While this produces a clear cut division between friend and foe that wasn't present in Shogun 2 it also means we have to pick our battles much more carefully. While it is possible to claim all the required territory ourselves, the reality of this action is that it ramps up the difficulty 100% and causes economic problems as we quickly loose trading partners and allies.ДЇall of the Samurai draws a line in the sand, it's Emperor or Shogun, us against them. This is typical of the shift in game play away from all-out war to a more diplomatic and precise tackle war. We still have to hold a number of provinces and a couple of named areas but we also have to have number of provinces held by our faction, e.g. Fall of the Samurai changes things slightly but significantly. Victory is achieved in a similar way to Shogun 2, where we had to claim a certain number of provinces, depending on difficulty level, and Kyoto to becoming the new Shogun.

The conquest map has been refreshed to reflect the 19th century setting in the same way as the campaign map has and we are treated to a new Fall of the Samurai avatar which includes over 40 new retainers, over 30 new armour pieces and a new 19th century avatar skill tree. If a land battle is close to the shore then armies can call in offshore artillery support barrages and the navy can also bombard the campaign map damaging armies and cities in adjacent coastal areas on the campaign map itself.ДЄs well as all the campaign expansion, multiplayer has also had a bit of a spruce up. These advanced naval forces also have a new function they are able to interact with land units that are close to the shore. Foreign ships can also be purchased, including the Warrior-class ironclad. The new ships are steam-powered, metal clad and armed with modern artillery. Ten new naval unit types with a total of 21 ships accompany our land forces.

The foreign power that we ally ourselves with also has an effect on unit choice as new units can be recruited from the foreign powers, including the British Royal Marines, US Marine Corps and French Marines.

The land based and naval guns have a new third-person mode which allows us to zoom down to the perspective of a gunner and manually fire the gun battery with a click of the left mouse button. We have a choice of 39 new land units to put on the railway or move in the conventional manner including the devastating long range artillery and the carnage inducing Gatling gun.

Total war shogun 2 trade ships