Sir Beane
01-22-2009, 14:42
Empire Total War Summary Thread Mk. 2
Release date: March 3rd (confirmed!)
Minimum Computer Specifications:
Operating System: Windows XP 32(service pack 2), Windows Vista 32 OS.
Processor: 2.4 GHz Single Core Intel or AMD equivalent processor.
System Memory: 1GB RAM (XP) 2GB RAM (Vista).
Graphics Card: 256MB DirectX 9.0c compatible video card (shader 2.0 or higher).
Sound Card: Directx9.0c compatible sound card.
Windows compatible mouse & keyboard.
15 GB free uncompressed hard drive space.
Factions
Playable:
Britain
France
Prussia
Spain
Sweden
Russia
Poland-Lithuania
United Provinces
Ottoman Empire
Austria
Mughal Empire/ Maratha Confederacy
Portugal/ US
Non-Playable:
Europe
Portugal (may or may not be playable)
Bavaria
Saxony
Hannover
The Small German States, (includes; Baden, Württemberg, Rhineland, Palatine, Saarland, Hesse Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Bremen, and others) (All one faction)
Denmark and Norway (One faction)
Duchy of Courland
Swiss Confederation
Savoy
Tuscany
Genoa
Venice
The Papal States
Khanate of the Crimea
North Africa
Barbary States/Barbary Pirates
The Empire of Fez and Morocco
Middle East
Saffavid Persia
Georgia
A third mystery faction (exciting!)
North America
Powhatan Confederacy
Sioux
Iroqouis
Huron
India
Mughal? (may or may not be playable)
Maratha? (may or may not be playable)
Mysore
Emergent
The Jacobites
The Thirteen Colonies (may or may not be playable)
Greece
Ireland (not confirmed but probable)
Various, numerous rebel factions (each province will have a specific rebel army apparently)
Buildings
University
Education is vital for those who wish to enter the professions, or make their way in government using talent alone. A good, well-trained brain is an excellent substitute for birth and social connections. A young gentleman’s studies can be wide ranging, and need not be tied to any particular faculty or subject area – an awarded degree or doctorate is proof enough of intellectual achievement.
Historically, in Europe at least, the established church controlled most universities, either through paying for them or by laws requiring the tutors to take holy orders. Sir Isaac Newton was very unusual in that he didn’t take orders when he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge (a post currently held by Stephen Hawking), arguing that the post required the holder to spend time on science, not the Anglican Church. However, the requirement for teachers to accept Church doctrine did mean that universities had a socially conservative outlook. While scholarships were available, students had to have money to attend, reinforcing this conservatism. While wild, threatening ideas about the world and the way it worked did emerge from universities, the institutions were rarely radical or revolutionary breeding grounds.
Trading Port
Shipping goods of any kind by land is difficult and expensive. Any item that has to travel more than a few miles goes by ship wherever possible.
Most roads are simply terrible, and bulk cargoes (such as coal) must go by ship anyway: it is the only way of moving goods cheaply and relatively quickly. It also makes the whole world a marketplace, even if the customers are not sure what to make of the goods they are being sent (British merchants insisted on exporting heavy woollen cloth to India for years, even though there was no obvious market for it).
Coastal trade can also be very profitable. For example, a “cheese fleet” did nothing but shuttle back and forth between London and the northwest of England, bringing Cheshire cheeses to the London market. By a happy accident of geology, Cheshire had rock salt mines that provided a preservative for the local cheese to make the sea journey to London. Although salty, this was undoubtedly healthier than most food on a gentleman’s table in the 18th Century!
European-style tenanted farms
Tenanted farms can only generate so much income from rents. With an increase in town size, and an increased demand from industry for agricultural products, it is more profitable to have herds of animals, not a gaggle of tenants. Meat and wool demand increases rapidly as towns grow. Apart from any other considerations, moving people off land also creates large areas where landowners can indulge a passion for hunting. While this generates little income, it does give social status.
The “Highland Clearances” are probably the most famous example of a forced change to land usage on a large scale. Contrary to popular belief, Highland clan leaders carried out most of the Scottish clearances, driving their own kinsmen and clans into exile. The chieftains needed to pay for the sophisticated life that they could have in Edinburgh and London by reinventing themselves as Scottish gentry. Sheep simply earned more money than the crofters did.
Technology
Platoon Firing
This firing plan for musketry ensures an infantry unit keeps up a continual barrage of shots against an enemy.
Nearly all line infantry carry smoothbore, muzzle-loading muskets. These take considerable time to reload after firing: anything up to a minute for poorly trained or nervous troops. During that time, the enemy can close or return fire unmolested. In the time it takes to reload, a unit can be cut down, its half-loaded weapons useless in the face of an aggressive foe. It is sensible to make sure that not everyone in an infantry unit is reloading at the same moment; this, in turn, means that not everyone should be firing at the same time.
Platoon fire is a way of dividing a unit into smaller groups that each fire, reload and fire again in turn. The result is a “rippling fire” down a line formation and, as the last platoon fires its muskets, the first is ready to fire again. A unit can always give some fire to the enemy at all times, even if this is less than a complete volley. When more than one unit is involved all the troops in every first platoon fire, followed by all the second platoons, and so on, creating several rippling barrages down the battle line.
The word “platoon” in this context does not have the modern meaning of being a sub-unit of a military company. Platoon assignment to what was a “fire group” was made on an ad hoc or informal basis, and could mean a whole regiment being assigned to a “platoon”.
Square Formation
A defensive posture for musket-armed infantry units, creating an impassable wall of steel to fend off cavalry attacks.
As the name suggests, this is four two- or three-rank lines of infantry arranged as a hollow square, with everyone facing outwards. It is a version of the obsolete pike “hedgehog”, making any cavalry charge a suicidal exercise. Bayonets are fixed to muskets when appropriate and possible.
Forming a square requires good order in the ranks. The outer companies of an infantry unit in line have to “fold back” to form the sides and back of the square, without losing cohesion in the process. The unit colours take up station in the centre, a final rallying point should the square be broken. It is also possible to form larger squares with more than one unit.
The square is, of course, a tempting target for enemy artillery. Whether it is better to form square in the face of cavalry and risk an artillery barrage, or stay in line to mitigate artillery fire and risk a cavalry charge can be a tactical conundrum!
Theoreticians argued infantry could defeat a cavalry charge by firepower alone. Brigadier General Richard Kane (later Military Governor of Gibraltar) remarked, “If a body of Foot have but Resolution and keep their Order, there is no Body of Horse dare venture within their Fire…” but for him that fire was to be delivered from a square, not a line. He was arguing for discipline as the key to success.
Fougasse
This defensive weapon is a landmine constructed by military engineers and fired by the defenders lighting a fuse.
A fougasse consists of a pit, sometimes dug at an angle, with gunpowder packed into the bottom and suitably wrapped to keep it dry. The hole is then backfilled with rubble and stones, taking care not to break the fuse, creating a huge “canister shot” weapon. Any enemies caught by the explosion are blown to smithereens by the blast. Damp, of course, will cause the fougasse to misfire, like any other gunpowder weapon.
Historically, a later and nastier, refinement used a flintlock mechanism to fire the charge. As well as making the explosion more reliable, this allowed military engineers to turn the fougasse into a booby trap. A piece of twine tied to the trigger acted as a tripwire: an unfortunate booby then stumbled and fired the device into himself and his nearby comrades.
During the 20th Century, the fougasse was refined into a flamethrower by burying oil drums on top of the explosives. And at the time of writing, the fougasse remains in use, as only one of the IEDs (improvised explosive device) used by insurgents against occupying forces in Iraq.
Units
Grenadier
Grenadiers are large, strong men, armed with muskets and carrying bags of bombs to hurl at the enemy’s ranks.
Explosive grenades are one of the oldest types of gunpowder weapon, and one of the most dangerous to use. Grenades are a simple cast iron ball, with a fuse sticking out of the top. Fuses are notoriously unreliable, and grenadiers can die as their own bombs explode prematurely. Yet no matter how terrifying grenades are for the throwers, they are infinitely worse for the targets! Grenadiers see themselves as elite, and occupy the place of honour at the right of the line on parade. They have good reason: only large, brave men become grenadiers, because it takes a big chap to throw one properly. Even their uniform makes them look bigger thanks to the pointed grenadier’s cap; a tricorne gets in the way of a good throw.
Historically, grenadier regiments and battalions began as ad hoc assault forces. All line infantry regiments had grenadier companies; collecting these sub-units gave commanders a useful group of heavily armed, aggressive and skilful soldiers. Grenadier companies remained in line infantry regiments after the creation of grenadier regiments, but they abandoned grenades. Instead, each grenadier company became a “heavy mob” of the biggest and strongest soldiers in a regiment.
Mamluks
Mamluks are fearless light horsemen, deadly when deployed against a broken or unsupported enemy.
Mounted on tireless light horses and armed with scimitars, they are commonly employed to harass an enemy force, restricting its space to manoeuvre easily. Once battle is fully joined, they will often time their charges to coincide with those of a supporting infantry unit, seeking to break the enemy quickly then wreaking havoc amongst them as they flee.
Mamluks were traditionally slave soldiers of the various caliphs and sultans of the Middle Ages, captured as children and raised in the Islamic faith to provide their master with a force of men unconnected to any other part of the hierarchy. Over time, the Mamluks accrued power of their own and even went as far as seizing control of Egypt; they founded a Mamluk Sultanate in 1250. Though the Mamluks’ strength enabled the Sultanate to repel several invasions by Christian crusaders and Mongols, it was eventually overpowered by the Ottoman Empire in 1517. The Mamluks so came into the service of the Sublime Porte.
24-pounder Howitzer Foot Artillery
Howitzers send shells plunging into enemy formations and over defences, making cover irrelevant.
Howitzers fall somewhere between guns and mortars, the other main artillery types. They have a limited mobility, like guns. Like mortars, they do not fire straight at the target, but send shots high into the air to plunge down on a target (and over anything in the way). By angling the barrel and changing the propellant charge used, howitzers have an impressive flexibility in shell trajectories. Experienced crews can lob explosive shells and incendiary rounds with great accuracy into a “beaten zone”, making life utterly miserable and very short for anyone within it. In close action, they can fire canister rounds directly into enemy formations, like giant sawn-off shotguns.
The term foot artillery applies because the gunners walk into battle alongside the draft animals. Like all artillery, the weight rating of these howitzers refers to the size of shot fired; a 24-pounder is worthy of respect!
Historically, howitzers – like many artillery pieces – were far from standardised weapons in the 18th Century. Shells and spare parts from in one foundry did not always fit another foundry’s pieces, even if the calibre was nominally identical. It took a good deal of effort and argument to get foundries to standardise barrels and ancillary equipment, even in one country.
Clansmen
These fierce Highland warriors intimidate all enemies with their wild skirling attacks and barbarous apparel.
Highland clans are the last tribal society in Western Europe. Men fight for their chieftains because they are expected to defend their clans’ honour and lands. They fight for these in the same way that they have done for centuries: with the broadsword and buckler, pistol, and Lochaber axe. There is little that regular line troops find as disturbing as the sight of a clan bearing down on them, screaming their hate and defiance. Highland Scots are brave, hard men.
Historically, the clans were destroyed as a military force at Culloden in 1746, by both British regulars and other, loyalist clansmen. The romance of the clans died on the field, along with a great many men who hurled themselves into a storm of lead and cannonballs armed with nothing more than swords. The clansmen were then repeatedly betrayed and used by their own chiefs, and then eventually driven off the land when sheep became more profitable. Highlanders were forced to scatter across the world, taking their fighting traditions with them.
Naval Units
Sloop
A sloop of war is usually ketch-rigged with two masts. These small vessels handle well in restricted waters.
The ability to navigate in exceptionally shallow or dangerous waters makes sloops very useful in such seas as the reef-strewn waters of the Caribbean. They can also operate without the need for extensive onshore naval facilities nearby. They are also extremely useful as fleet auxiliaries, carrying out communications tasks and vital inshore scouting work, and can hunt down smaller prey such as privateers and small enemy cargo vessels. A sloop-of-war (sometimes a corvette in French service) is a different vessel from a civilian, merchant sloop, having a flush deck, two square-rigged masts, guns, and a larger crew.
Historically, a post captain would rarely command a ship this small. The commanding officer was the “master and commander” (this is the origin of the modern naval rank of commander), and held the formal rank of lieutenant. Captain Cook RN commanded HMS Resolution, a sloop converted from a collier (coal ship), on his epic Pacific voyages and was highly satisfied with its performance. Sloop captains could be aggressive: before his promotion to post captain, Thomas Cochrane commanded the 14-gun HMS Speedy and managed to capture “El Gamo”, a Spanish xebec of 32 guns with a crew six times larger than his own!
Fifth Rate
Frigates are single-deck warships, used for a variety of tasks thanks to a combination of good handling, firepower and endurance at sea.
“Fifth rate” is a Royal Navy term for the largest of the single-deck frigates, square-rigged ships that carry some 44 guns, usually no heavier than 12-pounders. Originally a French design – but quickly adopted by the other European powers – the frigate is used for pursuit, convoy protection, commerce raiding and reconnaissance work. The design’s excellent sailing characteristics and good handling, especially in inshore waters, make it a useful addition to any blockading fleet. The frigate’s ability to operate far away from a home port also makes them it a useful cruiser, carrying the fight to the enemy in unexpected waters.
Frigates can have the advantage over larger, two-deck ships in rough waters. A frigate captain rarely has to worry about his gun deck taking on water, and can therefore fight in conditions that leave bigger ships at a disadvantage. However, fifth rates are not powerful enough to face battleships. They have the speed and handling to stay out of trouble; they do not have the strength of construction to survive a pounding! Against sloops, brigs and merchantmen, however, they are deadly. This makes them excellent postings for officers hungry for prize money and glory.
Frigates captains made splendid role models for fictional heroes: Thomas, Lord Cochrane earned a fortune in prize money, gained the nickname “le loup des mers” (sea-wolf) and was the inspiration for fictional heroes Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey.
Razee
A razee is a robust frigate, created by cutting the top deck off a larger ship of the line.
Frigates are a vital part of any balanced sea-going fleet. They are cruisers that can operate independently and are swift enough to hunt down enemy merchantmen. the chance for prize money makes them popular postings among officers and men alike!
One way of creating a large, powerful frigate is to take a two-deck ship of the line and, in effect, saw off the top deck creating a single-deck frigate. The first result is that a 64-gun ship can now only carry 44 guns, but the ones that remain are the heavier than those normally found on a frigate, typically 32- or 24-pounders rather than the expected 18s! The second result is that the razee retains the strong timbers of the original 64, making it a robust ship in combat. Thirdly, having lost its upper works, the new ship generally handles rather well under sail. All this work takes time and valuable dock space, of course.
Historically, one of the most successful razees was HMS Indefatigable, commanded by Edward Pellew. In the company of another frigate, Pellew took on - and defeated - the Droits de l'Homme, a French 74, in 1797. During the next year or so, Pellew and the Indefatigable went on to take a further nine vessels.
Campaign Map
Geography
*The map is divided into three theatres: North America, Europe and India. Ships will sail between these via ‘transition zones.’
*The campaign map features all of Europe, including Northern Scandinavia and East Russia
*It features most of the Middle East.
*North Africa is in the game (like in Medieval and Rome) but the rest of Africa is not. *All of India is in the game.
*The Northern most part of South America is in the game, along with all of Central America.
*Islands such as the Caribbean, Bahamas and Iceland are in the game.
*Asia is not in the game.
*Neither is Australia.
*Provinces can have multiple cities and towns, more are added after a certain number of turns (probably depending on population growth.)
*Many countries are now one province. Spain, France and England are examples of this.
*Some places will appear as sea only ‘trade theatres’ and generate income if boats are placed on them.
Politics
*Ministers govern your old world holdings. Governors govern your colonies. Ministers are voted into office but the player appoints governors. In a Monarchy the player can appoint both, there are no elections.
* Elections are held every four years. You can force elections to get rid of poor governors, but this may anger your populace.
* Revolutions can happen if certain conditions are met. This means your government can change.
* There are three government types. Monarchy grants you the greatest control. Constitutional Monarchy allows the people more freedom and the right to vote. A republic has the greatest technological advance but the people are free citizens and hard to please.
* There is no ‘rebel’ or ‘slave’ faction. Each region has region specific rebels.
* A region or province is still captured by taking its capital city.
* Queens are portrayed: According to Mike Brunton "But given that there's Queen Anne and Catherine the Great and Empress Marie-Therese, we'd be a bit remiss not to include proper queen-type queens, now wouldn't we?"
Taxation
* Taxes are set on a larger scale now, although you can still micromanage. A tax policy is set for each theatre (North America, Europe, India)
* You can make a region tax exempt to increase population growth and increase happiness.
Diplomacy
*The A.I has been revamped and the diplomacy A.I now works with the battle A.I. Allies should not attack for no reason.
* You will be able to see a gradual decline in relations if you are doing something to upset another faction.
* You cannot enter another faction’s territory without a military access treaty or declaring war.
* The diplomatic options seem to be similar to those in Medieval 2.
* Faction relations will be affected by your dealings with others, by religion and by government type, as well as the history between you and the other faction.
* Relations may not be reciprocated. For instance while the British public might love the French, the French public could hate the British.
* Factions will start the game already in certain relationships with other factions. For instance Britain and the United Provinces start off as allies.
* An ally will give you plenty of warning if you do something that annoys them. They will not attack outright.
Warfare
* Units can now be ordered from a General in the field. The relevant cities nearby will train the units and send them to you.
* Units heading to a general will not be counted as proper armies and cannot be controlled or engaged.
* Units can be named.
* Units will have individual stats for accuracy; reload speed, range and morale.
* Boats will play a much larger role (see naval section)
* Generals and Admirals are no longer family members. They can be trained.
* There is much less focus on sieges.
Provinces
* Many of a province’s buildings (ports, mines) will be located outside of the capital city and can be destroyed by enemy forces if they are allowed to roam the province unchecked.
* As previously mentioned provinces can now have more than one city in them, as well as more than one port.
* New cities will appear as population grows.
* The province is captured by taking the capital city.
Technology
* There is now a technology tree that allows tech research.
* New technologies are automatically rolled out across your Empire. No retraining in needed.
* Later technologies will include an early form of machine gun (the Puckle gun), Fourgasse land mines and Steam powered ships.
* Other technologies include socket bayonets, new unit abilities, and coleslaw.
* Technology can be stolen by enrolling a ‘gentleman’ agent in a foreign university. It can also be gained by capturing a ship carrying a technology your faction does not have.
Agents
* There are only two agents, the gentleman and the rake.
* The rake combines the roll of the spy and the assassin from previous games. He can infiltrate armies and sabotage buildings, as well as assassinate.
* The gentleman can steal foreign technology, speed up research of your own tech, and assassinate enemy generals and agents by engaging them in an honourable duel. This does not count as an act of war.
Land Battles
* Dragoon cavalry can dismount and act as infantry
* Horse artillery can be quickly pulled to a certain part of the battlefield by a team of horses.
* Rock, paper, scissors is still in affect but now formation is just as important. The three formations are square, column, and line. Line is good for unleashing maximum firepower. Columns are good for charging and melee. Squares are good against cavalry. (I may be wrong about this, feel free to correct me)
* Buildings on the battlefield can be garrisoned.
* Units can use walls, hedges and trees as cover.
*The game uses a physics engine to model everything, including individual bullets.
* Animations between two units have been recorded using motion capture to make them seem more realistic.
* Researched technologies can show up on the battlefield as unit abilities or formations.
* Weather is important. Cannons may sieze up or misfire in cold and wet weather. Wet weather may cause mud that will bog artillery and cavalry down.
* Earth walls can be constructed, units entrenched and the battlefield is fully destructible.
Naval Battles
* The water is apparently very realistic.
* Boats have been modelled using historical blueprints. They interact realistically with water and cannon balls.
* Individual sailors are modelled and fully mobile. They will fight during boarding actions, and reload cannons in battle.
* Weather plays an important role in battle, wind speed and direction can make a huge difference.
* Tacking across the wind will make your ships go faster, but is not required for forward progress.
* Sailing at a slight angle to the prevailing wind will make your ships faster, rather than sailing in exactly the same direction (this is realistic.)
* Later on steam ships will be available
* Ships have three separate damage bars, one for each side of the ship and one for the sails.
* Ships have different levels of sails they can deploy. More sail equals more speed but it takes more damage.
* Ships have three different kinds of ammo. Balls for damaging hulls, grape for killing crew, and chain shot for crippling masts and sails.
* Ships with highly damaged sails cannot move easily.
* When ships take enough damage they sink.
* Ships can surrender, or be captured through boarding.
* Captured ships can be added to your own naval forces, and any technology aboard can be stolen.
Historical figures:
* Peter The Great
* Malborough
* Charles XII of Sweden.
* Wellington.
* Napoleon (according to PC Gameplay).
* According to Mike Simpson, there's even a possibility to have Napoleon himself in your own ranks when around the end of the century you recruit an artillery unit in Corsica.
Artillery:
* Heavy artillery in the form of cannons, mortar and early rocket launchers, with bouncing cannonballs who bounce differently depending on the surface they hit slicing through drifting gunsmoke to tear up lines of infantry.
* Cannons will seize up and explode.
* Well-organized batteries of cannons.
* We have artillery units, some of which can be limbered up and moved around the field at speed by teams of horses. You can develop all kinds of exotic ammo for them to fire.
* Artillery plays a much, much more significant role this time around, so you can expect to see lots of different cannons being fired from atop distant hills, or being limbered up and dragged across the battlefield by horse teams. The cannons can benefit from many new technologies and techniques, using canister shot to wither an enemy cavalry charge, or explosive shells to break holes in an enemy infantry square. You can even order artillery to fire on a fixed point on the map to discourage enemies from crossing a specific chokepoint or approaching a key objective. Artillery is also useful for taking out the new buildings that you're going to find on many of the battlefields.
Modding:
* Modding: we want to give the modders a push in the back by releasing some tools we also work with, with these tools you can as a designer make adjustments without having to harass the programmers, this make these tools ideal for modders. We're not certain yet whether will release these tools with the game itself or put them online after the release of the game.
* No hardcoded region limits.
The Road to Independance
* Starts in 1607 with the founding of Jamestown. Goes on to cover the Indian wars and eventually the War of Independance.
* Three chapters.
* Throughout the campaign, the player is issued with a series of missions, some of which will need to be completed in order to progress to the next episode, but the way in which the player chooses to complete these tasks is entirely up to them.
* Once the Road To Independance is finished the player will be playing the main campaign as America.
* The player's first objective in this episode (second episode) is to claim the Ohio Valley. The French have a stranglehold on this territory, with a series of forts presenting a major obstacle for the player's armies. These fort battles will challenge even the most experienced Total War players, as all routes will be guarded by ambushing units, cannon redoubts and buildings garrisoned by enemy troops.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer campaign
* 1vs 1 at the moment
* A player has the ability to fight as the A.I in any battle their opponent might fight against the A.I factios.
* Campaigns can be 100 or 200 turns.
* Time limits can be set on turns.
* Autoresolve can be set for all or some battles
* Players can fight each other in multiplayer battlemap battles.
* The beta will be released at some point after the release of Empire.
* Limited beta, first come first served.
Empire Special Forces Edition
Following taken from CA's site.
In a time when a soldier’s life could be given easily and quickly, it took extreme courage and determination for a true hero to forge a reputation for themselves. Whether through harsh and highly disciplined training, generations of successful military tradition or world-leading technology, the units available as part of the Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition are among the very best of the best.
The Special Forces Edition introduces six of the most influential military forces of the 18th Century. True to the period, these exclusive elite units become available on the campaign map via a certain faction or once a specific geographical region is under control.
The Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition also includes a beautifully illustrated version of the Campaign map, showing all three theatres of war (America, Europe and India) and their connecting, highly prized trade routes.
Special Forces Units
The following elite units are included as part of the Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition. This premium packaged edition for aficionados of the Total War series comes complete with a unique Steam unlock code. Once the game is installed and verified by Steam, players can enter their code and unlock these elite units which will then appear in the single player game.
HMS Victory - The Royal Navy’s most distinguished and formidable first rate ship of the line; Lord Nelson’s 104 gun flagship is one of the most heavily armed ships of the 18th Century.
Rogers’ Rangers - Major Robert Rogers’ company of rangers are highly trained elite light infantry, specialising in reconnaissance and special operations. They are extremely mobile in even the most challenging environments.
Ottoman Organ Gun - A viciously powerful field gun, able to inflict incredible damage on the opposing army. Emphatic proof of the Ottoman Empire’s advanced knowledge of gunpowder and firearms technology.
Ghoorkas - "Better to die than be a coward" has been the motto of these elite Nepalese soldiers for centuries. Disciplined, tough and courageous, they carry a deadly 18-inch long, curved knife known as the kukri.
Corso Terrestre Guerillas - An independent light infantry guerrilla regiment, experienced in skirmish and stealth tactics. Surprise raids and ambushes are the guerillas’ favoured tactics, a way to compensate for their limited number and light armour.
Bulkeley's Regiment - A French unit of Irish mercenaries with a fearsome reputation for hardiness. Exceptionally tough and resilient, they make for a highly flexible and dependable regiment.
This version of the game retails for around £10 more than the standard version. 6 new units, a different case and a map.
You get an exclsuive unit depending on where you order from.
* Play.com - U.S.S Constitution
* Amazon.co.uk - Dahomey Amazons
* Game.co.uk - Prussian Death's Head Hussars
Useful Links
http://www.sega.co.uk/empire/ - Empire Official Site
http://uk.pc.ign.com/objects/958/958390.html - Empire at IGN
http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/empiretotalwar/index.html - Empire at Gamespot
http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/3623155/Empire-Total-War/Product.html - Buy Empire at Play.com
http://www.game.co.uk/PC/Strategy/RealTime/~r333586/Empire-Total-War/ - Buy Empire at Game.co.uk
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Empire-Total-War-PC-DVD/dp/B001ASREGO - Buy Empire at Amazon.co.uk
This list is by no means complete. If I have missed anything please tell me, I'll keep this thread updated.
Release date: March 3rd (confirmed!)
Minimum Computer Specifications:
Operating System: Windows XP 32(service pack 2), Windows Vista 32 OS.
Processor: 2.4 GHz Single Core Intel or AMD equivalent processor.
System Memory: 1GB RAM (XP) 2GB RAM (Vista).
Graphics Card: 256MB DirectX 9.0c compatible video card (shader 2.0 or higher).
Sound Card: Directx9.0c compatible sound card.
Windows compatible mouse & keyboard.
15 GB free uncompressed hard drive space.
Factions
Playable:
Britain
France
Prussia
Spain
Sweden
Russia
Poland-Lithuania
United Provinces
Ottoman Empire
Austria
Mughal Empire/ Maratha Confederacy
Portugal/ US
Non-Playable:
Europe
Portugal (may or may not be playable)
Bavaria
Saxony
Hannover
The Small German States, (includes; Baden, Württemberg, Rhineland, Palatine, Saarland, Hesse Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Bremen, and others) (All one faction)
Denmark and Norway (One faction)
Duchy of Courland
Swiss Confederation
Savoy
Tuscany
Genoa
Venice
The Papal States
Khanate of the Crimea
North Africa
Barbary States/Barbary Pirates
The Empire of Fez and Morocco
Middle East
Saffavid Persia
Georgia
A third mystery faction (exciting!)
North America
Powhatan Confederacy
Sioux
Iroqouis
Huron
India
Mughal? (may or may not be playable)
Maratha? (may or may not be playable)
Mysore
Emergent
The Jacobites
The Thirteen Colonies (may or may not be playable)
Greece
Ireland (not confirmed but probable)
Various, numerous rebel factions (each province will have a specific rebel army apparently)
Buildings
University
Education is vital for those who wish to enter the professions, or make their way in government using talent alone. A good, well-trained brain is an excellent substitute for birth and social connections. A young gentleman’s studies can be wide ranging, and need not be tied to any particular faculty or subject area – an awarded degree or doctorate is proof enough of intellectual achievement.
Historically, in Europe at least, the established church controlled most universities, either through paying for them or by laws requiring the tutors to take holy orders. Sir Isaac Newton was very unusual in that he didn’t take orders when he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge (a post currently held by Stephen Hawking), arguing that the post required the holder to spend time on science, not the Anglican Church. However, the requirement for teachers to accept Church doctrine did mean that universities had a socially conservative outlook. While scholarships were available, students had to have money to attend, reinforcing this conservatism. While wild, threatening ideas about the world and the way it worked did emerge from universities, the institutions were rarely radical or revolutionary breeding grounds.
Trading Port
Shipping goods of any kind by land is difficult and expensive. Any item that has to travel more than a few miles goes by ship wherever possible.
Most roads are simply terrible, and bulk cargoes (such as coal) must go by ship anyway: it is the only way of moving goods cheaply and relatively quickly. It also makes the whole world a marketplace, even if the customers are not sure what to make of the goods they are being sent (British merchants insisted on exporting heavy woollen cloth to India for years, even though there was no obvious market for it).
Coastal trade can also be very profitable. For example, a “cheese fleet” did nothing but shuttle back and forth between London and the northwest of England, bringing Cheshire cheeses to the London market. By a happy accident of geology, Cheshire had rock salt mines that provided a preservative for the local cheese to make the sea journey to London. Although salty, this was undoubtedly healthier than most food on a gentleman’s table in the 18th Century!
European-style tenanted farms
Tenanted farms can only generate so much income from rents. With an increase in town size, and an increased demand from industry for agricultural products, it is more profitable to have herds of animals, not a gaggle of tenants. Meat and wool demand increases rapidly as towns grow. Apart from any other considerations, moving people off land also creates large areas where landowners can indulge a passion for hunting. While this generates little income, it does give social status.
The “Highland Clearances” are probably the most famous example of a forced change to land usage on a large scale. Contrary to popular belief, Highland clan leaders carried out most of the Scottish clearances, driving their own kinsmen and clans into exile. The chieftains needed to pay for the sophisticated life that they could have in Edinburgh and London by reinventing themselves as Scottish gentry. Sheep simply earned more money than the crofters did.
Technology
Platoon Firing
This firing plan for musketry ensures an infantry unit keeps up a continual barrage of shots against an enemy.
Nearly all line infantry carry smoothbore, muzzle-loading muskets. These take considerable time to reload after firing: anything up to a minute for poorly trained or nervous troops. During that time, the enemy can close or return fire unmolested. In the time it takes to reload, a unit can be cut down, its half-loaded weapons useless in the face of an aggressive foe. It is sensible to make sure that not everyone in an infantry unit is reloading at the same moment; this, in turn, means that not everyone should be firing at the same time.
Platoon fire is a way of dividing a unit into smaller groups that each fire, reload and fire again in turn. The result is a “rippling fire” down a line formation and, as the last platoon fires its muskets, the first is ready to fire again. A unit can always give some fire to the enemy at all times, even if this is less than a complete volley. When more than one unit is involved all the troops in every first platoon fire, followed by all the second platoons, and so on, creating several rippling barrages down the battle line.
The word “platoon” in this context does not have the modern meaning of being a sub-unit of a military company. Platoon assignment to what was a “fire group” was made on an ad hoc or informal basis, and could mean a whole regiment being assigned to a “platoon”.
Square Formation
A defensive posture for musket-armed infantry units, creating an impassable wall of steel to fend off cavalry attacks.
As the name suggests, this is four two- or three-rank lines of infantry arranged as a hollow square, with everyone facing outwards. It is a version of the obsolete pike “hedgehog”, making any cavalry charge a suicidal exercise. Bayonets are fixed to muskets when appropriate and possible.
Forming a square requires good order in the ranks. The outer companies of an infantry unit in line have to “fold back” to form the sides and back of the square, without losing cohesion in the process. The unit colours take up station in the centre, a final rallying point should the square be broken. It is also possible to form larger squares with more than one unit.
The square is, of course, a tempting target for enemy artillery. Whether it is better to form square in the face of cavalry and risk an artillery barrage, or stay in line to mitigate artillery fire and risk a cavalry charge can be a tactical conundrum!
Theoreticians argued infantry could defeat a cavalry charge by firepower alone. Brigadier General Richard Kane (later Military Governor of Gibraltar) remarked, “If a body of Foot have but Resolution and keep their Order, there is no Body of Horse dare venture within their Fire…” but for him that fire was to be delivered from a square, not a line. He was arguing for discipline as the key to success.
Fougasse
This defensive weapon is a landmine constructed by military engineers and fired by the defenders lighting a fuse.
A fougasse consists of a pit, sometimes dug at an angle, with gunpowder packed into the bottom and suitably wrapped to keep it dry. The hole is then backfilled with rubble and stones, taking care not to break the fuse, creating a huge “canister shot” weapon. Any enemies caught by the explosion are blown to smithereens by the blast. Damp, of course, will cause the fougasse to misfire, like any other gunpowder weapon.
Historically, a later and nastier, refinement used a flintlock mechanism to fire the charge. As well as making the explosion more reliable, this allowed military engineers to turn the fougasse into a booby trap. A piece of twine tied to the trigger acted as a tripwire: an unfortunate booby then stumbled and fired the device into himself and his nearby comrades.
During the 20th Century, the fougasse was refined into a flamethrower by burying oil drums on top of the explosives. And at the time of writing, the fougasse remains in use, as only one of the IEDs (improvised explosive device) used by insurgents against occupying forces in Iraq.
Units
Grenadier
Grenadiers are large, strong men, armed with muskets and carrying bags of bombs to hurl at the enemy’s ranks.
Explosive grenades are one of the oldest types of gunpowder weapon, and one of the most dangerous to use. Grenades are a simple cast iron ball, with a fuse sticking out of the top. Fuses are notoriously unreliable, and grenadiers can die as their own bombs explode prematurely. Yet no matter how terrifying grenades are for the throwers, they are infinitely worse for the targets! Grenadiers see themselves as elite, and occupy the place of honour at the right of the line on parade. They have good reason: only large, brave men become grenadiers, because it takes a big chap to throw one properly. Even their uniform makes them look bigger thanks to the pointed grenadier’s cap; a tricorne gets in the way of a good throw.
Historically, grenadier regiments and battalions began as ad hoc assault forces. All line infantry regiments had grenadier companies; collecting these sub-units gave commanders a useful group of heavily armed, aggressive and skilful soldiers. Grenadier companies remained in line infantry regiments after the creation of grenadier regiments, but they abandoned grenades. Instead, each grenadier company became a “heavy mob” of the biggest and strongest soldiers in a regiment.
Mamluks
Mamluks are fearless light horsemen, deadly when deployed against a broken or unsupported enemy.
Mounted on tireless light horses and armed with scimitars, they are commonly employed to harass an enemy force, restricting its space to manoeuvre easily. Once battle is fully joined, they will often time their charges to coincide with those of a supporting infantry unit, seeking to break the enemy quickly then wreaking havoc amongst them as they flee.
Mamluks were traditionally slave soldiers of the various caliphs and sultans of the Middle Ages, captured as children and raised in the Islamic faith to provide their master with a force of men unconnected to any other part of the hierarchy. Over time, the Mamluks accrued power of their own and even went as far as seizing control of Egypt; they founded a Mamluk Sultanate in 1250. Though the Mamluks’ strength enabled the Sultanate to repel several invasions by Christian crusaders and Mongols, it was eventually overpowered by the Ottoman Empire in 1517. The Mamluks so came into the service of the Sublime Porte.
24-pounder Howitzer Foot Artillery
Howitzers send shells plunging into enemy formations and over defences, making cover irrelevant.
Howitzers fall somewhere between guns and mortars, the other main artillery types. They have a limited mobility, like guns. Like mortars, they do not fire straight at the target, but send shots high into the air to plunge down on a target (and over anything in the way). By angling the barrel and changing the propellant charge used, howitzers have an impressive flexibility in shell trajectories. Experienced crews can lob explosive shells and incendiary rounds with great accuracy into a “beaten zone”, making life utterly miserable and very short for anyone within it. In close action, they can fire canister rounds directly into enemy formations, like giant sawn-off shotguns.
The term foot artillery applies because the gunners walk into battle alongside the draft animals. Like all artillery, the weight rating of these howitzers refers to the size of shot fired; a 24-pounder is worthy of respect!
Historically, howitzers – like many artillery pieces – were far from standardised weapons in the 18th Century. Shells and spare parts from in one foundry did not always fit another foundry’s pieces, even if the calibre was nominally identical. It took a good deal of effort and argument to get foundries to standardise barrels and ancillary equipment, even in one country.
Clansmen
These fierce Highland warriors intimidate all enemies with their wild skirling attacks and barbarous apparel.
Highland clans are the last tribal society in Western Europe. Men fight for their chieftains because they are expected to defend their clans’ honour and lands. They fight for these in the same way that they have done for centuries: with the broadsword and buckler, pistol, and Lochaber axe. There is little that regular line troops find as disturbing as the sight of a clan bearing down on them, screaming their hate and defiance. Highland Scots are brave, hard men.
Historically, the clans were destroyed as a military force at Culloden in 1746, by both British regulars and other, loyalist clansmen. The romance of the clans died on the field, along with a great many men who hurled themselves into a storm of lead and cannonballs armed with nothing more than swords. The clansmen were then repeatedly betrayed and used by their own chiefs, and then eventually driven off the land when sheep became more profitable. Highlanders were forced to scatter across the world, taking their fighting traditions with them.
Naval Units
Sloop
A sloop of war is usually ketch-rigged with two masts. These small vessels handle well in restricted waters.
The ability to navigate in exceptionally shallow or dangerous waters makes sloops very useful in such seas as the reef-strewn waters of the Caribbean. They can also operate without the need for extensive onshore naval facilities nearby. They are also extremely useful as fleet auxiliaries, carrying out communications tasks and vital inshore scouting work, and can hunt down smaller prey such as privateers and small enemy cargo vessels. A sloop-of-war (sometimes a corvette in French service) is a different vessel from a civilian, merchant sloop, having a flush deck, two square-rigged masts, guns, and a larger crew.
Historically, a post captain would rarely command a ship this small. The commanding officer was the “master and commander” (this is the origin of the modern naval rank of commander), and held the formal rank of lieutenant. Captain Cook RN commanded HMS Resolution, a sloop converted from a collier (coal ship), on his epic Pacific voyages and was highly satisfied with its performance. Sloop captains could be aggressive: before his promotion to post captain, Thomas Cochrane commanded the 14-gun HMS Speedy and managed to capture “El Gamo”, a Spanish xebec of 32 guns with a crew six times larger than his own!
Fifth Rate
Frigates are single-deck warships, used for a variety of tasks thanks to a combination of good handling, firepower and endurance at sea.
“Fifth rate” is a Royal Navy term for the largest of the single-deck frigates, square-rigged ships that carry some 44 guns, usually no heavier than 12-pounders. Originally a French design – but quickly adopted by the other European powers – the frigate is used for pursuit, convoy protection, commerce raiding and reconnaissance work. The design’s excellent sailing characteristics and good handling, especially in inshore waters, make it a useful addition to any blockading fleet. The frigate’s ability to operate far away from a home port also makes them it a useful cruiser, carrying the fight to the enemy in unexpected waters.
Frigates can have the advantage over larger, two-deck ships in rough waters. A frigate captain rarely has to worry about his gun deck taking on water, and can therefore fight in conditions that leave bigger ships at a disadvantage. However, fifth rates are not powerful enough to face battleships. They have the speed and handling to stay out of trouble; they do not have the strength of construction to survive a pounding! Against sloops, brigs and merchantmen, however, they are deadly. This makes them excellent postings for officers hungry for prize money and glory.
Frigates captains made splendid role models for fictional heroes: Thomas, Lord Cochrane earned a fortune in prize money, gained the nickname “le loup des mers” (sea-wolf) and was the inspiration for fictional heroes Horatio Hornblower and Jack Aubrey.
Razee
A razee is a robust frigate, created by cutting the top deck off a larger ship of the line.
Frigates are a vital part of any balanced sea-going fleet. They are cruisers that can operate independently and are swift enough to hunt down enemy merchantmen. the chance for prize money makes them popular postings among officers and men alike!
One way of creating a large, powerful frigate is to take a two-deck ship of the line and, in effect, saw off the top deck creating a single-deck frigate. The first result is that a 64-gun ship can now only carry 44 guns, but the ones that remain are the heavier than those normally found on a frigate, typically 32- or 24-pounders rather than the expected 18s! The second result is that the razee retains the strong timbers of the original 64, making it a robust ship in combat. Thirdly, having lost its upper works, the new ship generally handles rather well under sail. All this work takes time and valuable dock space, of course.
Historically, one of the most successful razees was HMS Indefatigable, commanded by Edward Pellew. In the company of another frigate, Pellew took on - and defeated - the Droits de l'Homme, a French 74, in 1797. During the next year or so, Pellew and the Indefatigable went on to take a further nine vessels.
Campaign Map
Geography
*The map is divided into three theatres: North America, Europe and India. Ships will sail between these via ‘transition zones.’
*The campaign map features all of Europe, including Northern Scandinavia and East Russia
*It features most of the Middle East.
*North Africa is in the game (like in Medieval and Rome) but the rest of Africa is not. *All of India is in the game.
*The Northern most part of South America is in the game, along with all of Central America.
*Islands such as the Caribbean, Bahamas and Iceland are in the game.
*Asia is not in the game.
*Neither is Australia.
*Provinces can have multiple cities and towns, more are added after a certain number of turns (probably depending on population growth.)
*Many countries are now one province. Spain, France and England are examples of this.
*Some places will appear as sea only ‘trade theatres’ and generate income if boats are placed on them.
Politics
*Ministers govern your old world holdings. Governors govern your colonies. Ministers are voted into office but the player appoints governors. In a Monarchy the player can appoint both, there are no elections.
* Elections are held every four years. You can force elections to get rid of poor governors, but this may anger your populace.
* Revolutions can happen if certain conditions are met. This means your government can change.
* There are three government types. Monarchy grants you the greatest control. Constitutional Monarchy allows the people more freedom and the right to vote. A republic has the greatest technological advance but the people are free citizens and hard to please.
* There is no ‘rebel’ or ‘slave’ faction. Each region has region specific rebels.
* A region or province is still captured by taking its capital city.
* Queens are portrayed: According to Mike Brunton "But given that there's Queen Anne and Catherine the Great and Empress Marie-Therese, we'd be a bit remiss not to include proper queen-type queens, now wouldn't we?"
Taxation
* Taxes are set on a larger scale now, although you can still micromanage. A tax policy is set for each theatre (North America, Europe, India)
* You can make a region tax exempt to increase population growth and increase happiness.
Diplomacy
*The A.I has been revamped and the diplomacy A.I now works with the battle A.I. Allies should not attack for no reason.
* You will be able to see a gradual decline in relations if you are doing something to upset another faction.
* You cannot enter another faction’s territory without a military access treaty or declaring war.
* The diplomatic options seem to be similar to those in Medieval 2.
* Faction relations will be affected by your dealings with others, by religion and by government type, as well as the history between you and the other faction.
* Relations may not be reciprocated. For instance while the British public might love the French, the French public could hate the British.
* Factions will start the game already in certain relationships with other factions. For instance Britain and the United Provinces start off as allies.
* An ally will give you plenty of warning if you do something that annoys them. They will not attack outright.
Warfare
* Units can now be ordered from a General in the field. The relevant cities nearby will train the units and send them to you.
* Units heading to a general will not be counted as proper armies and cannot be controlled or engaged.
* Units can be named.
* Units will have individual stats for accuracy; reload speed, range and morale.
* Boats will play a much larger role (see naval section)
* Generals and Admirals are no longer family members. They can be trained.
* There is much less focus on sieges.
Provinces
* Many of a province’s buildings (ports, mines) will be located outside of the capital city and can be destroyed by enemy forces if they are allowed to roam the province unchecked.
* As previously mentioned provinces can now have more than one city in them, as well as more than one port.
* New cities will appear as population grows.
* The province is captured by taking the capital city.
Technology
* There is now a technology tree that allows tech research.
* New technologies are automatically rolled out across your Empire. No retraining in needed.
* Later technologies will include an early form of machine gun (the Puckle gun), Fourgasse land mines and Steam powered ships.
* Other technologies include socket bayonets, new unit abilities, and coleslaw.
* Technology can be stolen by enrolling a ‘gentleman’ agent in a foreign university. It can also be gained by capturing a ship carrying a technology your faction does not have.
Agents
* There are only two agents, the gentleman and the rake.
* The rake combines the roll of the spy and the assassin from previous games. He can infiltrate armies and sabotage buildings, as well as assassinate.
* The gentleman can steal foreign technology, speed up research of your own tech, and assassinate enemy generals and agents by engaging them in an honourable duel. This does not count as an act of war.
Land Battles
* Dragoon cavalry can dismount and act as infantry
* Horse artillery can be quickly pulled to a certain part of the battlefield by a team of horses.
* Rock, paper, scissors is still in affect but now formation is just as important. The three formations are square, column, and line. Line is good for unleashing maximum firepower. Columns are good for charging and melee. Squares are good against cavalry. (I may be wrong about this, feel free to correct me)
* Buildings on the battlefield can be garrisoned.
* Units can use walls, hedges and trees as cover.
*The game uses a physics engine to model everything, including individual bullets.
* Animations between two units have been recorded using motion capture to make them seem more realistic.
* Researched technologies can show up on the battlefield as unit abilities or formations.
* Weather is important. Cannons may sieze up or misfire in cold and wet weather. Wet weather may cause mud that will bog artillery and cavalry down.
* Earth walls can be constructed, units entrenched and the battlefield is fully destructible.
Naval Battles
* The water is apparently very realistic.
* Boats have been modelled using historical blueprints. They interact realistically with water and cannon balls.
* Individual sailors are modelled and fully mobile. They will fight during boarding actions, and reload cannons in battle.
* Weather plays an important role in battle, wind speed and direction can make a huge difference.
* Tacking across the wind will make your ships go faster, but is not required for forward progress.
* Sailing at a slight angle to the prevailing wind will make your ships faster, rather than sailing in exactly the same direction (this is realistic.)
* Later on steam ships will be available
* Ships have three separate damage bars, one for each side of the ship and one for the sails.
* Ships have different levels of sails they can deploy. More sail equals more speed but it takes more damage.
* Ships have three different kinds of ammo. Balls for damaging hulls, grape for killing crew, and chain shot for crippling masts and sails.
* Ships with highly damaged sails cannot move easily.
* When ships take enough damage they sink.
* Ships can surrender, or be captured through boarding.
* Captured ships can be added to your own naval forces, and any technology aboard can be stolen.
Historical figures:
* Peter The Great
* Malborough
* Charles XII of Sweden.
* Wellington.
* Napoleon (according to PC Gameplay).
* According to Mike Simpson, there's even a possibility to have Napoleon himself in your own ranks when around the end of the century you recruit an artillery unit in Corsica.
Artillery:
* Heavy artillery in the form of cannons, mortar and early rocket launchers, with bouncing cannonballs who bounce differently depending on the surface they hit slicing through drifting gunsmoke to tear up lines of infantry.
* Cannons will seize up and explode.
* Well-organized batteries of cannons.
* We have artillery units, some of which can be limbered up and moved around the field at speed by teams of horses. You can develop all kinds of exotic ammo for them to fire.
* Artillery plays a much, much more significant role this time around, so you can expect to see lots of different cannons being fired from atop distant hills, or being limbered up and dragged across the battlefield by horse teams. The cannons can benefit from many new technologies and techniques, using canister shot to wither an enemy cavalry charge, or explosive shells to break holes in an enemy infantry square. You can even order artillery to fire on a fixed point on the map to discourage enemies from crossing a specific chokepoint or approaching a key objective. Artillery is also useful for taking out the new buildings that you're going to find on many of the battlefields.
Modding:
* Modding: we want to give the modders a push in the back by releasing some tools we also work with, with these tools you can as a designer make adjustments without having to harass the programmers, this make these tools ideal for modders. We're not certain yet whether will release these tools with the game itself or put them online after the release of the game.
* No hardcoded region limits.
The Road to Independance
* Starts in 1607 with the founding of Jamestown. Goes on to cover the Indian wars and eventually the War of Independance.
* Three chapters.
* Throughout the campaign, the player is issued with a series of missions, some of which will need to be completed in order to progress to the next episode, but the way in which the player chooses to complete these tasks is entirely up to them.
* Once the Road To Independance is finished the player will be playing the main campaign as America.
* The player's first objective in this episode (second episode) is to claim the Ohio Valley. The French have a stranglehold on this territory, with a series of forts presenting a major obstacle for the player's armies. These fort battles will challenge even the most experienced Total War players, as all routes will be guarded by ambushing units, cannon redoubts and buildings garrisoned by enemy troops.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer campaign
* 1vs 1 at the moment
* A player has the ability to fight as the A.I in any battle their opponent might fight against the A.I factios.
* Campaigns can be 100 or 200 turns.
* Time limits can be set on turns.
* Autoresolve can be set for all or some battles
* Players can fight each other in multiplayer battlemap battles.
* The beta will be released at some point after the release of Empire.
* Limited beta, first come first served.
Empire Special Forces Edition
Following taken from CA's site.
In a time when a soldier’s life could be given easily and quickly, it took extreme courage and determination for a true hero to forge a reputation for themselves. Whether through harsh and highly disciplined training, generations of successful military tradition or world-leading technology, the units available as part of the Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition are among the very best of the best.
The Special Forces Edition introduces six of the most influential military forces of the 18th Century. True to the period, these exclusive elite units become available on the campaign map via a certain faction or once a specific geographical region is under control.
The Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition also includes a beautifully illustrated version of the Campaign map, showing all three theatres of war (America, Europe and India) and their connecting, highly prized trade routes.
Special Forces Units
The following elite units are included as part of the Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition. This premium packaged edition for aficionados of the Total War series comes complete with a unique Steam unlock code. Once the game is installed and verified by Steam, players can enter their code and unlock these elite units which will then appear in the single player game.
HMS Victory - The Royal Navy’s most distinguished and formidable first rate ship of the line; Lord Nelson’s 104 gun flagship is one of the most heavily armed ships of the 18th Century.
Rogers’ Rangers - Major Robert Rogers’ company of rangers are highly trained elite light infantry, specialising in reconnaissance and special operations. They are extremely mobile in even the most challenging environments.
Ottoman Organ Gun - A viciously powerful field gun, able to inflict incredible damage on the opposing army. Emphatic proof of the Ottoman Empire’s advanced knowledge of gunpowder and firearms technology.
Ghoorkas - "Better to die than be a coward" has been the motto of these elite Nepalese soldiers for centuries. Disciplined, tough and courageous, they carry a deadly 18-inch long, curved knife known as the kukri.
Corso Terrestre Guerillas - An independent light infantry guerrilla regiment, experienced in skirmish and stealth tactics. Surprise raids and ambushes are the guerillas’ favoured tactics, a way to compensate for their limited number and light armour.
Bulkeley's Regiment - A French unit of Irish mercenaries with a fearsome reputation for hardiness. Exceptionally tough and resilient, they make for a highly flexible and dependable regiment.
This version of the game retails for around £10 more than the standard version. 6 new units, a different case and a map.
You get an exclsuive unit depending on where you order from.
* Play.com - U.S.S Constitution
* Amazon.co.uk - Dahomey Amazons
* Game.co.uk - Prussian Death's Head Hussars
Useful Links
http://www.sega.co.uk/empire/ - Empire Official Site
http://uk.pc.ign.com/objects/958/958390.html - Empire at IGN
http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/empiretotalwar/index.html - Empire at Gamespot
http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/3623155/Empire-Total-War/Product.html - Buy Empire at Play.com
http://www.game.co.uk/PC/Strategy/RealTime/~r333586/Empire-Total-War/ - Buy Empire at Game.co.uk
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Empire-Total-War-PC-DVD/dp/B001ASREGO - Buy Empire at Amazon.co.uk
This list is by no means complete. If I have missed anything please tell me, I'll keep this thread updated.