct one of the greatest stories ever told. Inspired by Homer’s Iliad, TROY will let you forge a heroic legacy in the late Bronze Age, the furthest back in time the Total War franchise has ever travelled.

TROY will challenge you to uncover the truth behind Homer’s Iliad. An epic tale mixing legend with history, you will peel back the layers of fable, of gods and monsters, to reveal the truths that might have inspired them.

In TROY, the fate of Aegean civilisation will be in your hands – each choice you make will shape the lands from the mythical heights of Mount Olympus to the arid deserts of Lemnos. Experience history as it might have happened or shape the legend for yourself in this unique chapter of Total War.

The battlefields will tremble under the feet of renowned warriors like Achilles and Hector but it will take more than brute force alone to lay claim to the legendary city of Troy. You will need to deftly manage a barter economy, conduct diplomacy among friends and foes, and direct the beliefs of your people in the worship of the gods, all before etching your name in the annals of history.

FAQ

When will A Total War Saga: TROY be released?

A Total War Saga: TROY will be released on Steam in 2020 – add it to your wishlist here.

What is a Total War Saga title?

Total War Saga titles take the grand strategy and real-time battles of a core Total War game and channel them into an intense flashpoint of history, letting you experience and ultimately determine the outcome of pivotal moments in history when the future of entire nations hung in the balance.

Having all the depth, features, and mechanics of a major era Total War game, Total War Saga titles offer a comparable number of factions, heroes, and settlements to their core counterparts as well as hundreds of hours of gameplay potential.

Total War Saga titles are our chance to think differently in our designs, often leading to new ideas, mechanics, and perspectives that go on to influence future era titles.

For more information on different types of Total War title, check out the relevant section of our FAQ.

Why did you choose TROY?

TROY is a totally new period for Total War and is the furthest back we’ve ever gone in history. Unlike our major era Total War Games, our Total War Saga titles tend to focus on key flashpoints in history, often within a singular culture, meaning the 20-year war Trojan War is the perfect fit.

This period is also one of the most distinguished and mysterious within human history due to it being rich in the myth and legend of heroes and monsters, allowing us to explore a plethora of new ideas for our fans to experience.

How did you go about your research to this period?

Given that the Trojan War period is steeped in mystery, we took a unique approach to our research methodologies, using both mythological, after-period sources such as Homer’s Iliad as well as primary historical source such as archaeological recordings. This merging of source material not only gives us a more accurate representation of what the period most likely resembled, but also provided us with our core “truth behind the myth” design pillar.

Why did you decide upon the truth behind the myth approach?

The events surrounding the Trojan war are steeped in legend, with tales of mythological creatures, superhuman heroes and the intervention of Gods all vibrant within this cataclysmic conflict. However, little is precisely known about the real-world events that occurred during the late Bronze Age, with many of its kings, queens, and artefacts lost to the annals of history. As a result, examining the truth behind the myth of Homer’s Iliad has become a key design pillar for A Total War Saga: TROY as we ask the player to explore the truths that might have inspired this most cherished era.

What role do the gods play?

Gods and Favor is a new gameplay system for a Total War Saga: TROY. Similar to our truth behind the myth approach to mythical creatures, the Greek gods within TROY are a purely spiritual representation, but they influence the game in similar ways to their Homeric counterparts. Rather than the gods directly intervening with the conflict itself, it is the faction’s belief that the gods are intervening on their behalf which determines the bonuses they receive. Afterall, the more fervently a leader devotes themselves to a deity, the more likely their people are to espouse and live those beliefs. These bonuses are specific to each god and provide a range of benefits from strategic warfare buffs to growth and resource increases.

Will there be any mythical creatures?

Our truth behind the myth approach has allowed us to draw from a multitude of mythology’s most renowned monsters and include them within the battlefields of Troy as realistic representations of what their true form may have been. This approach has allowed us to expand the unit diversity by including unique warriors to the roster whilst adding an extra layer of tactical versatility to the conflict.

How is battle different in TROY?

There is a strong infantry-VS-infantry focus in TROY’s combat to reflect the realities of the age. With greater variances in speed and mass between light, medium and heavy infantry classes, fighting will be dynamic and tactically rich.. Many new active and passive battle abilities fuel this dynamism – so elite defensive warriors may be immune to flanking for example, while elite assault troops may be expert Flankers, increasing the negative effects of flanking on the units they outflank.

Horses were scarce and rarely used in conflict of this age; those that were pressed into service were generally used to haul chariots. Consequently battles in TROY will require new subtle, and not so subtle, masteries of battlefield tactics.

Which famous heroes will feature in A Total War Saga: TROY?

The Iliad features a multitude of history’s most iconic legendary heroes, with stories of their feats still regularly told centuries after their demise. As a result, we’ve included eight of the most prominent champions from both sides of the conflict, such as the Greek champion Achilles, and the Prince of Troy himself, Hector.

Will there be any duelling mechanics like in Total War: THREE KINGDOMS?

A Total War Saga: TROY has its own unique take on hero versus hero combat which ensures that these colossal faceoffs are worthy of the Olympian gods. The new challenge battle ability taunts opposing characters into one-on-one combat, creating a circular battle area around them that prevents other units from intervening. Heroes engaged thus will fight using a series of spectacular matched animations. However, the mechanics are more freeform than THREE KINGDOMS’ ‘lock-in’ Duel mechanics, so heroes can be directed away from a Challenge without penalty after the Challenge effect has worn off.

What role will diplomacy play?

As with all Total War games, diplomacy will play a key part in A Total War Saga: TROY. Taking inspiration from Total War: THREE KINGDOMS, TROY allows you to keep your allies sweet, your enemies in their place, and change the entire course of the Trojan war should you choose to. We’ll also be introducing new features which are unique to TROY – watch this space for more information as we release it.

How will the economy work in TROY?

A Total War Saga: TROY introduces a completely new multiple resource economy which reflects the Bronze Age setting. This economic system is a Total War first and reflects the advancing pre-monetary barter economy which was galvanized due to the growing influence of trade and international relations within the region.

The five different resources that are the building blocks of your empire are food, wood, stone, bronze, and gold – all of which can be found within different regions to varying degrees of scarcity. Food and wood are used to recruit early game units and construct simple buildings, but as the campaign progresses more formidable structures will require stone, and higher tier units will require bronze. Gold is the master resource and is vital for trade due to its universal rarity.

Will there be naval battles?

There is little documentation of Trojan naval warfare – but we know how important it is to our players. As a result, we’ve used Total War: WARHAMMER II – Curse of the Vampire Coast as our main inspiration for the naval combat in TROY. When two fleets clash at sea, they will disembark on a nearby island and settle the score in a land battle. As hinted above, armies dedicated in Poseidon’s favour will receive appropriate bonuses.

What can you tell us about A Total War Saga: TROY’s visual style?

With stunning visuals and a romanticised art style, TROY embodies an age of legend. You’ll see this echoed throughout the campaign overview and user interface, which blends the Hellenic artistry of the Iliad with a real-world representation of the Bronze Age Mediterranean.
 

Popiel

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Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Last TW game I played was Medieval 2 (hence I don't know how much new TW game suck dick) + I'm a sucker for Troyan mythos = :takemymoney:
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/20...myths-turning-wooden-horses-into-earthquakes/

A Total War Saga: Troy imagines the truth behind the myths, turning wooden horses into earthquakes

90


According to the Iliad, the sacking of Troy only happened after a very specific set of things occurred in the right order. So, I asked Todor Nikolov, lead game designer at Creative Assembly Sofia, would players have to set up the same set of circumstances?

“You’re probably talking about the Trojan Horse?” he replied. HahaHAHAHha yes of course, that’s what I was talking about, it would be ludicrous to expect that a strategy game allowed players to plan for and/or orchestrate Achilles sulking and Patrolclus getting himself killed, and then Achilles going grief-berserk over his dead boyfriend. The topic had come up because we were talking about the just-this-minute announce new Total War Saga game, A Total War Saga: Troy. Guess where it’s set?

The Saga series of Total War games focuses in on one flash point time in history, rather than spanning decades as the main series of strategy games do. The first Saga was called Thrones Of Britannia and covered the great Viking invasion of our little island. Total War Saga: Troy is about the great Trojan War, the legendary siege immortalised in a really long poem by Homer (who actually acts as your in game advisor, the big mad bastard).



The game starts in the late bronze age, as Paris runs off to Troy with Helen, who was already married to Menelaus, King of Sparta. The phrase ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ refers to Helen, because immediately after she buggered off to Troy, a massive coalition of Greeks sailed after her to bring her back to Sparta. It took somewhere between 10 or 15 years. Two massive, diverse armies and a relatively short timespan? A perfect Total War setting, Nikolov reckons.

Troy, whether the war happened as told or not, is interesting to Nikolov because it was one of the only stories to emerge from a dark age shortly after the time period, and it “shaped who they were. The Romans believed they were descendents of refugees from Troy. So, it’s an immensely important story to tell.”

There is, Nikolov explained, quite a breadth of archaeological evidence from the period — the game’s battle map of the city Mycenae is placed on the real life site — but what they lacked was characters. That’s where the Iliad comes in.


The Trojan War is wrapped up almost inextricably with the myth, but Creative Assembly are taking a sensible approach, “the best of both worlds”, by trying to imagine what the truth could be that gave rise to such myths. This is represented by the campaign map, in which the shroud (Total War’s version of a fog of war, sort of) represents the layer of myth, and has lines from the Iliad written on it. It burns away as you advance your campaign. Combining the two aspects of Troy in this way is, Nikolov said, “the only appropriate way to retell the story of the Trojan War.”

Troy has all the usual bits of a Total War game, with the battles, the territorial conquests, the real-time sandbox fights and so on, but with a more… Troy-y flavour. The heroes, who can do exceptional battle feats, include fan favourites like Hector and Achilles. There are eight in total, four for each army.

Each has two abilities assigned to him. Achilles has ‘Hot Blood’. He’s governed by his emotions, so if he’s enraged he does more damage, but settlements produce less; if he’s insulted, he’ll suffer penalties but his units, the myrmidons, fight harder to cheer him up. So, not too far removed from grief-berserking, then. Heroes can also issue challenges to each other, locking both up in one on one combat as the battle rages around them.

We were also shown the Minotaur, not exactly a Hero, but close. In the myth, the Minotaur is a monster with the head of a bull, who eats human flesh and is kept imprisoned in a maze. In the game, he’s a mighty warrior who wears a bull’s skull and pelt as a helmet and cape, who charges ferociously at the enemy.

Mount Olympus exists, and you can earn the Favour of gods, as well as their disapproval, but in a sort of… psychological way, in-keeping with the idea of revealing the truth behind the myth. So, if your troops think they have Ares on their side, they’ll fight better. There are seven gods to keep an eye on in all, running through Ares, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, Poseidon, and back to back world adultery champ Zeus.



Most of the actions you take during your normal course of playing will gain or lose you favour. “For example,” said Nikolov, “Ares is pretty straightforward. He loves bloodshed. If you win a battle and you capture some people, if you decide to kill them, Ares will be happy! If you decide to not engage in battle, or if you flee from battle, Ares will dislike you.” But you can also have priests perform rituals, positive ones in your settlements or negative ones in others, to alter the flow of Favour, which is all tracked on a bespoke UI.

On the historical side, there’s a multiple resource economy for the first time in a Total War game, comprising food, wood, bronze, stone and gold — five resources instead of one, reflecting the period’s economy.

The team also had to think about how to compensate for the different troop types of the time. There was a distinct lack of cavalry, for example, as horses were reserved for chariot troops. To keep battles interesting, they’ve strived to make greater distinctions between infantry troops, like heavy spears who are defensive, but much slower than some faster assault troops. Other units are immune to flanking, or psychological tactics, or change their weapons, stowing their shields for a more effective charge. Also keeping you on your toes are two new terrain types. Certain units can hide in tall grass, while others will be slowed in mud.

The aim is for “very varied battle gameplay,” where you have to think tactically about which units can stand against chariots, or are quick enough to move out of the way, or perhaps can attack from a distance.

If this all sounds like a lot, don’t write off this Saga just yet. They are apparently putting a lot of effort into tutorialising Troy, as Nikolov admitted that “obviously, Total War is a very complex game to get into. It takes a lot of time to learn all of the mechanics.” They’ve been inspired by Three Kingdoms, and have introduced a version of the information overlay in that game. There’s also a series of scripted tours to guide you through all the multi-step processes, tutorial battles incorporated to the campaign, and of course Homer will always be yakking on at you. Classic Homer.



Depending on the route you take, though, even experienced players may never see Troy fall. If you play as Hector, and you’re good at it, says Nikolov, you’d never let Troy be conquered. “I imagine you’d even take the war west over the sea to Greece and sack Mycenae,” he added.

And what of that pesky Trojan horse? There are a number of theories as to what it could actually have been, one of which goes, roughly, that horses are the symbol of Poseidon who, as well as being the god of the sea, is “the earthshaker”, as Nikolov tells it. There are archaeological remnants of what is believed to have been Troy, and they show that the city was besieged, and that an earthquake coincided with the siege. So maybe the horse was, in fact, a natural disaster.

“At certain times an event will strike where Troy will be hit by an earthquake. Buildings will be damaged, the garrison will be severely depleted for a set amount of time,” Nikolov explained. The city will be vulnerable during these windows of opportunity, so it’s important to pay attention to them whether attacking or defending.

I didn’t get hands on with the game, and was only shown a small bit of real-time battle footage, but I have to admit that this kind of makes more sense than a bunch of men hiding inside a big wooden statue, and the Trojans thinking, “clearly the idiot Greeks have left this as a lovely present to us, the superior warriors!”

But if the game arrives in 2020 and Patrocles isn’t in it, we riot.
 

BrotherFrank

Nouveau Riche
Patron
Joined
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Messages
1,575
Where are the female generals?

I’d expect them to be on the Troy side, they had a contingent of amazons led by some heroine whose name escapes me atm, and Achilles and his myrmidons end up butchering them. This assumes CA are going full mythological though.
 

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