THE HISTORY CHANNEL Great Battles of the Middle Ages

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:45 pm

We're pleased to announce we're working with The History Channel again on another very cool game.

Overview
The History Channel Great Battles of the Middle Ages is a blend of role-playing and turn based strategy set during the Hundred Years War between France and England. It is being developed for PC and next generation console systems.

Features
* Next generation engine with advanced shader effects and lighting.
* Free form quest map that allows players to decide when and where to fight within a historical framework.
* More than 20 different units all accurately researched and carefully modelled in amazing detail.
* Weapons and shields are added to each unit by the player, meaning an almost infinite number of equipment combinations are possible.
* Every equipment change changes the appearance of the models. Never before has this kind of customization been possible on such a scale.
* Specialise your squads with over 100 unique skills.
* Animations and behaviour change to match the equipment you have allocated.
* Play as the English under the Black Prince or the French under Joan of Arc.
* Historical events effecting game play.
* Innovative Battle Card system that gives bonuses and penalties in battle.
* The most detailed and realistic medieval combat model ever created.
* Special ambush missions
* Story movies created from hundreds of hours of The History Channel's library combined with in game engine footage.
* Completely new control and battle system designed to work on console and PC.
* Multiplayer over LAN & Internet.

English infantry hold the flank

French knights assault the centre

Game Page http://www.slitherine.com/games/thcgbotma

Moltke71 · Post by **Moltke71** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 3:31 pm

Please make a PC version.

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:57 pm

We are - what makes you think otherwise?

Moltke71 · Post by **Moltke71** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 5:38 pm

I only saw adverts for consoles.

EarlofWarwick · Post by **EarlofWarwick** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:01 am

Just wanted to say how excited I am that some great developers are finally going to do this period justice. From the looks of the screen shots, this project is miles ahead of M2Tw in terms of historical accuracy. Just make the tactical AI good and the battles long and grinding and you'll have my vote. (Please, none of those 5-10 minute wonders that TW is so famous for. These battles should last at least half as long as the real battles did. )

b.t.w., How many units will the player be able to control?

Regards,
EoW

lancerunolfsson · Post by **lancerunolfsson** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 11:45 pm

Just make the tactical AI good and the battles long and grinding and you'll have my vote. (Please, none of those 5-10 minute wonders that TW is so famous for. These battles should last at least half as long as the real battles did. )

One of the things I like about slitherine games is that the battles are pretty short. Don't know what your doing but after about, 60 turns into Shogun TW, or MTW 1. The armies start to get so big that the battles are interminable on many occasions 'specialy if a bridge crossin is involved. I have not played much RTW and have not played MTW II. as the The TW games seem to get worse with each adition they put out.

Another thing Slither does well is modeling the fact that in anceint warfare the amount of control over an army after deployment is really very little. Legion Arena was very good maybe a little too much tacitcal control but in a non campaign game you need somthing to think about.

I'm hoping this new game is sort of like Arena with a campaign overlay. But then I hear somthing about the battles being turnbased? Say it aint so!! I hate warcraft type RTS But continuous run with a speed slider and pause is perfect for tactical games.

EarlofWarwick · Post by **EarlofWarwick** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 12:47 pm

"

One of the things I like about slitherine games is that the battles are pretty short. Don't know what your doing but after about, 60 turns into Shogun TW, or MTW 1. The armies start to get so big that the battles are interminable on many occasions 'specialy if a bridge crossin is involved. I have not played much RTW and have not played MTW II. as the The TW games seem to get worse with each adition they put out."

--

An understandable position that I shared with you--for awhile. And for a short while I found myself enraptured with TW games as well. But soon I kept feeling let down, and it occurred to me that it was the deflation I felt after I had spent hours building up large armies to match the "opfor's" large armies, only to have the opfor disintegrate in minutes. That's why games like TC Command: 2nd Manassas and Distant Guns stay on my hard drive while others do not.

Get the battles and TAC AI right before all else, I say. And that stance is reflected and confirmed by the existence of a large modding community that spends hours trying to "fix" the battles in TW --with limited success, unfortunately.

anguille · Post by **anguille** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:53 pm

Any chance for a screenshot from the Quest Map? that would be something really new...

LORD_COMNENUS · Post by **LORD_COMNENUS** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 8:06 am

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ae4G3wAqFT0
after looking at the 2 i'll take MEDIEVAL TWO!!!!!!!!!

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 9:39 am

Strange - why would someone who knows nothing about a game post that another game is better. I don't understand the mentality of some people.

anguille · Post by **anguille** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 9:55 am

That's just a troll....a TW fanboy.

Anyway, Iain, when can we expect the first screenshot of the strategy map?

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 10:13 am

We call it the quest map, not the strategy map. You travel around it like an RPG, you are not controlling production, diplomacy etc. We could release one of it in the next batch - but not sure when that is going to be at the moment

EarlofWarwick · Post by **EarlofWarwick** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:02 am

iainmcneil wrote:Strange - why would someone who knows nothing about a game post that another game is better. I don't understand the mentality of some people.

Well, the key word in the post you're responding to is "looking." That's the only criterion some people need. These people can only respond to the surface of things (that's how we Americans got George Bush, that's many of us would rather watch "news" stories about celebrities rather than deep analysis of the issues, etc.). Please resist the pressure to give into glitz and focus on the AI, since that it what truly brings a war game to life.

anguille · Post by **anguille** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:33 am

Iain,

Could you maybe elaborate on the Quest map? What does it bring in opposite to the Legion Arena Campaign...what can we do there...

Thanks

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:59 am

Sorry - more information later, when we do screenshots

vasikr · Post by **vasikr** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 5:35 pm

Looks,very realistic,not that I have weak computer,
but what are approximate specifications for the game?

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 6:04 pm

TBD at the moment

There is a little more general information in the GBotMA interview linked to from the news page.

LORD_COMNENUS · Post by **LORD_COMNENUS** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 5:17 am

COMPARE hahahaha who said the graphics of MIITW is on par with that obscure russian game......???!!!
@iain sorry if i offend some of you, look i'n not targetting your game i'm just messing with guys who say M2tw suck because of the graphic issue or was it in the wargamer.com forum who said that??? and if the ai suck then download the Darthmod..........

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:26 am

Discussion of other games needs to be kept in general discussion. Please treat this as a final warning

jobe · Post by **jobe** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:38 am

Why do people always have to bring one game down towards another, while you could enjoy both games for their own merrits. It's what will give you that diversity you know !

Also, I hope some realise that you are allowed to buy more then one game

I wish Iain and his team the very best of luck and I'll keep an eye on this game, though related towards console which I'm not fond of.

Question I have though, how are you keeping the controls of the PC version of the game intact (mouse, keyboard) while adjusting the game for console, will the PC version be dumbed down for this?