DLC expansion Ideas

[r3deed]

Hey everyone I hope you enjoy the game.
You might think It is too early to talk about I cant help it.
did you think of any Good DLC Ideas for the game I'm thinking of 2 already.
the first one is the Spring and Autumn period and the unification of Qin.
the second is the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period - and the emerge of Song dynasty.

[Intranetusa]

Hey everyone I hope you enjoy the game.
You might think It is too early to talk about I cant help it.
did you think of any Good DLC Ideas for the game I'm thinking of 2 already.
the first one is the Spring and Autumn period and the unification of Qin.
the second is the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period - and the emerge of Song dynasty.

No. Both of those are too far outside the timeframe of TW3K. The first is like 400-700 years before TW3K and the later is like 700 years after TW3K.

There are many other options for DLC with a closer timeperiod that is more relevant to TW3K. eg. Sima Yi's Jin Dynasty coup and unification of the Three Kingdoms, Invasion of the Jin by the 5 Barbarians, and the fracturing of the Jin into the wars of the 16 Kingdoms - all of which came during or immediately after the TW3K era.


And DLCs could expand TW3K into areas that were relevant to the timeperiod, such as Manchuria & Korean peninsula, Vietnam & SE Asia, Tibet & Tarim Basin, Mongolia/Southern Russia, etc that would add in new factions and units.

And personally, I'm also hoping for a DLC that adds more unit diversity with historically accurate weapons and armor, but I might have to wait for mods for that.

[Teil]

I think they have the most upcoming DLC already planned & they will work on it one after the other as usual

already hard at work on post-launch support.In fact they have been for some months now, learning from the years of experience we have in creating additional content and planning and integrating their designs with the main game.....Romance of the Three Kingdoms source material offers us ......


....What you’ll see initially for TW3K DLC are what we are calling ‘Chapter Packs’....

[Daruwind]

Well we can always count on SteamDB
https://steamdb.info/app/779340/dlc/
there is one DLC entry which is being worked daily on...looks like they are not entering from very start multiple planned projects like with WH(s)..

Anyway my bet is we will see some action in the south as this part of campaign map is super empty and then my personal wish would be Korea and outside factions :-)

[BreadBuax]

Oh they are gonna make ‘Chapter packs’ with new characters and factions for the 190 start date + a tacked on campaign which inflate the price tag. The only other start date which offers any variety of factions and dynamic power balance is 194, every year after that would be too consolidated. Perhaps they could find a way to make a campaign with 3-5 factions(where 1 of them is clearly superior) fun, but I’m not confident.

I could see them making Chu Han contention(Breakup of Qin) for a non 3K campaign DLC, it is a very well known story in the east and the current character focused systems are perfect for the setting.
Anything else they would have to rework the base systems considerably to capture the spirit of the era.

[The Roman Republic]

I wonder if any western nations will enter in?

[Osskssa]

i expect a Nanman DLC at some point, flesh out the south abit add some elephant troops, havent read the book in a while but the dynasty warrior games had Nanmen ''tribes'' in them they were pretty cool

[Happy_Gilmor]

Something to flesh out the southern part of the map, it is empty right now and lets Sun Jian become a super faction in every campaign.

[zoner16]

I wonder if any western nations will enter in?

Depends on how far west you're talking. The Protectorate of the Western Regions is a possibility, though probably the least likely one out of the four cardinal directions.

Anything further than the Tarim Basin would almost definitely not be an option.

[Abdülmecid I]

These chapter packs sound like an awful idea and remind me of the failed mini-campaigns for Warhammer. Despite Three Kingdom's commercial success, I doubt many potential customers will be interested in paying a generous sum of money to play the same game with repositioned warlords and a great amount of scripted events. They can quickly become very repetitive and will lack the necessary original content to justify the high price. Initially, I thought that the DLC policy will be divided into "lord" and "race" packs, with the former consisting of famous leaders centered around southern China and their special units, while the latter would add non-Chinese people.

Regarding the "race" packs, I would argue that "Mongolia" and "Korea" are guaranteed, as they are very easy to implement, map-wise, while Three Kingdoms has sold remarkably well in South Korea. "Vietnam" and "Japan" are also strong candidates, but I am a bit more skeptical, as adding them to the campaign map would not be very easy. However, both cultures would be welcome by the fans, thanks to their exoticism and the fact that Japan is extremely popular on a global scale. Tibet, on the other hand, seems very unlikely, not only because of political reasons (which are a bit exaggerated), but mainly due to its general obscurity.

For the expansion, similar to what Fall of the Samurai, Napoleon and Attila were to Shogun, Empire and Rome II respectively, the Warring States seem absolutely certain. After the Romance of Three Kingdoms, the period leading to the first unified Chinese Dynasty is easily the most popular one and, from a warfare perspective, does not demand a radical modification of the game's mechanics. Although it could be announced in 2020, I doubt it will be released before 2021.

[zoner16]

These chapter packs sound like an awful idea and remind me of the failed mini-campaigns for Warhammer. Despite Three Kingdom's commercial success, I doubt many potential customers will be interested in paying a generous sum of money to play the same game with repositioned warlords and a great amount of scripted events. They can quickly become very repetitive and will lack the necessary original content to justify the high price. Initially, I thought that the DLC policy will be divided into "lord" and "race" packs, with the former consisting of famous leaders centered around southern China and their special units, while the latter would add non-Chinese people.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss their potential popularity. The idea is taken straight from Koei RoTK games, and has been making the rounds as a requested feature, particularly among fans of the source material, which of course primarily includes the Asian market. It depends on how much they plan on charging and what dates they end up choosing.

Regarding the "race" packs, I would argue that "Mongolia" and "Korea" are guaranteed, as they are very easy to implement, map-wise, while Three Kingdoms has sold remarkably well in South Korea. "Vietnam" and "Japan" are also strong candidates, but I am a bit more skeptical, as adding them to the campaign map would not be very easy. However, both cultures would be welcome by the fans, thanks to their exoticism and the fact that Japan is extremely popular on a global scale. Tibet, on the other hand, seems very unlikely, not only because of political reasons (which are a bit exaggerated), but mainly due to its general obscurity.

The parts of Vietnam that were relevant are already on the map, though half of it is just fog of war'd out and has no settlements. The area colloquially known as South Vietnam was not only not involved, it wasn't even Vietnamese at this time. Central Vietnam revolted and declared independence under the Cham early in the timeframe and was subsequently ignored for the majority of the remainder.

Japan is probably not going to be in the game. Map issues aside, there would be almost nothing recognizable about them to the average viewer in this time period. They were just exiting their hunter-gatherer roots and settling into agriculture. It would be the difference between England during the War of the Roses and England pre-Roman invasion, but without the benefit of a Julius Caesar to popularize them or indeed, record anything about them.

Inner Tibet isn't going to be in the game. That area was almost unreachable from the east in this era, and played no part in the conflict. Outer Tibet is already partially in the game, though only the border fringes that were actually Han territory have settlements. The proto-Tibetan Qiang people are in as well, as Ma Teng's auxiliaries. Any Western themed expansion is probably going to expand their role greatly. There were also several Tibetan related cultural groups in the southwestern corner of the map, where the inevitable Nanman expansion will happen.

For the expansion, similar to what Fall of the Samurai, Napoleon and Attila were to Shogun, Empire and Rome II respectively, the Warring States seem absolutely certain. After the Romance of Three Kingdoms, the period leading to the first unified Chinese Dynasty is easily the most popular one and, from a warfare perspective, does not demand a radical modification of the game's mechanics. Although it could be announced in 2020, I doubt it will be released before 2021.

The issue with the Warring States is that it would be very hard to implement the Romance mode onto them, due to both the nature of the time period and the lack of well known warrior-generals occupying the same area. Warfare and statecraft was also fairly different within that era. You're dealing with well established states that are in the midst of philosophical and governmental transformation. The era itself is huge, and would probably be a Saga game at the very least, though a tentpole release would be my bet.

For campaign expansions, both the Chu-Han contention and the Sixteen Kingdoms era that take place before and after the Han dynasty respectively are probably the most workable ideas. Both have a good amount of well defined characters and the kind of warfare practiced would feel very similar to the 3K era.

[BreadBuax]

For alternate culture packs, we are most likely to see the following since they are pretty much no brainers. I hope they expand the map singnificantly.

1)Shanyue Forces
A mix of mountain bandits, refugees, tax/draft dodgers and indigenious hill tribes, they fortify themselves in mountain stronghold and launch attacks onto the lowlands, they are much needed to add some resistance in the south, they inhabit pretty much every mountain in the south. Includes the Wuxi/Wuling barbarians which aided Shu Han forces at the battle of Xiaoting/Yiling.

2)Nomadic Forces
-Xianbei (Probably the most prominent and powerful, North)
-Xiongnu (North)
-Wu Huan (North east)
-Qiang (North west, semi nomadic)
They are quite a divided bunch, they are as divided as the warlords are.

3)'South Western Barbarian' Forces
The only barbarian forces to get screentime in the book, yet ironically the least irrelevant barbarian force in actual history.

I'm skeptical about Korea, they are not heavily involved in the conflict like the other three were. Plus, the only 'Korean' Kingdoms(How closely they relate to modern koreans are debatable) we know anything about during this time is Goguryeo and Buyeo, anything south of Gogeryeo is a complete blurr.

[Abdülmecid I]

Well I am completely clueless about the Koei franchise, so you are perhaps right. I agree that the most decisive factor would be the height of the price, which is why I am a bit skeptical, as Creative Assembly has implied that the "Chapters" will be more expensive than their "culture" packs. Regarding your arguments about historical accuracy, I doubt it's a big priority for CA, especially in Three Kingdoms, where the customers, both Westerners and East Asians, were certainly less demanding, in comparison to Rome II, for example. Historically speaking, the inclusion of Japan is doubtlessly completely nonsensical, but pop culture would guarantee its commercial success. Finally, it's my impression that Saga games are aimed at the old Total War audience, which may feel a bit alienated with the Warhammer and Three Kingdoms titles. So, I don't think that any "Chinese" scenario is going to be featured in these series, at least for the foreseeable future. I considered the Warring States as the stronger candidate, because it's the period with which Europeans and Americans are more familiar about, but if the same observation does not apply to China, Korea or Japan, then the prospects of the Chu-Han conflict or the Sixteen Kingdoms would certainly rise substantially.

[BreadBuax]

Koei's games comes with most scenarios free, alternate start dates would be fine if the scenarios they present is interesting, but most are terrible(I've played them), most well known figures died and the map has like 2-4 relevant factions. Would be a shame if they spent their effort making and selling a more linear and less dynamic campaign.

[zoner16]

Historically speaking, the inclusion of Japan is doubtlessly completely nonsensical, but pop culture would guarantee its commercial success.

The issue is that there basically is no pop culture representation for Yayoi era Japan. Outside a couple of myths that barely feature humans at all, almost nothing within Japan in this era would be recognizably "Japanese" to most westerners. We have basically no historical sources about the it, other than an offhand reference in the Sanguozhi. Almost all of our information comes from archaeology, which means no characters and no dramatic events to tie in. At best, there might be a flavor event added in for first contact.

People were already cold towards Rise of the Samurai comparatively in the Shogun 2 lineup. Imagine that but even less interesting, nothing samurai or ninja related, with at most one name that anyone (even in Asia) might recognize.

[AHumpierRogue]

Yeah Japan will almost certainly not feature. They just aren't distinctive at all in this era. I don't think we will go to the west much farther either. Korea seems likely, both for historical reasons and also because of some hints in the game that can be inferred, like Korea featuring completely on the map but being unplayable, as well as having terrain features like mountains and forests clearly visible if you go over Korea and Liaodong in game while other parts of the map do not. Expanding the map to the southwest seems somewhat likely. Personally, I don't think we can expect the map to go off of the base game map, so I'd say the boundaries of this map are probably the limit.

So I don't expect the game will add the Western Regions or anything. I also personally don't think the map will heady into SE Asia or anything like that but that's just speculation. Ultimately I'd say that the 2 DLC's types we know of, Warlord Packs(Such as the Yellow Turbans, which are explicitly referred to as the "First" warlord pack) and Chapter Packs, will serve different roles. Chapter packs I expect will be focused on expanding the Han Chinese factions, adding new characters, factions, start dates, and hopefully units to the game. Warlord Packs meanwhile would add new cultures such as hopefully the Koreans, Shanyue, Northern steppe tribes, Qiang(assuming they aren't mixed in with the former), and Nanman. With the map being changed as needed for each faction. For example, the Shanyue probably wouldn't need the map to get extended while the Koreans would.

[r3deed]

I wonder if they will ever bring the conflict of Mongols verses the song dynasty. Although I'm more interested into the Ming and Manchu warfare. They had their own share of civil war. China is a great and a rich arena.

[Osskssa]

No its three kingdoms total war not china total war and way outside the timeframe, it will be all based on romance of the three kingdoms.

[AHumpierRogue]

I generally agree. I don't think the game has to be restricted to just the 3K era but it shouldn't go very far from it. The absolute farthest forward I'd be willing to accept would be the beginning of the Tang Dynasty for possible DLC campaigns. I really don't want the Warring States Era to be a DLC in turn(I hope it will get a dedicated Saga game personally). Sort of like how Rome 2 was very much focused on the Roman republic but still played around with time a bit like with ED and Wrath of Sparta. Admittedly Empire Divided was a bit much but at least it was fun IMO, and Wrath of Sparta wasn't exactly good but whatever, you get my point. But yeah, it shouldn't go super far, like I see people asking for the Mongols as a DLC or even the Imjin War, on one site I even saw some people saying they'd like an Opium Wars DLC for 3K! Way too big a jump of course.

Personally I would like to see and half expect the next TW game to be focused on the Mongols, hopefully not just in China(though I don't expect it would go super far west, not the full Empire anyway). Sort of like Attila was to Rome 2 except a bit grander. But keep the general idea of being based on the previous game and sharing code and assets where applicable(mainly stuff like Terrain).

[jbutton]

Showdown at Guan Du

Actual Three Kingdoms

Rise of Jin

and other fleshed out DLC would be nice. I don't care for any of the tribal expansions since they don't add to the overall history but would like to see more fleshed out "rebel" cities rather than just the Han owning everything else.

More historical character packs, too many generic characters when there's literally hundred of named figures.