IGN Multiplayer Q&A

[Sir Beane]

The player's first objective in this 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.

This sounds like tremendous fun!

Towns can be developed as centres of entertainment by building bawdy houses or opera houses.

Excellent! We can turn our towns into centres of music and dance. Which will make it all the more satisfying to and blow up the your enemies competing opera house. Take that cultured arts!

And how come no on has mentiond this yet?

That said, I should clarify that battles for cities take place in the outskirts rather than in the centre of cities. Siege battles are really about capturing the forts guarding the approaches to the city. The biggest forts in the game are so massive they contain quite a few buildings and are a real challenge to capture, even with the mightiest army.

To reiterate, city battles are no longer fought in the centre of the city itself. Thats a huge change.