The performance of the Friv5Online Games Studio can only be envied - for the last five years it has been demonstrating commendable stability, annually releasing another novelty from its famous Total War strategy series, while managing to keep the quality bar high. Last year, for the first time in TW history, we went into the era of the Three Kingdoms in Ancient China, and this year Troy is expected to be released - already the third part from the independent Total War Saga sub-series . As the name implies, the new strategy is dedicated to ancient Greek history, namely one of its most famous pages - the Trojan War. Troy release date the developers have not yet disclosed, but they are not at all averse to sharing information: they organized a small event for the press, where they talked about the game, answered some questions and even provided access to a trial version of the strategy.
The era of Antiquity from the point of view of military affairs looks no less attractive than the times of the Roman Empire or the Middle Ages, but for some reason this topic has not yet been covered in Total War - only now Friv5Online Games Studio decided to pay attention to Ancient Greece. Answering the question of what caused the choice of this particular historical period, the developers noted the fact that the Trojan War is one of the most significant conflicts of Antiquity and is the best fit for the Saga sub-series. The latter concentrates on small but eventful time periods. In addition, this is Total War's first attempt to look so far into the depths of history.
Despite the fact that there are obvious problems associated with this, such as the paucity of reliable historical sources, new opportunities appear for constructing an interesting story. Numerous myths of Ancient Greece, widely known throughout the world, allow screenwriters to feel more free, referring to these legends when archaeological sources and chronicles do not provide specific answers to questions. Not without the classic works of Homer - "Iliad" and "Odyssey" were not deprived of attention during development.
On the other hand, in CAthey are not going to directly use a fantasy or fairy-tale entourage - mythical creatures and gods are present here, but the general outline will remain realistic. How is it done? It is very simple: the authors proceed from the fact that the myths were only a reflection of the ideas of Odysseus's contemporaries about the surrounding reality. Therefore, it is quite possible that the centaurs were actually horse riders, which were very rare in that era, and the Minotaur is just a strong fighter, dressed in the skin of a bull and wearing a helmet decorated with horns.
This is how the characters, mythical in name, but in essence realistic, are presented in Troy. Magic and wizardry are also not worth waiting for - this is the lot of Warhammer, and Troy must remain within the framework of historical accuracy. Friv5Online Games Studio calls this trade-off between legend and reality truth behind the myth.
It is also significant how the main symbol of the siege of Troy is presented in the game. The famous Trojan horse made developers wonder if the one described by Homer wasthe episode is real, or is it another analogy of other events. As a result, there will be several options for a rational explanation of the capture of Troy with the participation of a horse: the horse as a special siege machine that helped the Greeks to overcome the enemy fortifications; a natural disaster that destroyed the walls of the city (Poseidon was considered a deity of both horses and earthquakes); or the canonical interpretation of the secret sortie of the Greek special detachment, which deceived the opening of the gates of the city.
In general, this approach allows you to stay within the framework of historical accuracy, without missing out on such a rich mythical setting that should attract fans.
As for religion, which is very important for the ancient Greeks, the vast pantheon of gods is used to obtain all kinds of bonuses - the more a faction worships one of the celestials, the more advantages it will provide to its admirers. Of course, each god will have their own unique traits that should highlight the differences between factions, and special rewards for those who prove themselves to be the most zealous servant. For example, the only way to recruit a Minotaur to your army is to use the most expensive bonus of one of the gods. On the battlefield, the horned fighter shows himself just fine and can cope with several enemy units at once, but wouldn't it be the best solution to spend the accumulated points on something else?
A total of eight factions will be available in the game, divided into two opposing sides - the Greeks and the Trojans. The diplomatic system, which has proven itself in the Three Kingdoms, is also used in Troy - be ready not only to fight, but also to negotiate with your neighbors, make new alliances and plan joint military actions.
The economy also did not stand aside - here the developers again focus on the features of the historical period. In ancient Greece, the main type of trade was barter, so the game uses a similar system of exchanging goods. Each of the five types of resources: stone, bronze, food, wood and gold - requires attention, and it will not be possible to manage with only reserves of gold, as is often the case in such strategies - another reason for maintaining trade relations and peaceful development , which should complicate the gameplay at the strategic level.
The fact that each faction will have unique mechanics is a usual thing for the latest Total War , but the differences between the participants in the war are also determined by the presence of epic heroes, familiar to us from the poems of Homer . Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a siege of Troy without the battle between Achilles and Hector - apparently, that is why the developers included this particular battle in the trial version of the game.
Passed Three Kingdomsin the "Roman" mode - that relies on literary sources, in which the generals are represented by super-strong fighters who destroy enemies by the hundreds? Then the battles with the participation of heroes are familiar to you. A huge supply of health, solid damage, an extensive set of skills and, finally, the ability to challenge an enemy hero to a duel - the role of characters in battles can hardly be overestimated. Finally, it's just beautiful: watching how skillfully the heroes of myths and legends wield a sword or a spear is a pleasure (even if this happens in the bloodless manner familiar to TW).
However, you can try to defeat the son of Peleus in a regular battle. In the version provided by the developers, there was just such a battle - Hector met the army of Achilles under the walls of Troy. There was no opportunity to independently choose the composition of the army, so it is difficult to say something about what the battles will be in tactical mode. But already now, the increased role of the infantry is noticeable, and the cavalry is represented very modestly - mainly these are a few detachments of powerful, but slow chariots and all the same centaurs, who in fact turned out to be ordinary horsemen. The habit of using horse-drawn maneuvers for outflanking and outflanking will have to be reconsidered - some units are immune to flanking attacks, and the terrain type sometimes gives significant advantages to the defenders. For example, mud greatly slows down the advance of heavy infantry, you can hide entire units in tall grass.
So far, the AI does not demonstrate outstanding abilities, we will write it off as flaws in the trial version. I won without much difficulty, playing for both sides at any difficulty setting, and the most crushing defeat was inflicted with a simple attack on the forehead without cunning maneuvers. But the tactical mode demonstrates excellent performance - even at high settings, my hardware felt quite comfortable, and the fps counter remained stable.
The same Minotaur really looks like not quite ordinary, but still a man in a frightening attire for the enemy. A key skill to match the suit - a formidable roar strikes terror into the hearts of enemies, forcing them to rapidly lose morale points.
The potential of the strategy is visible to the naked eye, despite belonging to a seemingly secondary sub-series for Total War. Ancient Greece is an interesting setting, and the storming of Troy is one of the most famous events of that era. The relatively short duration of the war (remember, the "Iliad" describes the siege of Troy as a ten-year conflict - a mere trifle on the scale of Total War ) here will only be a plus: Saga pays attention to short time periods.
Most likely, Troy will try out new game mechanics that are planned to be introduced in the next full-fledged part of Total War.... The strategy itself will probably most appeal to those who know and appreciate Ancient Greece with all its myths, heroes and ingenious interweaving of events in which it is difficult to understand where the truth is and where the fiction is. In the Total War series, less and less blank spots remain - we are waiting for an exciting journey into the era of Antiquity.