STACK Feb Issue 124

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GAMES
FEBRUARY 2015 JB Hi-Fi
FEATURE
030
visit
Scourge
of God
Fall of the Samurai had
a completely different
feel and style to Shogun
– how much does Attila
differ from Rome II?
Janos Gaspar: The short
answer is… significantly! Attila takes Total War
to a darker place than it has ever been before,
and this is reflected in both the visual style and
in the gameplay. Of note are the new systems
built around destruction: fire propagation during
battles allowing an army to put enemy cities
(and trees!) to the torch as they fight, which in
turn shakes enemy morale.
This is also the Migration Period, during
which swathes of great barbarian tribes
uprooted themselves, running from both the
Hunnic threat and the worsening climate in
the north. This prompted us to develop all-new
horde mechanics, which sees certain factions
eschewing region and settlement ownership
in favour of mobile, army-based campaign
gameplay. Each horde is, in effect, both an army
and a mobile settlement in one.
Attila also features entirely new sets of units,
each with a look and playstyle appropriate to
the time, some 400 years after the events
of Rome II – a very long period during which
advances in military technology and tactics
changed up warfare considerably. Building trees
has also changed, and all of this is presented
to the player through an enhanced UI, with
comprehensive information readily available
to the player and presented through stunning
period-appropriate art.
Hunnic tactics were based on hit, fire and run
tactics – considering the limitations of the
battlefield in the game, will they be able to
perform the same manoeuvres?
Very much. The Huns have access to an
incredibly broad range of cavalry unit types,
many of which have the Scare trait, which
debuffs enemy unit morale. Their mounted units
include light cavalry, which are fast, agile, and
adept at hunting down ranged units. Lancers
are perfect at high-impact charges, which can
wreck an already pinned unit if you hit them in
the flank or rear. Their shock cavalry are lighter
and therefore faster than standard shock cav,
emphasising the Hunnic focus on mobility,
though the momentum of their impact
can cause irreparable damage to enemy
infantry units. Hunnic horse archers are also
excellent, as most get the Rapid Advance
ability, increasing their speed by 50 per cent
for a short period, and one of their key skills
is Parthian Shot. These archers were trained
to twist in their saddles and loose arrows at
targets behind them. Add all this up and you
have what is frankly one of the most potent
hit-and-run forces in Total War history.
What did you learn about the period, or
maybe from the life and history of Attila,
that you knew you had to include in the
game?
I can’t stress how important the concept
of barbarian migration was to the period,
and in developing mechanics for migrating,
regionless factions, we built the foundation
upon which the nomadic hordes could operate
freely without ever having to settle down. But
we also deal with the story of Attila’s life and
times in a very holistic fashion. His family are
present in the game; you’ll see them in the
Family Tree. And much of the game’s narrative is
viewed through the lens of early Christianity, so
we use the biblical language of the apocalypse to
present the changes that he wrought. Attila was
the scourge of God, he embodied the concept
of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse riding
forth as, one by one, the Seven Seals broke.
You’ll find references to these concepts
woven throughout the game, not simply in the
language we apply to descriptions and so forth,
but in the key event cutscenes that trigger as
the player hits certain campaign milestones, and
also in the very systems of the game itself. As
an example, The Huns’ cultural trait is ‘scourge
of God’, which brings a significant morale debuff
to any Christian factions facing the Huns on the
battlefield. This single feature is shorthand for
just how much period detail we’ve crammed into
Attila, and how much rich, historical flavour the
game offers on both a narrati
and a systems-driven level.
One of the most feared military leaders in history
becomes the focus for The Creative Assembly
in the latest TotalWar entry. STACK speaks with
creative lead, Janos Gaspar.