Should Total War be less era-restricted --> Civilization

**Tspk91** · April 12, 2009, 02:49 PM

Do you think that the total war series should become more like civilization? With all the history of humankind (excepting 20th Century), and all the world?

**Bloodzen** · April 12, 2009, 03:16 PM

Do you meen a total war game which starts at the begining of mankind (or better the start of warfare) and ends around the 19th century?
If so than no,I dont think it would be able to work and besides unless you made evry turn 1 year or evry 2 turns a year the way it is now than I dont think anybody would be bothered to stick it out until even roman times or medieval time

.
And if you made evry turn 10 years or so than it would be very unrealistic because of the way you move armys.Currently it takes on average 2 turns to go from England to Scotland which is 1 year,ok so 10 years-2 turns-20 years to go from point x-y.
See what im getting at?
Im sure their would be a lot more problems with it or even way to make it work but ill let somebody else think of a way

**Humble Warrior** · April 12, 2009, 04:39 PM

I say no as well. Apart from the fact that TW and CIV4 have their own unique styles (Civ4 is about technology, government and war through the ages while TW is about ONE Period in history and its wars), it would be much more work for TW to make a CIV4-type Total War game.

It`s the battles that make it improbable. To be like CIV4 in having a period from 4000BC to the present would be a guargantuan task. Think about it.

EVERY type of battle would have to be designed up to the present day. Let me illustrate:

1. You`d need a very simple bronze age to sword system. Simple enough with the basic TW system.

2. Then you`d need to design a Shogun-Medievel sytem.

3. Then you`d need to design an Empire-style system for later.

"We have the basic for that!" you say.

Great, but then a WWI, WW2, 1950s Korean, Vienam styles would be need. Then the US/USSR style weapons systems up to present day.

All the skins, data, new battle interfaces, abilities would have to be designed.

But not just that, then you`d have to make sure it all worked when a Faction with WW2-type weaponry came across a Faction with Medievel weaponery or any other time.

The task would be ridiculously tough and would need huge teams of
researchers, programmers, etc, etc.... plus the time to make it would probably take at least 10 years!

CA have enough trouble completing one game of one era without a hundred bugs in it, what chance do you think they have of successfully making one that spans the whole of ManKind`s history?

**Tspk91** · April 12, 2009, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by Tspk91

Do you think that the total war series should become more like civilization? With all the history of humankind (excepting 20th Century), and all the world?

Excepting 20th century. And I know it is a hard task. Well mostly an impossible one. But we can dream... nah, if it is only for example, from 500 BC to 1500 AD, it wouldnt be that difficlut...

**Shaun** · April 12, 2009, 05:01 PM

Far far too much work to do something like that and release a traditional TW quality game that we expect. I like TW games the way they are.

**Steinig** · April 12, 2009, 05:30 PM

Unless they team up with civilisation, and hook a custom total war battle each time a fight takes place.

Something like ea does with football manager and fifa

**Sir Winston Churchill** · April 12, 2009, 05:34 PM

No. Total and utter choas it would be, just like Civ.

**Steinig** · April 12, 2009, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by Isaristh

No. Total and utter choas it would be, just like Civ.

In my opinion, thats a good thing

Civ with total war battles are pretty much exactly my dream game.
Unfortunatly i dont think this will ever happen.
At least not till im retired and busy screaming at the neighbours kids.....

**Varaaki** · April 12, 2009, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by Isaristh

No. Total and utter chaos it would be, just like Civ.

I knew there was a reason I didn't like you.

On topic: no, Civ-style timeframes with TW battles is logistically impossible. You're talking about modelling and animating thousands of different unit types, making them all non-clones, varying the terrain to include every place on the planet, modelling cities and walls and seige engines from every point in time... no. Just no.

This is one of those "Wouldn't it be great to have all the money in the world?" kind of naive questions. There is limited time and money to make software... cramming every possible feature into a product doesn't make it better; it makes a half-baked mess of everything.

**Sir Winston Churchill** · April 12, 2009, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by Varaaki

I knew there was a reason I didn't like you.

But I like you.

**worm00** · April 13, 2009, 01:57 AM

I like the idea, BUT there shouldn't be one linear campaign map (for reasons explained earlier in the thread, e.g. timescales).

It should be "chronologically nested" campaign maps (sort-of like in RTI), and an era specific grand campaign within each one.

I would LOVE such a game.

Oh, and someone said Civ is more about research... TW decided to make that turn with empire, so that's not a valid difference (anymore)

**Bocah_Bali** · April 13, 2009, 02:23 AM

Originally Posted by worm00

Oh, and someone said Civ is more about research... TW decided to make that turn with empire, so that's not a valid difference (anymore)

No, he meant was historical research for developing the game. Currently some people are already disgruntled at the 'historical innacuracies' of factions colors and missing unique units in ETW.

**Kiljaden** · April 13, 2009, 02:35 AM

I have a wholehearted "no" coming straight at you OP, for one and only one reason:

Imagine the size of the install....

"How many DVDs now, CA, 20? Ohhh gawd..."

**Orko** · April 13, 2009, 03:27 AM

A civilization style TW-->an epic fail. with all the new features, it ill simply be a Civ game with battles, and I have a feeling that the next Civ game will be with more depth into battles.

**tskhdawson** · April 13, 2009, 03:48 AM

I don't think you could write a good game engine (without writing about 3 or 4) that would properly cover all the periods in the Civ series. Having said that however, I think the timeframes could be longer than they are now. For example I think CA could have incorporated pike and shot into ETW without too much trouble if they wanted to, but medieval-type warfare wouldn't have worked.

Personally I'd love to see a TW game that covered the period from the beginnings of the firearm (late medieval/early renaissance) to the late 19th century (Boer Wars, Zulu Wars, etc). They could gradually unlock the whole world for exploration and colonization, with the latter including the ability to start towns from scratch and place them where you want (perhaps with bonuses on development rates and resources for clever placement). There would be a huge number turns in a campaign to make it work, but I'm all for that.

**TheBlobThing** · April 13, 2009, 03:55 AM

I shall join the legion of naysayers. In order to implement your idea CA would have to make each era's units, tech tree and buildings much more shallow. We would see even more of the generic "clone armies" people are complaining about. No, the approach they have now is much better.