Shogun 2 might be my favorite strategy game of the last decade (maybe AOW3 with all the patches and whatnot now). I’m so in on this when I have time. Unless impressions here aren’t great, heh.
if you run the game in japanese are there sub-titles on i assume?
that sounds comical about the settings being reset every time you play
For me, it most definitely is. I won’t even comment on how many hours I’ve played it. ;)
Not that I’ve seen so far, but the English voice acting is so bad it’s worth it.
Get crackin’, tgb123, I need a thumbs up or a thumbs down here! :)
I know very little about the series but I did end up picking this up today. We’ll see how it goes as it will have to contend with MGSV for my time and Destiny in a couple of weeks too.
I’ve played through the tutorial, and other than the problem with the resolution sticking, I’m liking it a lot so far. It seems stable, which it should be since it was released in Japan 2 years ago (I think). I get the impression of more breadth than depth - lots of things to do in a turn, but none of them very complicated. Anyone with experience playing a Paradox, Civ, or TW game should be able to jump right in.
There are some elements I wish weren’t quite so “gamey” (diplomatic favor used as a currency to purchase things like alliances, battles turning on your commander’s spel…err, abilities. That sort of thing.
Still, it seems pretty solid and I’m looking forward to spending some serious time with it.
I started a game as Oda in the Battle of Somethingorother scenario and immediately got in over my head by overspending. It’s important to remember that things like policies and diplomacy are very expensive every turn and can quickly drive you into the red.
I still don’t have my head completely around officer management. What to do about a disloyal retainer, for example. I also know that there is a connection between the tenets your officers follow, that number next to the yellow starburst (progress or something like that) and the policies you can enact, but don’t quite know what it is.
Time to RTFM.
I actually lost the tutorial battle! Much dishonor.
Couldn’t figure out how to get the ‘skirmish’ arrow icon to show up.
I’m having the hardest time trying to parse what kind of game this is - Its not turnbased, right? everything moves at a constant speed? Are there any time controls? Are battles on the same overland map as we see, only zoomed in? Also, is it scenario based, or more of a grand campaign, talking in Total War terminology?
wisefool: What the tutorial calls “volley” is actually the “release” command. I got it through dumb luck, but it really needs to be fixed. A lot of people are having trouble with it.
Game is both, if that makes sense. Each turn is a month, and you issue orders to your retainers to build, conduct diplomacy etc. like any other turn-based game. When you hit the “next turn” button, instead of jumping to the next month, your commands are played out in continuous time, while a timer (which 3 speeds you can control) counts the month down. At the end of the timer the clock stops again so you can issue new orders.
Military activity takes place during the timer running, but you can stop the timer and issue orders. Battles are fought on the strategic map, and you can let the AI control your armies or you can zoom in and take control yourself.
As to scenario-based or grand campaign, again, the answer is both. It is made up of individual scenarios, both fictional and historic. The historic scenarios differ in the state of the world at the start date (kind of like a Paradox game), and you will get history-specific events, but plays out like a typical 4X where you win eithre through conquest or developing your empire until you can issue a “no more war” edict.
I supposed it’s possible to create your own grand campaign by following the historical campaigns in chronological order and recreating Clarabella’s accomplishments.
Who the hell is Clarabella? That doesn’t sound very Japanese to me.
I’m guessing that’s the 12 years old girl you can put in command of your armies?
Clarabella=Norabunga
Was that a massive typo on your part or where does this come from? I’m curious because Google tells me nothing.
Sounds like a girl’s name. Didn’t Nobu mess with Christians (Jesuits, Portuguese?)
Likely due to Christians calling him Clarabella.
Thanks for the description tgb123 - I remember the old Bandit Kings of Ancient China and Djenghis Khan KOEI games, and I like what you decribe, so I decided to purchase it.
My Danish brother! I loved Bandit Kings so damn much, it was one of the formative games of my youth.
hehe, yeah - I really enjoyed those - I think it was on the Amiga that I played these. If I recall, there were a few different scenarios as well in these, one was unifying china and another was a larger campaign. Good stuff!