ships

[sassbarman]

I havn't seen it mentioned anywhere,does anyone know what role ships will play. Will there be naval battles you can control or will they just transport troops or what?

[DrNo]

Ships are used in a combat sense to keep open trade routes. No actual onscreen battles though http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/frown.gif

I'm sure Darkmoor can post alot more about this.

[Darkmoor_Dragon]

No onscreen battles As DrNo says - all the abattles are auto resolved but your "admirals" do get command increases for winning battles and you can "build" better admirals by building certain buildings (Admiralty).

Ships and fleets are pretty important as the control of sea lanes influence both trade and army movements.

You trade via ports and sea lanes which can be blockaded by any enemy ships in any of the sea "provinces" - any opposing faction ship in a sea lane (enemey, neutral or allied) will block troop transportation though.

You can effectively cripple an opposing faction by blocking their trade routes as trade income is so important - an is a "winning" condition in the Glorious Achievement mode of gameplay for many factions.

So - no controllable battles but a big factor in campaign game play.

[Darkmoor_Dragon]

Answer to the other ship thread Q that was misposted;

You build ships individually and can stack them to form a fleet - the ships really represent that you control that sea-route rather than a per-man cargo capacity so a single ship in each sea area to your destination will do fine - although such an arrangment is easy to stop also with another single enemy ship.

In some ways the ships side of things is maybe a little "Lightweight" but its also quicka nd simple, easy to grasp and seems to work well in the context of the campaign game - its adds another strategic layer in the movement of troops and makes trade empires and wars/blockades feasible and important - yet it doesnt make it into a naval-sim in the process.

Its a nice addition and whilst it would benice for movies of the action or even direct involvement perhaps that's straying a bit from the Total War concept or focus on land battles... who knows maybe the franchise will go forward and we'll one day also see naval battles as playable - for now though i think it would a bridge too far.

[Vanya]

Total War 3 will include taking command of naval engagements as well as those on land.

Total War 666 will allow you to change the fate of mankind by allowing you to replay the battle of Armageddon. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/tongue.gif

I think wet gunny wedgies will be the least of your fears in that grandiose installment... http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/biggrin.gif

[Wavesword]

We'll be duelling over quantum flucuations in the first nanoseconds of the universe by then, and the time travel machines will ruin game balance.

[Darkmoor_Dragon]

Vernor Vinge eat yer heart out! ;-)