New Shogun readme at the com

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Actually, it's not that new, because it was posted on the 20th. But since I can't find a thread about it here, I'd thought I'd post it, or at least, the updated part of it:

Q. Will there be any improvements to the battle or campaign AI in the expansion?

A.Improvements are a constant and ongoing process.

Q. Will there be improvements to the diplomatic engine in the expansion?

A. See previous answer.

Q There are many console commands that can only be accessed by scripting, but not with in-game console menu. What was reasoning for this? Any chance to get all of them "unlocked" in expansion (good for MOD testing).

A. Some can, some can't. And yes, there were reasons: console commands that can be accessed by scripting were needed for the prologue; those that weren't, can't. It's unlikely that the console commands will change much for the expansion. We're not doing another prologue because if you get BI you already know how to play the game and have played the prologue anyway.

Q.. It has been commented on the .Com boards that the issues within RTW would be corrected in the expansion. Will a patch with these corrections be released at the same time for the people that have bought RTW but do not want to buy the expansion?

A. There will be an announcement concerning the load / save issue, the expansion pack and a definitive statement on any chance of a patch regarding this issue. This will not be announced until some after E3. I am sorry it's not going to be any earlier. This is not a 'one dimensional issue' and I am not trying to fob you off, but I am not in a position to make a clear statement at the moment and I won't be able to do so for at least a couple of weeks. As soon as I can I will. As for the TWC FAQ the first part of the answers will go up on the official forums on Friday.


Q. What would you characterize as the best improvement(s) of the Barbarian Invasion expansion pack over the original Rome: Total War game?

A. Everyone working on the expansion would give you a different answer on that one. You'll have to make up your own minds about it.

Q. Will CA include Campaign Map Editor in expansion?

A. No. According to the bloke who wrote the campaign map editor, there are tools out there already that are actually jolly good.

Q.. Is there any chance for MP Campaign in expansion?

A. No. Apart from anything else, you wouldn't live long enough to play one, unless you are expecting to have a greatly extended life span.

Q.. If not, at least a Hot seat multiplayer, with player vs. player battles auto calculated (should not be too difficult to make, since game is turn-base oriented)?

A. No. That's not the thrust of the expansion.

Q. Which things that are currently hardcoded do you plan on changing (e.g. number of men per unit, faction limit, number of factions that are controlled by the Senate?)

A.None. The way factions are managed is more flexible now, but that's something that most people won't notice. Actually, the Senate is gone in BI; by the late 300s they were no longer a significant force in Roman politics, so they won't be 'controlling' anyone.

Q. Will there be improvements to the AI prioritization on the campaign map (avoid attacking when defeat is certain, especially desperate attempt to relieve sieges)

A. AI programming is an art as much as a science, and this aspect the game is constantly tweaked during development and after.

Q.. Do you plan on making heterogeneous units a possibility? E.G make the unit consists of a selection of unit models and randomly give all of these men a selection of various weapons. Such a feature would be particularly good for Barbarian or Peasant units.

A. No. Every extra model within a unit is the equivalent of a new unit type on the battlefield in terms of graphics, and this kind of thing could completely overwhelm some graphics cards.

Q. Do you plan on reintroducing the provincial campaigns, of which we have seen remains in the data files, to R: TW? E.g.: Caesars Campaign in Gaul, Scipio¡¦s Campaign, Hannibal in Italy, The Pyrrhic Wars.

A. No. There are no plans at present to reintroduce the provincial campaigns.

Q: What will be the next expansion & next TW game?

A: We’ll be making an announcement about the expansion pack shortly. Indeed, it might already have happened by the time you’re reading this answer. As to what the next full TW game will be… Sorry, not quite yet. We have plans and plans for after the first lot of plans are carried out.

Q: Any hope for a Napoleonic TW?

A: There’s always hope! Let’s face it: this would be an outstanding period for a TW title, as it has everything you might want as source material for such a game. On the other hand, we refuse to be limited in what we can consider as a good subject for a TW game. Even the most enthused and clever suggestions on the forums haven’t quite matched one or two of the ideas that have been tossed back and forth inside the gates!


Q: What is the situation on campaign battle replays? I want to know what we should expect in regards to this missing feature, i.e. some miracle patch or future expansion.

A: We hadn’t realised just how popular this feature had been in earlier titles, and we now know that it’s something that many people want to see in Rome. The code base for Rome: Total War is very different from what has gone before, and it was not written with a replay feature in mind. There is no ‘miracle’ patch that can put this feature into the game. However, now that we know it’s important to a lot of people we are planning to reintroduce the replay feature in future games.

Q: Since the patches were cut short on RTW, when the expansion comes out, will the team be dedicated to fixing all bugs for both games before moving on to the next project? I know you did your best to fix all the problems in RTW, but as is the case with all patches, there are different bugs that pop up. I am curious if you will support the game and expansion until all bugs are fixed, or are you going to set a limit of 2 or so again.

A: This isn’t an issue over which CA has much control. Patches have to go to Activision for approval, and the level of support offered for any expansion pack is entirely a matter for them. If they want patches, we can assign the people needed to do the work.

Q: Will path finding be a major focus in the expansion?

A: We’re looking at many areas of game code, and battlefield behaviour is one part of that. We’re always striving to make the games better, and pathfinding is always on the ‘to do’ list - it’s one of those chunks of code that always gets refined even when it’s ‘finished’.


Q: I know all games have path finding problems, but considering RTW holds the largest battles, path finding is very important. I know the cities were built for normal unit combat, but huge size has many path finding problems in cities. Currently, it is next to impossible to make a unit charge even when it is settled on a street in ready position.

A: See the previous answer.


Q: Any plans to deepen the strategy map side of things in the Total War series - making it more like the Civilization series? An official collaboration with Sid Meier-san. called Civilization: Total War would be nice, but failing that a cheeky rip-off would not be amiss. I appreciate this would not be universally popular with the existing clientele, but it would create the mother of all strategy games, surely?

A: Sounds like a dream game for some people! Civilization is a great game, but it’s not really got a huge overlap with Total War when you analyze all the gameplay elements in each title. Currently there are no plans for an official collaboration with Mr Meier.


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