Shogun: Total War

I know, it's not out yet, but the demo is... Anyone tried it? Is this the game we've been waiting for in order to bring RTS and TBS together?

[Seeker]

It looks great...like every Akira Kurowawa movie rolled into one!

Did you try the demo? What are the best tactics to use in the only "real" scenario (Learn from the Past)? I've won, barely, a few times, but I generally lose.

It's somewhere in between the complexity of Gettysburg and a simple RTS. Each group of solidiers acts as a "unit" and can be selected either by clicking on them or by clicking at their "flag" at the bottom of the screen. Using a right-click menu or the row of buttons near the top of the screen you issue orders. There are three "formations"- Wedge, "close" (Which is a customisable formation changeable very easily- you click where you want the unit to go and drag until you get the appropriate foramtion and direction), and "loose" (for avoiding arrows, basically). There are also "group formations" that move your troops correctly for a flanking manouvre, a direct attack, for skirmish attacks, or for defense.

You move fast by single-clicking, slowly by double-clicking. That is also how you attack- Double click the enemy to charge. Right click to fire projectile weapons. You move the camera using the arrow keys and right-clicks to focus the camera. It's really easy to use, once you get used to it. Pointing at a unit will give all the info you need in terms of fatigue, morale, winning chances and so on.

It's quite possible to play it just as a straight RTS- click a unit to select it, click at the enemy to attack it, or click on the terrain somewhere to move there. The added complexity of charging, formations and so on are just extras.

Of course, the tactics are semi-complex, but it's the kind you will know if you've ever seen Braveheart- Do not storm standing spearmen with your light cavalry, for instance...

[Cthol]

how do you control the troops? sorta like in gettysburg?

[Youngsun]

This game is exactly what I have been waiting for a long time.

When I play "Learn from the Past" I never try to use my cavalry to engage samurai spearmen. I think samurai spearmen are too strong against cavalry.

The AI is pretty predictable. Enemy samurai spearmen always chase my cavalry so I send my mounted force further away from the main battlefield and enemy SS slowly follow it then I attack the enemy mounted force with my SS. While I'm doing that I never let my mounted force get engaged with the enemy SS. You have to be careful to maintain right distance from the chasers otherwise they loose the interest of chasing my cavalry. Once two enemy SS are further away from the main battlefield, I recall my two cavalry at the double into the main battlefiled to smash enemy light samurai. Enemy SS can not catch up the speed of my mounted force. By time the enemy light samurai get routed my SS gain slight victory over the enemy cavalry so now I have almost perfect two cavalry,2 moderately injured SS, 2 moderately injured light samurai units while the enemy has only two perfect SS. The rest is up to your imagination "Slaughter"!. The initial deployement is very important to make this trick successful.

I agree about the Samurai Spearmen. They are always way too powerful against the enemy cavalry, even the expensive heavy one. According to the tutorial messages, they are supposed to be effective when entrenched... I must say that the difference is not that noticeable.

Sounds like a good tactic... Have you found a use for the Horse Archers yet?

[Youngsun]

There are 3types of spearmen in "Shogun".

Samurai spear(samurai armed with long spear)
Ashigaru spear(Peasant conscripts armed with spear)
Naginata{regular trooper armed with broad-sword like spear("Dao" in Chinese)}

I think SS is the strongest and it can be the counterpart of European halberdier/Pikemen.

Ashigaru spearmen(yeomen)are the weakest I guess.

Naginata is somewhere between above two.

Horse archer? I use them as I do other types of cavalry by drawing out enemy SS from the main battlefield but with an order given as "Skirmish" so they always keep the right distance from charging SS automatically. Horse archers are also good at eliminating enemy light samurai though not as good as yari/heavy cavalry. Yari is my favourite.

AI always send two SS at the centre and cavalry on both the right and left so I deploy two cavalry at centre and disperse my SS to the right and left with one light samurai unit each. Then I order My two SS to charge the enemy cavalry(this moment is very critical) and also get my two cavalry close to enemy SS to prevent they help engaged mounted comrades. Once you succede this then slowly retreat your cavalry backward the enemy SS will definitely follow the cavalry.
Today I used this little trick and gained 7 overwhelming victories out of eight.

[Youngsun]

Sick and tired of seeing same battlefield season?

Go to "textures" directory then find "splines" directory and replace "summer" directory files by winter/spring whatever you like! remember to have backup file for summer season!

Samurai spearmen too strong? Go to textures directory and find men subdirectory then you can see Arqu/Ashi/Cav1,etc. If you want to see Ashigaru spearmen in action then copy all the files and a directory(spear)from Ashi directory to SamS directory then rename them as SamS.bif, SamS.lbm,etc. then you can see Ashigaru spearmen instead of Samurai spearmen in the battlefield of "learn from the past". They are little bit weaker than SS so enjoy your battle with cavalry supremacy! Same principle goes with Naginata,Warrior monk,No Dachi,etc. But these units have no spear directories so when you use them delete the spear directory.

I tries to add more units into the battlefield but it was not successful due to edit log or something. Anybody can break that?
[This message has been edited by Youngsun (edited March 25, 2000).]