City Battles

[Zaxxon]

Does anyone know if there are going to be actual battles in the cities? Or are there going to be cities involved in the expansion at all? In the original game there were only a few buildings at the most, and the seige aspect of the game was really limited. I hope they improve the seige warfare this time around. Also, it will be interesting to see how well the Mongol war machine fares in close quarter fighting like in city streets for example.

[solypsist]

there's a map in the current map pack called Pagoda City. check it out. It's nopt very well suited to large unit fighting, and I found it better to just wait outside the city rather than trying to fight in the streets.

[Anssi Hakkinen]

The STW pathfinding algorithm and the unit sizes are rather unsuitable for city fights. If they intended to implement the necessary changes to include cities (or to improve sieges, for that matter), I'm pretty sure they would have told us. Of course, each of us can craft his own re-enactments of the Ônin war with the map editor, but they will require a *lot* of micromanagement.

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"Yea, the proud ones are but for a moment, like an evening dream in springtime. The mighty are destroyed at the last, they are but as the dust before the wind."
- The Heike Monogatari

[BakaGaijin]

Actually, you could probably stage city fights using armies made of Kensai and Battlefield Ninja. Small unit sizes, and all. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

[BanzaiZAP]

If they ever DO choose to do urban battles, they'll really need to revamp the pathing! RIght now, it's too easy for units to get hung up on the perimiters of buildigns, cliffs, etc. The soldiers then to get strung out in a long line around the edges of the terrain, and are sitting ducks for archers or cavalry charges.

-- B)

[Anssi Hakkinen]

This is especially fun in Awa, where there's a large impassable oval area with nothing on it! Your armies just kind of bend around that spot - Feudal Japan had gravitational lenses a lot before Einstein came up with the idea. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

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"Si j'étais né en 17 à Leidenstadt / Sur les ruines d'un champ de bataille / Aurais-je été meilleur ou pire que ces gens / Si j'avais été Allemand?"
- Jean-Jacques Goldman: Né en 17 à Leidenstadt

[Laertes]

Hrm. If they ever added it, I'd hope that they also add fire arrows. I'd rather use a Churchill AVRE or a Flammenpanzer for an urban fight, but those don't exactly fit either the time or the place... ;-)

Also, it should be possible to siege a town if the defenders are ever permitted the tactical advantages it gives -- if they're waiting in ambushes in town, there are fewer (if any) protecting, say, the outlying farms, mines, and what-not.

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He is justly served; It is a poison temper'd by himself.

[solypsist]

sure, and we can just have the feudal japan equivalent of Nod pop up with a samurai cain and it's wal-t0-wall fun from there!


sigh. ..so many people just like little magpies, interested in nothing but shiny little baubles...so much for people enjoying the flavor of a game

[Anssi Hakkinen]

Don't get depressed, Solypsist-sama. We all love the game, despite the innumerable whines, and I think the "flavor" of the game is the key to this phenomenon. We may find a flaw here and there, but most of us still keep playing, because the thing we love about the game is so basic that it can't really be named or defined - it's just such a good game.

The equally innumerable suggestions for improvement are mostly just something to pass the time. "It would be très cool to have this or that feature." Some people even give up on the expansion pack, because it doesn't have some features they wanted it to have, and I find this tragic. Because, no matter what features it will or will not have, it will be the same STW, with the same "flavor", and that's the most important thing. I think none of us would be here if they didn't appreciate that, first and foremost.

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"Si j'étais né en 17 à Leidenstadt / Sur les ruines d'un champ de bataille / Aurais-je été meilleur ou pire que ces gens / Si j'avais été Allemand?"
- Jean-Jacques Goldman: Né en 17 à Leidenstadt

[edRonin]

Anssi, I think that 95% of the people who claim they will not buy the Xpack are just being dramatic and will buy it. If for no other than to complain about how it was implemented.

General question ... in the Xpack can you upgrade the Cow Chucka to a Mad Cow Chucka with flaming hoof in mouth disease http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

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All your base are belong to us

[Tenchimuyo]

Cow chuckas? This mad I tell you, Mad!

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A great warrior never reveal his true skills....

[Catiline]

Last time I tried a street battle in pagoda city the aftermath was less than pretty. At least my men died nobly. Frankly fun as it is to mess about with this sort of thing, the set piece battles are what the engines good at. The impression I have is that people want bigger maps, not more stuff on them.

I'm going to get the xpack, but it comes out during my finals I think, so it's going to be a case of buy it the day it comes outand not take the cellophane off until my exams are over. Like that's going to happen, more like 'stuff the second athenian league, I'm off pillaging Mushashi

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It's not a bug, it's a feature