Should Total War ever include air-combat?

[Sensei Kiisu]

After Shogun, if CA plan to not re-make another game, they'll have to pull something pretty big out of the bag for a 'new' idea.

I was thinking, maybe they'll try to go for an era which involved not only land and sea, but let you control the terrors of the skies...

Not really sure how it'd play out, as with the current engine it would be very hard to control aircraft. However - since E:TW, the skies are no longer simple images, but real 3D, even the sun and clouds etc. Thus I think that the engine is already capable of including aircraft.

Perhaps, if it were to be included, a separate battle-scape could be made, like there is for naval combat, which shows the land below - however your camera is thousands of feet up in the air, along with the deployment zone. Then you'd deploy your aircraft as you would in any normal battle and fight! The animations would be tricky of course, but there would be solutions to this. There would also need to be a true Y axis in order to let the planes go up and down as well as move normally like soldiers.

What do you guys think? Would it be a good step to take, or should CA stick to guns and melee and remake Rome: Total War?

[RO Citizen]

Air battles in medieval Japan...

I don't think CA is ready to do this, either.

[Space Voyager]

Air battles in medieval Japan...

I don't think CA is ready to do this, either.

Think dragons in a fantasy TW!

[Razor]

After Shogun, if CA plan to not re-make another game, they'll have to pull something pretty big out of the bag for a 'new' idea.

I was thinking, maybe they'll try to go for an era which involved not only land and sea, but let you control the terrors of the skies...

Not really sure how it'd play out, as with the current engine it would be very hard to control aircraft. However - since E:TW, the skies are no longer simple images, but real 3D, even the sun and clouds etc. Thus I think that the engine is already capable of including aircraft.

Perhaps, if it were to be included, a separate battle-scape could be made, like there is for naval combat, which shows the land below - however your camera is thousands of feet up in the air, along with the deployment zone. Then you'd deploy your aircraft as you would in any normal battle and fight! The animations would be tricky of course, but there would be solutions to this. There would also need to be a true Y axis in order to let the planes go up and down as well as move normally like soldiers.

What do you guys think? Would it be a good step to take, or should CA stick to guns and melee and remake Rome: Total War?

I bet real time aircraft battles would be a very tricky thing to do and very difficult to control. Personally I'd rather have them fight such battles on the campaign map than making them actually playable.

In my view airplanes are only useful for reconnaissance, bombing settlements/forts/bunkers/infrastructure, attacking armies, dropping units on the campaign map and during real time battles only for air support (bombing/shooting).

[emperor77]

If they are kinda like in Theatre of war, where you can't really control them, just call them in for support, i wouldn't mind really. But then i hope CA won't touch anything that modern, should stick to swords, horses, muskets and that kinda stuff.

[tylerman29]

^Agreed they shouldn't go past 1860's IMHO and CA knows this as well.

[Beowulf1990]

Jesus freaking Christ no!
The mechanics would be basically impossible, but more importantly those timeframes don't fit the series at all. The focus on gunpowder in ETW and NTW already was a bit risky.

Personally though, i'm still waiting for a unification of China TW game.

[frank_garrett]

Jesus freaking Christ no!
The mechanics would be basically impossible, but more importantly those timeframes don't fit the series at all. The focus on gunpowder in ETW and NTW already was a bit risky.

Personally though, i'm still waiting for a unification of China TW game.

ww2 has quick style of battles. automatic guns,many explosions,it will be nothing like ETW.

[Ratzor]

If such a feature was ever included alot of others would be left out or simplified. To balance out the extra dimension of combat and depth that would otherwise add to the game.

If we had total moddability the possibilities would be endless though and a missing element in a lot of TC's would finaly be added in a good sense.

[PrayForPlagues]

those timeframes don't fit the series at all.

ironically enough, World War 1 & 2 were the wars that were actually considered "total war"

[Beowulf1990]

ironically enough, World War 1 & 2 were the wars that were actually considered "total war"

When they used it for the first Shogun, i'm guessing they did because it sounds cool.

[Qitbuqa]

If you want WWI air combat, I'd suggest you purchase Rise of Flight (http://riseofflight.com/en), a good joystick with a throttle (CH comes to my mind, maby Saitek, but they break easier), some thing for rudder control (most likely pedals), track IR system and be done with TW series. If you ever have played some flight Sims (I'm talking about serious ones, not BF arcade stuff), you'd know it is way more skill and knowledge demandind game than any TW game and thus it's impossible to implement it in such format.

Just try to play DCS Black Shark and then come back and elaborate on your experience with the game. Ofc it's more of ground bashing simulator for now, but in the future they are planning to add F-16, MiG-29 and so on. Also the sim sports advanced flight models and advanced damage models.

[a tw player]

Well in a Victoria ( very late game, if at all) or WW1 TW, they could actually get away with only using them as spies on a campaign map. If they want to, I guess they could always simply auto-resolve the air battles. Past WW1 you probably would need to control them as they actually play a larger role, but I doubt TW can ever go past WW1 anyway.

P.S. Why is this in the Shogun 2 Total War section?

[SonOfOdin]

P.S. Why is this in the Shogun 2 Total War section?

Probably because it's the latest CA project

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I think planes should be more of an "asset" like having a spotter/radio man unit who can call a strafing/bombing run on a specific target but you would have to wait 2 minutes or so for it
But I don't think TW will ever go beyond the American Civil War so...

I want an Antiquity TW, spanning from the Rise of Persia's mod beginning(600BC or so...) up till the Roman Republic turns into the Roman Empire(and the later decades would be an expansion that are a cross between RTW and Barbarian invasion), but it would give great detail to historical accuracy and all factions would be extremely detailed

[THEMIK DK]

i would enjoy to see air battles in ww1 total war but i mostly hope for an 1500-1699 total war

[Razor]

Oh god, not this "Total War can't go past year x" nonsense. I'll await the day CA releases its WW1/2 Total War game and see it becoming a huge success.

[Vasa]

Oh god, not this "Total War can't go past year x" nonsense. I'll await the day CA releases its WW1/2 Total War game and see it becoming a huge success.

The problem is that it wouldn't be consistent with the formula. CA would essentially have to scrap the battle system and start with something entirely different, something which neither the developers nor the fans would appreciate.

[CamilleBonparte]

Oh god, not this "Total War can't go past year x" nonsense. I'll await the day CA releases its WW1/2 Total War game and see it becoming a huge success.

BUG: I sued the Americans for peace and gave them all but my home territory and they agreed, but they didn't stop their nuclear launch against my country. The nuke is in en route as I type this. My planes can't intercept because I'm not at war with them. Damn it CA you should have stuck to simpler times. My blood is on your hands! Oh God it's almost here. Tell Momma I'm sorry I threw her from the train!

Naw but there's already like a hundred WW2 strategy games, I don't think it's a period that needs another representation.

As for air combat, I would advise CA to learn to polish their games before adding another big feature...kinda like how ETW had naval combat but was total garbage at launch.

[tylerman29]

Oh god, not this "Total War can't go past year x" nonsense. I'll await the day CA releases its WW1/2 Total War game and see it becoming a huge success.

In some interview CA was asked about going to a WW1/2 and beyond timeframe and they themselves don't want to do it and find it very unlikely they will attempt it.

[Theseus1234]

The reason sea and land battles work is because they only use essentially a 2d space. They can stay in place, execute a certain action etc. Overall battles are well organized and the effects of a certain action can clearly be seen. When you add another dimension to the battle and then factor in the chaotic nature of air battle (since planes need constant motion), you get an uncontrollable mess where its hard to pinpoint both your units and the enemy units. Besides, air battles are more squad based, something the TW engine is unsuited for. I would rather just have air support as an option.