Another month and change, and another demo of Empire: Total War. Not to sound like we're weary of it; quite the contrary. But in light of the recent news of its delay, we just want to play the thing already. This recent demo, hosted by Creative Assembly's Kieran Brigden, provided a deeper look at the game's strategic portion, particularly, the ways in which your "agents" will interact and conspire on the world map. We also had a chance to check out the game's narrative campaign mode, titled "The Road to Independence."
Notable Personages
Empire: Total War will feature three distinct kinds of key players in its strategic game, each meant to fulfill specific purposes: gentlemen, generals, and rakes. Generals will govern your armies, and the more capable they are, the more benefits they'll confer to the units they command. While you'll be able to recruit generals fairly easily, the more you do so, the worse the candidates you'll churn out. This inverse progression is meant to represent the lowering standards that come along with willy-nilly military promotion, so do so at your own discretion.
Gentlemen fulfill two key roles. First, if you install them in an institution or industry, they'll increase its productivity. Secondly, they're able to challenge other agents to duels. In the content of Empire, duels are a legitimate way to eliminate a rival agent, thereby depriving your opponent of the benefits it provides. Your standing with the agent's nation and its allies is in no way adversely affected regardless of how the duel turns out. Each agent on the map has a dueling rating which dictates how well good he is at fighting.
Which brings us to the rake. The rake can't initiate duels, but he can be challenged. But more importantly, the rake is able to assassinate rival agents. Think of this as a one-sided duel. If the rake is successful, the enemy agent is taken out of play. Rakes can also spy on enemy nations, providing you detailed information about army compositions.
Downloadable History
The Road to Independence mode is a first for the Total War series. It's not a freeform campaign; rather, it's an episodic sequence of scenarios, taking place across several key sites of American history, starting with the colonization of Jamestown. All the bells and whistles of an RTS "campaign mode" are present. Scenarios are bookend by cutscenes (the one we got to play set the stage for the Battle of Bunker Hill), and you'll be directed toward completion by concrete tasks and missions.
During our recent demo, Brigden mentioned that the studio is interested in pursuing this approach further if it's received well by the audience. Brigden specifically mentioned the possibility of further campaigns becoming available as DLC-style expansions.
The possibilities for this kind of content are as limitless as history is bloody and storied. We'll likely have to wait a while beyond Empire: Total War's March release before we know what CA has in store.
