Total War: Difference between revisions

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* ''Empire: Total War'' (2009)

* ''Napoleon: Total War'' (2010)

* ''Total War: Shogun 2'' (2011)<ref> (where the name format was reversed to "increase Brand Awareness".)</ref>

* ''Total War: Shogun 2'' (2011)<ref>(where the name format was reversed to "increase Brand Awareness".)</ref>

* ''Total War: Rome 2'' (2013)

* ''Total War: Attila'' (2015)

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The games' system is an interesting hybrid, with a continent-scale strategic turn-based game that jumps to real-time battles for resolving conflicts between opposing armies. The main campaign takes place on a [[Risk-Style Map]] divided into territories, cities, and fortifications. Here the player manages his or her empire, selects construction projects for settlements, raises armies, hires and dispatches agents, conducts diplomacy, and marches troops around. When those troops encounter a hostile army or attack a settlement, the game [[Astronomic Zoom|zooms in]] to the conflict and loads a battle map, where the engagement plays out in real-time.

Battles in the ''[[Total War]]'' series are known as much for spectacle as strategy, to the extent that the History Channel used the ''Rome: Total War'' engine to provide visuals for a series on noteworthy Classical Era battle, and [[The BBC]] used the same engine for the [[Game Show]] [[Time Commanders]].

Battles in the '''''Total War''''' series are known as much for spectacle as strategy, to the extent that the History Channel used the ''Rome: Total War'' engine to provide visuals for a series on noteworthy Classical Era battle, and [[The BBC]] used the same engine for the [[Game Show]] [[Time Commanders]].

* [[The Alliance]]: And one you'll hate with every molecule of your being. Realm Divide in ''Shogun 2'' and ''Rise of the Samurai'' is essentially [[The Alliance]] of clans who aren't you, desperately fighting your titanic might from occupying Kyoto and declaring yourself Shogun. And you can't make a counter-alliance (or at least keep it for long), because Realm Divide also give you -50 to your diplomatic influence, [[It Gets Worse|with another -5 for each turn Realm Divide is going]]. (To give you an idea, -50 to diplomacy is equal to your daimyo publicly pissing on the tenets of bushido.)

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** There's also ''Darth Mod'', ''Imperial Spendor'', ''Rights of Man'' and several other mods for ''Empire''.

** The XL Mod, one of the first mods for the first ''Medieval'' mods that while not changing core gameplay managed to expand the scope by introducing new factions and units, deserves mention.

* [[Gameplay Ally Immortality]]: In ''Napoleon'', certain historical generals can only be wounded, even in the event of a successful "assassination" ~~attempt -- they~~ simply respawn later at their national capital. Subverted in that if he is wounded on the battlefield, his unit loses his special abilities and aura for that battle, essentially "mission killing" it.

* [[Gameplay Ally Immortality]]: In ''Napoleon'', certain historical generals can only be wounded, even in the event of a successful "assassination" attempt—they simply respawn later at their national capital. Subverted in that if he is wounded on the battlefield, his unit loses his special abilities and aura for that battle, essentially "mission killing" it.

* [[Generic Doomsday Villain]]: ''Attila'' gives this sort of treatment to the man himself. Attila the Hun even lampshades this in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu8I4TzxSxE one trailer], showing how he's aware of his historical notoriety as the "Scourge of God." And doesn't give a single damn about it.

* [[Genghis Gambit]]: All over the place, man. But in ''Shogun 2'', this is actually inevitable: when you control about 1/3 of the landmass, the Ashikaga Shogun will sic everyone in Japan who is not you, at you. It's called Realm Divide, and is the sole reason you [[Gotta Kill Them All|kill everyone on your way to the throne]] instead of [[Being Good Sucks|sparing them by making them vassals]]. Same thing happens in ''Rise of the Samurai'', only it's the Emperor himself calling the rest of Japan down on you.

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** The No-Dachi Samurai from ''Shogun 2'' have a massive attack, a large charge bonus and an ability that gives them unbreakable morale for a short time, but they lack any kind of melee defense or armor, so one must get them into combat with a charge or watch them get slaughtered.

* [[Going Native]]: The Eastern Roman Empire in ''Attila'' starts out almost identical to its crumbling Western counterpart. But over time begins diverging, following down a path that would characterise it in later on as the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire.

* [[Gorn]]: ''Shogun 2'' has the Blood Pack [[DLC]] explicitly designed to put this trope in the game.

* [[Gorn]]: ''Shogun 2'' has the Blood Pack [[Downloadable Content|DLC]] explicitly designed to put this trope in the game.

* [[Government in Exile]]: Even if you defeat a faction and take over their lands, if you don't keep your citizens happy you'll see revolts and the spawning of nationalist rebels.

** In the original ''Medieval'', factions could occasionally reappear to try and reclaim their independence. In both ''Medieval'' and ''Medieval II'', taking control of Rome and defeating the Pope will result in the immediate election of a new Pope, who generally appears right next to Rome with a sizeable army.

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* [[Have a Gay Old Time]]: Invoked when ''Empire'' hails artillery-centric generals: ''"Here's a man who knows when to blow his load!"''

** Certain Greek cities might be ruled by "Lesbian Rebels" <ref>Rebels from Lesbos, that is</ref> during anarchy.

* [[Heel Faith Turn]]: In ''Shogun 2'', your monk/missionary can enlighten the agents of another clans, effectively disbanding them from their service to their lord. You can even do this to ''[[~~Ninja|ninjas~~]]''... if you can spot one.

* [[Heel Faith Turn]]: In ''Shogun 2'', your monk/missionary can enlighten the agents of another clans, effectively disbanding them from their service to their lord. You can even do this to ''[[ninja]]s''... if you can spot one.

* [[Hero with Bad Publicity]]: In ''Rome'', it seems that the more the People loves you, the more bitter the Senate become toward you. Considering that crushing the Senate and ruling Rome by force is a winning condition, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

** [[Truth in Television]]: This is pretty much how the pattern went with Populari reformists, some of which were part of the Senate. Their fate was to be stabbed to death in increasingly creative ways by the senators. The example that ''mostly'' overcame this pattern was [[Julius Caesar]].

* [[Hit and Run Tactics]]: Possible after ''Shogun''. If you tried that there, your soldiers just randomly ran away. [[Honour Before Reason|Damn samurai honour!]]

** Skirmishers can of course do this better than any other infantry, but this to some extent is the main role of cavalry in ''Empire'' and ''Napoleon'' ~~-- other~~ than cuirassiers, the cavalry are unarmored and thus rely more on their speed for committing flanking attacks.

** Skirmishers can of course do this better than any other infantry, but this to some extent is the main role of cavalry in ''Empire'' and ''Napoleon''—other than cuirassiers, the cavalry are unarmored and thus rely more on their speed for committing flanking attacks.

* [[Honor Before Reason]]: All units in the mobile game ''Total War Battles: Shogun'' can only move and attack forward or forward-diagonally. Never to the side or backwards. The same applies to the enemy. This turns the game into a glorified chess game where every piece is a pawn. According to the game, this is because every Japanese warrior abides by the code of Bushido, which demands no retreat.

* [[Horse Archer]]: Present in every game in some form or another. Varies in deadliness from game to game.

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* [[Military Mashup Machine]]: For a Middle Ages variant, there is the Timurid rocket elephant, an armored war elephant with a hwacha in the howdah. The description for it runs along the lines of "what sort of sick person would add a rocket launcher to an elephant?!" The Timurids also have cannon elephants. Who would do such a thing? [http://traveller.wikia.com/wiki/Ditzie/meta Ditzamer Spofulam would.] Though if you want sick, look at Rome's ''incendiary pigs''; the pigs are pointed at enemy units and then set on fire! Stand well back.

* [[Mission Pack Sequel]]: Fans disagree as to whether ''Napoleon'' was this in regards to ''Empire'', or simply a stand-alone expansion. The Creative Assembly's silence on the issue just makes things more complicated.

* [[More Dakka]]: Canister shot turns an ordinary cannon into an enormous shotgun that rips [[Mighty Glacier~~|Mighty Glaciers~~]] to bloody shreds. Shrapnel shot does this at long range, meaning you can subject your enemy to an unending hail of buckshot.

* [[More Dakka]]: Canister shot turns an ordinary cannon into an enormous shotgun that rips [[Mighty Glacier]]s to bloody shreds. Shrapnel shot does this at long range, meaning you can subject your enemy to an unending hail of buckshot.

* [[Multi Melee Master]]: Phalanxes in ''Rome'' and pikemen in ''Medieval II'' and ''Empire'' caught out of formation or at extreme close range will down spears (or, apparently, [[Hammerspace|stash pikes taller than they are in their trousers]]) and haul out short swords. Only the Spartans and a few really tough pike units (like Swiss pikemen or Spanish Tercios) truly fit the mastery of both weapons part of the trope however. For others, its an [[Emergency Weapon]].

* [[Multiple Endings]]: ''Medieval'' allowed you to declare victory after conquering 60% of the map or go for 100% instead. If you chose the latter course, the ending was suitably more epic... [[A Winner Is You|"more epic" meaning that the little cutscene was the same, but the text below was slightly different.]] Likewise, after finishing a Short Campaign in ''Rome'' (Capture 15 settlements and destroy/outlive one or two specific factions), you can continue your campaign as an Imperial Campaign (capture 50 settlements including Rome). Both give an identical cutscene with different text below. The game's text files also have text for conquering everything.[http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h270/AndarielHalo/My%20RTR%20pics/VICTORY1.jpg Here is an example]. It's from a mod, ''Rome: Total Realism'', but it's the same message and video you'd get as the House of Julii.

* [[The Musketeer]]: All gunpowder units can fight in melee. Why you'd want them to is another matter, as they generally have plentiful ammo.

** In ''Empire'' and ''Napoleon'', infantry and ranged cavalry can run out of ammunition, and can befit the trope with varying effectiveness depending on unit stats and abilities. Dragoons are the best example but are limited to melee attack when on horseback (since they're basically "infantry who ride to the fight"), while France in ''Napoleon'' and several minor nations in ''Empire'' at least have cavalry who can fire carbines from horseback, such as Napoleon's ''chasseurs Ã cheval''. Averted though with ~~artillery -- they~~ don't run out of ammo, but their crews are ''not'' skilled in melee and are way too few (i.e. 12-18 men per battery) to survive against most units. As a result, one of the main roles of cavalry as of this game is to get close enough to unprotected batteries to prey on them. Most of the above still applies to ''Shogun 2'' and ''Fall of the Samurai'', though artillery no longer has unlimited ammo and can now be captured.

** In ''Empire'' and ''Napoleon'', infantry and ranged cavalry can run out of ammunition, and can befit the trope with varying effectiveness depending on unit stats and abilities. Dragoons are the best example but are limited to melee attack when on horseback (since they're basically "infantry who ride to the fight"), while France in ''Napoleon'' and several minor nations in ''Empire'' at least have cavalry who can fire carbines from horseback, such as Napoleon's ''chasseurs Ã cheval''. Averted though with artillery—they don't run out of ammo, but their crews are ''not'' skilled in melee and are way too few (i.e. 12-18 men per battery) to survive against most units. As a result, one of the main roles of cavalry as of this game is to get close enough to unprotected batteries to prey on them. Most of the above still applies to ''Shogun 2'' and ''Fall of the Samurai'', though artillery no longer has unlimited ammo and can now be captured.

* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Anyone, potentially, as titles and nicknames are assigned based on traits, reputation, and deeds. What's more, if the character in question has high enough Dread, enemy forces often actually ''will'' run away from them. Nothing like seeing King Edward, the Lord of Terror, charging an army of several thousand all by his lonesome only to see them turn and rout at the mere sight of him.

* [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot]]: There's nothing stopping you from fielding ninja warriors (kisho ninja) and sending them on a pirate ship. In fact, this is an effective combination if you want to strike a general who hides behind several layers of thoroughly garrisoned territories. Barring mods though, the game doesn't have zombies or robots.

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** ''Fall of the Samurai'' is pretty much nothing but this. The use of 'traditional' troops is an almost outright historical falsification, as in reality, the samurai caste had been more or less entirely de-fanged as warriors since the inception of the Edo period; the Boshin War had both sides using modern weapons and professional armies (or armies-in-the-making). 'Traditional' weapons were used during the opening stages, but it was not because of any wish to preserve the 'old ways' but simply because they didn't have anything better to use. Though to be fair, it is solely the player's choice if he wants to make use of traditional units; he doesn't have to use them, as he gets access to firearms from the every beginning (and that counts for every faction). It's not as much a requirement as it is a bonus or a historical joke.

** ''Rome 2'' made a point to correct many of the errors seen in the original ''Rome.'' Most noteworthy being the depiction of Egypt, which is a proper Hellenistic faction this time around with some [[Going Native|local]] touches.

** Downplayed with ''Attila''. The game does much better to represent Late Antiquity than ''Barbarian Invasion'' <ref>Examples include smaller, more heavily fortified cities for the Roman factions, representing the Diocletan reforms and further militarization of the Roman Empire.</ref> , though some goofs remain like the Visigoths being pagans despite being Arian Christians in real life by then.

** Downplayed with ''Attila''. The game does much better to represent Late Antiquity than ''Barbarian Invasion'',<ref>Examples include smaller, more heavily fortified cities for the Roman factions, representing the Diocletan reforms and further militarization of the Roman Empire.</ref> though some goofs remain like the Visigoths being pagans despite being Arian Christians in real life by then.

* [[Violence Is the Only Option]]: You can ''try'' diplomacy and being nice to people, but either the AI will force you to fight or you'll get tired of your annoying neighbors. That said, it's possible to bribe armies to disband or settlements to defect to your side... except there is no more bribing armies in ''Empire'' due to the revamped diplomacy system, and in ''Empire'' the AI will eventually declare war on all neighboring nations regardless of public opinion. In ''Medieval II'', the AI never seems to learn. You'll be thrashing it, then either the Pope will make you stop, or they will offer you a substantial amount of gold to let them go. Then a few turns later they seem to forget this and attack you again. This can lead to several long and costly wars throughout the campaign. The AI in general is famously stubborn. At times, it will not even accept a ''gift'' of all the territories the player has seized in a war, and that is a ''gift'', with no ''ceasefire''. This is averted in ''Shogun I'', or the easier settings at least. It is possible to win the game without ever declaring war on any rival clan, and to make alliances with them to this end. Said method, however, is to create dozen of spies to forment rebellions in enemy provinces again and again and then sweep in yourself after the old clan was expelled, and to train a few Geisha and unleash them on your allies until, sooner or later, you inherit half the country. The only time you are at war is against peasant rebellions, and they are the most likely to flee without fighting, though eventually they will run out of places to hide and you will be pitted against an amalgation of armies in one final, climatic super-fight.

** Played straight in ''Shogun 2'' with the "Realm Divide" event. Once you have control of about one-third of the map, the Shogun will send ''EVERYONE'' against you. All of the remaining clans (except those allied with you, but don't expect them to stay that way for long) will also promptly stop fighting each other, ally with one another, and declare war against you. And they'll often each send an army of about twenty units (of varying degrees of quality) at a minimum. At this point, diplomacy is worthless.