Shogun: Total War is an epic real-time wargame, based on the "Sengoku Jidai" or "Age of the Country at War" period of Japanese history. During this time rival factions, led by their Daimyo (feudal warlord), battled for military supremacy. Ultimately one Daimyo united the country beneath his sword and became Shogun.
Shogun operates on two separate but seamlessly-integrated levels. The strategic level features economics, politics, military development and tactical deployment of forces. When two armies meet, the perspective cuts to the real-time 3D battlefield where players will view everything from the eyes of a scout, general or samurai. With a simple point and click interface, players control as many as five thousand individual warriors in battle.
Shogun starts simple and builds in complexity while introducing new features gradually. The user interface is refined and accessible.
Shogun can be played in a number of ways; play tactical battles, play strategy, or play the full campaign combining both. The game isn't a linear progression of missions, but an open-ended epic conquest. There will also be the option to play a quick, mission-based game. Shogun also offers a wide range of networked multiplayer experiences. For an immediate half-hour fix of battlefield action, gamers will be able to sign up as a freelance general and go straight onto the battlefield, while the strategic part of the game will enable many people to play full campaigns. There will also be an option to play individual battle scenarios, completely cutting out the strategy game.
Beginning the game as a Daimyo (feudal warlord) and controlling your own region of Japan, face the challenge of constant warfare, possible assassination, economics and food production, transport and technological development, and ultimately produce a son and heir. If there are no sons, it's the end of the family line and the end of the game. Add to this an array of complicated political maneuvers such as allying with other players, peace accords, fake treaties, spying and espionage, religious zeal and trading. The player can also deliberately cause a succession by having his aging Daimyo commit ritual suicide (Seppuku). This can be an advantage, as it builds all-important honor for the family. The honor, loyalties and alliances of the player's house are re-calculated based on the character of the son chosen as heir.
Instead of a few hundred units, Shogun has full-scale armies of tens of thousands of individual troops, each with his own AI. Each unit has its own attributes, honor and experience. The combination of these elements will make army "development" similar to the experience of character development in other games, and gamers will be much more attached to their forces.
While playing, players come across various characters who all have their own unique attributes, and can be utilized in a number of ways. Shogun features samurai, ninja, cavalry, generals, swordsmen, spies, assassins, emissaries, Dutch and Portuguese merchants, silk traders, barbarians, warrior monks, Geisha and priests. Earthquakes, famine, pestilence, Mongol raids, peasant revolts and fires can all play their part. Shogun is the first of a new breed of games that exploit the sudden increase of raw power in modern PC's, combining breathtaking 3D graphics with intuitive controls and exciting, immersive gameplay for a "Total War" experience.
2. The History Of The Sengoku Jidai
The period known as "Sengoku Jidai" or "The Age of the Country at War" was marked by almost constant civil war in Japan. Conflict persisted for centuries, but was intensified and complicated by the contact with the West and Christianity. Shogun Total War is based during this historical period and starts from a time in which all the Daimyo (feudal warlords) had a chance of becoming Shogun. The characters' names are taken from history and the relationships among them are typical of the time.
As one of the competing Daimyo, players hold the power of life and death over their troops and control vast armies of Samurai in a battle for control of Japan. The last Shogunate collapsed, leaving a nation divided into small factions, each lead by their Daimyo, who is scheming, murdering and making war in an attempt to become Shogun. The Emperor is a powerless puppet of whichever faction controls Kyoto. Into this melting pot come the first European explorers, bringing guns, disease and religion. Out of this chaos emerges one Daimyo who above all others, masters the economics, politics, subterfuge and strategy of war. He will become Shogun, military ruler of all Japan.
The game will be based around strategic warfare, individual battles, feudal economics, honor, special events and political tactics. The AI in the game is based on more than 200 rules from SunTzu's text "The Ancient Art of War" (written in 500B.C.), providing Shogun with a solid historical basis while maintaining exciting, intuitive gameplay. With consultant Dr. Stephen Turnbull, an expert historian who specializes in Samurai warfare, Shogun Total War guarantees a historically-accurate and fully-immersive gaming experience.
For more information on the history of Japan see Dr. Stephen Turnbull's website http://freespace.virgin.net/stephen.turnbull/publications.htm
3. Shogun Total War Key Features
Strategic Campaigning
Collect resources, research new unit types, build armies, negotiate alliances, spy on neighbours, assassinate enemies, invade province by province until all Japan is yours.
Tactical Action
Where two armies meet, fight it out in real-time, army-to-army, unit-to-unit, man-to-man.
Total Warfare Simulation
The Strategic Campaigning and Tactical action add up to a full and realistic simulation of warfare in 16th Century Japan
Breathtaking Panoramic 3d Landscapes
Vast open photorealistic Battle landscapes with hills gently rolling away to the horizon.
Epic Scale
Epic Battles with thousands of men on each side, each an individual
Authentic Gameplay
Samurai warfare accurately depicted at the man-to-man level scaled up to full-scale battles.
Genetic AI
Computer AI players genetically evolved using the latest AI methods. AI's continue to learn and adapt to individual user's style of play. The AI gets better even after you buy it.
Pick up and Play user interface
Simple and intuitive user interface makes the game quick and easy to get in to
Scalable 3d Technology
Supports and takes full advantage of wide range of 3d hardware, from unaccelerated to dual Voodoo 2 and beyond.
16th Century Japanese Setting
The whole Samurai era is utterly cool. The characters in the game were real, but their exploits were unbelievable.
Historically Brutal
This was one of the most brutal periods in human history, but also one of the most cultured and artistic.
Customizable strategy/action mix
Play either the strategy components, the action components, or both.
Numerous Multiplayer Options
Various mixes of strategy, action and game length, including a unique play-by-email feature
