Interview with Michael de Plater - Executive Producer - Total War, part 1. 25 January 2001

Q. OK first things first when can we expect to see the new add-on pack on the shelves? A. We are currently confirmed for a Spring 2001 release. Q. So I've got the new version of the game installed on my machine what new featurers will I notice first? A. I guess that the very first thing you'll notice will be the new intro fmv. We've gone back and taken full advantage of footage from 'RAN' - Akira Kurasawa's inspirational masterpiece of a movie - and it sets the scene for the game beautifully. Once you get into the options the first thing you'll there see is the option to lead the marauding Mongol Hordes in their invasion of Japan or to defend Japan against them. Once in the game, on the strategy side it's now easier and more intuitive to tell what's going on and to manage your armies. Q. Do you think the Warlord Edition will appeal to those gamers who couldn't stop playing the original? Is there enough in there to keep them happy? A. Definitely, I actually think that players who liked Shogun should get more game play out of the Warlord Edition than they got out of the original. Personally I'm having more fun playing the game now than I have had at any other stage. The different campaigns, having the Mongols as an entirely new faction, as soon as veteran players hit the front end the first thing they will probably notice will be the options for the Map Editor or the option to play multiplayer strategy campaigns. I think that for many hardcore players this is the main feature they've been waiting for because it gives them the chance to prove themselves against other players. Q. Will people who bought the original have to buy it again with the extra features? A. No, there is also an Expansion Pack version called 'The Mongol Invasion' which will be available to buy in Europe and online from EA.com. Q. What are some of the new features you are most proud of? A. Firstly, with the battles, the biggest single difference is that we have a whole new faction - the Mongol Hordes. This adds an entirely new dimension the game play because new tactics are called for and there are now a much greater range of tactical variations. Also we've added new victory conditions into the battles for the single player campaigns. This adds new challenges and variety to the battles. Instead of just having to worry about wiping out the enemy you have to worry about objectives such as capturing tactical points on the battlefield or making sure that the enemy general doesn't escape alive. The Mongols also add a new dimension to the strategy game. When you play as Kublai Khan and lead your horde across Japan you don't have to worry about building so the focus is very much on conquest and battles. This makes for a very different type of game. In terms of new game play features, I'm having a lot of fun with the single player historical campaigns. These are made up of a series of individual battles based on the exploits of Japans greatest Daimyo. They bring a real narrative/story element into the game and give you a way of diving straight into the action.