Mike Simpson is the Development Director at The Creative Assembly, and he was
kind enough to take the time to answer some of our questions about Medieval:
Total War.
GT: Will Medieval: Total War be a conversion of Shogun: Total War, or
a completely new game?
MS: Medieval: Total War is a completely new game. The Total War Engine
has been stripped down and re-built to incorporate the many new features in the
game.
GT: What time period does Medieval Total War cover?
MS: The game starts in 1087 with the preaching of the First Crusade
and ends in 1453 when the Turks conquered Constantinople. Players can, however,
choose to start campaign games at the High period (1200) or the Late period
(1320).
GT: Will technology advance during the game? For example, will there be
gunpowder units later in the game?
MS: Yes. Each of the four cultures in the game has their own extensive
tech tree. As players upgrade their castles, new buildings will become available
that can produce more modern and powerful units. With the invention of gunpowder
in 1260, siege weapons become a lot more effective - as the likes of culverins,
mortars and siege cannons become available. Several types of normal troops can
also be created after the invention of gunpowder, such as handgunners and
arquebusiers.
GT: Will there be historical scenarios or campaigns? If so, can you tell
us what some of them will be?
MS: Medieval contains Historical Battles (which are re-creations of
famous battles throughout the period). Examples include the Battle of Hastings
(okay – so that was 1066!) and the Battles of Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn
where players will be able to take control of William Wallace (from the film
Braveheart) and defeat the evil English!
GT: We also have six Historical Campaigns that consist of a series of 3-4
historical battles ...
MS: The Hundred Years War campaign is split into the English and the
French battles. Players will be able to assume the role of Edward the Black
Prince and Henry V as they smash the arrogant French armies at Crecy, Poitiers
and Agincourt. This will then unlock the French campaign – where Joan of Arc
defeats the English by lifting the Siege of Orleans and then drives the English
dogs back out of mainland France at the battles of Loire Valley and Patay.
The Crusades Campaign is split into three battles as Saladin and three as
Richard the Lionheart . The Saladin campaign consists on Marj’Ayyun, The Horns
of Hattin and Acre, and the Richard battles are Arsuf and Jaffa.
The Frederick Barbarossa Campaign has two historical battles (Legnano and
Carcano) and three ‘what if’ battles.
There’s also the Golden Horde Campaign - where players can take control of
Ogadai Khan and lead the Mongol Hordes across Eastern Europe.
The strategic component »
