Empire: Total War Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is Empire: Total War?
Empire: Total War is the newest game in the popular Total War series, which is to be released by the folks at The Creative Assembly and published by SEGA.
How is it different from previous Total War games?
The focus is on the period of warring European colonial empires, and will feature a much larger world map than previous games. It is confirmed that the new map will take in Europe, America, and India at least. Naval combat will be introduced for the first time as a fully developed part of the game, and complete revamps of the campaign map are promised. Land battles are to be more focused on tactics and formations than previous games, as well.
What is the timespan of the game?
The rough period covered by the game will be 1700-1820, although the start and end dates may vary slightly. This will cover numerous exciting & important times in history such as the French revolution & American war of independence, not to mention the birth of the Napoleonic era.
What are the minimum requirements?
There are no released system requirements yet, but the game will run with DirectX 9.0, so Vista will not be a minimum requirement for the game. DX10 support is likely but not needed.
Is there a demo available?
No not yet but we will be linking it the minute it becomes available. It will probably have a playable battle for fans to get a taste of the action they can expect when they buy the full game.
About how much will it cost and when it is released?
The current release date is November 2008, according to Sega. The game will most likely be priced similarly to other PC games.
What is the game rated?
No rating information has been disclosed as yet.

Gameplay Information

How many and what factions are available?
At present there are 10 confirmed playable factions, all playable from the start rather than unlockable. Currently confirmed factions are Britain, Prussia, France, Spain, America and the Ottoman Empire. References to Peter the Great and Charles XII mean that Russia and Sweden are likely candidates as well. CA developers have said that the game has over 50 factions in total, but not all will be fully fleshed out. However, major factions, even non-playable ones, will be realised to a high level of detail. CA have also said that some factions will be stronger than others. There will be no artificial strengthening of weak factions in the interests of gameplay.

For players new to Total War

What exactly is the Total War series?
The immensely popular series began with Shogun: Total War in 2000. After that, in 2002, Medieval: Total War was released, then Rome: Total War followed in 2004. After over eight years in development, the current iteration is Medieval II: Total War, which was released in 2006. Empire: Total War is the forthcoming installment.The immensely popular series began with Shogun: Total War in 2000. After that, in 2002, Medieval: Total War was released, then Rome: Total War followed in 2004. After over eight years in development, the current iteration is Medieval II: Total War, which was released in 2006. Empire: Total War is the forthcoming installment.
How is the game played?
The game is played on two levels, a turn-based strategic campaign map, and a real-time tactical battle map which is entered whenever combat occurs between the player's armies and an AI force. Each level of the game is dealt with in some detail, allowing in-depth management of cities and armies both.
What is the campaign map?
The campaign map is a game in itself. It allows you to administrate settlements, armies, and conduct diplomacy between factions. There will be a great wealth of new features in Empire: Total War compared to the other games, from minor interface changes, to the addition of colonies and a much larger map than in previous titles. The systems of city management and army recruitment have both been highlighted as areas which are changing significantly.
What is the battle map?
When you attack or defend against an enemy army, you may choose to fight the battle yourself, controlling your army or fleet against the foe[s]. This is where the graphics and most of the gameplay really shines. It is another 'plane', and you must use tactics to overcome your opponents as opposed to old-style RTS tank rushes. The addition of naval battles will require entirely different tactics from previous Total War games. You will have to account for aspects such as wind speed & direction as well as having your ships facing the right way in order to deliver devastating broadsides. With land battles, there are also huge changes. Gone is the old 'spears beat cavalry' tactical thinking and in comes clever use of formations, such as infantry squares for defending from cavalry & lines to deliver deadly fire upon enemy ranks. Artillery will also be critically important.

Other Questions

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The Empire: Total War Screenshots Gallery
If you want to see some great screenshots of the game, visit the Screenshots Gallery.