Land Battles (ETW)
Land battles have always been an important feature of the Total War games. While the new naval battles are certainly the most significant new feature in Empire: Total War, the real time land battles were improved considerably as well.
Contents
General Information
In order to expand his empire, the player must face and beat his opponents on various battlefields. Land battles in general and sieges in particular are also the only means of conquering new provinces. While land battles still work in a similar way as in previous Total War games, there are some notable improvements. Not only were the graphics improved but the AI got a complete overhaul as well, providing more exciting and challenging battles.
In order to be able to fight a land battle, the player must recruit soldiers and lead them to an enemy army. The 3D campaign map will disappear and the army will have to be commanded on the real-time battle map. The battles themselves are still very similar to the ones in the predecessor games. An army is made up of up to 20 units, each consisting of up to 160 men. Prior to the actual battle, the player will be able to deploy his troops before the encounter begins.
Different Unit Classes
In Empire: Total War there are several main unit classes, each of them having a different purpose. Utilizing their strenghts is essential to success in a land battle. All of the quoted paragraphs about the previewed units (see below) were taken from the official Total War website.
Infantry
Infantry is of course a very important branch of the army. Musketeers and similar ranged gunpowder units form the backbone of most armies in Empire's time period. Infantry holds the main battle line, can defend the artillery and is generally cheaper and more affordable than most other units. However, there are also elite regiments of infantry which can lead charges or hold the most important locations. In conclusion, fighting a battle without a relieable body of infantry is almost impossible. So far, the Creative Assembly have previewed two units of infantry:
Cavalry
Artillery
Reinforcements
Usually, a battle will occur when two hostile armies meet each other. However, it is also possible that other armies of either faction or their respective allies are very close to the battlefield. In that case, they will act as reinforcements for the main armies. In previous Total War games, the player could decide to either let the AI control his reinforcements or to command them himself. However, in Empire the former option has been removed and all reinforcements for the player will be put under his control. Since the player cannot control more than 20 units at once, reinforcements exceeding that limit will only join the battle as soon as some other units were killed or have fled the battle.
