So when will computers be powerful enough to run a true Total War game?

**Roman Bread** · August 31, 2007, 01:40 AM

Right now, I am playing the SPQR Total War mod. The thing that fascinates me about this mod is that almost every battle involves two armies of approximately 5,000-6,000 men! Every battle should be like that and I believe that SPQR Total War is the only mod that offers a true epic experience.

Now, we all know that many significant battles in history involved up to 100,000 men or more.

When will we have processors and memory that are powerful enough to allow us to flawlessly run battles with up to 100,000 or more men? To allow the creation of a Total War game with perhaps a global map and many factions?

I would like a Total War game with a map of the Old World set in the ancient era right during the dawn of the Romans. Imagine having battles between the Qin and the "Great Qin" (The Romans, as the Chinese referred to them as) with say up to 100,000 men or more?

Has anyone seen the episode of the series Rome, where the forces of Brutus and Cassius clash with the forces of Octavian and Marc Antony? Octavian asks Marc Antony if he has any idea what is going on and Marc Antony responds with "I have no idea". Before that a clip is shown showing a battlefield full of thousands of Romans and one cannot tell what is going on at all! Imagine having such a gigantic amount of forces that the tide of battle is hard to control and one has to use genius tactics to win battles? Imagine there being so many men, that tactical units such as archers do not give so much as an advantage as your archers' arrows hit your own men?

Wow. So will a true Total War game be possible say five or ten years from now?

**Sidmen** · August 31, 2007, 02:01 AM

Possible, right now. Affordable is another question. But if we accept that our rate of technological development is actually getting faster, you'll be able to play such a game in 5 or so years. However, I believe that the game won't be made. Simply because people love eye candy more than massive battles.

Basicly, if you wanted that kind of game, you could get it right now, just the graphics would be more along the lines of Shogun TW. Instead they left the sizes about the same, and dramaticly imporved the graphics. I expect to see virtual images of humans (video-quality) in TW before we see massive battles.

**Roman Bread** · August 31, 2007, 02:23 AM

Yes but it seems as if graphics are really hard to make the most out of them. I mean, compare the PS3 and Xbox 360 to the previous generation of consoles; you'll see that the jump isn't THAT big. What I'm trying to say is that in the future, graphical jumps won't be as big as the graphical jump between the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, to the graphical jump onto the Nintendo 64 and the Playstation.

Do you not agree that eventually creators won't be too fascinated about graphics and will just concentrate on the processes of a game? I mean, won't it be possible to yes, have graphically beautiful games, and have a big emphasis on processes that such a Total War game might be created?

I don't think in the future that the industry will worry about things such as maybe possibly 'atom shading' or 'particle shading' as much as things like the processes in a game.

**humvee2800** · August 31, 2007, 02:57 AM

On the contrary I believe technology will create jumps far larger then that.

Look at the difference between a 1980s computer and what is out now.

From memorys measured in the kilobytes to tetrabytes.

From games like super mario to halo 3, and with the knowledge of mankind doubleing every 2 years... its just going to get better.

**Stalins Ghost** · August 31, 2007, 12:45 PM

Indeed. Technological growth is exponentially increasing. While it may have taken centuries to get where we are now, the rate of growth will not remain the same. Growth is occurring at a rapidly increasing rate, that is basically going to remain as such until society collapses, or the resource limit is met

**Simetrical** · September 01, 2007, 11:32 PM

It's possible now, but of course with a graphical tradeoff. The question is, when will CA think it's worth it? Quite possibly Empire, and if not that then almost certainly its 2010 sequel. Soon, at any rate.

**Roman Clone** · September 02, 2007, 09:48 AM

Ave Total War Fans,

We Should not worry so much about how powerful the game is. We all know that Creative Assembly loves the public and will try to develop some type of "LOD" part of the engine, So that Most can Play it. They only started a year ago, that much is true, but at that time they didn't really have today's technology back last September.

=S=,
Romus Maximus Clone