The Creative Assembly studio, which has long acquired cult status, is preparing a real bomb for all fans of multiplayer games. And it will explode this year. If anyone doesn’t know yet, the famous developers of the legendary series Total War decided to take a swing at the MMO market. And they are starting in this direction together with publishers from Sega with their product with the simple name Total War: Arena.

What does it represent?

It should be noted right away that this is far from a continuation of the famous franchise. Rather, it is its adaptation for . Although it would be more correct to call Total War: Arena a symbiosis of a multiplayer arena and. Although the creators of the project themselves, for example, Jan van der Krabben, compare their new creation with the second part of StarCraft. But a number of critics believe that the game is more like a session game, and the boldest of them even hint that it is similar to the very popular game in our latitudes.

In fact, Total War: Arena is a typical game, but in it it is not just one user who will have to command the army, but a team of up to ten players. Moreover, each commander can simultaneously have up to three detachments at his disposal, including hundreds of soldiers. So in order to defeat the enemy, a team of ten people will need to act as coordinated as possible. And sincerely believe that their opponents will be stubborn schoolchildren who are unable to fight together.

The project has successfully passed the beta testing stage and now everyone, including Russian-speaking gamers, can download the game client completely free of charge and test themselves in the role of a real commander.

Key Features

So, what else would a Total War: Arena review not be complete without? Of course, without even a brief mention of unique features project:

no turn-based mode, unlike other games in the series;

team battles with the number of live players up to 10x10 parties;

three warring parties: Greeks, Romans and barbarians. In the future, there may be more factions to fight for;

Each player will have his own army, consisting of several units. Moreover, both units and main characters can be upgraded;

Considering that in the army of any user there are simultaneously up to three units, including a maximum of one hundred warriors, there are about six thousand units on the battle map at the same time;

The developers place the main emphasis on the interaction of gamers, which will help even a weaker army win, provided that the right tactical and strategic decisions are made.

Verdict

Total War: Arena remains one of the most anticipated MMOs among fans of true strategies. And this is a clear merit not only of the previous games in the series, but also of a number of innovative ideas that the developers from Creative Assembly are threatening to implement. All that remains is to wish them good luck and hope that the world will see another cult multiplayer strategy.

Is the evolution of the RTS genre a natural development process? And if so, where will it lead? Let's look at the example of Total War: Arena.

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Direct text

The RTS genre has been in deep decline for many years now. Gone are the days of cults Warcraft and, large projects are released no more than twice a year, and the main representative of real-time strategies is StarСraft 2— has been doing without serious competitors for many years.

There are several reasons for this. Classic RTS games with resource collection and base building are quite complex games. They, as a rule, require the player to competently allocate resources, multitasking, tactical knowledge on the battlefield and, in addition, a lot of free time. Result decisions taken it is often not immediately visible, and many fans of Age of Empires are familiar with the situation when one game game lasted for several hours.

Moreover, the genre itself for a long time has hardly evolved at all. Players took part in accurate reconstructions of historical battles, immersed themselves in the fantastic universes of their favorite films and books, and got involved in grandiose battles on a galactic scale. The number of units on the battlefield numbered in the thousands and was limited only by the power of iron. The scale and number of actions per minute grew, but the general mechanics of RTS obeyed refined algorithms and did not change.

It is not surprising that one day real-time strategies took the path of simplification, and developers began to add elements of other genres to them. It’s worth remembering at least tower defense and a successful shot Plants vs Zombies, which later grew into its own series.

Another example of such a mixture is MOBA games: this genre combining RTS and RPG was born from amateur modifications to games Blizzard. Aeon of Strife map for StarСraft set a battlefield format familiar to many with three “lines”, and the custom Defense of the Ancients (DotA) map Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne consolidated its success by adding mechanics to increasing the level of heroes and purchasing equipment. It was the first DotA that gathered a serious community of fans around itself and laid the foundation for most MOBAs.

Why should we build a MOBA?

For a long time, multiplayer arenas existed only as add-ons to other strategies. But in 2009 the company Gas Powered Games(now Wargaming Seattle) released the first independent representative of the genre - Demigod. It was in it that the player for the first time chose one of ten heroes and helped weaker allied units controlled by AI (those creeps) capture points and destroy the enemy base. The experience gained for destroying opponents increased the hero’s level and unlocked new abilities, and the gold for killing enemy demigods was used to purchase equipment.

It is much easier for a player occupied with a single character to follow the development of combat operations and plan his steps ahead, without being distracted by the economy and the construction of structures. And since the battles here are much faster and more dynamic than in traditional strategies, the MOBA genre is ideal for short session games.

Soon the new direction grew to such an extent that only a few studios could afford to release conservative single-player real-time strategies. Now the old genre is performing well in mobile devices, and veterans seem Relic And The Creative Assembly From time to time they delight fans with major releases, but the glory days when the RTS genre dominated the market are long gone.

The detachments themselves tried to take a safer shelter, be it an earthen embankment, Brick wall or an explosion crater in an open field

Faster, smaller, more interesting

The signature feature of the series Total War there was always confusion tactical battles in real time and step-by-step management of the country: elements that were very different in mechanics directly depended on each other and were inseparable for many years. Although there were always players who liked the economic part more than the strategic part, and vice versa. It is intended precisely for the latter. Total War: Arena .

Do you want thoughtful, balanced battles with ambushes in corn fields, the fog of war and changes in altitude, but without diplomacy, tax collection and administrative work to govern the provinces? No question - let’s simplify the “global” gameplay to forming squads and leveling up leaders.

Don’t want to spend a lot of time on protracted battles and chasing tired infantry across huge battlefields? Please. The maps in Arena are quite compact, although they are replete with obstacles such as dense forests and numerous structures behind which an entire squad can be hidden from enemy shells.

The pace of the game has greatly accelerated: you will no longer be able to be distracted by tea while the army is advancing on the enemy ranks. Even “heavy” foot troops move surprisingly briskly, constantly striving to hide in the folds of the terrain, outflank and unexpectedly thrust a spear deeper into the formation of an unwary enemy. Games in the Arena last no longer than fifteen minutes; If during this time the enemy units are not destroyed and the bases are not captured, then the victory is credited to the team that has the most troops left at its disposal.

Despite all the gameplay simplifications and the limit of three squads per person, the scale of the “adult” games in the series did not suffer much. At our disposal, in addition to standard units such as infantry, cavalry and riflemen, we may also have heavy siege weapons, and even attack dogs. And the number of wounded soldiers lying on the battlefield can reach three thousand - a solid figure for a shareware session.

In-game purchases, which no ftp project can do without, are also available in TWA. But here the analogue of real currency does not increase the chances of winning: for gold you can buy skins for armor and shields for the squad or special premium troops, which in fact turned out to be weaker free of charge the same level due to lack of leveling (most likely, this will be fixed in MBT).

Although you can cheat a little: buy an unnecessary combat unit for gold, convert soldiers into free experience and instantly raise the level of your commander, or even more than once. But even in this case, success is not guaranteed to you: the higher your level, the more often you meet more experienced opponents who have behind them not purchased gold, but skill earned through blood and sweat. And, as they say, you can’t drink experience away. In addition, for obtaining certain achievements, the game itself gradually gives you gold.

Total War: Arena is a new word in the genre of military strategies. The game has already gathered an army of fans from all over the world. Here you have access to hundreds of large-scale battles in interesting historical locations. If fighting is your thing, it's time to act! Try this intensity of events, a storm of emotions and a lot of impressions from the game.

The first steps in the development of the game took place in 2013. This was done by Creative Assembly together with SEGA. Then the game appeared on Steam, but the developers did not have time to work on it, solving problems only in offline mode. As a result, in 2016 the company had to team up with Wargaming to achieve its goal. As a result, the game was finally released in February 2018.

It should be noted that Total War: Arena is the brainchild of the creators of “tanks,” which is a good advance in favor of this game. Already, many consider it one of the best strategies RTS genre. There is no boring rushing around the global map in search of enemy units. There's something else here:

• conquest of territories;
• development of cities and characters;
• interesting “tricks”;
• diplomacy and much more.

All this awaits you after registration, but for now let’s take a closer look at the content.

Graphic arts

The game uses stylish modern graphics (like the entire Total War line), which is enough for high-quality military strategy. The environment is wonderfully designed, excellent animations, but without excesses. In short, I want to play Total War: Arena.

Gameplay principles

So, the interface of Total War: Arena is very similar to the “tanks” beloved by many. There is artillery on the battlefield, the role of which is played by heavy onagers and archers. A powerful volley from the first can harm not only the enemy, but also the ally. As a result, negative emotions in the chat are guaranteed.

But there is important difference from "tanks". "Arta" cannot escape, so after discovery it is destroyed. There are three methods to win:

• destroy all enemies;
• take base;
• by time – summing up the points after the end of the round (15 minutes).

On this moment Total War: Arena has three ancient factions:

• barbarians;
• Greeks;
• Romans.

Each of them has four commanders with unique skills. For example, Caesar is a great choice if you want to fight:

• scorpions;
• chiroballists;
• ballistas.

In total, the game provides 159 units: 16 premium, 143 regular. If you look closely, all the soldiers are drawn the same way, only they use pilums instead of blasters.

Provision is made for pumping up your own troops. Soldiers need to buy weapons and armor. They help reduce damage. If you use expensive weapons and an experienced commander, any enemy will be in the teeth.

Charming generals

You can play as two hot, charming girls. The Romans and Greeks each have one such commander. Who to choose: redhead or blonde?

The Greek queen Kinana leads the archers, capable of baffling the enemy with a wave of arrows. This blonde can seriously improve the maneuverability of soldiers. If you use horse archers, you can stun enemies with a barrage of arrows, while carefully avoiding the attack. You'll like her appearance: leather armor, tight-fitting to the body, short skirt. Kinana is an interesting character, but she is not easy to play as. She has to lead fighters who are very sensitive in close combat: they die quickly.

Boudicca - Queen of the Celts - is an alternate female character. This is a real red-haired beast. She looks great, is able to effectively inspire her soldiers to heroic deeds, and they obey her well. Two of her skills motivate fighters, and another one makes it possible to shoot and see much further than usual.

Other characters and abilities

Barbarians on open area– not the most effective option for confronting the enemy. Half-naked men with shields are most effective in the forest, as they are capable of destroying heavy Roman infantry.

Associated with the barbarians is a charismatic mustachioed character - Vercingetorix. Interestingly, he is very similar to Leonid Yakubovich, which is why he received such a nickname from the players.

Among the interesting characters we can also highlight Alexander the Great, who is capable of building cavalry in a wedge. This format can provide very strong damage. However, you should not expect from Alexander the Great the same achievements as the great commander. The peculiarity of characters in Total War: Arena is that high skill does not give anything without the necessary support.

Combat tactics

First you need to select a character and squad. After this, you can press the search for enemies button. It may take some time for all players to load. After this, you should take your spawn point. Nothing prevents you from thinking through a personal plan of defense or attack.

Even with the best strategy, you need to understand that the whole team of ten players who must act together will win. After all, battles take place in the 10 vs 10 format. Each player has three squads (up to one hundred soldiers) to control. The average number of units present in battle on the map is 3 thousand.

You can act in different ways. In theory, it is possible to organize an epic battle with intricate tactics for attacking from the flanks, but we must not forget that there are still 9 players. Their strategy also matters.

Therefore, the game provides additional tools. For example, when fighting on the map, it is allowed to draw lines that give the direction of attack to specific groups, and the basic positions that need to be taken. Orders can be given in text chat. Of course, in reality everything may be different. Most often, players are busy arguing in the chat, trying to sort things out. This has its own intensity.

Game cards

Now developers offer two types of cards:

• forest edge, divided into 3 sectors; each of them offers its own path to the enemy base;
• original city map, characterized by big amount narrow streets.

Traditional warriors are allowed on each map:

cavalrymen;

• archers;
• spear throwers;
• infantry (heavy and light).

Improvements

This topic requires separate consideration. During the gameplay, the player needs to improve his troops and commanders. This task is quite easy to implement and does not require special skills. This is where knowledge from the “tanks” comes in handy. There is a development tree. The commander initially has certain skills (as already mentioned), they need to be improved, just like the parameters of the units. To do this you need to purchase weapons, uniforms, and so on. Silver is used for purchasing, experience is used for research.

And after that you can go into battle. Due to the variety of types of units, each battle turns out to be unique and has its own original development.

Remember that defense and attack characteristics are important, but victory can only be achieved through tactics and teamwork.

At first, battles will be fought on small maps with flat terrain (there may be hills). As the level of units increases, it becomes more difficult game process, the map expands, new tactical elements open up.

By the way, the game provides two battle modes:

• against real players;
• against bots.

Summarizing

Beautiful graphics, spectacular battles, good economic development, clear interface, presence of historical locations and characters, interesting development events, team actions - all this makes the game interesting and unique every time, so you want to repeat it again and again. If you are a commander at heart or really want to realize yourself in the field of epic battles, Total War: Arena is your choice, it’s time to register and take action!

Editor's Choice

Total War: Arena - amazing multiplayer [Antique] strategy

Today we will review the game Total War: Arena, which has made quite a stir in the world of online virtual entertainment.

At the beginning of December 2017, a fresh update was released, where a joint fight against bots was implemented, new topic decoration for the Camp and the Graian Alps in winter style.

This fueled interest in the already popular strategy.

Let's look at what makes the game so remarkable and plunge into the atmosphere medieval struggle for power, where hundreds of thousands of people, like a herd of famous animals, were driven to war for the interests of their rulers.

It took Creative Assembly and SEGA employees only about two years for the toy to be published, although even the creators of the game find it difficult to clearly name the genre of their creation.

It's like a mix of RTS, online arena and Moba. There is no plot here, no global map, not even the time in which the events take place.

After demonstrating to gamers, companies had a lot of work to do to improve, fix bugs and release patches.

The result of the closed testing upset the team: it could no longer cope with the volume of improvements and the project temporarily went offline.

And only after about a year of combined work by Creative Assembly and Wargaming employees, the game that gamers loved so much appears.

Gameplay

A tactical network strategy allows you to compete with other players in 10 × 10 mode, where the command of the armies of each side will be taken over by a legendary, famous or unfamiliar commander from the era of cold steel.

Number of warriors in squads can reach 500 units, which will ultimately result in a huge army of up to 1500 combat units.

Typically up to 6,000 fighters take part in a skirmish.

Their number depends on the squad: in different squads the number of units differs markedly.

Subordinate to commanders three groups from the following factions:

• barbarians;
• Romans;
• Greeks.

Caesar, for example, can only lead the Romans, while the Greeks and barbarians will submit to him only after conquest.

Generals, factions and units differ in skills, capabilities and abilities.

The number of units is approaching 150, so there will be plenty to choose from.

Many types of troops allow you to develop a unique and effective strategy for any occasion.

In Arena you can command:

• detachments with siege engines;
• cavalry;
• archers;
• spearmen.

Uniting and combining troops gives unlimited freedom for the creativity of a great strategist.

Only those who are able to study the enemy in the shortest possible time, control the situation on the battlefield, react to its changes in real time, calculate the enemy’s moves and fight in coordination with their comrades will be able to put on a laurel wreath.

Tactics

There are two ways to win: we kill every last spearman or we capture the enemy base.

Each update adds arenas, squads, each geographical feature terrain can be used in developing tactics to destroy the enemy.

Start of the battle– choosing a position for your troop units.

This stage can decide everything, because the arrangement takes into account the method of warfare: offensive or defense and counterattack.

Coordinating actions between all 10 players, commanding generals, is not an easy task.

Anyone who wants to express their thoughts can hang a sign on an enemy group of troops or defensive structures with a proposal to destroy the unwanted, ask for reinforcements, or concentrate fire on the group commander.

The maps are built in the form of a three-level defense of both bases.

Battles send us to historical events, on the basis of which tasks are set.

And the design of the locations is made in the style that, according to the developers, could have been in the corresponding era.

Terrain

Almost every map implies the presence of open spaces, urban areas, forests and meadows.

To overcome the distance between your base and the enemy's, you usually have to cross a mountain or rock, go through a gorge, after which you find yourself in the center - this is almost always a bare plain with sparse forest.

There are currently a dozen cards available, including Capitol, Salernum, Germany, Rubicon.

They are intended for skirmishes between units of different levels.

Development and currency

Between battles, players can train their troops and purchase game content to improve their units using earned and real currency.

Actually, gold in the game can only be obtained in exchange for real money, and silver is a reward for victory, participation in a fight, etc.

Silver will help you acquire new units, restore their numbers and improve the abilities of any of the factions.

Gold gives access to everything.

It is worth considering that part of the reward is spent automatically.

Funds are spent on treatment, hiring new fighters, etc. A detailed summary of rewards and waste is available .

Signs with congratulations on exploits, titles, achievements and repetition of bright moments - all this motivates the player, makes him strive to be the best and, of course, buy gold for rubles.

Want to play for free? Please.

To open one of the three branches, any of the factions will have to fight about 1,500 battles and win the majority of these battles.

Each session lasts an average of 10 minutes.

Each of the generals has his own branch of skills for pumping up talents, or rather new orders.

The units of each squad are endowed with a unique set of skills compared to others with ten levels of improvement.

Experience- a means of pumping up units and commanders, and it is better to spend it on the development of the commander, and not his army.

Each group must be regularly strengthened not only with skills, but also with weapons and uniforms.

Those who have a lot of currency can purchase designs for shields and coats of arms on flags.

In addition to 146 regular units, 16 premium units have been added to the game. You can only get them for real currency. And this does not mean that the one who pays will become a god.

Warriors of premium units are no different from regular units.

They only have some ability that will help improve or complement the chosen style of offensive or defensive combat.

Leveling up and hiring units

Peasants and farmers who barely know how to hold a sword in their hands go to serve the emperor, having fallen for the announcement of a comfortable life.

As a result, they, hardened in battles, like steel in oil, grow into representatives of the imperial guard.

Units have a dozen levels of upgrade and are hired for silver in barracks.

Here they are grouped by level.

When choosing the level of subordinates, we take into account the leveling of the general.

It must be comparable to or greater than any of the skills of the unit it will send into battle.

Thanks to the commander's experience, even weak subordinates can be turned into high-quality fighters in a dozen or two battles, plus their uniforms, weapons and other little things can be improved.

Visualization

The visuals in Total War: Arena are underwhelming and a little behind the times.

However, pastel colors and a fairly well-preserved atmosphere of antiquity and the Middle Ages cover up a lot: clothes, armor and shields are decorated, grass and flowers sway in the wind, bodies cover the ground, and blood paints it in the appropriate color.

The trees look like real ones: lots of swaying branches with a natural structure.

To hide the flaws in animation, models and the army of clones, you can’t look at the map and fights from close up - the camera doesn’t zoom in close.

Factions and commanders

Let's do it short review factions in Total War: Arena, so that those who want to play have some idea about them.

Greeks

Skilled warriors and the best defenders who owned a large part of Europe and Asia in the past.

The skill honed in civil strife, however, did not help them unite in the face of a common threat.

The basis of their troops are spearmen and cavalry units covered by archers and slingers.

With the right tactics, fighters demonstrate high spiritual fortitude and a thirst for victory.

Leaders:

• Maltiades– aggressive attacking style, lightning attacks, surprise attacks, intimidation and psychological breakdown of the enemy;
• Macedonian- a master of building tactical schemes for cavalry and infantry - the infantry links the battle and distracts the enemy, and the cavalry climbs to the rear and attacks;
• Kinana– no one will escape from Kinana’s cavalry and riflemen, quick reloading, regrouping and maneuverability allow you to pursue and weaken the fleeing units for a long time;
• Leonid- sword, spear and shield - a better commander of troops for cutting close up could not be found among the Greeks.

Romans

Excellent engineers and warriors going into battle with good mood and the belief that their empire, quickly rising from the ashes, would wipe out the enemy from the face of the earth.

They conduct an offensive battle thanks to siege and defensive weapons, cavalry and excellent training for fighting in a limited space during an assault.

Generals:

• Caesar– an expert in siege and shooting mechanisms, giving a good bonus to units when conducting close combat;
• Sulla– personifies cruelty, holds a blow well and weakens the enemy well at a distance;
• Spicion– specialist in cavalry and infantry, lightning attacks that cause significant damage quickly escalate the situation, sow chaos and reduce the enemy’s morale;
• Germanicus- damn good in close combat, quickly and with minimal losses getting close to units that will soon be cut down.

Barbarians

Scattered Descendants Slavic peoples, inhabitants of the Pyrenees, Alps and Balkans.

For a long time they remained without the attention and supervision of the Greeks and Romans, slowly increasing their power. Gathering their strength, they came to Middle-earth with their dogs and horses.

Fast horses quickly move into the flank, dogs disembowel everyone in the forests, and the hardy cavalry exhausts them with protracted battles.

Leaders:

• Boudicca– owns an unorganized army, rushes into battle and does not build any tactical schemes, which often pays the price, but also quickly wins victories;
• Vercingetorix– will wreak havoc in the ranks of any army, setting fire to the ground in front of its troops and turning it into an approaching flaming hell;
• Arminius- cunning squads of soldiers clad in light armor never engage in direct clashes, they bypass the enemy from the flank and perfectly reconnoiter the situation, and when entering battle, they fight with the fury of berserkers.

Units

Any faction consists of the same basic units.

Infantrymen

Be it Spartans, falx warriors or legionnaires, they will not give up their positions and will hold off the enemy for a long time.

They are also able to communicate in close combat and slowly move forward, leaving behind piles of corpses. Light infantry are valuable in forest battles.

Cavalry

Fast horses are our everything. Going on reconnaissance, catching up with a hiding enemy, escaping from pursuit or going to the rear is an easily accomplished task.

Excellent for declassifying enemy locations with long-range weapons.

Siege weapons

Basis for offensive actions.

The embodiment of engineering thoughts in conjunction with reconnaissance activities brings their results, destroying the found structures and combat units of the enemy with skillful handling of machines.

Defense mechanisms and traps will preserve your troops and achieve numerical superiority over your opponent.

Arrows

Even without seeing the enemy up close, you can give him a good beating, cause damage and lower his morale.

Clouds of arrows and bolts will stop the enemy's troops and allow them to advance, wreaking havoc and death in front of the advancing infantry.

Combat Cerberus

The dogs work primarily from ambush, disrupting the formation of troops, tearing apart lightly protected infantrymen and harming cavalry.

In protracted battles they lose effectiveness and quickly fall from arrows and bolts.

Total War: Arena is not much like the rest of the series and classic RTS.

This cannot be done without mutual understanding between equal players and the help of troops under their control.

Feel yourself part of the driving force military force, which created and rewrote history before the advent of gunpowder.