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本帖最后由 希望 于 2011-9-15 14:15 编辑
9月27号,除了吐血就是流泪~
http://forums.totalwar.com/showt ... d-what-we-re-up-to-(08.09.2011)
Hi guys,
Two bits of tasty info for you this week. Firstly, we’re about to announce the release date of Rise of the Samurai. Keep your eye on the Total War blog – we’ll be posting it up there in the next few hours.
Edit: Now announced as 27th September.
While you’re waiting for that, the second instalment of my Rise of the Samurai campaign diary is now complete. Before jumping in, we recommend you check out last week’s instalment here.
PART TWO
It’s been a long week. Things have happened. We’ve seen the best of times; we’ve seen the worst of times. We’ve seen men in great hats.
I’ve been spending a lot of time admiring my general’s hat on the battlefield this week, mostly while playing the new “battle realism” mode. This feature’s fresh to Rise of the Samurai and is enabled through a checkbox when you start a new campaign. It aims to make things a bit tougher for more experienced players, or those who prefer an old-school challenge in battles.
When the mode’s active, your camera is restricted to a radius around your troops, detailed enemy tool-tip information is not available and your radar is disabled. In short, when it all goes wrong you’ll cry.
I didn’t touch much on last week’s battle against the Ashikaga, but I feel it merits inclusion in this diary in more detail, as it involved a drop-in battle.
I sought a noble warrior to seek me out and challenge me in an honourable dual. I couldn’t find one, but Will, one of our QA assassins, was eager to rise up against the oppressor of worlds, as I’m sometimes known. A self-professed ninja, I knew he’d be fighting for the enemy’s pride.
His force was made up of two naginata levy, one bow attendant, two naginata levy garrison and a bow levy garrison. His Daimyo, Ashikaga Yukimura, stood there before me, too. It might have been my imagination, but he looked somewhat smug. He couldn’t be allowed to survive.
My forces comprised six units of naginata levy, a bow levy and my Son & Heir, Fujiwara Kunihira. He refuses to stop for autographs, so there’s no point in asking. My men totaled 737, Will’s 660.
As battle commenced, I ordered my naginata troops into a line, standing my Son & Heir behind in the warm bosom of safety at the back of the field. My brave archers stood alone at the front, leading my glorious lines. Moving forward, I see Will’s Daimyo – stood on a hill in the middle-distance. Sensing an opportunity, I try to get my archers in range. He retaliates by ordering his archers to position along my right side.
I have two goals: kill or rout the enemy force, or capture the Tenshu at the centre of the map. But I know destroying the enemy, and subsequently Will’s hopes and dreams, would be rather more satisfying. His bow troops begin to close in, and without cavalry to charge them down, I’m faced with the prospect of rushing my naginata troops headlong into them to kill them - or at least push them out of position. A few tense exchanges ensue. First he has the advantage, and then I.
As many battles ultimately do, this too hinges on a decisive moment. Sensing a weakness on one side, Fujiwara Kunihira crests the hill behind Will’s troops and begins to shoot arrows into his lines.
One unit routs, and my naginata make progress too, routing a unit of his levy garrison troops. The tide starts to turn. There is yet time for me to throw this away, however, and I make a noble attempt by sending my Son & Heir into the fray. Before you could say “shameful display”, he was under attack. Fortunately I managed to promptly remove him, at the expense of a couple of his bodyguards. Bet their families are delighted with me.
Eventually Will crumbled, but not before killing 512 of my men. A mere 225 remained – a completely pyrrhic victory. I’d have plumped for the adjective “tasty” personally. That’s why I’m not in charge.
Taking a few moments to verbally abuse Will, I take the region. I take a few more moments to verbally abuse Will before choosing the option to peacefully occupy the region.
Here’s where I hit my first real problem. You see, this region (Shimotsuke), has 100% Minamoto influence. Those pesky Minamoto… I suspected as much. Unfortunately, I’d also jumped the gun in my eagerness to fight Will while he was online and had forgotten to soften up my target first through the use of my agents.
Fortunately, my junsatsushi’s presence (coupled with my ownership of the region), pushed my influence up to 20% before very long, and quickly beyond. Happiness increased accordingly, allowing me to reduce my garrison of troops and commit forces to my war in the west.
While I’m talking about moving my forces around - you might have seen in the campaign map comparison video we put up last week, there’s a much clearer delineation now between different forest types on the map. This has importance. Areas in which you can lay ambush are now carpeted in a different type of tree to those areas that are not traversable. That helps visually when making strategic decisions, and I’m all over that.
For the first time, I see my true enemy at my borders. A clan of one of the great families, Kamakura Minamoto is set to be a considerable challenge. Defeating his forces and conquering his regions is a critical act if I am to unite Japan under my own family banner. I will have to think about this one carefully if I am to succeed.
Firstly, I note that my Son & Heir is now ready to level up in rank. He’s currently only two stars, so an extra level certainly will help my cause. For my first upgrade, I must choose my path: leader, or warrior. I’m a big fan of the idea of warrior kings from European history, like Henry V, so the idea of having my Heir cut his teeth on the battlefield appeals to me. I pick Warrior, and invest two skill points. This gives his unit +3 melee defence: useful for the inevitable skirmishes ahead.
I also get to pick a retainer. My choices are Enyaku-ji Marathon Monk (-5% chance of assassination, +1 melee attack for general and bodyguard), or Kyudo Master (+1 accuracy to bow samurai under my general’s command). I plump for the Marathon Monk… my Heir will get stuck into battles on a regular basis if I have my way. My son is also married to a greedy wife. It increases my upkeep costs for his units by 5%, but issues me with a +1 morale bonus: useful again in the heat of battle.
In Ashikaga, I discover I can recruit Sword Attendants and Fire Bomb Throwers. Noting a decent surplus in my treasury, I do just that. In the meantime, my junsatsushi agent is sent on a daring mission behind enemy lines. I want to know how my enemy’s defences look before I engage in a direct assault.
Noting I have completed research of the “Plough and Oxen” art, I begin to study “Provincial Officials”. This will grant me a further 10% bonus to my junsatsushi agents’ chances of successful actions.
Sending my junsatsushi into enemy lines (in itself not an act of war), I seize the opportunity to try my hand at paying off a Minamoto agent travelling with an army. My chance of success is 44%, and the cost will be 800 koku. I fail, and the enemy agent remains loyal to their cause. I wait a turn before trying again. Once more I fail, and the enemy army retreats to a safer location. However, it’s not all in vain: on my next turn, my junsatsushi increases in rank.
My options are as follows: upgrade his cunning for paying off officials (+1), or upgrade his ability to sway settlements. This is a tough one, and makes me think hard about recruiting another junsatsushi and specialising each down a different path. For now I put a level in each skill, limiting me to +1 bonuses, but not requiring me to make any tough decisions for a while at least. I also pick the Shogi Set retainer, increasing his cunning when overseeing armies by +1. What a cunning chap!
Moving my junsatsushi south, I spot a lone Minamoto unit awaiting reinforcement. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to bribe the army, with a 95% success chance. It would cost me 560, but it would be an enormous embarrassment for my enemy. Sadly, I run out of movement points by a fraction, and the unit regroups with the main force. Embarrassing for me – perhaps I should’ve picked the retainer that would’ve boosted my movement extent!
I’m greeted by the news that a shirabyoshi has made herself available to our cause. Shirabyoshi can seduce rival characters and entertain your generals and provincial nobles. Deciding this would be a good thing, I immediately walk her to my front lines. Meanwhile, my junsatsushi tries again to payoff the enemy army, this time with a 69% chance of success. I fail again and try to laugh away the tears.
I receive a news report that the Emperor Antoku has abdicated, leaving his infant son to the throne. The “rightful heir” Prince Mochihito has issued a call to arms asking to free Japan from villainy. Now, I’m as keen as the next man to crush villainy, but what I really want is that throne. I hear good things about its posterior cushioning. Now might be a good time to push harder west.
I leave a small garrison of troops behind, enough to keep the happiness up with taxes exempt, and push towards Minamoto territory. My junsatsushi has scouted a route to the castle town of Edo, and its defences are weak. I march my army, a mix of Sword Attendants, Naginata Levy and Fire Bomb Thrower troops, south towards my target – and hope that my enemy doesn’t notice my advances.
Without provocation, a Kamaura Minamoto army (one I missed with my junsatsushi) shamefully jumps me. Roughly evenly matched, this will be a tough fight – one I wasn’t expecting. I win by the narrowest margins, but disaster strikes. A disaster that will live with my clan forever.
To be continued…
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