INCLUSION OF CHAOS UNDIVIDED IN TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER 3?! An interview with the devs

Under the invitation of SEGA, NmiaGaming had gotten the chance to interview Mr. Ian Roxburgh (Game Director) and Andrew Hall (Principal Writer) from the development team of Total War: Warhammer 3. They've shared with us their experience and difficulties faced while developing the game, and we could definitely feel the enthusiasm and energy from both of them and their love for the Total War and Warhammer series. Below is the summary of questions asked during the interview:

Mr. Ian Roxburgh (Game Director) & Mr. Andrew Hall (Principal Writer)

1. What sparked the inspiration for the Chaos undivided faction, and what does this mean for both total war the Warhammer series?

：The success of warhammer1 & 2 meant more can be done in Warhammer 3,with more faction and a bigger map, we also wanted to introduce new things in total war. The decision to include the Daemon prince was to create a RPG feel, which is a first in Total War. The fact that you can customise the lord, and due to the lore accuracy (as stated in the Warhammer lore, the daemon prince can be anything/comes in any form) is meant to bring new vibes in Total War.

2. Will there be any DLC planned? as WH3 is the last in the trilogy.

：Definitely yes, there will be DLC, as well as FREELC which is similar to what we did back in Warhammer 2, so yes, there will be new stuff and free stuff, and plenty of them coming. The game as it is now and what we’ve revealed now is only a fraction of what we have in plans for the game, so the players can anticipate so much more content to be released in the future.

3. What are the biggest changes, improvements and implementations of feedbacks from the previous games in this current game in your opinion?

：In our opinion, the biggest change was the rework of siege battles. Warhammer 1 & 2 fans always wanted bigger and deeper maps. There is changes to the element of minor settlements as compared to the previous game, the playability and weight of minor settlements had become bigger and enables much more customization of your troops(attaining different variations of troops from the minor settlements). Diplomacy was definitely something we wanted to do more, and we’ve accumulated actual experience while developing Three Kingdom and Troy, and it became a bigger and more fleshed out feature in Warhammer 3. You can now build outposts within the zones of allied factions gained through diplomacy, and it is something that wasn’t here before. Other significant changes include Multiplayer improvements, where the multiplayer gameplay is finally played out in a simultaneous turn fashion, as compared to the previous gameplay where you will have to wait for the previous player to finish their turn before moving, Unit gifting system for alliance gameplay in multiplayer as well as multiplayer specific scenarios. The multiplayer campaigns are now designed to be a per session thing to be played out throughout an evening or two, and the player size is now upscaled from 2 to 8, which is definitely a big challenge, and also an example of what we could achieve with more given time in development as well as the success from previous games. We personally think that the 8 player multiplayer campaign became something of a social event rather than the previously 1v1 duel, and we’re excited to see how the community will react to it.

4. Biggest difficulty faced when developing the game?

: We didn’t want player to feel like they’re having a standard total war gameplay, we’ve tried designing different aspects for various factions to provide an alternating experience that stays true to the lore.The rifts system was definitely something challenging to make. Overall, the biggest challenge was covid and lockdown,as we’re working in a big team and creating a big game, yet all of a sudden we’re stunted to everyone working from home, and we had to change the systems that we’ve been using to get people connected, communication was definitely something that we’ve taken for granted as we’re used to working in an office. We’re really proud of SEGA and Creative Assembly for providing support to the whole team despite all the situations, where they’ve taken care of the health and wellbeing of employees.

5. Most enjoyable part in the development process in your opinion. ：One thing that we’ve really enjoyed ourselves doing was the part where we start to finetune the game from the player point of view and experience, as well as crafting, as a fan of Warhammer. The phase where we’re shooting ideas on faction mechanics,and linking the creative stuff that stays true to the lore, and playtesting the multiplayer with a full team is definitely a blast.

6. Is there anything that you want to say to the SEA(south east asian) fans and players? : We hope you enjoy playing, it was such great fun making the game, so much fun working with the workshop,as well as the creation of cathay. The game as a whole is fun, and we hope more and more people get to see and enjoy what Total War is. Hope it is something that resonates with the SEA fans. There are definitely more secrets left within the game to be discovered by the fans, albeit all the info and trailers that we’ve been revealing so far, and we hope you enjoy seeking out for them!