14 DAY TRIAL // The developers at The Creative Assembly have revealed that Total War: Shogun 2, the strategy title which is set to be released in early 2011, will include a revamped multiplayer mode where gamers will be able to create personal Avatar which will evolve as they fight and win battles against other humans.
Ian Roxburgh, who is the lead designer working on the multiplayer part of Total War: Shogun 2, has told Eurogamer that, “We're calling it the Avatar system. You now get to create and level-up a general unit who will stay with you for the duration of your multiplayer escapades and lead your troops into battle."
He added, “We want each multiplayer battle to mean something. You still choose an army and then fight someone but now there's a context to it.”
Players will be able to customize the way the Avatar looks, creating a general which represents their take on Medieval Japan and will then be able to choose the abilities that define his approach to warfare from a skill tree.
It's not clear whether the actual generals will appear on the battlefield and what effect death will have on them.
The skill system is complemented by an array of about 70 retainers who can bolster the abilities of the generals.
The Creative Assembly says that gamers who like the old modes will be able to enjoy them unchanged and that full cooperative play has also been included in the main campaign mode, with gamers getting the option to share an army in battle to make sure that both players have something to do at all times.
The battlefield itself is also suffering some changes, with key buildings introduced that grant bonuses to the side which occupies them.
The developers are making the chance in order to encourage players to move and occupy bits of the battlefield and eliminate the very tactical and static approach that previous games encouraged.