Like the original game, troop morale plays an integral role in determining the outcome of conflicts but it has become more complex. While the mechanics of the battle itself seem straightforward enough, utilizing a system of command and execution that stretches as far back as the original Shogun, the biggest critical factor to the outcome of battles is one that can’t be seen. Into this mix of trees, hills and buildings stand thousands of troops, in formation, some on foot, others tucked away in the trees on horseback, waiting for a signal to move. It’s not evident at first, but an enormous amount of horsepower is being used to render the world, as Creative Assembly staff demonstrated a battle set at night where they pointed out each individual light in the environment is an independent, real time light source, The terrain sports carefully modeled trees, hills, and rural structures like huts and shacks while fortresses loom in the background.
The environments in particular demand attention. The real show-stopper however, is when the campaign stops and the fighting begins. Presumably this means that family alliances, political marriages and other factors all contribute to how your family progresses over the years during the slow rise to power. Players don’t just control a single leader, but rather control the fate of an entire family line as it battles over the years to gain control of Japan. Details on the campaign side were sparse for our behind closed doors preview, as the focus was on the battle system itself, but what was discussed was the “generational” aspect of the game. Like its predecessor, Shogun 2 is divided into two components, a real-time strategy section that oversees actual battles, and a campaign section, presumably turn-based like Shogun, where players can look at the “big picture” and negotiate, ally or declare war on various factions struggling for control, this time in 16th century Japan, in the wake of the Onin War. The sequel benefits from 10 years of advances in graphic power, with fully 3D environments and troops and an astounding 56,000 soldiers battling across the varied terrain. Shogun: Total War was a trail-blazer for its time, using the emerging 3D graphics card technologies to present a pseudo-3D experience, with real polygonal terrain combined with traditional 2D sprites for the troops to create a battle field with full camera control that supported up to 10,000 troops in conflict, an amazing feat in its day.
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