TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER II (PC)

juliusfatai (58)in #gaming • 6 years ago (edited)

Little more than a year we had to wait to receive the highly anticipated sequel to one of the star subsagas by Creative Assembly. Total War: Warhammer II transports us to the West of the Old World to meet the fierce disputes over control of the Great Vortex.

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During the past 2016 we witnessed the incursion of the British study to shores away from the contexts that tend to handle. Maybe it was time to experience new things, or they just did not want to miss the opportunity to try a license of so much influence. Games Workshop has allowed several companies in the world of video games to use their two major brands, Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy , for all kinds of experiences. From Relic Entertainment's real-time strategy with the Dawn of War franchise to the bloodiest version of football by Cyanide Studios and Blood Bowl . Total War and Fantasy were made for each other. The Creative Assembly style was the ideal for the miniature battles to come alive. Thanks to the alliance between both companies we received the first delivery of a trilogy that would deal with all the battle fronts, as well as the totality of the races presented in the physical game.

What we did not expect is to receive a sequel so early; One year and four months separate separate releases, to be exact. This would give to understand the continuista nature of the project, although it is not something bad per se . If there is one thing we are sure of after our wanderings in the New World, it is that the company has done its homework when it comes to improving some aspects that were considered simplistic during the original work. But, unfortunately, those who look for the wide range of options of the historical Total War will be a little disappointed. The vision of this subsaga is more than clear: transport the sensations of Fantasy to the Total War formula while ensuring a direct experience, designed so that the protagonism is of the races.

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Game of Thrones: The Battle for the Great Vortex

Unlike the original, the campaign of Total War: Warhammer II revolves around a common goal among all factions: to take over the power of the Great Vortex . This stormy cluster lies in the center of the Ulthuan Islands, home of the High Elves and responsible for their creation. It had a specific purpose in times past: overthrow the demonic forces of Chaos that ravaged the world we know today. It acts as a portal that absorbs magical winds from all corners of the universe, so its appearance is that of a whirlpool. However, recently it has suffered assaults by numerous oppressive forces, which has allowed its strength to decrease. That is, it can be the object of interference for all those with sufficient mystical power.

Beyond the possibility of obtaining a victory for domination - capturing a certain number of settlements, among other tasks - our main motivation will be to usurp the power of the Great Vortexto use it in favor of common interests within the faction. For this, we must perform a total of five rituals through obtaining a magical resource that will vary depending on the race we use. This 'currency' special and complementary to the gold we love can be achieved in various ways. Some special buildings will supply us with a small amount for each shift, raising the total if it is in a settlement rich in these supplies. In addition, the fulfillment of the periodic challenges -missions raised randomly during the passage of shifts- will also report this wealth according to the degree of difficulty posed. The number of magical resources as a requirement to perform them will increase as we progress through the levels.

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Once a ritual is done, our capital and two random settlements will link magically with the Great Vortex for the next ten turns. Our plans for domination will be known from that moment by all the inhabitants of the New World, which will alert those who do not want us to rise to victory. The forces of the horde will begin their approach to these points of the territory. If we go to war with another faction that also has interests in the Vortex, it can send mercenaries to try to interfere with the ceremony. This storm of war should be alleviated as soon as possible if we do not want to lose valuable turns in the race to get us the final goal. When we discover that other races are also trying to seize it, we will have the opportunity to do exactly the same. There are three mercenary degrees on a scale from lowest to highest price. The higher it is, the greater the force of war, the greater the chances of upsetting rival plans.

From Creative Assembly have wanted to provide the races with a small narrative thread with which to know exactly the motivations that lead them to enter the struggle for power. As soon as the game starts and when performing a ritual, a cinematic scene will bring us up to date on what the leader intends to do as he goes through this conflict. It is appreciated the inclusion of these narrative brushstrokes , we lacked a greater use of the background of Warhammerat the time of proposing plot pieces. We will control at all times the progress of the other powers in the progress bar located at the top of the screen. Reaching the Great Vortex is a long distance race where hurries are often accompanied by errors in the planning of the war map. Be very careful about how you administer your armies and settlements. Sometimes establishing alliances with groups of mercenaries or neighbors is usually the key to success ... Or not. As usual in the franchise, within the diplomatic menu we will know the racial characteristics of each leader, as well as a brief summary of their degree of confidence regarding the decisions made. In this sense there are no changes in weight, artificial intelligence continues to make its own with some changes of view more typical of Civilization.

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Four races that will define your style of play

The main characteristic that has outlined the proposal of Total War: Warhammer are the races. Unlike the historical Total War, each faction has unique features that completely change the game experience by jumping from one to the other. In the sequel we find a squad of four at its launch. High Elves, Lizardmen, Dark Elves and Skaven will compete for everything around the Great Vortex. Although they have nothing to do with each other, they share some similarities before entering fully into the campaign. We will choose which legendary leader to start between the two that each race has, being the 'main' the only one that will have the possibility of starting the game in a small introduction of about forty minutes. In it, we will know the attributes that influence your style of play as a tutorial. Beyond these factors you will not find any like it.

The High Elves are the ideal ones to start your journey through the New World. They do not suffer from any feature linked to the economy or stability as it happens in others, allowing a smooth management and without unexpected incidents. They have an influence meter that helps them persuade other factions through diplomacy to act in favor of their interests. The performances of the heroes will also be of great value to increase the amount. When they establish a commercial agreement with another leader, they will be able to see all the movements made in the settlements of the faction to which an agreement has been reached. It serves to perform espionage actions that give rise to possible future assaults.

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In Fantasy there is no place for friends. But its virtues are also transferred to the battlefield. All units that enter combat over 50% of their capacity will receive an improvement in melee statistics. Thanks to this we can elucidate that the High Elves focus the training of their units in close combat infantry and cavalry, the main force of the faction. Arrived at a certain point of population we will have the opportunity to carry out a construction that will allow us to unblock the recruitment of ancestral beasts. Specifically, three types of dragon-star, moon and solar-and two Phoenix that will sow fear in rival hearts.

While the High Elves are known for their nobility, their Dark cousins are the opposite. Its economy is based mainly on the slave trade between the conquered provinces. Each city will receive a penalty to public order while allowing the transit of captives, so your hand comes in to balance the balance. The main source of recruitment are the armies defeated after the battle. If we choose to capture the prisoners, they will be automatically added to the global slave pool, increasing revenues from the next turn. This makes it a race that constantly seeks war to fill its coffers, allowing in turn a large number of armies. At a certain point in the plot, the possibility of invoking the Black Ark will be enabled, a ship that acts as a mobile bastion for when we are far from the heat of our home.

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The Elvish God of war, Khaine , will reward the units in the battle cry if they reach a certain number of victims -located at the top with a purple bar-, thus improving their performance for the rest of the conflict. As for training, they follow a line similar to the High Elves, although the Dark Elves lose power in the cavalry in order to reinforce the infantry of the first line: swords, projectiles, spears, diverse edges ... All this with the power of the ballistars in the rearguard, perfect to take down enemy troops from a safe distance. It will also be in our hands the opportunity to recruit the powerful Hydra, creating a powerful combination if coupled with a sorcerer hero.

Let's start on the side of the beasts. The Lizardmenit will be the fiercest race in combat of the four submitted. When making a decree in the conquered provinces, its network of connections will allow duplicating the benefits associated with the ordinance that is stipulated at that time. As an added bonus, unique challenges will appear on the missions board that will reward us with alternative units of greater power. Because the army is composed mostly of beasts, sometimes a factor of disobedience will come into play. For example, if we select a unit to attack a selected target, they may enter into crisis, attacking other enemies or even injuring our own troops. If we look at the good side we will find that it is a warlike force with enormous characteristics. This kind of dinosaurs have units of enormous proportions, able to break rival formations in a matter of seconds. Go in and go out; the blitzkrieg of the beasts.

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Last but not least, the Skaven forces close this list . We could consider it the most difficult race to manage of the four. Why? Especially for a statistic similar to that of the Green Skins in the first installment. Rats prevail thanks to the food obtained after the fighting or previous production in the cities that have pastures. The food counter is divided into five different states: two negative, two positive and one neutral located just in the middle. If we have a favorable state we will obtain greater public order, growth and leadership, whereas if it is to be in the red, the opposite will happen - decreasing the income in gold.

All the cities occupied by the rats will appear for the rest of the factions as ruined settlements. An army that pretends to plunder one of these locations will suffer an ambush that will influence their combat capabilities. An intelligent movement that does not compromise the rest of the units is the sending of a hero to perform reconnaissance of the place, perfect to detect them. The Skaven are like a gas cylinder about to explode; they themselves generate their own corruption that diminishes the public order of the affected settlements. Not everything has to be bad: the more we have more power, the the menace skill below will have, which allows to invoke new extra units in full combat after cost of food. As for types of operations, it is more or less balanced. Their impulsive features make them a force feared by the constant hordes thrown at the adversaries. At a distance they have weapons of the most peculiar, such as a flamethrower of warp-use tiny pieces of Witch Stone to enhance the effects of acid-or the unmistakable ogre rats, portents in the vanguard capable of creating chaos among those who suffer their tack.

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The work done at the time of balancing at four is worthy of admiration . To put ourselves at the controls of one or the other is to experience the same proposal in several different ways, each more unique than the previous one. Lovers of the miniatures will see that their favorite license has been transferred with fidelity to the virtual world, something that does not surprise us after checking the excellent result of its predecessor.

News and improvements during the conquest

Total War is not just about directing soldiers in the heat of war. There is also an equally important management part during navigation on the conquest map. Although we alluded to the great objective beforehand, we managed to take over the Great Vortex, some aspects around this vision have undergone changes and additions of special relevance. This is the case of the leaders , who will be able to develop specific features according to the role they play.. To give an example, if a Lord is for a time in a settlement in which there is a negative public order, it will develop the Strict traits, which will improve the statistics in all the allied populations. If the stay is prolonged, it will increase its level, and with it the associated benefits. Not only will they be positive, sometimes they will be able to develop disadvantages influenced by the environment or the events around them.

In Total War: Warhammer we saw how some races could not take certain settlements, as happened with humans and dwarves. Forget about this feature completely. In the sequel has been exchanged for a weather system. That is, the geographical location of a settlement in question may not be suitable for a race - the Dark Elves usually have it more difficult if they are close to the corruption of Chaos. Can you capture it? Yes, but they will suffer penalties that will hinder the development of the city. Here our hand comes into play with management.

Magic is a factor of special relevance for the world of Warhammer Fantasy, and the playable factions in this title would not let it go unused. As a companion to the rituals are the rites, spells of special power that will bring us succulent benefits. Once made, you will suffer a high refreshment time -translated in past shifts-, so we must use them with special care. Its temporary benefits cover a large number of states : improving the benefits after being victorious in a fight, decreasing the rate of troop regeneration, considerably increasing public order, etc.

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Additional leaders have not only suffered the reception of the trait system. Now comes into play a sensitive aspect of not managing well: loyalty. We should not be hiring secondary armies so cheerfully, but the reputation of the protagonist will depend on their subjects being faithful. If it diminishes enough, it may enter into rebellion, losing control of both itself and all the units under its command. In the menu of agents will indicate the loyalty framework on which that particular character will vary during the first bars of the game. Along with this, the personality will be essential to know the possible changes in attitude if the wind does not blow in favor.

Game modes and performance

The campaign is the epicenter of the playable offer of Total War: Warhammer II , but it does not end there. On the offline side we will also find adventure battles, a chain of unique missions similar to the heroics of the first game. All the leaders will have two at the moment, but it is expected that in the future they will be updated with new challenges for all types of races. On the multiplayer side, things remain the same. We can measure ourselves against the rest of the world in personalized battles or participate in the great campaign with other users, the latter being one of the best experiences in the Total War universe.

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Although we still do not have it, the ambition of the studio to develop this trilogy on the license of Games Workshop will lead us to live a new campaign in a big way. Mortal Empires , definitive name for this megahistory, will unify all the content of the first and second titles, including downloadable content-Norsca will have support soon after his arrival-. To give you an idea of the magnitude of this project, Creative Assembly will take the whole map of the Old World and expand it to the West to integrate the zones of the new delivery: Lustria, Tierras del Sur, Naggaroth and Ulthuan. This huge map extension will lead to the coexistence of 117 factions around 295 available settlements. The goals of the campaign will be different, the Great Vortex is exclusive of its game mode; The company has not yet provided more information about it. Mortal Empires will arrive at some point as part of the post-launch support. The only thing that we should have in our power are the two titles. To enjoy the expansions in this campaign we will have to acquire the license through Steam.

Performance and stability are two points of special importance when we enter to assess a Total War delivery. Rome II created a precedent in the future work of the British study, and proof of this has been this subsaga. The analysis has been carried out under the following equipment:

GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 G1 4GB DDR5
CPU: Intel i7 2600k at 3.4GHz
Memory: 16GB
Hard Drive: Toshiba 1TB 7200rpm

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In high settings at 1080p - including the use of anti-aliasing MSAA - the frame rate does not manage to remain stable within a frame set at sixty frames per second. Varying between the 40s and 60s we do little to do movements during the conquest map. During the battle something similar happens, and that is that the more units there are on the screen, the worse the performance will be. However, in a game with these features of both processor consumption is not that it is a barrier. I wish it were more stable, but we are not in a title where the reflections or the speed of reaction are rewarded. In general lines follows the ascending rhythm of the last deliveries: same defects and virtues. Of course, the panel of graphic adjustments has the same range of options as in other works of the brand,

This analysis has been done thanks to a code for Steam.

conclusion

Total War: Warhammer II is a direct continuation of the aspects that characterized the first installment. Simplicity at the tactical and management level can be a point against the staunch supporters of the Creative Assembly brand, but this subsaga shines with its own light in other facets. The four races -Skavens, High Elves, Dark Elves and Lizardmen- are so different from each other that jumping between them creates a totally different game experience. The campaign of this installment is a fundamental race among the rest of civilizations to reach the domain of the Great Vortex, including cinematic scenes to the passage of the realization of rituals in which we will know more thoroughly the motivations of the leader that we handle in those moments.

The conquest map has also received various adjustments that enrich the formula. Unlike the original, all breeds can capture any settlement available, but the geographical situation will affect the development is more or less favorable. For example, the Dark Elves will have it more difficult to capture populations close to the corruption of chaos, increasing the challenge of maintaining public order at good levels. The leaders have two new characteristics. On the one hand there is the system of traits, bonuses or handicaps received depending on the actions or events that occur around them. On the other side of the coin is the loyalty system, now all the subjects of the main character will have a confidence meter that will vary according to the respect we gain both for the management and for the war results. A leader with a negative value may enter a rebellion, losing control of all units under his command.

One of the main novelties of this sequel is the reception of the Great Campaign: Mortal Empires. In it, the content of the first game -including expansions- will merge with the second installment to form a new story. The data? 117 factions, 295 settlements, 35 leaders and 25 different starting points. The company will take the map of the Old World and expand it to the west to include the areas belonging to Lustria, Southlands, Naggaroth and Ulthuan. We are not facing a simple unification, but it is being developed so that it turns out to be a massive experience of the Warhammer universe, with its own goals and characteristics different from the two previous campaigns. Mortal Empires will arrive as part of the post-launch support at some point in the coming months.

In short, Total War: Warhammer II improves the proposal with more mechanics at our disposal without breaking the essence of the Games Workshop license.

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