Best Guess On Release Date

[Tomisama]

Has anyone got any clue as to when we might see this game?

I mean the engine was already there (if I am correct), and these guys are getting very good at putting theses things together.

Any rumors on a target date, or a best guess?

[Monk]

It'll be a while yet, most sources i've seen estimate some time next year. SEGA's press site claims a very vague "2011"

[Gregoshi]

Perhaps the two biggest must-get-rights are the AI and multi-player and so far CA has indicated their importance but have provided no details on them yet. I'd hope CA hammers these out until they are right. A Blizzard-like "when they are ready" release date would be welcome - but tough to wait for.

[pevergreen]

I mean the engine was already there (if I am correct), and these guys are getting very good at putting theses things together.

What engine? You mean the one that they said they are not using, since they're creating a new one?

I'd put a guess for either just over a year from now (mid August) or mid Feb again.

[drone]

As long as they don't try to rush it out for the holidays...

[Cecil XIX]

As long as they don't try to rush it out for the holidays...

Indeed, I'm hoping it's later rather than sooner so they can get things right.

[Skullheadhq]

They should take their time,Q1 2012 sounds like a good date

[caravel]

What engine? You mean the one that they said they are not using, since they're creating a new one?

Link?

[pevergreen]

A very short translation: The game was demonstrated on the same computer as NTW. The game is pre alpha and without optimization. Also the game will be playable on older computers because it is very scalable. CA claims that It should be possible to play on the same computer as the original Shogun [sic]. Lets hope that this is true.

I can't read dutch unfortunately, so I'm going purely off this translation here (I trust you more than any online translator)

That does not mean it is on the same engine, that simply means than an unoptimised version of the game can play on the same specs.

Going back, take a look at this:

Its no being released for 6 months...

The simple fact that they have improved so much so quickly makes me sad. This should have been E:TW.

Regardless, if they are releasing their evolution so quickly, their next revolution must not be that far off... Think 2011/2012 for...Shogun and Rome 2?

My evidence for why this is a new engine:

Napoleon Total War will build on the engine and framework of Empire Total War, but will add a whole host of new features and extra touches that the developers didn't have time to include in the first game. Kieran Brigden, Communications Manager at Creative Assembly, explains: "The way that Total War development works is we do a kind of evolution-revolution cycle. We create revolutionary technology for one title - in this case Empire, which had a brand new engine written from the ground up - and all new AI. Then, for the next game, we take that technology and evolve it - in this case with Napoleon. We've taken everything we've achieved with Empire and Empire's engine and just pushed it to the limit. Napoleon is essentially the culmination of what we wanted to do with Empire, given the time to take it further."

source: http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/101/1014877p1.html

I've not seen them say its the same engine, and I don't see why they would change their business model now, after stressing it so many times in interviews.

[caravel]

Thanks pevergreen. I'm wondering when this revolution-evolution spiel first manifested itself? I remember that prior to M2TW's release, nothing was said about it not being a new engine. I seem to remember a lot of people at the .com thinking it was a new "from the ground up" release. These kind of myths are often propogated by clever marketing (the reader/viewer makes an assumption) and before you know it, everyone is parroting it.

I also doubt that ETW was entirely built from scratch on a whole new engine as they claim. I understand that compiled binaries and other data files are strored differently, but I have a little bit of trouble believing a developer would bin millions of lines of code and start again from the beginning to rebuild what is essentially the same game with a makeover and a few more bells and whistles twice (TW comprises of no less than two game engines - three if you include the naval battles).

[pevergreen]

True, but I do think they exhaust the limit of what they can do with the current engine. I'm sure much of the code can be reused, but the base platform perhaps is changed. I'm not knowledgeable about game engines, so...

[Monsieur Alphonse]

About the engine look at this interview: http://games.on.net/article/9774/Com...un_2_Total_War Especially this part:

Yurtles: I've heard that Shogun 2 is using a heavily modified Empire Total War engine and I know for a fact that individual hand to hand fighting between combatants is back (like Empire had). Does this mean melee battles will remain significantly protracted affairs similar to what Empire's melee fights were, or will we be seeing a return to faster rates of dying like we saw using the Rome/Medieval 2 engine?

James Russel: We do look closely at this, and it needs to be balanced carefully. Too fast, and there’s insufficient time to respond to unfolding situations and really enjoy certain core tactical dilemmas (e.g., when do I commit an extra unit to this or that melee?); too slow and the drama and tension is reduced, and the impact of certain shock tactics and units isn’t fully reflected. I think the best answer is that it depends: high attack and high charge units will produce faster results in melee, but high defence units (e.g., yari samurai) will be able to last quite some time.

A cynic could say that the ETW engine thing isn't confirmed but it isn't denied either.

About the release date: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shogun-Total...1013032&sr=8-1. May be March 2011 or somewhere around that.

[caravel]

True, but I do think they exhaust the limit of what they can do with the current engine. I'm sure much of the code can be reused, but the base platform perhaps is changed. I'm not knowledgeable about game engines, so...

I would agree that a game engine can reach "end of life" and cease to become useful, but the TW real time battle engine has not changed that much.

The battle engine is basically the same animal since Shogun. RTW was oviously a ground up rebuild, due to the 3D modelling in place of the old sprite graphics and many other changes to the interface, controls and "AI". This is why RTW shipped to the end user chock full of bugs and is still buggy today.

M2TW used the same battle engine as RTW with the addition of the animation based combat. My point is that improvements like those seen in ETW and NTW can still be "bolted on" without actually rebuilding from scratch. In the past many games had the option of a Direct3D, OpenGL or Software renderer. The engine was compatible with both APIs and also had the option of software mode. Nowadays PC games developers mainly only code for Direct3D. This means that when new DirectX features become available, it simply needs adding support for these features to the source and recompiling - there is no need to bin the whole lot and rebuild from scratch. That's actually the whole point of programming a game using an API like DirectX. This is why I doubt that ETW/NTW is a 100% rebuild of both engines.

[Andres]

About the release date: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shogun-Total...1013032&sr=8-1. May be March 2011 or somewhere around that.

It says "This item will be released on March 25, 2011." That's my birthday

Good omen

[Tomisama]

It says "This item will be released on March 25, 2011." That's my birthday

Good omen

Indeed it is

Thanks gents, now I will be able to plan Clan Wars community competitions so that they won't colide with the arival.

Napoleon rides for another season

And also sails, as there is resurgent interest in a naval contest


Watch for sign up notices.

Thanks again!

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

Right after my 19th birthday which is on March 11 :).

[Jochi Khan]

and here.. http://www.dvd.co.uk/buy/catsho2pc/s...tal-war-pc.htm it says Release date March 25th 2011

[Shigemasa Oyamada]

That's right after my birthday too

[Prussian to the Iron]

December 20, 2012.

Enjoy your one and only day of Shogun 2

:D

[Phog_of_War]

December 20, 2012.

Enjoy your one and only day of Shogun 2

:D

Lol, do you really believe that stuff? Personally I think thats when the aliens will return to Earth, but thats just me I suppose. :-D

[andrewt]

and here.. http://www.dvd.co.uk/buy/catsho2pc/s...tal-war-pc.htm it says Release date March 25th 2011

I hope it's not that soon. CA needs to take their time like Blizzard instead of rushing titles out the door. That date is so soon it will almost certainly beat the Diablo 3 beta release, and that game was announced years ago.