Medieval: Total War is set in the four centuries spanning from the preaching of the first crusade in 1095 to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Medieval: Total War takes everything that was compelling about the critically acclaimed Shogun: Total War and adds new levels of depth, accessibility, gameplay and strategy.
This period of history saw the emergence of the modern world through a time of brutal conflict and social upheaval. This is the time when the nations of Europe emerged from the endless struggle between competing feudal overlords; when Richard the Lionheart and Saladin fought for control of the Holy Land; when there was a Holy Roman Empire that was neither Holy, nor Roman nor even an Empire; when the English and French learned to really hate each other during the Hundred Years War; when Kings took and held their thrones by the power of the sword; when knights ruled the battlefield until English archers shot them down with their rightly-feared longbows; when a Pope could grant forgiveness of all sins for killing the Church’s enemies as brutally as possible; when knights and their ladies practiced courtly love; when children as young as four were married off in dynastic and territorial treaties; when there was more than one Pope, each claiming to be the true leader of the Church; when plague — the terrible Black Death — killed around a third the whole population; when heretics and witches were burned by the thousand; when the Mongol hordes lurked to the East; when heroes like Joan of Arc and Robin Hood passed from reality to myth and back again; when everyone sensible knew the sun went round the earth; when Spain was ruled by Moslem lords; when life and death were a sword’s length apart; when great cathedrals were built all across Europe; when war itself was on the eve of a great change — the widespread use of gunpowder; and when the Renaissance burst into life.
The period is also rich in larger-than-life characters who carved their names across history – from military giants such as Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, Frederick Barbarrosa and Kublai Khan; to legendary warriors and rebels such as William Wallace, El Cid, Robin Hood and Joan of Arc. The great deeds of these characters will be woven into the gameplay.
Medieval: Total War will give the player the chance to experience the Middle Ages in all their blood-soaked magnificence. Battles will rage across deserts, mountains, plains and forests. Massive armies will lay siege to mighty fortresses and pound them into the dust with catapults and cannons. Players will command medieval armies of knights, men-at-arms, archers and siege weapons and to make his royal family the masters of Europe.
Features
- 400 years of Medieval warfare — from the preaching of the first crusade in 1095 to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Guide your kingdom’s fortunes through the early dominance of the Feudal Knights and Longbowmen to the emergence of gunpowder and the advent of Heavy Siege Cannons and Handguns.
- Spectacular battles featuring over 10000 troops in real-time 3D terrain - battle over hundreds of distinct battlefields from the lush farmlands of Western Europe to the arid deserts of Northern Africa.
- 12 playable factions – each with distinct playing styles and unique units, including: the English, German, Byzantine, French and Turkish Empires.
- Over 100 different unit types – including: Teutonic Knights, Highland Clansmen, Saracen Infantry and Bedouin Camel Warriors.
- Famous characters – including Richard the Lionheart, Joan of Arc, Saladin, William Wallace, Frederick Barbarrosa and Robin Hood.
- RPG-style character development — Kings, Generals and Heirs develop vices, virtues and abilities that reflect their actions throughout the campaign.
- Historical campaigns – Historically accurate campaigns, including: the Crusades, the 100 Years War and the Mongol Invasions.
- Breathtaking 3D Castle sieges – a vast array of siege weaponry, including: Siege Cannons, Mangonels and Ballistae can now pound castles and fortresses into the dust.
- Multiplayer & Online Games — Join the Total War community to crush your friends and make new enemies all over the world.
Epic-Scale 3D Battles
- Epic battles with over 10000 warriors fighting at any one time!
- Over 100 unique units that adopt historically accurate tactics.
- Fully destructible buildings, castles and fortifications.
- Improved AI with new battleplans and tactics.
- Reinforcements can now be strategically deployed.
- Highly detailed terrain, including: forests; deserts; mountains and plains.
- Winning the game will involve learning how to get the best out of the new combinations of units.
- The epic scale 3D battles in Medieval: Total War will build on and extend the technology already seen in Shogun: Total War.
Sieges
- Medieval: Total War features spectacular real-time sieges.
- Mangonels, Trebuchets, Siege Cannons, Catapults and many more ancient siege weapons can pound castle walls, towers and keeps into the dust.
- Fortresses now boast extra fortifications, including: ditches, palisades and ring walls.
- Castle towers can be upgraded to house archers, artillery and siege weapons.
- Buildings and fortifications reflect the architectural styles of
- three different cultures: Islamic, Byzantine and Western European.
Deep strategic gameplay
- Medieval: Total War is also an in-depth turn-based strategy game.
- In order to conquer Europe, players will need to manage the affairs of their kingdom by forging strategic alliances, creating trade routes, researching technology, constructing castles, deploying naval power, training warriors and generals and suppressing revolts.
- Several new and innovative features expand and improve upon the gameplay in Shogun: Total War.
- Marriage treaties now allow a player to make his character the heir to many provinces or an entire country!
- The detailed strategy map now includes the physical features of the European landscape – with battlefields able to be strategically chosen by attacking a region across different borders.
12 Playable Factions
Not all the factions will play in the same way. Leading the English to victory will make different strategic and tactical demands on a player’s skills than doing the same with, say, the Turks.
Each faction has its own unique mix gameplay options, units, goals, abilities, buildings, historical characters and historical great works.
RPG-style Characters
Each nation has a cast of royalty, generals and governors who can not only lead armies but also develop personalities and skills over the course of their lives in the game. Royal characters are tracked for their position in the line of succession to throne. Characters will also gain a selection of quirky (and colourful) vices and virtues over time, all of which impact on their ability to lead troops or govern the peasantry!
Special Characters
A host of new special characters, including generals and governors, princesses, bishops and cardinals, diplomats, papal envoys, heretics, witch finders, inquisitors, famous artists, and natural philosophers (scientists). These characters can trigger religious wars, negotiate treaties, create famous works of art or make incredible scientific discoveries.
Glorious Achievements
These are projects that are so important they bring fame, glory and wealth to the nation or faction that undertakes them. The Glorious Achievements include, for example, magnificent buildings, such as the great Cathedrals, the Crusades, establishing an empire overseas and funding the discovery of the New World.
Multiplayer & The On-Line Community
Medieval: Total War is not designed to be solely a stand-alone experience.
The online game is as important as the one-player version. In this, the game again builds on the experience gained from Shogun Total War. There’ll be multiple types of battles, including King of the Hill, Assassin and Last Man Standing. Map and campaign editors will allow players to create their own battles and scenarios. Provision will be made for downloadable extras for the game, including new units, new legendary objects, new campaigns, new battles and new historical characters to be downloaded from the games web site.
Medieval: Total War - Viking Invasion is the expansion pack to the award-winning Medieval: Total War, and takes the action of the game to a new level and a new time. In 793AD the Vikings attacked the monastery at Lindisfarne in Northumbria, killing the monks and nuns, destroying one of Northern Europe’s great centres of learning, and carrying off every precious object they could prise from the dead hands of the monks.
Viking Invasion starts at the time of this frightening - for the people of Britain - event! The Vikings are coming to wage Total War.
Features:
- Three new playable factions - the Aragonese, the Sicilians and the Hungarians.
- New units for many factions, including elite Arabic Faris cavalrymen, Russian Druhzina Cavalry, Hungary Jobbagy Infantry, and the fearsome, amazing Organ Gun - a Medieval “machine gun” of sorts!
- A new pre-battle system that allows you to scout out enemy forces and organise your reinforcements before a battle.
- Boiling oil in sieges! Beware of sending your men to attack the castle gates!
- Tweaks, changes and improvements to gameplay, including a couple of new buildings on the technology tree!
- A brand new Viking Era campaign with a completely new map of the British Isles and Scandinavia
- 8 new Viking Era factions, including the Saxons, Welsh, Mercians, Northumbrians, Scots, Picts, Irish - and not forgetting the Vikings!
- A new Viking Era technology tree - including Drinking Halls, Sacrificial Shrines, a Warrior Hold and a few surprises.
- New Viking Era military forces, including Huscarles, Saxon Fyrdmen, Viking Thralls, extremely scary and shield-bitingly fearsome Berserkers - and more!