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<big><big><big>Welcome to Empire: Total War on the TWC Wiki</big></big></big>
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<center>[[File:Empire_wiki_banner2.png]]
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<big>'''[[Empire: Total War]] is the 5th major game in the [[Total War Series]] developed by the [[Creative Assembly]].''' 
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<br>The game was released in March 2009 and published by Sega. It is set in the 18th century and includes features such as the Industrial Revolution, America's struggle for independence and the colonization of India. For the first time in a Total War game, players had the ability to play real-time 3D naval battles.
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Empire was the first game in the series to use Valve Corporation's Steamworks DRM and achievements system, thereby requiring Steam to be played. It was also the first to use Total War Engine 3 which included the Warscape Engine. </big></center>
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{{TOC right|limit=3}}
 
== Overview ==
 
== Overview ==
[[Empire: Total War]] is set in the turbulent 18th century. It is a period alive with global conflict, revolutionary fervor and technological advances. With themes such as the Industrial Revolution, America’s struggle for independence, the race to control Eastern trade routes and the globalisation of war on land and sea, Empire: Total War™ is arguably amongst the richest and most dynamic PC RTS games of all time.
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Empire: Total War is a game based on the musketry warfare that revolutionized how the battles were fought. The insertion of gun powder and the changes that it brought is one of the hallmarks of this game. The changes in social structures, a period of revolutions, of turmoil. The span of the campaign is the turbulent 18th century, a period that shaped great empires with the colonization of new continents and the stabilization and growth of a global economy.
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Empire: Total War introduces many changes, the most valuable being; the addition of a new type of battlefield, water; a new diplomacy system; a complete new technology system; and a great review of the economic system. Those changes compliment the grand scope of the game; major naval battles, the hardships of battle using line infantry, the age of enlightenment, colonies and empires that the sun never goes down on. All those changes only add to the immersion of the game, seeing as how you can go to battle with a aristocratic empire and suddenly fight a renewed republic with troops ready to defend their acquired freedom.
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Another feature that had been developed for Empire: Total War was the decentralisation of provinces, adding greater realism in that many features, from production to technological advancement, would now occur outside of the capital of the province for the first time in a Total War game.
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==General Information==
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There were several innovative changes in this title compared to earlier games in the Total War series.
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===Campaign Map===
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The campaign map is one of the first noted changes in this game. It expands the European centric focus of the first Total War series (the exception is the Shogun: Total War and the Americas Campaign in Medieval 2: Total War Kingdoms Expansion), and this expansion covers simultaneously, the European theatre (which also includes the North African coast and parts of the Middle East), the Indian subcontinent, and the Eastern half of North America, Central America, Northern South America and the Caribbean islands, with trading theatres on the Eastern South American coast, West African Coast, Ivory Coast, and Pacific Islands. This expansion is one of the most uncontroversial ones within this game.
  
Empire: Total War has seen the debut of 3D naval combat within the Total War™ franchise. PC Gamers are able to intuitively command vast fleets or single ships upon seascapes rich with extraordinary water and weather effects that play a huge role in your eventual glorious success or ignominious defeat. After pummeling your enemy with cannon fire, close in to grapple their ship and board them, as your men fight hand to hand on the decks for control.
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The new campaign map offers new possible strategies to the player, being it with local expansion or the foundation of colonies in diverse theatres of action. Aside from that, the economic complexity is also affected by this major change, with the addition of a new feature called Trade nodes.
  
Along with the revolutionary introduction of Naval Combat, Empire: Total War™ has seen further enhancements to the Total War™ series signature 3D battles and turn based campaign map. Real time battles pose new challenges with the addition of cannon and musket, challenging players to master new [[formations]] and tactics as a result of the increasing role of gunpowder within warfare. And the Campaign Map – for many the heart of Total War™ – has seen new improved systems for Trade, Diplomacy and Espionage with agents, a refined and streamlined UI, improved Advisors and extended scope taking in the riches of India, the turbulence of Europe and the untapped potential of North America.
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The trade nodes add immersion to the game, by allowing the player to acquire and trade resources via merchant ships at specific theatres in the map, those are: South America, West Africa, East Africa and Indonesia. This simulates the enormous growth in trade that is a hallmark of the scope of this period, with bustling sails reaching far corners of the world with the purpose of trading/colonizing. These theatres offer a great economic boost to whoever controls them, with rich resources like ivory, spice and sugar.
  
''“Empire: Total War™ is a huge revolutionary step for the series. We’re delighted to introduce true 3D naval combat, something that adds a totally new dimension to Total War™ games. We’re genuinely excited about what we’re achieving with the naval battles and also by the scale of the improvements being made to the core of the game – the land battles and the campaign. This will undoubtedly be the biggest and best Total War™ game we’ve ever made.”''
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This adds to a much-neglected part of the Total War series, the need to maintain the dominion of the seas. The pirates now pose a great threat, leading to what was a bustling economy to a ruined empire in a few turns. Another major component to the now need for a great armada is that the trade routes which appeared in previous games are interactive, leading to options of not only blockading the ports put to hinder the enemy economy through state piracy giving you the goods that were flowing through that route.
  
- Mike Simpson, Studio Director at The Creative Assembly and the father of the Total War™ franchise. [http://www.totalwar.com/index.html?page=/en/newsandpress/index.html&nav=/en/5/ Read More]
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The resources inside the provinces have now a closer resemblance to Rome: Total War than it had to Medieval 2: Total War, since the latter needs a merchant for the exploitation of the resources, similarities aside this is an expansion on the concept of the province system for that the building who is responsible for the harvesting is not centralized in a capital, but it is spread in the territory itself. This change is more visible in the new town system.
  
The second major area of gameplay is the battle system. Unlike the campaign part of the game, players control battles in real-time. As with all titles in the series after Shogun: Total War, battles in Empire: Total War can take place on both land and water. However, Empire is the first Total War title to allow naval battles as well as land-based engagements to be fought in real-time; previously, when a naval battle was fought it would be automatically resolved by the game's artificial intelligence, taking into account factors such as number of ships and crew, and armament types to decide the victor. Automatic resolution of battles during a campaign is an option for both land and sea battles. Outside of the main campaign mode, players can participate in recreations of historical battles in the 18th century and early 19th century.[18]
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This new town system involves a capital and several subsidiary towns, thus removing some of the importance of the capital and spreading along the whole province. The new slave towns are born from the growth of the population in several villages that are already defined in number different to which territory. Those towns can be configured in four basic towns: schools (used for research of new technologies), manufacturing plants (factories that have several types: textile, smelters and pottery the choice is not up to the player, churches and entertainment buildings.
  
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This adds to military strategy as well since the control of those towns is responsible not only for the income, but for the general happiness of the province, thus raiding towns is a useful tactic and preferred by the AI.
  
Land based combat features a greater focus on gunpowder weaponry than in previous games
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===Naval Battles===
In land engagements, players are given access to an 18th century army consisting of a variety of units, such as cavalry, musketeers, riflemen and artillery. Each unit has its own intrinsic advantages, disadvantages, cost, and overall level of effectiveness. Players must use 18th century tactics and formations with the units they have available to defeat their enemies. The terrain of the battlefield and the weather also impact on how a battle is fought.[19] Factions can lay siege to settlements, replacing open land battles with street fighting and close-quarters combat. Each unit has morale, which can increase if the battle goes well for their faction, or decrease in cases such as heavy casualties, loss of regimental colours or the death of the general. Tactical situations such as attacking from a flank or a rear, or depriving a unit of allied reinforcements would also cause the morale of the unit to drop dramatically. When a unit's morale is sufficiently depleted, it will rout and attempt to flee the battlefield. Depending on whether the unit's morale is merely broken or entirely shattered, the player may be able to rally the men in the unit and regroup. Victory in battle is achieved by causing every enemy unit to rout, or by killing or capturing the opposing army. In addition, siege battles can be won if the attacker manages to take control of the settlement's central square for a set amount of time. Empire: Total War also introduces several new battlefield elements to the Total War series. Units can take cover behind walls or in buildings, allowing increased interactivity with the terrain and making some buildings points of strategic interest.[13] Field defences may be set up in real-time on the battlefield, to adjust for given situations. Infantry units can also scale small obstacles in the field, such as walls and fences. Weapons based on gunpowder are prone to accidents, and can even malfunction and kill their users.
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::''-See main article: [[Naval Battles (ETW)]]''
In naval battles, players can control a fleet of up to twenty ships, varying in class, size, armament and crew. As in land-based conflicts, players must make use of 18th century tactics to overcome enemy fleets. As with army units, each ship's crew has a set amount of morale that changes as a battle progresses; a crew may attempt to withdraw their vessel from the battle if their morale is broken, or in extreme cases may surrender without further enemy action. A battle is won when all of the hostile ships have been sunk or captured or have left the map.[20] Individual ships can be adjusted to allow for a maximum field of fire while attempting to maintain a minimalised target, all whilst remaining within an overall formation with the rest of the fleet. Players can designate which parts of a hostile ship they want a crew to target, making ships prone to sustaining authentic damage during a battle: masts can be toppled, sails and gun ports can be destroyed and various other damage can entirely disable a ship's ability to maneuver or eventually sink it.[13] Various types of ammunition can be used during a battle, such as grapeshot, chain-shot and round shot, which have different uses, from killing enemy crew to disabling enemy movement. As battles progress, crews can attempt to board enemy vessels and fight hand-to-hand in an attempt to capture the ship.[20] Lastly, the weather in a naval battle can impact how it is fought; bad weather can result in effects from poor visibility to endangering a ship's safety.[20]
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Empire: Total War was the first Total War game to have fully 3D real-time naval battles. In the previous games they were just automatically resolved on the campaign map. This feature was a major focus of ETW's marketing campaign, as naval battles are the symbol of 18th century warfare.  
  
==General Information==
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===Technology===
Empire: Total War is focused on exploration, economics, politics, religion, the founding of colonies and, ultimately, conquest. The game is set in the early modern period, spanning from 1701 to the early 1800s,[6] allowing players to lead a variety of contemporary factions to dominate Europe, North Africa, the Americas and the Indies.[7] The player will use both complex strategies on the campaign map as well as command military forces in battles on both land and sea. As with previous Total War games, Empire: Total War consists of two broad areas of gameplay: a turn-based geopolitical campaign that allows the user to move armies and navies across the globe, conduct diplomacy, trade, espionage, and the internal politics of their nation, and other tasks needed to run their nation, as well as a real-time battle mode that enables players to direct the course of any battles that take place.
 
Empire: Total War features approximately fifty 18th century factions; however, only eleven of the most powerful and influential factions of the era are playable. In western Europe, the main factions are Great Britain, France, the United Provinces, Spain and Sweden, while central and eastern Europe are represented by Prussia, Austria, Russia and Poland–Lithuania. In the Balkans and Middle East, the Ottoman Empire is depicted as a dominating faction for Islam, while the Maratha Confederacy and Mughal Empire are the major powers on the Indian subcontinent.[8] The New World colonies of the major powers are represented as protectorates of their respective home nations. The establishment of key nations during the era, such as Revolutionary France and the United States, and the fall of native states to the larger empires is reflected in the game, though given player involvement any of these major events may be averted.[9][10] Smaller factions, including the less powerful German and Italian states, Native American tribes and North African countries are also represented. Each faction varies in territory, strengths and specialities.[9]
 
A story-driven campaign mode entitled "Road to Independence" is also included in Empire: Total War, where the player guides the British colonisation of America in three structured Chapters.[11] The first Chapter sees the player establish and develop the English colony of Jamestown, the second focuses on the British fighting both the French and their allied Native American nations in the French and Indian War, whilst the third portion has the player directing the American Continental Army against the British in the War of Independence. This campaign is goal-oriented and strictly historical in nature, and additionally functions as an active learning experience, where players may learn, in each Chapter: firstly, to manage and defend regional economies, secondly, to form alliances and to capture and hold territories and exploit their resources on increasingly large scales, and finally, to use all of the player's acquired skills to survive and achieve victory in a total war against a superior opponent. Completion of "Road to Independence" unlocks the newly formed United States for use in a shorter, later version of the full campaign.[12]
 
[edit]Campaign
 
The main campaign of Empire: Total War involves a player choosing a faction and moving to forge an empire across the 18th century world. Each faction controls various historical provinces, each with a regional capital, and a number of other settlements ranging from minor villages to prosperous sea ports if they are coastal territories. The player can produce armies and navies to take and defend provinces by military means, or adopt diplomacy and politics to make advances in the game. In addition, players can use economics and religion to their advantage, as well as clandestine means such as espionage and assassination.[10] The campaign mode is turn-based, with each turn representing six months starting in summer or winter, allowing the player to attend to all needs of their faction before ending their turn and allowing the artificial intelligence to make all other factions' moves.[13]
 
  
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A game based in the century of lights can't cast aside the revolution that happened in several fields of human knowledge and perception. Empire: Total War brings to the table a new form of supremacy; technology. The 18th century was marked by several changes to humanity as a whole, bringing to light several concepts that marked and constructed the postmodern world. The tech tree is divided into three major branches, being those: Military, Economics, Governance.
  
The campaign mode has been redesigned from earlier games to reflect early modern politics and economics
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This is one of the most relevant aspects of the game, leading to one empire being considerably weaker than another just because one has the technological edge over the other. Research also leads to changes in the way the population behaves and perceives the government, an absolute monarchy is going to have much trouble sustaining itself in the late stages of the campaign, due to the public unrest several technologies generate.
The campaign mode features a similar approach to those in Rome: Total War and Medieval II: Total War, but includes several enhancements. The game features three main theatres of play: Europe (which also includes North Africa and the Middle East), the Americas and India, and four minor trade theatres in the East Indies, the Ivory Coast, the Mozambique Channel and Brazil. The way provinces work has been decentralised; although a central settlement is still used, other locations within a province can deal with trade and military recruitment, allowing factions to disrupt a province's productivity without assaulting the main settlement.[13] Diplomacy, taxation, and trade have been streamlined with the aim of reducing the need for micromanagement. Part of this streamlining allows players to appoint ministers to allow them to better govern aspects of their nation rather than the earlier governors for every city.[14][15] The wandering scholars, spies, emissaries and assassins used in previous titles to deal with the diplomatic, trade and espionage aspects of the game have been replaced with just three units: gentlemen, rakes, and missionaries. The former handle research and can challenge other characters to a duel to dispose of them honourably (thus eliminating the diplomatic risk of being implicated in an assassination plot), while rakes perform clandestine tasks such as spying, assassination, and sabotage. Missionaries serve to convert the populace of regions to the state religion of the nation deploying them, which reduces religious unrest and softens cultural unrest.[16] Isomorphic units also exist for certain nations - namely, Ottomans, Persians, and other near eastern nations replace rakes with Hashashin, while Indian nations use Thugees, and all nations southeast of the Ottoman Empire use Eastern Scholars (which are not completely isomorphic because they cannot duel) instead of gentlemen, and a variety of isomorphic religious leaders exist, such as Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox missionaries, or Imams or Brahmin. The way armies are produced also differs: in addition to being produced by settlements and then moved to generals by the player, generals can now also build their armies directly by recruiting from nearby settlements.[13] Players can now research technologies along a technology tree, leading to advances and new discoveries in areas such as infrastructure, politics, agriculture or the military.[9]
 
Changes in government may occur during the campaign as the rise of republicanism over the traditional rule by monarchy becomes an issue in the early modern time period.[10] For instance, the United States may only come into existence if the ruling British Empire is unable to maintain social order. Another example is that the French Revolution may occur if the people of France are no longer satisfied with their sovereign.[9] Factions will also have a varying number of objectives such as establishing successful colonies, trade routes and dominance in certain regions as victory conditions.[17] Rebellions and revolutions may occur, and are influenced by the form of government in place. When a revolution occurs, the player can opt to side with the rebellious forces or the loyalist troops. The type of government installed by the player in their faction will determine how other factions view the player and will influence their diplomatic relations. While religion no longer plays a central role as in Medieval II: Total War, it is still important in helping bring under control newly captured regions and in defining to some degree diplomatic relations between nations.[9]
 
  
 
===Factions===
 
===Factions===
::''-See main article: [[:category:Empire Total War Factions|Empire: Total War Factions]]''
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::''-See main article: [[Factions (ETW)|Empire: Total War Factions]]''
  
More than fifty factions are included in the game, 36 of which are playable. The other factions cannot be unlocked and have to be modded into the game. The eleven playable factions from the the beginning are:
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More than fifty factions are included in the game, 36 of which are playable. The other factions cannot be unlocked and have to be modded into the game. The eleven playable factions from the beginning are:
  
 
====Playable Factions====
 
====Playable Factions====
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*[[France (ETW Faction)|France]]- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[France (ETW Faction)|France]]- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Great Britain (ETW Faction)|Great Britain]]- Protestant Constitutional Monarchy
 
*[[Great Britain (ETW Faction)|Great Britain]]- Protestant Constitutional Monarchy
*[[Marathas (ETW Faction)|Marathas]]- Hindu Absolute Monarchy
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*[[Maratha Confederacy (ETW Faction)|Marathas]]- Hindu Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Ottoman Empire (ETW Faction)|Ottoman Empire]]- Islamic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Ottoman Empire (ETW Faction)|Ottoman Empire]]- Islamic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Poland-Lithuania (ETW Faction)|Poland-Lithuania]]- Catholic Constitutional Monarchy
 
*[[Poland-Lithuania (ETW Faction)|Poland-Lithuania]]- Catholic Constitutional Monarchy
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*[[United States (ETW faction)|United States of America]]- Protestant Republic (Road to Independence)
 
*[[United States (ETW faction)|United States of America]]- Protestant Republic (Road to Independence)
  
====Unplayable Factions====
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=== Units ===
*[[Bavaria (ETW Faction)|Bavaria]]- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
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There are hundreds of unique units in ETW including Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and Ships. For wiki pages about each unit see the [[:Category:ETW Units|Empire: Total War Units Category]]
*[[Cherokee Nations (ETW Faction)|Cherokee Nations]]- Animist Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Dagestan (ETW Faction)|Dagestan]]- Islamic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Denmark (ETW Faction)|Denmark]]- Protestant Constitutional Monarchy
 
*[[Genoa (ETW Faction)|Genoa]]- Catholic Republic
 
*[[Georgia (ETW Faction)|Georgia]]- Orthodox Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Hannover (ETW Faction)|Hannover]]- Protestant Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Huron Confederacy (ETW Faction)|Huron-Wyandot Confederacy]]- Animist Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Inuit Nations (ETW Faction)|Inuit Nations]]- Animist Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Iroquois Confederacy (ETW Nation)|Iroquois Confederacy]]- Animist Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Italian States (ETW Factions)|Italian States]]- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Knights of St. John (ETW Faction)|Knights of St. John]]- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Morocco (ETW Faction)|Morocco]]- Islamic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Mughal Empire (ETW Faction)|Mughal Empire]]- Islamic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Mysore (ETW Faction)|Mysore]]- Islamic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Persia (ETW Faction)|Persia]]- Islamic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Pirates (ETW Faction)|Pirates]]- Protestant Absolute Monarchy
 
*Plains Nations- Animist Absolute Monarchy
 
*Portugal- Catholic Constitutional Monarchy
 
*Pueblo Nations- Animist Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Savoy (ETW Faction)|Savoy]]- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Venice- Catholic Republic
 
*Westphalia- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Wurttemberg- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
  
====Starting Protectorates====
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=== Battlefield Gameplay ===  
*[[Barbary States (ETW Faction)|Barbary States]] - Islamic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Courland - Protestant Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Crimean Khanate (ETW Faction)|Crimean Khanate]] - Islamic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Louisiana- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*New Spain- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Saxony- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Thirteen Colonies- Protestant Constitutional Monarchy
 
  
====Emerging====
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The introduction of the [[Naval Battles in ETW|naval warfare]] was a major addition to the series. This new and unexplored battlefield was plagued with problems at the game launch. Pathfinding errors made navigation difficult and real-world strategies used by admirals from the past didn't work correctly. Land battles suffered from AI problems as well, which resulted in a commander to inevitably win a battle unless faced with overwhelming opposition. Patch 1.6 has helped to alleviate these launch issues.
*Afghanistan- Islamic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Gran Columbia- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Greece- Orthodox Absolute Monarchy
 
*Hessen- Protestant Absolute Monarchy
 
*Hungary- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Ireland- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Mamelukes- Islamic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Mexico- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Naples & Sicily- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[Norway (ETW Faction)|Norway]]- Protestant Absolute Monarchy
 
*Punjab- Sikh Absolute Monarchy
 
*Quebec- Catholic Absolute Monarchy
 
*Scotland- Protestant Absolute Monarchy
 
*[[United States (ETW Faction)|United States]]- Protestant Republic (Grand Campaign)
 
  
=== Campaign Map ===
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===Multiplayer===
  
*The game includes 12 playable factions in the beginning, including Britain, Prussia, France, Spain, America and the Ottoman Empire.
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ETW multiplayer was supposed to be revolutionary with the addition of a brand new feature, the multiplayer online campaign. Aside that we can also highlight that with the integration with steam the game could get a ladder system, giving players the motivation to pursue constant online battles.
*The total number of factions in ETW is higher than 50 [http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showpost.php?p=2094112&postcount=139] 
 
*Revolutionized Total War campaign spanning 5 continents and featuring new, enhanced systems for Trade, Diplomacy, Missions and Espionage.
 
*An all-new fully animated campaign map with all buildings and upgrades visible.
 
*Huge cast of historical figures including Peter The Great, Marlborough and Charles XII of Sweden
 
  
=== Battlefield Gameplay ===  
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The Multiplayer online campaign only reached beta phase, and thus is not integrated into the game. Although it was fully implemented in the later Napoleon: Total War with the Hot Seat feature being discarded in this title.
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===Downloadable Content===
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The [http://store.steampowered.com/app/10606/?snr=1_5_9__405 Warpath Campaign] was released as downloadable content in October 2009. The campaign focuses on the battles of the Europeans and Native Americans throughout most of North and Central America. It expanded the North American territories and featured 5 new playable factions: Iroquois, Cherokee, Huron, Pueblo and Plains Nations. New researchable technologies were also added, along with the new scout and shaman agents and new faction-specific objectives.  Other DLC's were;  [http://store.steampowered.com/app/10608/?snr=1_5_9__405 Elite Units of the East] |  [http://store.steampowered.com/app/10607/?snr=1_5_9__405 Elite Units of America] |  [http://store.steampowered.com/app/10604/?snr=1_5_9__405 Elite Units of the West]|  [http://store.steampowered.com/app/10600/?snr=1_5_9__405 Special Units & Bonus Content]
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In November 2018 Empire: Total War was upgraded to the Definitive Edition meaning that all existing and new purchasers can access all of the DLC free of charge.
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==Empire Community on TWC==
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'''Content Publications:'''
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*'''[https://www.twcenter.net/forums/content.php?431-Empire-Total-War-a-retrospective-on-ten-years-of-potential Empire Total War: a retrospective on ten years of potential] by Alwyn'''
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*'''[https://www.twcenter.net/forums/content.php?433-Modding-ten-years-after-Empire-Total-War Modding ten years after - Empire: Total War] by Quintus Hortensius Hortalus'''
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'''Discussion:'''
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*[https://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?469-Empire-Total-War-General-Discussion General Discussion]
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*[https://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?500-Historical-Research-Center Historical Research Center]
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'''Gameplay and Strategy:'''
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*[https://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?241293-Le-FUSIL-Unit-Guide-for-Empire-v1-6 Unit Guide]
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*[https://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?234127-Index-of-Gameplay-amp-Strategy-Guides-(VIEW-THIS-BEFORE-STARTING-A-NEW-THREAD) Index of Gameplay and Strategy Guides]
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'''After Action Reports:'''
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*[https://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?1052-Empire-Total-War-AARs AARs and Let's Plays]
  
*New Real-Time 3D Naval Warfare takes Total War’s unparalleled battle action to the high seas with players commanding single ships or vast fleets.
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'''Technical Help:'''
*Realistic sailing model, cannon and musket fire, boarding actions, fully destructible sails, rigging and hulls and a full range of weather effects to influence battles.
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*[https://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?1074-ETW-Technical-Help Tech support forum on TWC]
*It is possible to capture ships and use them as a part of your fleet[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=171987&skip=yes]  
 
*Land battles that feature heavy artillery in the form of cannons, mortar and early rocket launchers, with bouncing cannonballs slicing through drifting gun smoke to tear up lines of infantry. Bagpipes, drummers, flautists and trumpeters fill the air with play out over the crack of musket fire
 
  
===Multiplayer===
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==Empire Information on the Wiki==
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*[[Factions (ETW)|Factions]]
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*[[Infantry Tactics in Empire: Total War]]
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*[[:Category:ETW Units]]
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*[[:Category:ETW Gameplay and Features]]
  
ETW multiplayer was supposed to be revolutionary with the addition of a brand new feature the multiplayer online campaign. Aside that we can also highlight that with the integration with steam the game could get a ladder system, giving players the motivation to pursue constant online battles.
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==Mods for Empire: Total War==
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'''Find ETW Mods on TWC:'''
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*[https://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?1071-Empire-Total-War-Hosted-Modifications ETW Hosted Modifications on TWC]
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*[https://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?1073-Empire-Total-War-Modifications ETW Mod Threads on TWC]
  
The Multiplayer online campaign only reached beta phase, and thus is not integrated into the game. Although it was fully implemented in the Napoleon: Total War. This move was done since that the Hot Seat feature would be discard
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'''On the Wiki:'''
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*[[Empire: Total War Mods|Empire: Total War Mods listing with sortable table]]
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*[[:Category:ETW Mods (Released)| Empire: Total War released mods' pages]]
  
===System Requirements===
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==Modding Information==
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'''Modding Information on TWC:'''
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* [https://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?1108-Tools-Tutorials-and-Resources Empire: Total War Tools, Tutorials and Resources section]
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* [https://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?651-Empire-Total-War-Mod-Workshop Empire: Total War Mod Workshop]
  
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'''On the Wiki:'''
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* [[Modding Portal#Empire:_Total_War| Modding Portal]]
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* [[Empire: Total War - Modding Index]]
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* [[:Category:ETW Modding]]
  
=====Minimum System Requirements=====
 
  
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<div class="TWCportal_3">
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==System Requirements==
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'''Minimum System Requirements:'''
 
:Supported OS: Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ or Windows 7™
 
:Supported OS: Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ or Windows 7™
 
:Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel® Pentium® or greater or AMD® Athlon® equivalent CPU, with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSE2 SSE2 instruction]
 
:Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel® Pentium® or greater or AMD® Athlon® equivalent CPU, with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSE2 SSE2 instruction]
 
:Memory: 1 GB RAM (XP,) 2 GB RAM (Vista™)
 
:Memory: 1 GB RAM (XP,) 2 GB RAM (Vista™)
 
:Graphics: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible hardware accelerated video card with shader version 2.0 support, 256 MB video memory
 
:Graphics: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible hardware accelerated video card with shader version 2.0 support, 256 MB video memory
:Display: Minimum screen resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels
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:Display: Minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels
 
:Sound: Directx9.0c compatible sound card
 
:Sound: Directx9.0c compatible sound card
 
:Hard Drive: 15 GB free hard disk space formatted as NTFS
 
:Hard Drive: 15 GB free hard disk space formatted as NTFS
 
:Peripherals: Windows compatible mouse and keyboard
 
:Peripherals: Windows compatible mouse and keyboard
  
=====Recommended Requirements=====
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'''Recommended Requirements:'''
 
 
 
:Supported OS: Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ or Windows 7™
 
:Supported OS: Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ or Windows 7™
 
:Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel® Core 2 Duo® or greater or AMD® Athlon64® equivalent CPU, with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSE2 SSE2 instruction]
 
:Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel® Core 2 Duo® or greater or AMD® Athlon64® equivalent CPU, with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSE2 SSE2 instruction]
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:Hard Drive: 15 GB free hard disk space formatted as NTFS
 
:Hard Drive: 15 GB free hard disk space formatted as NTFS
 
:Peripherals: Windows compatible mouse and keyboard
 
:Peripherals: Windows compatible mouse and keyboard
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</div></div></div>
  
== Community Links ==
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<div style="text-align: center;"><h2 style="border-bottom:none;"><small>Other Sources for Empire: Total War</small></h2>
*[http://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=469 TWCenter Empire TW Discussion Forum]
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<big>'''[http://www.creative-assembly.com/game/empire Official Creative Assembly Website] ~ [http://www.totalwar.com/ Official Total War Website] ~ [http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Empire_Total_War Total War Wiki] ~ [http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/forumdisplay.php?242-Empire-Total-War The Org] ~ [http://www.reddit.com/r/totalwar/ Reddit] ~ [http://store.steampowered.com/app/10500/ Steam] ~ [http://totalwar.wikia.com/wiki/Empire:_Total_War totalwar.wikia] ~ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire:_Total_War Wikpedia]
 
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'''</big>
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<h2 style="border-bottom:none;"><small>[[Total War Series|Other Total War Series Games]]</small></h2>
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[[Category:Total War Series]]
 
[[Category:Total War Series]]
 
[[Category:ETW Information]]
 
[[Category:ETW Information]]

Latest revision as of 02:52, 23 August 2020

Welcome to Empire: Total War on the TWC Wiki



Empire wiki banner2.png


Empire: Total War is the 5th major game in the Total War Series developed by the Creative Assembly.
The game was released in March 2009 and published by Sega. It is set in the 18th century and includes features such as the Industrial Revolution, America's struggle for independence and the colonization of India. For the first time in a Total War game, players had the ability to play real-time 3D naval battles.

Empire was the first game in the series to use Valve Corporation's Steamworks DRM and achievements system, thereby requiring Steam to be played. It was also the first to use Total War Engine 3 which included the Warscape Engine.


Overview

Empire: Total War is a game based on the musketry warfare that revolutionized how the battles were fought. The insertion of gun powder and the changes that it brought is one of the hallmarks of this game. The changes in social structures, a period of revolutions, of turmoil. The span of the campaign is the turbulent 18th century, a period that shaped great empires with the colonization of new continents and the stabilization and growth of a global economy.

Empire: Total War introduces many changes, the most valuable being; the addition of a new type of battlefield, water; a new diplomacy system; a complete new technology system; and a great review of the economic system. Those changes compliment the grand scope of the game; major naval battles, the hardships of battle using line infantry, the age of enlightenment, colonies and empires that the sun never goes down on. All those changes only add to the immersion of the game, seeing as how you can go to battle with a aristocratic empire and suddenly fight a renewed republic with troops ready to defend their acquired freedom.

Another feature that had been developed for Empire: Total War was the decentralisation of provinces, adding greater realism in that many features, from production to technological advancement, would now occur outside of the capital of the province for the first time in a Total War game.

General Information

There were several innovative changes in this title compared to earlier games in the Total War series.

Campaign Map

The campaign map is one of the first noted changes in this game. It expands the European centric focus of the first Total War series (the exception is the Shogun: Total War and the Americas Campaign in Medieval 2: Total War Kingdoms Expansion), and this expansion covers simultaneously, the European theatre (which also includes the North African coast and parts of the Middle East), the Indian subcontinent, and the Eastern half of North America, Central America, Northern South America and the Caribbean islands, with trading theatres on the Eastern South American coast, West African Coast, Ivory Coast, and Pacific Islands. This expansion is one of the most uncontroversial ones within this game.

The new campaign map offers new possible strategies to the player, being it with local expansion or the foundation of colonies in diverse theatres of action. Aside from that, the economic complexity is also affected by this major change, with the addition of a new feature called Trade nodes.

The trade nodes add immersion to the game, by allowing the player to acquire and trade resources via merchant ships at specific theatres in the map, those are: South America, West Africa, East Africa and Indonesia. This simulates the enormous growth in trade that is a hallmark of the scope of this period, with bustling sails reaching far corners of the world with the purpose of trading/colonizing. These theatres offer a great economic boost to whoever controls them, with rich resources like ivory, spice and sugar.

This adds to a much-neglected part of the Total War series, the need to maintain the dominion of the seas. The pirates now pose a great threat, leading to what was a bustling economy to a ruined empire in a few turns. Another major component to the now need for a great armada is that the trade routes which appeared in previous games are interactive, leading to options of not only blockading the ports put to hinder the enemy economy through state piracy giving you the goods that were flowing through that route.

The resources inside the provinces have now a closer resemblance to Rome: Total War than it had to Medieval 2: Total War, since the latter needs a merchant for the exploitation of the resources, similarities aside this is an expansion on the concept of the province system for that the building who is responsible for the harvesting is not centralized in a capital, but it is spread in the territory itself. This change is more visible in the new town system.

This new town system involves a capital and several subsidiary towns, thus removing some of the importance of the capital and spreading along the whole province. The new slave towns are born from the growth of the population in several villages that are already defined in number different to which territory. Those towns can be configured in four basic towns: schools (used for research of new technologies), manufacturing plants (factories that have several types: textile, smelters and pottery the choice is not up to the player, churches and entertainment buildings.

This adds to military strategy as well since the control of those towns is responsible not only for the income, but for the general happiness of the province, thus raiding towns is a useful tactic and preferred by the AI.

Naval Battles

-See main article: Naval Battles (ETW)

Empire: Total War was the first Total War game to have fully 3D real-time naval battles. In the previous games they were just automatically resolved on the campaign map. This feature was a major focus of ETW's marketing campaign, as naval battles are the symbol of 18th century warfare.

Technology

A game based in the century of lights can't cast aside the revolution that happened in several fields of human knowledge and perception. Empire: Total War brings to the table a new form of supremacy; technology. The 18th century was marked by several changes to humanity as a whole, bringing to light several concepts that marked and constructed the postmodern world. The tech tree is divided into three major branches, being those: Military, Economics, Governance.

This is one of the most relevant aspects of the game, leading to one empire being considerably weaker than another just because one has the technological edge over the other. Research also leads to changes in the way the population behaves and perceives the government, an absolute monarchy is going to have much trouble sustaining itself in the late stages of the campaign, due to the public unrest several technologies generate.

Factions

-See main article: Empire: Total War Factions

More than fifty factions are included in the game, 36 of which are playable. The other factions cannot be unlocked and have to be modded into the game. The eleven playable factions from the beginning are:

Playable Factions

Units

There are hundreds of unique units in ETW including Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and Ships. For wiki pages about each unit see the Empire: Total War Units Category

Battlefield Gameplay

The introduction of the naval warfare was a major addition to the series. This new and unexplored battlefield was plagued with problems at the game launch. Pathfinding errors made navigation difficult and real-world strategies used by admirals from the past didn't work correctly. Land battles suffered from AI problems as well, which resulted in a commander to inevitably win a battle unless faced with overwhelming opposition. Patch 1.6 has helped to alleviate these launch issues.

Multiplayer

ETW multiplayer was supposed to be revolutionary with the addition of a brand new feature, the multiplayer online campaign. Aside that we can also highlight that with the integration with steam the game could get a ladder system, giving players the motivation to pursue constant online battles.

The Multiplayer online campaign only reached beta phase, and thus is not integrated into the game. Although it was fully implemented in the later Napoleon: Total War with the Hot Seat feature being discarded in this title.

Downloadable Content

The Warpath Campaign was released as downloadable content in October 2009. The campaign focuses on the battles of the Europeans and Native Americans throughout most of North and Central America. It expanded the North American territories and featured 5 new playable factions: Iroquois, Cherokee, Huron, Pueblo and Plains Nations. New researchable technologies were also added, along with the new scout and shaman agents and new faction-specific objectives. Other DLC's were; Elite Units of the East | Elite Units of America | Elite Units of the West| Special Units & Bonus Content

In November 2018 Empire: Total War was upgraded to the Definitive Edition meaning that all existing and new purchasers can access all of the DLC free of charge.

System Requirements

Minimum System Requirements:

Supported OS: Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ or Windows 7™
Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel® Pentium® or greater or AMD® Athlon® equivalent CPU, with SSE2 instruction
Memory: 1 GB RAM (XP,) 2 GB RAM (Vista™)
Graphics: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible hardware accelerated video card with shader version 2.0 support, 256 MB video memory
Display: Minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels
Sound: Directx9.0c compatible sound card
Hard Drive: 15 GB free hard disk space formatted as NTFS
Peripherals: Windows compatible mouse and keyboard

Recommended Requirements:

Supported OS: Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista™ or Windows 7™
Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel® Core 2 Duo® or greater or AMD® Athlon64® equivalent CPU, with SSE2 instruction
Memory: 3 GB RAM (XP,) 4 GB RAM (Vista™)
Graphics: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible hardware accelerated video card with shader version 3.0 support, 512 MB video memory
Display: Minimum screen resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels
Sound: Directx9.0c compatible sound card
Hard Drive: 15 GB free hard disk space formatted as NTFS
Peripherals: Windows compatible mouse and keyboard