Not only didTotal War: Pharaohbring players to a brand-new era, but Creative Assembly also injected a few new mechanics to make the experience worth it. One such feature came in the form of the new dynamic weather system. While the franchise has had weather effects before, they have never felt like this. And their addition has really helped set this game apart from the crowd.
Game Rant was recently able to talk toTotal War: Pharaoh’s Lead Battle Designer Milcho Vasilev about this exciting addition to the formula. We talked about the decisions behind the addition, the way it changed throughout development, and what is actually going on behind-the-scenes to emulate it as best it can.The following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: For starters, I would love to know just what the decision process behind adding weather effects was? Since they haven’t been in any other Total War game, why was Total War: Pharaoh the one that you decided needed them?
Vasilev:It’s important to note thatweather effects are not a completely new additionto the franchise. However, we have redesigned them to have a greater degree of dynamism and realism. For instance, weather is now governed by the climate of a region, meaning somewhere like Egypt faces sweltering heat and sandstorms on a more regular basis, whilst Anatolia is more prone to rain and thunderstorms. It also occurs on a more dynamic basis, with battles beginning in a certain weather type like rain and evolving into a thunderstorm over the course of a battle, whilst the terrain itself can also evolve from dry ground to mud. All of this culminates in the general of an army having to take into greater account the effects of the weather as it will directly affect the effectiveness of their troops across a variety of different battlefield scenarios. For instance, heavy troops and chariots will struggle to traverse through mud, whilst archers will lose range and accuracy during a sandstorm.
Q: How accurate are these storms to what they would actually deal with during that time? Did you take any creative license when introducing the storms and their damaging effects?
Vasilev:It’s hard to know exactly what the average weather event was like in the region atthe time of the Bronze-Age Collapse, but we have tried to represent the weather as authentically as possible. Some of the theories around the collapse point to weather being one of the primary reasons for the Sea Peoples becoming a nomadic tribe, with severe droughts leading to a lack of food, thus people had to find more fertile ground, which pushed forces into direct conflict with one another. Our main source for our interpretation of the battle weather what we see from day to day within these regions such as the sweltering heat and sandstorms that occur within the Saharan Desert or the thunderstorms that grip the wider Mediterranean.
Q: How much research had to go into figuring out what storms fit into this setting? And to what extent did Creative Assembly go to ensure historical accuracy?
Vasilev:We always strive to represent the world in an authentic way and a great deal of research goes into our games. The weather is part of the climate research we do which also includes the types of battle maps, their topography, flora, and fauna. We want to make sure that certain weather conditions are much more likely to happen in the correct geographical regions. Players are not going to encounter a sandstorm inthe mountains of Anatolia, and they are much more likely to be overwhelmed by the sweltering heat when in the desert.
Q: I’m assuming there is a lot going on behind the scenes to deliver these storms as authentic as possible. Could you just give us a brief explanation of the actual physics involved in crafting these storms
Vasilev:Indeed, there are actual physics guiding the winds and the storms under the hood. A good example of this in action iswhen archers shoot their arrows, the wind has a direct effect on the direction in which they’re blown, subsequently affecting a unit’s accuracy. We want this to be a realistic depiction of what you would have to do in a real-life scenario, so players have the option of commanding ranged units to shoot to the side of the enemy (Alt+Attack click on the ground) to better anticipate the physics at play.
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Q: Were Total War: Pharaoh’s storms ever stronger than they currently are?
Vasilev:Yes, at one point they were quite a bit stronger, but we had to tone them down because it was becoming almost impossible for the player to see anything on the battlefield. Even though that is quite realistic, we felt it necessary to change it so thatthe battle was more readable.
Q: Was Total War: Pharaoh’s weather forecast always a part of the gameplay or was there ever a time when you were like ‘let’s surprise the player’
Vasilev:We never intended for the player to be completely surprised by the weather. They canchoose when to deploy their troopswhen attacking, with the option to wait some time, but they can’t predict it perfectly, and they can’t tell when exactly it will change if at all.
Q: As far as the audio/visuals go, where did all of that come from? How did Creative Assembly ensure that these storms looked exactly like how they should? I’m assuming not, but was there a little bit of Creative Assembly storm chasing going on?
Vasilev:It is hard to say how exactly storms looked like over 3 millennia ago, but we assume they would be more or less the same as the present day. We use a lot of references that can be found online. Human Resources wouldn’t have been too impressed ifwe went to a sandstormto “gather data”.
Q: Were there some historically-accurate storms that you really wanted to add but were not able to for various reasons. Either you had to cut them for time or they were just not fun to play with?
Vasilev:We know that some real storms can be much harsher thanthe ones depicted in our game, but even in the ancient world there would be no actual fighting during such. The casualties would just be too great. This is also the reason why we don’t show the storms at night. Being dark is already quite the extreme condition for battles (that’s why in our game only the most cunning of generals can even start a night battle), adding a storm on top of that would make it simply impossible for any fighting to happen.
Q: Now that players have gotten their hands on Total War: Pharaoh, have you seen or learned anything new about these storms?
Vasilev:I wouldn’t say that we have learned more about the storms themselves, but we have certainly enjoyed the positive reception of the players.
Q:Has the Total War community’s response to these storms surprised you? Or is it mostly what you expected?
Vasilev:The people have been mostly positive about them and that always encourages us to continue trying our best to represent the real conditions of battles at the time.
Q: Are Total War: Pharaoh’s storms something that you liked working on and would love to further develop in future games?
Vasilev:Yes, it has been quite nice, and I am sure that weather and terrain will remain staples forthe historical Total War gamesfor years to come as they develop and improve over time. Even with the first patch we are doing we are increasing some of their effects to make the gameplay even more interesting.
Q:Is there anything else you would like to share about these storms that I haven’t asked you about?
Vasilev:One thing we’re proud of are the little attentions to detail that the teams have managed to include.Total War is normally played from a high vantage pointto better take advantage of the ebb and flow of a battle, but if you zoom in closely, you will see units with shields try to protect themselves during a sandstorm, and you will also see armor and clothing gradually get covered in dust or mud, whilst their capes flap majestically in the wind.
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Total War: Pharaoh
WHERE TO PLAY
In Total War: PHARAOH immerse yourself in ancient Egypt at the zenith of its power and experience the dramatic events that threaten its destruction. With dynamic real-time battles and incredible turn-based empire management, will you rise to become Egypt’s last great Pharaoh, or a conquering Great King of the Hittites? Or will you take command of the Sea Peoples’ bloodthirsty hordes and drive the Bronze Age Collapse?With the Bronze Age Collapse looming and the dark sails of the Sea Peoples filling the horizon the people of Egypt cry out for a new leader. Many desire the power of the throne, but the path to becoming Pharaoh is a perilous one. Unearth a breathtakingly vibrant recreation of the Bronze Age Collapse as you battle societal disarray, face natural disasters and fight to protect your people against waves of invaders.Enemy armies aren’t the only challenges to overcome on the battlefield. Lead your soldiers through sudden and dramatic shifts in weather, such as torrential rain and sandstorms, and witness the tides of battle turn as it directly impacts the surrounding terrain. Beware the threat of fire too, as battles can become engulfed in flames, striking and spreading across the battlefield as it burns forests and damages the foundations of enemy settlements.
