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Thread: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

  1. #1

    Default A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Hi everyone, I thought I'd drop a link to a thread I've got on the official forums detailing my playthrough of a Shimazu campaign. I am also answering questions and there are more campaign updates on the last page.

    You can find it here
    Unit Design Lead

    Disclaimer: Any views or opinions expressed here are those of the poster and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The Creative Assembly or SEGA.

  2. #2
    Moderator Moderator Gregoshi's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Thanks for the link Jack. Nice write up.

    I'm afraid we are going to have to deduct some honour points for playing "gamey" to save your capital. Tsk tsk. Though it wouldn't have been much of a campaign write-up if you hadn't.
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  3. #3
    Nobody expects the Senior Member Lemur's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Liking the screenies. I don't suppose you could fire up Fraps and give us a short video of the campaign map? Not even if we begged and wheedled? How about if we stare at you adoringly with big anime eyes?

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    Senior Member Senior Member Barkhorn1x's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Good reading - great amount of details given.
    "Après moi le déluge"

  5. #5

    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    How about if we stare at you adoringly with big anime eyes?
    If with big twinkling anime eyes? :)

    Thanks Jack for this nice write up. The setting certainly suits the TW format - all out war right from the start without having to secretly nag to yourself how come you got half of Eastern Europe in 10 turns.

    Patiently awating for the game itself.

    One question; you mentioned at some point that you disbanded your early armies to make financial room. Can the AI do teh same?
    And if the answer is no, why do you guys still include this in your games? It just gives a 1up financial versatility to the player and takes out a level of management as the player does not have to live with his recruiting choices, financially speaking, as the AI does.
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    Heaps Gooder Member aimlesswanderer's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Looking good, but man, do I ever hope it's actually way better than ETW when I finally get my hands on it!
    "All things are born from darkness, and all things return to darkness". Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind


  7. #7
    Shadow Senior Member Kagemusha's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Thanks for posting this Jack! Lots of good information coming straight from the diary and the answers you have given to various questions from the Com members. One question if i may. How many years have passed in your campaign from what you have posted so far?
    Last edited by Kagemusha; 02-18-2011 at 14:21.
    Ja Mata Tosainu Sama.

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    Member Member Ituralde's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    In the summary screen he posted you can see that he is 47 turns into the game. Divided by four gives 12 years!

    Link to the summary screen:
    https://imageshack.us/f/37/shimazu6.jpg/
    The lions sing and the hills take flight.
    The moon by day, and the sun by night.
    Blind woman, deaf man, jackdaw fool.
    Let the Lord of Chaos rule.

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  9. #9
    Shadow Senior Member Kagemusha's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Quote Originally Posted by Ituralde View Post
    In the summary screen he posted you can see that he is 47 turns into the game. Divided by four gives 12 years!

    Link to the summary screen:
    https://imageshack.us/f/37/shimazu6.jpg/
    Thanks Ituralde! I missed that screen completely.
    Ja Mata Tosainu Sama.

  10. #10
    The Count of Bohemia Senior Member Cecil XIX's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    By far the most impressive part of this preview is the multiple choice events you can get. There's a lot of possibility in those. I wonder if you can make them triggered based on certain conditions, and what the limits are on the different kind of consequences they can dish out. Could they have more than two options? It's underreported, once we get the game we might find that it's under-used, but this could easy be Shogun 2's biggest new feature.

  11. #11

    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Judging from the diary, the AI is still as braindead as it was in previous titles. Leaving its capital undefended on the start-map or rushing into uphill melee while having numerical and missile superiority aren't exactly signs of even basic improvement, to give but two examples.

    The comments I found most entertaining were these two:

    "Some of the guys at the office lost some campaigns, so we slightly penaltised the AI on Normal difficulty".

    No kidding, someone lost? That is surely a sing of a bad game that won't sell much, let's quickly screw the AI in some way that makes perfect sense, like halving its income and battle stats so that 8 year-olds will never lose a battle or, God forbid, a campaign. And if some people want a really great AI, we'll give +20 to all its units and triple its income and turn it into a real genius.


    And the other one about Jack winning that first battle (where he was outnumbered and out-matched missile-wise), because "he knows exactly how the game works".

    So, a missile-heavy army that rushes to melee against a melee-heavy enemy that waits at the top of a hill is the result of a great AI that just got outmatched by an expert of the game who put his knowledge of the battle mechanics to good use. Right.



    For the record, the game does look very aesthetically pleasing. If only aesthetics was what matters in a strategy game! I really hope the series will again someday have a title where winning is not compulsory and some strategy/tactis are actually required.

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  12. #12
    the G-Diffuser Senior Member pevergreen's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Quote Originally Posted by Aradan View Post
    No kidding, someone lost? That is surely a sing of a bad game that won't sell much, let's quickly screw the AI in some way that makes perfect sense, like halving its income and battle stats so that 8 year-olds will never lose a battle or, God forbid, a campaign. And if some people want a really great AI, we'll give +20 to all its units and triple its income and turn it into a real genius.
    I don't think they should have, but I feel obliged to point out the penalties are only on the campaign, normal battle difficulty is balanced.
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  13. #13

    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    http://forums.totalwar.com/showthrea...l=1#post110821

    New updates from Jack yesterday, in case anyone still following missed it

  14. #14
    The Abominable Senior Member Hexxagon Champion Monk's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Quote Originally Posted by xploring View Post
    http://forums.totalwar.com/showthrea...l=1#post110821

    New updates from Jack yesterday, in case anyone still following missed it
    And here I thought he was done updating! Yeah!

    Thanks for the heads up xploring.

    edit: Holy ******* there are some big powers in his game. The Mori are getting frightening. Ugh! I shouldn't be reading this. It's gonna make waiting that much harder.
    Last edited by Monk; 03-01-2011 at 19:20.

  15. #15

    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    just thought i would post another example to the random events that can happen, while playing the free campaign i got a surplus harvest event where i had the choice to either distribute it which helped growth and happiness or horde it which protects against starvation for 10 turns or something, i choose to distribute it then had a shortage of food 3 turns later haha!

    im liking these random events speciall some of the ones jack has shown in his game. they add a bit of flavour.
    "How come i cant make friends like that"
    "You need to get out more"
    "Im in another galaxy, how much more out can i get"

  16. #16

    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    ...
    Last edited by xploring; 03-04-2011 at 11:44.

  17. #17
    Last edited by xploring; 03-04-2011 at 19:24.

  18. #18

  19. #19
    Member Member Zarky's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Quote Originally Posted by xploring View Post
    That one answered my worries about naval landings: The army was large but very late in game (+100 turns) delivered by a (relatively) strong fleet. Though the location was far off, it was mainly because at that point it was basically everyone vs. Shimazus.
    I'm rather pleased with the campaign diary and can't wait to get my hands on the actual game...
    Homo Sapiens non Urinat in Ventum - the wise man does not piss against the wind.

  20. #20

    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Quote Originally Posted by Zarky View Post
    That one answered my worries about naval landings: The army was large but very late in game (+100 turns) delivered by a (relatively) strong fleet. Though the location was far off, it was mainly because at that point it was basically everyone vs. Shimazus.
    I'm rather pleased with the campaign diary and can't wait to get my hands on the actual game...
    Yes it seems like they may have finally nailed naval invasions. the look like how they shud be, big fleets, big armies, long way behind your lines making it tough to deal with.

    im very excited having read the diary seems like his camp was quite challenging and fun. 6 days to go :O fun fun

    edit: one that remains to be seen is if some random faction who is not at war with u will declare just to land a massive army miles behind your line :S
    "How come i cant make friends like that"
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  21. #21
    Member Member Zarky's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Quote Originally Posted by knoddy View Post
    edit: one that remains to be seen is if some random faction who is not at war with u will declare just to land a massive army miles behind your line :S
    Indeed that is the final worry but I believe it's more of a diplomatic issue.

    My plan essentially is to send a ship around the map discovering clans early in game and then choose the biggest far away clan or few smaller ones as my allies. AI should be smart enough now to understand that declaring war on player should cause war with players allies as well.
    Homo Sapiens non Urinat in Ventum - the wise man does not piss against the wind.

  22. #22

    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    yea hopefully they dont just declare on you for nothing like previous tw's. i understand and like that there is different factors that effect your relations with others like religion and war with allies and stuff like that but i used to hate it when factions on the other side of the map declare on u. there shud be a factor in the calculations to stop them declaring on you if they are nowhere near your land!
    "How come i cant make friends like that"
    "You need to get out more"
    "Im in another galaxy, how much more out can i get"

  23. #23
    Heaps Gooder Member aimlesswanderer's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Quote Originally Posted by knoddy View Post
    yea hopefully they dont just declare on you for nothing like previous tw's. i understand and like that there is different factors that effect your relations with others like religion and war with allies and stuff like that but i used to hate it when factions on the other side of the map declare on u. there shud be a factor in the calculations to stop them declaring on you if they are nowhere near your land!
    Unless the AI really is fantastic (one can hope), one of the easiest ways to make the game harder on the highest difficulties (along with extra $, boosted stats, etc for AI) is to have more AIs at war with you. Though I agree that it shouldn't be totally random, as in previous games. But on the hardest difficulty, I think you should expect that random factions may declare war for no apparent reason.
    "All things are born from darkness, and all things return to darkness". Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind


  24. #24
    Member Member Zarky's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Quote Originally Posted by aimlesswanderer View Post
    Unless the AI really is fantastic (one can hope), one of the easiest ways to make the game harder on the highest difficulties (along with extra $, boosted stats, etc for AI) is to have more AIs at war with you. Though I agree that it shouldn't be totally random, as in previous games. But on the hardest difficulty, I think you should expect that random factions may declare war for no apparent reason.
    My problem with the random DoWs (in Empire at least) is because AI declares war without the intention/capability of actually invading me. They then end up sending tiny armies mostly capable of raiding buildings and then dying soon after.
    I don't mind being hated by every other nation/clan in the game, but I'd like them to mean it when they express their hate
    So AI should wait until it can actually do something. Unless of course they are pulled into war by their allies whom they don't want to lose/piss off.
    Homo Sapiens non Urinat in Ventum - the wise man does not piss against the wind.

  25. #25

    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    i agree the AI should not declare if it has no capacity to actually invade. otherwise it just ends up getting its but kicked. i dont agree that it makes it harder if on harder difficulties if all the ai clans/factions declare on you when they cant invade it doesnt make it harder just makes it more annoying haha.usually they invade with like stacks of 3-4 units. i havnt had a decent fight from teh AI since Medieval 1. gone are the days where you would face 10+ full stacks when fighting the AI.
    "How come i cant make friends like that"
    "You need to get out more"
    "Im in another galaxy, how much more out can i get"

  26. #26
    Heaps Gooder Member aimlesswanderer's Avatar
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    Default Re: A Shimazu Campaign Diary

    Quote Originally Posted by Zarky View Post
    My problem with the random DoWs (in Empire at least) is because AI declares war without the intention/capability of actually invading me. They then end up sending tiny armies mostly capable of raiding buildings and then dying soon after.
    I don't mind being hated by every other nation/clan in the game, but I'd like them to mean it when they express their hate
    So AI should wait until it can actually do something. Unless of course they are pulled into war by their allies whom they don't want to lose/piss off.
    True, I couldn't play ETW for very long as the constant stream of 2 unit stacks which attacked in exactly the same place and got massacred the same each turn pissed me off. Autocalc meant I lost ridiculous numbers of troops, so had to fight it myself each time. That's why I played ETW the least of any TW game by many hundreds of hours. I am reeeeeally hoping that STW2 isn't so annoying.

    But if the AI can do something useful, I don't mind more DoWs. If the STW2 AI sends 2 unit stacks each turn, I am not sure if I will ever buy a TW game again until someone has modded it.
    "All things are born from darkness, and all things return to darkness". Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind


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