Article Type: Review
Article Date: September 12, 2002
Product Info
Product Name: Medieval Total War
Category: Real-Time Strategy
Developer: Creative Assembly
Publisher: ActiVision
Release Date: Released
Sys. Spec: Click Here
Files & Links: Click Here
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Feudalism by Any Other Name
Activision and Creative Assembly scored a hit with 2000’s Shogun Total War. They proved not only that real-time 3D tactical battles could be done in a very historical context but dropping from a strategic level to tactical could be done without straining either system. This foray into the Japanese civil wars was immediately successful and was followed up with a Mongol Invasion expansion. The tactical game was the jewel in the diadem with the strategic game enjoyable but more cutesy than deep. Would the curse of the “next game after the hit” strike this series?
Serrated Edge
Medieval Total War’s tactical game is as good as its predecessor. Units cover all types from 1087 to 1453. Everything from English billmen to Muslim horse archers to Swiss handgunners is present. These forces fight in every imaginable place and clime with pertinent effects on combat prowess: bowstrings don’t work in the rain and heavily armored men tire fast in the desert sun. Units adopt three main formations, close, open , wedge, with nine variations such as double line. Unit groups can be formed with CTRL SHFT and numbered for quick access. Movement and attack orders are simple mouse clicks, with orders ranging from “Fire at Will” to “Kill Prisoners”. Units are rated for morale, training and offense/defense capacity. Terrain, leadership, fatigue and nearness of friendly units can modify all of these.
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Scottish clansmen plug up the English at Stirling Bridge  |
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| Saracen and Frankish knights have at each other in the desert. |
Perhaps the greatest improvement in Medieval Total War over Shogun is the addition of sophisticated fortifications and artillery. Fortifications are largely curtain wall affairs with guardhouses, gates and towers. The graphics for them don’t change over the years. However, siege artillery evolves nicely. Beginning with catapults, the huge trebuchets are introduced with early cannon appearing with the later period. Allowing crews to rout or be killed without destroying their equipment is a nice touch of realism.
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| Barbarossa’s catapults begin to smash a small castle. |
Battles come in three historical battles or in eight historical battles within six historical campaigns and two of the historical campaigns must be fought before two more are accessible. Each battle in a campaign must be fought in sequence. Of course, quick battle and a map editor, combined with custom battles where players select periods, countries, maps and troops, provide variety.
These single battles are a bit disappointing. All three historical battles, Hastings, Bannockburn amd Stirling Bridge, are set in the British Isles. The player cannot choose sides or change initial dispositions as described in the manual. The AI is good at the higher of the four difficulty levels but seems too aggressive at times. For example, the Saxons at Hastings charge down Battle Hill before the Normans even form up.
The six historical campaigns are 100 Years War (English), 100 Years War (French), Barbarossa, Saladin, Richard and the Mongols. The battles are not linked in that results are not carried over but they must be played in sequence. Hence, if a player has a hankering for Agincourt, he must first at least open and play Crecy and Poitiers a bit first.
The graphics for both battle types have the same fine terrain. Unit figures are fine with good animation, even though the figures for one type, e.g., feudal knight, don’t change over the years. If grouping is used, the battle interface works well and the AI can be crafty. The eighty-page manual can be vague on points such as when attacking players can pre-position troops but is fairly good over all for game mechanics. However, the tiny print on the tech tree and the lack of a comprehensive explanation of individual unit types, e.g., halberdiers vs. billmen, make the learning curve steeper than necessary. The multi-level victory conditions add sophistication to what could have been a mere hack-and-slash proposition. The biggest disappointment is the lack of field fortifications, such as stakes. These obstacles became increasingly important as time went by.
Battles can be played on Gamespy or LAN. TCP/IP play is not supported.
Crown Jewels
If the campaign game was lackluster in Shogun, it dazzles in Medieval. The player can take over the fate of any one of twelve different factions in Europe, North Africa or the Middle East beginning in 1087, 1205 and 1321. The factions are differentiated in religion, sophistication, resources and size. The faction leaders’ ability to govern are divided into five traits that quantify their ability to lead, rule, negotiate, and make money. In addition, they also have vices that can be exploited by enemies and virtues that can improve.
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| Emperor Ludwig IV’s traits and domains are impressive |
The provinces they rule are abstractly yet well represented on a 3D map. Provinces create income through trade and taxes and are rated for piety, zeal, and loyalty. Heretics and rebels abound in all period so revolts are always a danger. Garrisions, lighter taxes, and the appropriate religious personnel can mitigate this danger. The best way to ensure a province’s loyalty, though, is to give its title office to a suitably mean but trustworthy general.
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| The size of the early Angevin empire was impressive. |
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| A zoomed-in look shows all of England’s assets |
A ruler’s first duty remains to the royal house. He must marry well, preferably forming an alliance, and hope for male heirs to carry on the line. Princesses are helpful in forming alliances but dying without a male heir or a prince over fifteen years old is an invitation to baronial uprisings.
The ruler does not work in a vacuum, of course. Other countries are pushing their agendas and universal authorities such as the pope or the Moslem imams will intervene at the most unpleasant of times, with excommunications and warnings. Until a ruler is rich and strong, he should “go along to get along” while building up his base.
This build-up becomes the most exciting part of the campaign. The tech tree now has five levels with approximately ninety advances in buildings and technology. Buildings can improve trade, resources, defense, armed forces and special agents such as emissaries, assassins and religious agents. These units now do more than spy and kill; they can expose an enemy’s vices, strip an incompetent governor of his office or rid the area of heretics. Better units can be built with advanced buildings but the best units often require control of a province, e.g., Swiss pikemen and Welsh bowmen. The most innovative addition is shipping. Ships can be built to transport units for amphibious operations. Strung in a chain from port to port, they also create a trade route as well as an invasion path. This naval system is rather clumsy but is better than nothing at all.
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| Bavaria is well built and soon to become more so. |
The displays are simplicity itself; right-click on anything and a detailed description appears in a panel. Units and armies are shown like the 3D pieces in the Axis and Allies board game. Units can be transferred between armies by clicking on a panel icon and dropping them on the map or another unit. Movement is dropping and dragging to a province. Battles start when moving into an enemy province where the choice of automatic or player controlled battle is given. The player should check not only his general’s acumen but his own tactical ability before making a choice. If two friendly forces are in the province, reinforcements may arrive on the field. Success in battle and in building may increase a virtue and capability while defeat can increase vices and strip a leader of his abilities.
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| A warning from the Holy See can’t be ignored. |
Royal Pains
Ironically, the better the game is, the more its faults stand out. Medieval Total War appeals to the crowd by providing well-known historical missions and campaigns but leaving out more interesting ones. Cases in point include battles in Northern Italy and early Swiss battles. The map editor could solve this for people who would do the research but the map editor is unsupported, sparsely documented and is fragile to use. A full-fledged battle editor would make custom battles much easier to create. Overall, documentation is largely an adjunct to the online information panels and has relatively small font. Perhaps the manual was written knowing a strategy guide would appear soon. Field fortifications should be a feature in some battles and the map editor.
These criticisms point the way to an expansion. Even with warts, Medieval Total War has set the bar for games of this period.
Medieval Total War
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