Ten Minutes Of Waaagh: Total War - Warhammer In-Game Footage
In-Game Battle Footage
Here it is then - the first footage of an actual war in Total War: Warhammer [official site]. It looks more or less how I'd imagine Total War with fantasy units would look and that is a good thing. The developer commentary does a good job explaining how certain aspects will work. Flying units, giant units and spells in particular. Speaking of spells, the Foot of Gork stomps down onto the battlefield in the video. I remember the cardboard template for it being my favourite Warhammer Fantasy accessory.
Word of warning: there's a horrid giant spider.
I understand that this is the kind of footage that lets Creative Assembly show off the world and units, and it's lovely to see, but I'm hoping to learn more about the strategic map in the near future. Yes, I am aware that I just watched a video that showed infantrymen being devoured during a battle and that I am asking to look at a map and some stats, but I can't help myself. I crave cartography and I know I'll spend more time in piddly little fights and city management screens than I will looking at this sort of confrontation.
And this is a specific confrontation - the Battle of Black Fire Pass. It's "a Quest Battle available specifically to Karl Franz, it represents one of many bespoke, optional encounters players will unlock as they progress through a campaign with their chosen Legendary Lord." As a helpful reader pointed out to me when I posted the cinematic version of the battle, the Quest Battles are like the historical battles of previous Total Wars with the significant advantage of being integrated in campaigns rather than relegated to standalone scenarios.
There's plenty to see in the video though, thanks to the presence of high-level end-game units and magic. I suspect early battles will be slightly more grounded. I didn't see anything that made me quite as happy as Gork's Big Stamp. Smashing.