# Total War: Shogun 2



## Santino (Jun 16, 2010)

http://www.totalwar.com/shogun2

Very exicted about this. Despite all the improvements to the Total War games, they never managed to re-create the awesomeness of the original.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jun 16, 2010)

Haven't played TW since the last Medevil game. Great fun though, looking forward to this...


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## treelover (Jun 17, 2010)

Got a bug in my ETW game: in the 'Road To Independence' campaign, where my ships won't move on the sea, its a damn gamebreaker, so i am taking a break from C/A Total War Series.


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## joevsimp (Jun 17, 2010)

Ace, I dever bothered with Empire ( my comp can barely handle M2 without overheating) but I assume it'l have the same engine?


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## treelover (Jun 17, 2010)

I think you need a more powerful PC for ETW, better graphics, smoke, etc...


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## Emerald Toucan (Jan 10, 2011)

Really looking forward to this, the videos looks great and the AI seems much improved.

Looks like you'll need a monster PC to play this with a decent setting and frame rate;

Recommended Specs (Recommended for optimum game play of Total War: Shogun 2):

- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™i5 processor (or greater), or AMD equivalent
- 2GB RAM (XP), 4GB RAM (Vista / Windows7)
- AMD Radeon HD 5000 and 6000 series graphics cards or equivalent DirectX 11 compatible graphics card
- 1280x1024 minimum screen resolution
- 20GB free hard disk space


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## Cid (Feb 24, 2011)

The demo's out... Very generous demo too (6gb), I played the Chokosabe tutorial, not sure where it stops (you can't save, so lost it when i shut the PC down), but probably a good couple of hours in that and there may be other stuff I didn't try.

Looks very promising I have to say, UI is refined, AI improvements, nice graphics etc. Definitely worth downloading.


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## treelover (Feb 25, 2011)

cant justify 6 gb for a demo on steam, thats a full game...

especially if you can't save


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## Cid (Feb 25, 2011)

What's 6 gig these days?


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## Cid (Feb 25, 2011)

Just fired it up again, as it turns out the autosave works, you just can't save at specific points.


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## Garek (Mar 9, 2011)

Played the demo and really enjoyed it. I think the game will feel a lot more focussed than the bloated Empire which just felt too big in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I think, once patched up to the eye balls, it was a good game, but it felt a lot more complex in precisely the wrong way. It just didn't have that simple thrill of firing it up and going "MWAH HA! I shall paint the world my colour!". It was too big for that. Too sprawling. 

This game looks interesting. Very interesting. And the art and design is just sumptuous. 

Roll on the end of March.


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## Cid (Mar 12, 2011)

Yeah, I've been replaying an Empire and, although it's a great game in some ways, as you progress you start having to spend ages contemplating each turn, running through your lists of agents, armies and fleets etc, working through building lists (this is especially a problem with Russia as you tend to amass an enormous amount of land), not to mention sorting out government policy. Also some game-killing bugs (slow-down when using canons in sieges, I think due to AI pathfinding effectively getting caught in a loop and overloading the CPU). It looks like Shogun will be refined, not exactly simplified, just tweaked nicely... And yeah, should have some very atmospheric environments.


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## Garek (Mar 13, 2011)

The RPGesque levelling of generals and other characters is an interesting inclusion I think. I imagaine that everyone who as ever played a Total War game will have had generals in games which they have used to conquer half the world with and grown quite fond. Seems like they have taken that and gone further with but allowing more contol over how they develop. Similary with the Chi and other thing skills tree. Could have seemed like a gimmick but I think it is a nice addition.


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## agricola (Mar 15, 2011)

Ok, CA have managed to get rid of about half of my high opinion of them, formed from the past ten years of superlative games from them, solely because of the idiotic way this game is installed from DVD.


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## Private Storm (Apr 11, 2011)

Not much love for the game going on in here. Had it for a week or so now and am loving it, the RPG side of things is really nice and you can see just how the well developed characters can affect the outcome of battles etc. Rather annoying diplomacy system is slightly getting on my tits, but overall, really like the game. Haven't gotten near to the victory conditions as of yet, but a few more nights of intense play and I can see myself making Shogun.


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## Garek (Apr 11, 2011)

Private Storm said:


> Not much love for the game going on in here. Had it for a week or so now and am loving it, the RPG side of things is really nice and you can see just how the well developed characters can affect the outcome of battles etc. Rather annoying diplomacy system is slightly getting on my tits, but overall, really like the game. Haven't gotten near to the victory conditions as of yet, but a few more nights of intense play and I can see myself making Shogun.


 
I am fucking loving it  

I love the RPG stuff to. One of my best Generals is an awesome bloke with a master archer following round increasing the accuracy of all units. I was very happy with him sweeping across the map, wiping out all and sundry, until I realised that in doing so his loyalty was plummeting as he was getting "delusions of grandeur". Bastard!

I am currently playing as Chesokobe after starting another game with the Date which I am going to go back to later. Playing it hard so feeling like there is a good challenge. I feel like I have having to earn what I take. Actually I want to go back to playing the Date as Kyoto seems like bloody miles away, and I know it will be a slog getting there. 

Had quite a few mis-starts. Generally do with Total War games. I try and follow the plan of Develop, Expand, Consolidate, though I often expand to quick and cripple myself financially. Or I take on someone who maybe I should really have waited to take on, and get thoroughly thrashed.


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## Private Storm (Apr 11, 2011)

Yep, mis-starts are part and parcel with TW games. Especially when you come across little bits of insight like "never build rice exchanges" or discover just how important the trade nodes are and you're based f-kin miles away from them. A couple of my mis-starts all generally involved trying to expand too quickly, leaving me desitute and poorly defended across all my provinces. Throw into the mix a rebellion caused by lack of food and it's goodnight from me. Have yet to try the mulitplayer or scenarios, but they've never really been my thing with the TW games. Possibly 'cos I generally get my ass handed to my on a plate by all and sundry.


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## Garek (Apr 11, 2011)

What's wrong with Rice Exchanges? EDIT: Ah got it: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/04/11/opinion-blurring-genres/#more-56665

Allies are important. 

I am using the Realm Divide mod which lessens, though does not do away with, Realm Divide just so that long term allies are meant to stand by you. Reading reports that people are having some good games with it where, for example, the war for control of Japan has ended up between East and West.


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## kained&able (Apr 11, 2011)

that spec scares me! i've just about got it.

Oh hold on recommended, not minimum. I shall get on it then.

I loved the original shogun.

dave


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## Santino (Apr 11, 2011)

Why haven't they done a China Warring States-era game? It seems ideal for Total War.


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## Garek (Apr 11, 2011)

Good economy guide here: http://forums.totalwar.com/showthread.php/11396-Dark-Side-s-Economy-Guide-for-Shogun-2


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## Garek (Apr 29, 2011)

Well I got to the realm divide bit and it has fucked me right up. Economy has collapsed and every single clan but one has decalred war on me. I am nealry bankrupt and I am fighting an impossible war on multiple fronts. I have no money coming so I cannot replace my losses. 

What the hell do I do??? One of the clans I am at war with control half of Japan and has vast resources at hand.


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## Threshers_Flail (Apr 29, 2011)

I haven't played any of this series since medieval 2. Wish I could afford a better pc to handle this.


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## agricola (May 31, 2011)

Bumped because of the wonderful new DLC for the Ikkō-ikki.


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## Garek (Aug 13, 2011)

Really getting a bit annoyed with the balancing in this game. I want a difficulty setting somewhere between Normal and Hard. On Normal the game is a push over. Cities are left barely defended and you can rapidly expand without much effort and without really feeling like you have earned it. On Hard however EVERYBODY hates you and sends 2000 strong armies to crush you. Everyone also allies to form where large power blocks meaning you have to fight a war on multiple fronts.

I want to expand and feel like I am earning it, but I also don't want to play a game which feels punishingly hard. This is doing my head in at the moment.


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## Blackandyellow (Nov 14, 2011)

There is a shogun total war 2? Is it already released? I loved the original.


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## Garek (Nov 14, 2011)

Blackandyellow said:


> There is a shogun total war 2? Is it already released? I loved the original.



Been out for awhile and since you are late to the party your version will be nice and patched


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## past caring (Nov 23, 2011)

But still having to pay for downloadable content?

And still having to deal with a game/AI where the whole thing becomes pointless from mid-game on (i.e. because you reach a point where you absolutely _will_ win - it's just grinding out the remainder of the game)?

Have not bothered since MTW2 Kingdoms - mods of that have added enough replayability without having to give CA money for a game wich is, essentially, MTW2 sset in a different era.


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## maomao (Nov 23, 2011)

past caring said:


> But still having to pay for downloadable content?
> 
> And still having to deal with a game/AI where the whole thing becomes pointless from mid-game on (i.e. because you reach a point where you absolutely _will_ win - it's just grinding out the remainder of the game)?
> 
> Have not bothered since MTW2 Kingdoms - mods of that have added enough replayability without having to give CA money for a game wich is, essentially, MTW2 sset in a different era.



Yeah, but it's got ninjas, MTW doesn't have ninjas and the game help has a really annoying voice.

The inevitability of winning thing is true though. It's not so bad on the higher settings but I still find myself giving the enemy some breaks so that there's still a decent fight left in them.


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## past caring (Nov 23, 2011)

A lot of the mods you needed to make sure you didn't rush just to allow other factions enough time to develop their economy sufficiently so as to be able to produce some of the higher end units, so I'm used to/ok with giving the AI a break.

Problem is (for me) that CA have invested in pleasing the arcade crowd rather than making meaningful improvements to the AI so that either;

 - other factions expand agressively so that by mid-game there are one or two other factions that can match you for territory/resources/strength, rather than a collection of medium sized factions you can take on individually one after another.

- the other medium sized factions will consistently (not 100% of the time, but enough that it's a worry) unite to slap you down when you become a threat.


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## maomao (Nov 23, 2011)

Sorry, can't tell whether you're saying those things are desirable or not?

In Shogun 2 once you've conquered half the country the other factions will _always_ unite which means you are left with a challenge even if you've already beaten the biggest faction. If you're playing the long game you still end up with it petering out a bit before you reach your 80 provinces though.

The higher difficulty levels are _really_ hard too. I could beat Shogun1 on all levels within about 2 months of starting to play it. I've had Shogun 2 for 6 months and there's some factions I still can't win on moderate.


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## past caring (Nov 23, 2011)

I am saying that those things are desirable.....

Don't know, I didn't bother with Empire or Napoleon because I couldn't see that CA had done anything to improve the AI/increase the challenge and I couldn't see that the musket/gunpowder period would make for a particularly intriguing game given the battle mechanics.

Shogun 2 may be better if the other factions will now gang up on you, but there needs to be something where the game doesn't peter out - have they done anything about introducing _proper_ multiplayer yet? - i.e. grand campaign multiplayer, not just battle. That could be a proper challenge if done well.


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