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[doc_bean]

Link

[Peasant Phill]

thanks for the link.

It doesn't mention anything new but I really like the passage about the AI, morale (longer battles) and the one remembering earlier diplomatic actions. Reassurance.

[ride the lightning]

It's great, CA finally talks about Diplomacy and Environmental effects (they better be very important!), but I wish they would show some previews of the campaign Map and the New World.

[Puzz3D]

While many of the new visual additions are basically for immersion and entertainment, there are some improvements to gameplay that are represented very visually as well. One of the big ones is the inclusion of impassable terrain.

Impassable terrain has been in all the total war games.

What's also intriguing is Creative Assembly's mention that AI is being set to be much more tactically competitive this time around.

They finally admit the battle AI in RTW/BI isn't competitive. Here's a suggestion: incorporate the battle AI from STW which can run circles around the RTW/BI battle AI.

While it might have been realistic to expect mortal men to freak out and run away from certain death, CA found it wasn't necessarily the best for fun gameplay.

After being told 10,000 times that the battles were too fast, they finally admit it.

While the real-time tactical battles in the Total War series get much of the face time in screens and videos, the meat of the experience is actually in the turn-based strategy meta-game.

What?

Diplomacy in general has been heavily updated to come across as even easier to manage and more fun to take part in. One of the best things about the process is perhaps the improved AI that will actually remember previous dealings this time around.

So, intentionally designing the AI in RTW/BI to not remember what it did wasn't such a great idea afterall. I hope the AI's new memory remembers what it did between savegames.

Finally, fans of the Total War series can make a happy note that assassination videos have made their way back into the series.

Removing them was supposedly an improvement over STW. Now putting them back in is an improvement? Maybe they should look at STW more closely to find additional improvements.

[Brighdaasa]

@puzz3D: exactly my thoughts

like, where the hell do they get the nerve to include impassable terrain as a new feature?

if it's true about the slower battle speed and improved ai, this game might actually be worthy of my support again

[Martok]

I was happy to see the AI get talked about. Also nice to see that weather apparently will actually affect battles again.

[Joshwa]

@puzz3D: exactly my thoughts

like, where the hell do they get the nerve to include impassable terrain as a new feature?

Maybe marshes, areas of dense vegetation or big rocks etc

[Oaty]

Impassable terrain has been in all the total war games.

Well hopefully the impassable terrain is more enhanced, 70 degree slopes that soldiers could walk on in STW an RTW. That degree of a slope was just an exploit on the A.I. Hopefully the terrain will have more impassable terrain such as flat swamps/rocky area so it can be used as flank protection.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

The morale issue isn't necessarily so cool. It sounds like they could just be minimizing morale's effects. The speed of the battles I think was first and foremost movemenet and killing, not routing. Chivalry TW (since the old release, at least) had very delicate morale but units moved slower and killed slower. It was certainly better than RTW.

Morale isn't the only way to slow battles; only changing that specific factor I think would backfire - arcade mode, anyone?

EDIT

Thankfully a feature has already been added to allow you to see what kind of reaction other leaders are likely to give to your offers before they're proposed.

Wow. A feature I didn't know of before AND actually wanted! A miracle!

I am excited about E3 for MTW2, though. Maybe some tasty brain-washing video.