New Total War Announcement is 3 days away!

**Copperknickers II** · April 01, 2017, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by atthias

guys we have had historical TW for 10 years
may now get fantasy a pass please
and for all the people crying that CA betrayed them
CA has a historical game in the works with an unexplored period so CA knows what you want and is working for you

Why should there be a fantasy TW at all, it was never a fantasy series. It's like saying when do we get a fantasy CoD or a fantasy FIFA? I thought it was a side project like Total Warrior, a one-off crossover for WoW fans, not an actual TW game, but now because it's sold so much it seems the actual Total War brand is now the side project. Besides there hasn't been a new historical TW for 10 years now, only sequels.

Can you imagine what would happen if EA said "right, we're not going to do a FIFA/Madden NFL game for 2018, we're going to have Quidditch 2018 instead. Sorry." There would be outrage and rightly so.

**Inhuman One** · April 02, 2017, 03:41 AM

Well the difference is that FIFA 2018's new content could have been a free patch for FIFA 2017. They aren't going to drop that franchise anytime soon, they have so many suckers hooked on that who will shill out 60 euros every year to pay for the amount of new content that other games would have as free patches, or maybe a DLC of 5 euros.

Still, I do feel the next game should not be warhammer. They never released two rome total wars, two medieval total wars, etc right after each other. Why would anyone want a new warhammer game now? Why the heck do they even plan to make three of them straight away? Seems pointless. Most of the customer base will still be satisfied with the first warhammer game and wont see the need to buy a new one yet.

**Nastrael** · April 02, 2017, 04:02 PM

Originally Posted by Inhuman One

Still, I do feel the next game should not be warhammer. They never released two rome total wars, two medieval total wars, etc right after each other. Why would anyone want a new warhammer game now? Why the heck do they even plan to make three of them straight away? Seems pointless. Most of the customer base will still be satisfied with the first warhammer game and wont see the need to buy a new one yet.

Because CA doesn't own Warhammer. It's Games Workshop's IP and, as such, have CA under contract for a limited time. If CA doesn't complete the Warhammer TRILOGY (yes, trilogy, anyone who is surprised that it isn't a one-off thing is completely oblivious because it's been marketed as such from day one) they will lose the rights to make it. CA is on borrowed time. Not to mention the constraints of needing all 3 Warhammer games needing to be built on the same engine in order to be compatible.

Historical games, on the other hand, are in the public domain, because it's history, not fiction. So CA can take however long it wants to make those titles.

Now, I know you'd prefer it if CA never made TW:WH in the first place, but that ship has sailed. The deal is made and the money was spent, so they're going to finish the series whether you like it or not. The question now is, would you rather they stagger the games, keeping the same engine that people have been crying about since Empire for the next historical title, and having to split their budget between TW:WH and the historical titles? Or would you rather they bang out the trilogy in rapid fire and then pour all that sweet Warhammer money they're making into the next historical title?

Not that it really matters. CA is gonna do what CA is gonna do, and no amount of moaning is going to drown out the sound of all the money they're rolling in right now. But are you going to complain over lemons for the next 2 years or are you going to make lemonade?

I think I know the answer, but I'm hoping you'll prove me wrong.

**Copperknickers II** · April 02, 2017, 06:36 PM

Originally Posted by Nastrael

Because CA doesn't own Warhammer. It's Games Workshop's IP and, as such, have CA under contract for a limited time. If CA doesn't complete the Warhammer TRILOGY (yes, trilogy, anyone who is surprised that it isn't a one-off thing is completely oblivious because it's been marketed as such from day one) they will lose the rights to make it. CA is on borrowed time. Not to mention the constraints of needing all 3 Warhammer games needing to be built on the same engine in order to be compatible.

They have a limited time contract with Games Workshop, OK. Which means... they have a gun held to their head to make three games when they could easily have made one? At a push two since apparently expansions are now marketed as whole games, but three seems a little excessive no? And I obviously haven't been following Warhammer TW publicity as I have no interest in it so why would I, only taking an interest in it now because they pulled this stupid stunt of trying to pretend that there might be a new historical TW announced. I actually liked games such as Warcraft, Dawn of War, even Mark of Chaos, but now that WH has infringed on my main interest of TW games I'm boycotting.

Now, I know you'd prefer it if CA never made TW:WH in the first place, but that ship has sailed. The deal is made and the money was spent, so they're going to finish the series whether you like it or not.

Doesn't mean we can't complain about it. Complaining doesn't do very much good nor does boycotting, but I do think CA might regret changing their target audience to ill-educated tweens, since I can't imagine many people at CA are hugely interested in fantasy or why would they have started working for a company with a track record of making historical games? I can only hope that some market researchers somewhere are keeping an eye on TWC and registering the niche CA has created by abandoning it's original target audience.

I don't begrudge CA for wanting to make more money but at the same time it's a two way process and I feel CA needs to know just how precarious their careers will seem if a competitor does emerge. FIFA thought it was unassailable until Pro-Evo Soccer came along, as did Microsoft until Apple came along, and Sony must have been rolling on the floor laughing at the feeble competition to the Playstation on offer in the early 2000s, until Microsoft started making the XboX. RTS gaming like all gaming is a growth market and the potential for historical gaming is increasing dramatically as the gaming generation grows up and there is more of an appetite for strategic games instead of button bashing FPS's, and non-Western countries with more of an interest in history start having more disposable income. It's high time there was a competitor to CA and I can't wait to support them, not because I want to hurt CA but because as a consumer it's in my interests to see a company that means a huge amount to me have some fear breathed into it again so that it doesn't feel it can get away with the things it has been getting away with for too long now.

The question now is, would you rather they stagger the games, keeping the same engine that people have been crying about since Empire for the next historical title, and having to split their budget between TW:WH and the historical titles? Or would you rather they bang out the trilogy in rapid fire and then pour all that sweet Warhammer money they're making into the next historical title?

I guess that depends how much money they make. They might decide they made so much money they might as well buy the rights to another fantasy genre or create their own fantasy series. You're right that a new engine is badly needed however.

Not that it really matters. CA is gonna do what CA is gonna do, and no amount of moaning is going to drown out the sound of all the money they're rolling in right now. But are you going to complain over lemons for the next 2 years or are you going to make lemonade?

I think I know the answer, but I'm hoping you'll prove me wrong.

I for one am not going to complain for the next 2 years, I'm going to try to forget about this whole sorry saga until the historical game surfaces.

**Abdülmecid I** · April 03, 2017, 02:43 AM

Originally Posted by Copperknickers II

And I obviously haven't been following Warhammer TW publicity as I have no interest in it so why would I, only taking an interest in it now because they pulled this stupid stunt of trying to pretend that there might be a new historical TW announced.

Well, if you didn't give any attention to their marketing, how can you complain that it was misleading? There was no doubt that the announcement concerned Warhammer, especially after CA itself clairified that the hint is about Warhammer's future. There is no point for a company to give hopes to its audience for something that is going to be revealed very soon, which is why for the entire misunderstanding, wishful thinking and not sneaking PR managers should be blamed. Not to mention about unofficially provided proof. Since 2015, when CA's plans about the Warhammer trilogy were first published, it was made clear that the next three games will involve fantasy. Releasing simultaneously (thus almost doubling your expenses) two competitive titles is financially suicidal, despite any claims of CA that a separate team has been working with history titles for two years. That is an obviously false (or at best, highly misleading, because two employees brainstorming could be defined as a team) statement on behalf of CA and a valid target for criticism. Even that claim shouldn't be believable from the begining, given the basic rules about profiting I mentioned above.

**WhiskeySykes** · April 03, 2017, 09:58 AM

Originally Posted by Abdülmecid I

Well, if you didn't give any attention to their marketing, how can you complain that it was misleading? There was no doubt that the announcement concerned Warhammer, especially after CA itself clairified that the hint is about Warhammer's future. There is no point for a company to give hopes to its audience for something that is going to be revealed very soon, which is why for the entire misunderstanding, wishful thinking and not sneaking PR managers should be blamed. Not to mention about unofficially provided proof. Since 2015, when CA's plans about the Warhammer trilogy were first published, it was made clear that the next three games will involve fantasy. Releasing simultaneously (thus almost doubling your expenses) two competitive titles is financially suicidal, despite any claims of CA that a separate team has been working with history titles for two years. That is an obviously false (or at best, highly misleading, because two employees brainstorming could be defined as a team) statement on behalf of CA and a valid target for criticism. Even that claim shouldn't be believable from the begining, given the basic rules about profiting I mentioned above.

Informative, and a lesson learned for me. Though releasing their historical titles in alternating fiscal quarters wouldn't be suicidal, its apparent they don't have the manpower to do that in the first place.

**Inhuman One** · April 02, 2017, 05:34 PM

Well I actually do like warhammer total war, but one is enough. No need to make any more of them.

I'd rather see them tackle another fantasy setting in the future, after making at least one new historical total war game first.

Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, Greek Mythology, Norse mythology, Game of Thrones, Elder Scrolls... there's so many options and I rather see them explore them rather than waste their time on more warhammer games right after the first one is out. Should have just stuck with expansions to the main game or something.

I especially think that something like Greek Mythology could be perfect because it could actually allow for a fantasy free campaign option as well, though still on a smaller map. Could still include part of the middle east and Egypt though, including their mythology.

**eXistenZ** · April 02, 2017, 06:16 PM

Havent posted here in a while (ever since the announcement/release of WH there wasnt really a reason), but really need to get this off my chest.

I've played TW for a long time (not the longest, only started on Rome), but I've put a decent amount of hours into the series. It should be somewhere around 1700-2000h all games combined. So yes, I consider myself somewhat as a fan of the series. There have been some bumps along the road, but I've never been angry at CA (I dont understand people being angry for months/years about €50 they spent badly). Ive had good fun with the games, some more than others.

When Warhammer was announced, we all knew it was coming. And it was fine by me. Different people, different taste. I really couldnt be bothered with, and never will be. But, if done somewhat right, it would be a huge commercial succes and a new, previously untapped market. I can't be mad at a company for wanting to earn money. The better CA is doing the better the games will be.

This was two years ago. In that time I've seen trailers, dlc, freeLC, events all fly by. And now , while the previous installment is 10months old, there is the announcement for the sequel already (yes, I've also heard it was always ment to be a trilogy). and while that neverending shower kept going, I/we got one thing, one sentence "we are working on a historical title set in a new era". "Striking the iron when its hot" makes me think that WH2 will be much more prioritized than the other title. I don't expect an announcement or even a little bit of news on E3, WH2 will get the maximum exposure. Is it abnormal to feel neglected and tossed aside at this point?

And so the wait contineous. I had set my hopes on 2018, but realism compels me to cross it out at this point

I'm not mad. Im just very sad and dissapointed

**bigdaddy1204** · April 02, 2017, 07:08 PM

Very much agree with what was posted by Coppernickers II above. I remember the generation of gamers that were disappointed when Rome Total War came out in 2004. They said it was dumbed down, battles were too fast, and graphics had won out over gameplay. They said it was an arcade-fest aimed at fast-clicking 13 year olds. And they were right. Yet Rome Total War was still a great game.

It's arguable that the pinnacle of the series was Medieval Total War (2002). The Viking Invasion expansion pack was the most polished, complete Total War game ever released. The decline of the Total War series began here, when they opted to go after the more mainstream gamer with Rome Total War (2004) using flashy graphics and moved away from their more hardcore historical fans. Things only got worse with the release of Medieval II Total War in 2006, the most disappointing release in the entire history of Total War. I was bitterly disappointed, M2TW was full of game-breaking bugs and it depicted my favourite factions horribly. On release, it was inferior to the original MTW (2002).

However, the community produced miracles and M2TW was completely turned around by mods, such that it is now my favourite. Attila is good and has a lot going for it, but it's still not as close to my heart as a campaign in M2TW Broken Crescent mod. Smashing through to India with my Ghaznavid war elephants through the mountains of Afghanistan is a highlight of the entire TW series and one that will be hard to match. Anyway the point I wanted to make was that I too believe CA could benefit from some serious competition. If another company came along and started making these games, more like how it was with Medieval Total War (2002), I'd buy it and support them all the way.