Coastal provinces may also construct ports to increase trade. Certain provinces possess natural resources that require a mine to be constructed to tap into. Each province allows for the cultivation of farmland, and the construction of border watchtowers and a castle. Each faction controls various historical provinces. The main campaign of Shogun: Total War involves a player choosing a clan and moving to eliminate their enemies and become shogun of feudal Japan. Smaller, independent factions are represented as rebel clans and rōnin. For instance, the Imagawa clan trains more efficient espionage agents, while the Takeda clan can produce higher quality cavalry, etc. While each clan has access to the same broad units and technology and begins the game with roughly the same amount of land, each clan has a specific advantage in a particular area. The northern parts of Honshū are home to the Uesugi and Hōjō clans. The island of Kyūshū and the southwestern end of Honshū incorporates the Shimazu, Mōri and Takeda clans, while the Oda and Imagawa clans control the central parts of Honshū. The game consists of seven factions which the player can choose to play as each one of Japan's historical clans. The real-time element of the game allows the player to assume command of one of their armies and personally direct the course of any battles that take place.
Shogun incorporates two main areas of play: The turn-based campaign map is where the player moves their armies, conducts diplomacy, builds the infrastructure of their provinces and performs various other tasks necessary to run their faction. The game puts the player in the position of a Japanese daimyō with the objective of conquering Japan through military might, diplomacy, espionage, trade, and religion-thereby taking the position of shōgun. Shogun: Total War is focused on samurai warfare in the Sengoku period of Japanese history, which lasted from the mid-15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. It was announced in June 2010 and released in March 2011.
Total War: Shogun 2 is a sequel which returns to the Sengoku period albeit with all the improvements in graphical technology and gameplay since the first game. The game's positive reception and sales paved the way for the development of successive Total War releases set in different times and regions.
An expansion pack, The Mongol Invasion, followed only in Europe in August 2001, adding a playable version of the Mongol invasions of Japan. Shogun: Total War was well received critically, though complaints surfaced regarding glitches in the game. The turn-based campaign map was added to include context for the real-time battles. Through the course of development, Shogun: Total War evolved into a real-time tactics game with a focus on historical authenticity military historian Stephen Turnbull advised The Creative Assembly in this regard. However, the proliferation of 3D video cards amongst consumers led to a transition to 3D graphics. The game was initially conceived as a real-time strategy "B-title" powered by 2D computer graphics following the popularisation of the genre through titles such as Command & Conquer. The turn-based aspect of the game focuses on a map of Japan where military force, religion, diplomacy, espionage and economics all influence the player's actions, whilst battles are fought in a 3D real-time mode.Īnnounced in early 1999, Shogun: Total War was The Creative Assembly's first high business risk product previous products had involved creating video games for the EA Sports brand. Set in Japan during Sengoku jidai-the "Warring States" period from the 15th to the beginning of the 17th century-the game has players adopt the leader of a contemporary Japanese clan, attempt to conquer the nation and claim the position of shōgun. Released in June 2000, the game became the debut title in The Creative Assembly's Total War series.
Shogun: Total War is a turn-based strategy and real-time tactics video game developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows personal computers.