Mark O’Connell and Kieran Brigden from Creative Assembly were in town last week to preview some gameplay from Empire: Total War. After seeing the release of the new campaign mode trailer, we watched a demonstration of a naval battle between the American and French fleets, with Keiran discussing the physics, tactics, and AI of the new Total War naval combat.

We got a chance to watch the virtual ships manuver to take advantage of wind and trap their targets, watched cannon balls rip through sails hull and crew, and saw the effects of morale as panic caused crews to dive off their burning ships in the futile hope that they might survive the open sea (spoiler: in Empire, all sailors die after they abandon ship).

Land combat was also demonstrated with a North African desert battle between the French and Turkish armies, which highlighted the flexibility of the AI general. As Mark’s Turkish forces maneuvered into a U-shape and tried to lure the french in a trap, the french cavalry was able to outflank and tie up the turks best troops and routed Mark’s army.

While we will be bringing you more details about Empire: Total War  game play soon, the real battle tactics demonstration took place out on the bay, as we split up to crew two 18th century tall ships, full size reproductions of the revolutionary war privateer the Lady Washington and a trading ship the Hawaiian Chieftain, and participated in a game of mock combat to learn more about naval combat.

Sailing out onto the San Francisco bay under perfect weather, we were pressed into service to man the lines and get the ship up to speed. We watched other ships clearing the area as the coast guard circled round to make sure our upcoming battle went undisturbed. As we reached the combat zone, the Hawaiian Chieftain kept it’s distance, and the captain of the Lady Washington explained the game they were playing.

Lesson 1: Wind

Both Keiran during his game demo, and the Captain of the Lady W. while maneuvering his ship on the bay, described position relative to the wind as equivalent to the effects of elevation in land combat. The more maneuverable Chieftain stayed far upwind and held the high ground, and the Lady W. had to wait downwind for the lighter ship to make it’s move. One advantage the Lady W. had was that it was a more “weatherly” ship and could sail harder into the wind if needed. When the Chieftain made it’s attack run and the two ships skirmished, this allowed the Lady W. to take the high ground and hold it until the end of the game.

Lesson 2: Cannon

Cannons are loud. Even the small 3 pound cannons and stern mounted swivel guns were deafening up close, and the shots (blanks) echoed for leagues over the bay. We learned that ships are weakest at the bow and stern, as a cannon ball will do a lot of damage if it crosses the length of a ship, so crossing closely in front or behind another ship allows you to do the most damage.

Lesson 3: Crew

Empire: Total War will have a crew experience system, and reward players who can keep their crews intact over a long campaign. The dueling on the water was all in good fun, but we did discuss their crew training.  We got to know a bit about the crew of the Lady Washington and the incredible “Two Weeks Before The Mast” program that turned many of them into sailors.

The crew were very diverse, and the main duties, other then keeping a tight ship, are to educate and entertain the public. The ships are run by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority of Washington State, a not-for-profit historical preservation and education group.

“Two Weeks Before The Mast” is their intense volunteer training program. Although a smelly and sweaty two weeks on a tall ship is not for everyone, hundred of volunteers have gone through the program, and many stay on afterward as crew.  While volunteers have to pay for their two week expenses, this is still an incredible opportunity to learn about sailing and a good word from the program director can get you on crews sailing all over the world.

Check out the rest of our battle sail photos and keep an eye out for more news on Empire: Total War, as the game reaches it’s final stages we hope to bring you a lot more specifics about the nations, units and campaigns!