Real-time battle interface in Total War: Three Kingdoms
The Battle is one of the core gameplay mechanics of the Total War: Three Kingdoms.
When player orders armies attacks (or is attacked by) another army, or orderes to attack a settlement owned by another faction, player will have the option of delegate – in which case the battle outcome will be automatically calculated according to the forces involved – or player may choose to fight the battle in real-time. Battle is the real-time tactics layer of the Total War franchise.
There are many elements at play in a Three Kingdoms battle.
Delegate[]
Delegate, also known as auto-resolve in the previous titles, are battle engagement on the campaign map. The outcome will be decided by the game algorithm. Delegate saves time, but ignores many possible player inputs that could offer potential different outcomes.
When committing an army to battle on the campaign map, the pre-battle panel will offer player the choice to delegate the battle rather than controlling it directly. The game will then calculate the outcome of the battle, and any casualties incurred on each side, based on the relative strengths of the armies involved, any bonuses they gain from characters, ancillaries and so forth, and whether one side has defences (such as a walled settlement, fortifications etc). Before the player delegate, player can see how both army will perform by scrutinising the balance-of-power bar, any projected casualties, and advisors’ predictions in the pre-battle panel.
Advisor predictions will be finalized outcome if player choose to delegate.[1]
Battle types[]
When an army on the campaign map is ordered to attack a settlement or another army, a battle will ensue. These battles fall into several different categories.
Land battle[]
Land battle is a broad term describing the battles that occur when armies meet in open land, outside of cities or towns. They offer plenty of space to manoeuvre, and may encompass a host of different terrain and weather features.
Ambush[]
An ambush battle is triggered when an army on the campaign map in ambush stance attacks. When an ambush battle begins, the defender’s army begins in a tactically disadvantageous column formation. The attacker may deploy all around them to swiftly attack them and exploit their lack of readiness. The defender will succeed if they can defeat the attacking army, or retreat via the marked extraction point.
Encampment[]
If any army is attacked while in the encampment stance an encampment battle will ensue. The defender will deploy within a walled wooden encampment, with limited entry points for the attacker and arrow tower fortifications.
Siege Battle[]
- Main article: Siege (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
A Siege is a battle for a walled settlement or city. These occur when an army attacks a commandery capital. The attacker may decide to build Siege Equipment while besieging before the battle commences. Likewise, a siege battle may offer defensive fortifications for the defender to deploy, such as barricades, bastion artillery, and arrow towers in fixed positions. Before battle commences, player needs to siege the city on the campaign-game layer.
The attacker may target and destroy wall sections and defensive fortifications with their artillery.
The defender will have access to the city’s garrison troops, and any army stationed in the city when the siege battle commences.
Town and Resource battle[]
- Main article: Siege (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
A town or resource battle is fought in a town (an unwalled commandery capital) or a resource centre – a minor settlement in a county attached to a commandery which may take the from of a mine, a farm, a small town, or other resources-generating conurbation. Town and resource battles may offer defensive fortifications such as barricades for the defender to deploy, and the defender will also have access to garrison troops.
Battle mechanics[]
Morale[]
- Main article: Morale (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
Morale is the measure of a unit’s willingness to fight. Each unit has a morale rating on the battlefield, which generally differs according to a unit’s quality. Inexpensive conscript units will begin the battle with a lower maximum morale than grizzled veterans, for example, making them more likely to flee the battle when faced with the horrors of war.
Understanding how to reduce enemy morale within individual units, across retinues, and across entire armies, can transform into player's success in battle. The art of Total War lies in stacking negative morale modifiers and creating a force-multiplier for morale loss to swiftly break a unit’s spirit and force it to rout.
The icon that hovers above a unit indicates the weaponry it is armed with, how many men are left, and the unit’s morale. This icon acts as a gauge. As the unit loses troops, the gauge drops. When it begins flashing, this indicates that the unit’s morale is wavering. Shortly after this, a white flag will replace the unit’s weaponry symbol to indicate that the unit is routing, at which point it will turn tail and run from the fight.
Duels[]
- Main article: Dueling (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
When playing Total War: THREE KINGDOMS in Romance Mode, characters appears as powerful single heroes on horseback. Characters may issue challenges to fight one-on-one duels with enemy characters. The only character class that cannot engage in duels is the strategist.
When a duel begins, regular units will steer a path around the fight to let the two combatants duel honourably. Player may attempt to interrupt a duel by ordering other units to attack the duelling enemy character, but this is a deeply dishonourable last-ditch action, and confers a major morale penalty to player's entire army, and any allied armies involved in the battle.
Battle environment[]
Terrain[]
- Main article: Terrain (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
Different battlefields feature different terrain types. These can help or hinder troops inhabiting or crossing them, offering them tactical advantages or disadvantages accordingly.
Weather effect[]
- Main article: Weather (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
Certain weather effects can impair the capability of the army on the battlefield.
- Rain Retards fire effects against flammable scenery.
- Extreme heat or cold cause extra fatigue to soldiers.
- Fog severely limits line of sight.
Tactics[]
Positioning[]
If a Strategist is present in an army, he will unlock new formations for units across the entire army. Player can order units to adopt these formations and enhance aspects of their performance in battle.
Flanking[]
A core concept in battle, flanking simply refers to attacking a unit in the side or rear, where it is weakest as it cannot bring its weapons or defences to bear at the point of contact.
Flanking is also a key tactic in reducing a unit’s morale and forcing it to rout.
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