Swedish gaming site with some new info and some old

This is from the swedish gaming site FZ.se that answers our questions about the preview version.
Translated with google translator:

An early expansion or a game that stands firmly on its own feet? Pending the review responds FZ on readers' questions about Napoleon: Total War.

When a piece betakod of Napoleon: Total War recently fell into the disappearance of our editorial strategy sold editor Jocke lightning speed into the game room to bring Creative Assembly on the new test. We have asked you readers to ask your questions about the game to the scarred boss, here is his reply.

Remember that the answers are based on a late betakod of the game, and that things may change for a release. For example, he could not test any kind of multi-play in the beet, and only a campaign of three was available.


Has the AI has improved since the Empire? Has the so-called melee bug disappeared? And most important of all, it can even make up the real line with the soldiers? (Asked by Wartoz)
- Without having done any scientific testing of wheat, it feels as if the pathfinder has not improved. The units will react faster and are generally better able to execute the orders they get on the battlefield. Formations and dissolve much faster.

Is no DLC planned? (rabbit, man)
- It is said to be a number of DLC with new units in and close upon release. Some are already included in various versions of the game.

How nice is the game compared to the Empire, it is about the same or has it been even a little better?
- The graphics are greatly revamped, both in campaign and battle maps. Especially, I was caught by the effects of smoke and explosions. The battlefields are filled quickly by gunpowder making visibility poor. Wonderful! There are also more seasons and the changing weather makes her to the visual. The rain is like that wonderful heavy.

Image 102,970

What is the difference between Napoleon and the Empire-game? (Mr. G)
- In addition to the multiplayer part is the large scale difference, and the era of course. In the first two campaigns, which is very reminiscent of "The Road to Independence" in the Empire, players find a right one game. What I like! The Empire lost the historic tension as soon as Sweden had conquered half of Russia. Here are living constantly in a sort of "this could have happened in verklgheten" feeling.

Will be able to play as someone else fraction than France? (Masters)
- The game is divided into three campaigns: Italy, Egypt and The Grand Campaign. In the first two you play as France and Napoleon. Compare with the "Road to Independence 'of Empire: a much narrower and tighter terms, but many scripted events. In the great campaign, however, learn from other nations. The game will also contain a variety of historical battles. In multi-play, you play as other nations, even in the three campaigns.

Is it less clones late Empire? (MacNille)
- No, they are of roughly the same size as before.

How do the soldiers look like in detail? Will they still be (almost) carbon copies of each other or will we see a bit more random faces and uniforms detail? ([u = 0lo0l '])
- It feels like it's the same proportion carbon copies as before. Sorry.

Image 102,979
Napoleon: The Clone Wars.

How will the online campaign work? (Felix)
- We do not know until we get hold of the code review - should not be long now. But all three campaigns will be playable for two players, in a turodningsbaserad variant. Also keep an eye out for it's extremely exciting element of human resistance in a single campaign!

Napoleon himself will appear in the fighting, or is he just as some kind of leader who is sitting in a castle? ((Felix)
- The General's units, including Napoleon himself, is as usual on the battlefield. News is that they now have a visible ring around them that indicate how long their morale-enhancing influence extends. It suddenly becomes much more active as a player, and moves around its Secretary to the hot spots on the battlefield where he is needed most. It is very satisfying.

Image 102,976
The old navelluddspetaren is on the battlefield in person.

Is the game better optimized than the Empire was? (the_man_swe_90)
- Based on beet as FZ aware of, you can not answer yes to that question.

How have they changed the artillery from the Empire, to measure the difference in how important it was in comparison between 1700 - and 1800-century warfare? (frizko)
- The artillery is of course more powerful, but did not fully optimized in the beet. Feels very strongly at times, which makes it all the time baby-sit so that no ball erases an entire formation.

Will it be easier with more mobile and offensive tactics in and with the great technological development of weapons and guns? (eatbeaver)
- I hope so, but this era was one of the big, slow formations, just like in the Empire. Not until the end of the American Civil War generals seemed to take the point of not standing stoically at point opposite each other in some sort of respect and gentlemanly munity.

Will Creative Assembly to support the game after release, for once, instead of just dropping 1-2 patches and then move on? (Saxit)
- Anyone who lives will see!

What expansions, one could imagine that it is released next? (Louse-FZas great hope)
- American Civil War is a personal favorite, but the question is whether or not it is worth a wholly own game! For DLC, supra.

Does diplomacy, or is it the same junk as in the previous games? (Tybalt)
- Diplomacy is very limited in beet, but the feeling was that the opponents behave quite rationally.

Do you think that Creative Assembly has honored what they talked about and showed up in Sega's press conference? I refer, for example, when you shoot a hole in the ground with a gun, then motståndartrupperna harder to get through that part of the terrain and the AI will be much better than before. Finally, works the various generals' good qualities, or is it just crap? (studio23)
- I think it works! The holes are the obstacles and the AI feels really polished. But it requires that I get to sit down with all the devices and play kind outside the campaign to be able to determine it. Do not miss the review.

Picture 97,954 Image 102,977

- I like generals inflytandezon, as I wrote above. It made me a much more active users of DG units.

Why did Napoleon hand on your stomach? Has he eaten anything inappropriate? (Hx2)
- Have you seen Total Recall? That's why ...

Napoleon will be as an expansion of the Empire, or is it a totally new game that you must have in its Total War Collection? (emil)
- Napoleon launched as a completely new game and it is good if you talk about size. But technically it's a standalone expansion of the empire, albeit a promising one!

Image 102,975
Photos that they may boost the army's safety.

Will there be awaited hotseat as in Medieval II: Total War - Kingdoms? (Tobsson)
- Creative calls it "Drop In Battle", and learn how it works it will be a godsend. Went not to test in the beet.

Is that too much focus on the great Napoleon, so you get bored? (Halvars90)
- Personally, I love the focus on a general and a nation. The feeling of writing history becomes stronger. Everything feels more realistic term. The Empire tired I often when I, as a nation had played well beyond the historical boundaries. Taken over Sweden with France, for example. Then of course you may choose another nation is France in the great campaign, but it's impossible to get away from that Napoleon dominated a large part of this exciting era.

Why not patch the Empire?! It's worse than the Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 (Alesi09)
- Can you ask. But it has not been like this since the Shogun?

Is it addictive? (DinGelDanGel)
- Yes!

Has there been any changes in how sieges fought since the Empire? (virgola)
- I actually came in no continuing throughout the Italian campaign, but the network says that the siege were largely unchanged. Really bad, in other words. I always avoid to attack quickly, without attracting the enemy on the hill or storm out if it is I who sit there and hedgerows.

102,973 Image Image 102,982

Has anything been done to speed up the somewhat lengthy naval battle from Empire?
- I have not played any naval battle in the beet. But yes, they were pretty tough after a while.

When will we see realistic battles with thousands of troops instead of the small kind of 1000-2000 at most. (Gordon Freeman)
- Not for a while, but there are mods that do this very well. Check twcenter.net.

The Empire and all other games, it takes about ten turns before it has the largest army in the game, will it change? We do want a little resistance. The only enemy of the Empire did was to plunder even villages, do not attack with large reinforced and take over cities. (Lottarn1337)
- Are you so leet that you never feel the resistance of Napoleon so there's a new possibility for human resistance in the single campaign, via the "Drop In Battle". 'll Be incredibly exciting! Imagine that you are going DESTRUCTIVE a horde of fighters who have a sloppy, drunken leader of the tip and it turns out that England's greatest Total War strategist sitting at the other keyboard. Wonderful!

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Napoleonic: Total War is released on 26 February. If the French Emperor is with us, we supply a rich review well before then.

were there any new screenshots?

No

http://www.fz.se/artiklar/20100130/n...al-war/?page=1
no new screenshots, the bad pathfinding is worrying however the ai seems to be improved

How do the soldiers look like in detail? Will they still be (almost) carbon copies of each other or will we see a bit more random faces and uniforms detail? ([u = 0lo0l '])
- It feels like it's the same proportion carbon copies as before. Sorry.

We have seen pictures showing many different looks within an unit. Now that someone gets to play the game we get a claim it's not true? What to believe?

Well, we already knew sieges are horrible. Hopefully there's a fort removing mod available soon after the release.

Do you think that Creative Assembly has honored what they talked about and showed up in Sega's press conference? I refer, for example, when you shoot a hole in the ground with a gun, then motståndartrupperna harder to get through that part of the terrain and the AI will be much better than before. Finally, works the various generals' good qualities, or is it just crap? (studio23)
- I think it works! The holes are the obstacles and the AI feels really polished. But it requires that I get to sit down with all the devices and play kind outside the campaign to be able to determine it. Do not miss the review.

This sounds good however, though the mention that the pathfinding hasn't changed doesn't.

This is what he said in Swedish:
- Utan att ha gjort några veteskapliga tester känns det som om pathfindingen har förbättrats. Enheterna reagerar snabbare och är överlag bättre på att utföra de order de får på slagfältet. Formationerna sätts och upplöses mycket snabbare.

To sum it up he says: The pathfinding has IMPROVED, the units react faster and generally execute orders faster when recieved.

Thanks for the swedish version Imperatora I got a bit worried about pathfinding there.

Love how Google Translater translates "Beta" to "Beet"

Interesting, too bad SS are just old placeholders we've seen 5000 times.