Here is an exclusive interview Total War’s Lead Designer James Russell regarding the recently announced Shogun 2: Total War.
就最近宣佈的 幕府將軍2：全軍破敵 這款遊戲，我們特別採訪了全軍首席設計師詹姆斯羅素
It has been a decade since Shogun launched the Total War series. What were the reasons for returning to where it all began for Shogun 2: Total War?
全軍系列已經有十年了，那是什麼原因讓它回歸原點呢？
In many ways, Empire: TW represented the expansion of Total War to its greatest extent in terms of global, geopolitical scale – and that fitted the reach of the great powers of that era. What we are excited about with Shogun 2 is to taking things back to a more contained, pre-modern environment where we can really focus on characters & immersion – and in a fresh setting, away from the map of Europe. Rather than having to portray many different cultures across the world, we can delve deeply into portraying one culture in beautiful detail. The game will still be epic in scale – but in terms of story and depth rather than by encompassing much of the world in geographic scope.
事實上在許多方面，帝國：全軍破敵已經將其範圍擴大到全球，並且可以扮演擁有當時最強大的國家及勢力。當然我們現在也非常高興的談論關於幕府將軍2的回歸，一個現代及古代交接，聚焦於人物個性特點的，和有更多內涵的時代。在一個遠離歐洲的世界當中，我們無須描繪世界各地的許多不同的文化，而是可以用細膩美麗的筆鋒，深入描繪出日本特有文化。遊戲依然是具有史詩的規模，但這是指從故事及文化深度入手，而不是單從地理上的涵蓋世界。
Feudal Japan is an incredibly evocative setting with so much great content for the game: bushido (the Way of the Warrior), mighty warlords leading vast samurai armies into battle; huge castles and epic sieges in unique landscapes like nothing you’ve seen in Europe.
封建時代的日本是能展現全軍破敵系列非常好的一個題材，武士道，強大的各勢力大名領導武士投入上京之路的戰爭，巨大的城堡，大型的圍城戰，都將展現一個別於歐洲戰場的體驗。
Chronologically, where does Shogun 2: Total War fit in the timeline of the original game?
按時間排的話，究竟幕府將軍2 時代背景時間是什麼時候呢？
As in Shogun: TW, the setting we have is during Japan’s Sengoku Jidai: the warring states period in the 16th century, before the Tokugawa Shogunate asserted its complete control and ended the anarchy.
幕府將軍：全軍破敵，設定在日本戰國時代，交戰時代在16世紀，在德川幕府宣稱統治日本前。
We have chosen this setting now for the same reasons we chose it a decade ago: it was a time of epic struggle between the feudal lords of rival clans across Japan. With the breakdown of central authority, there was constant warfare and any one of many clans could have ended up winning. It’s the perfect setting for a Total War game where the player can choose one of many factions all competing for the final victory in what was the most turbulent period of Japanese history.
我們現在的設定與幕府將軍1 時代相同，但提前了10年，這是個有無數的敵對勢力，軍閥混鬥，且波瀾壯闊鬥爭的時代，隨著前一個幕府的分崩離析，不斷的戰爭，使得任何人都有獲勝的可能，你已經可以選擇諸多勢力之一，以期在日本最為動盪的時代獲得最最高無上的統治權。
It was the time when a uniquely Japanese samurai culture was forged. It was also a time of great change: for example, first contact with Europeans saw the introduction of Christianity and later the first large-scale use of firearms in Japanese armies. This opens up lots of interesting gameplay choices for the player that are unique to this specific period.
時代鑄就獨特的武士文化，也醞釀的偉大的變革，比如首次與歐洲基督教的接觸，與之後大規模運用火槍。這都將開闢許多新的遊戲樂趣。
How has the Total War series progressed since the original game and what will this bring to the sequel?
全軍破敵的續作與前代遊戲有甚麼樣的進步？
Clearly, PC technology has come on so far in the last ten years, and we can do things that were simply impossible before: the game engines for both campaign and battle have been completely revolutionised (and re-written) several times over since the original game which had sprites in battle and a 2D campaign map. Now we can portray huge samurai armies in all their glory with a new and improved battle graphics engine that looks utterly stunning. On the campaign side, we will depict the unique geography of Japan with the most beautiful map we have ever produced. We are constantly looking at ways to improve the game, and each new project gives us the opportunity to push into new territory.
顯然，經過了10年，電腦技術飛速的發展，我們能做之前不可能做的事情，戰役和戰鬥的遊戲引擎已經革命性的進化了好多次，原版中的軍隊在2D的戰役地圖上移動，如今我們可以在全新的遊戲引擎上描繪出新的而且非常驚豔的武士。在戰役上，我們不斷的在製作，將描繪出最為美麗的地圖，我們正尋求各種方法，提高遊戲性，當然每個新的項目使得我們有機會進入新領域。
The Total War team consulted with Professor Stephen Turnbull during the production of Shogun: Total War. Will you also be working with any experts in the field for Shogun 2?
史蒂芬特恩布爾教授與全軍破敵開發團隊在幕府將軍：全軍破敵有過合作，是否還有其他專家參與幕府將軍2的工作呢?
Well we’re actually working with Stephen again this time round, and he’s been involved from very early in the project. He’s been to see us in the studio (his journey down, carrying authentic pieces of samurai armour raised a few eyebrows on the train!); we are talking to him regularly about planned features and game content – he’s been a fantastic help for us: not only making sure we stay on the right path, but also giving us a lot of inspiration (watching all the Kurosawa movies helps a lot too!).
的確我們已經再一次的和史蒂芬特恩布爾教授合作，他很早就參與此專案，他也參觀過我們的工作室。（他弄來了幾件真正的日本盔甲讓我們大開眼界）我們將定期的和他商討一些遊戲內容及遊戲設定，他的幫助是巨大的，不光是確保我們在正確的路上行進，而且也給我們許多啟示（看黑澤明的電影）
As a studio, we have much lower staff turnover than many in the industry, and there are still a fair few people working on Total War who have been here from the very beginning, not least Mike Simpson.
作為工作室，我們的人員流動性非常小，相對於其他公司，還有一些從一開始一直堅持到現在的員工，尤其是麥克辛普森
Empire: Total War introduced naval warfare to the series. Is there a chance that the feature will return to make an impact on feudal Japan?
帝國：全軍破敵引入了海戰這一概念，那麼在封建日本海戰又將如何表現呢？
Of course – Japan is an island nation, and the sea is never far away. One thing to emphasise is that the way naval battles were fought in Japan during this period is very different from the bigger-is-better artillery-fests of the 18th century European contests we represented in Empire. Japanese ships of the era were full of samurai swordsmen and archers, so we’re focusing a lot on boarding systems and stone-scissors-paper interplay between different ship types. Another big addition is the inclusion of land masses at sea: this provides new terrain-based tactical play as well as helping orient the player. We think we can make naval battles in Shogun feel very fresh & new – and be more fun to play than ever before.
當然，日本是一個島國，海洋是生活的一部分，一件事情需要強調的是帝國：全軍破敵，我們表現18世紀的歐洲是大炮巨艦，那個時代的日本船，船上充滿著武士，劍客，弓箭手，所以我們著重在於相克的船隻的製作方面。另外一個重要的改進就是增加了沿岸陸地（諸如島嶼之類的玩意兒吧）以求增加更多的策略幫助玩家。我認為我們製作的海戰將是的幕府將軍2更加有新意且更有遊戲性。
What other areas of the game might see major changes with Shogun 2?
When we begin development, as a team we immerse ourselves in the period and the setting that we are trying to bring to life in the game. We develop features that reflect the battles and the military & economic dilemmas of the time (as well as making for great gameplay).
On the campaign map this means we fold in the importance of honour, treachery, clan & family, and many other aspects of being a warlord in feudal Japan. Of course, we need a completely new set of agents and agent abilities too.
還有什麼變化能夠讓我們看到幕府將軍2的其他主要變化？
當我們開始發展，作為一個勢力當我們融和與時代，考慮如何戰鬥，考慮軍力和經濟的平衡。（造就一個偉大的局面）
在戰役地圖上，那就意味著榮譽，背叛，宗教，家庭，還有許多其他方面，當然我們需要一個新的設置來管理這些。
On the battle side, special, historically accurate, hero characters can help turn the tide of battle. We’re also giving siege mechanics a complete overhaul: Japanese castles are very different from European castles, and we’re working hard to make the layouts look convincingly Japanese as well as playing well.
We’re also planning some very exciting things for the multiplayer part of the game, so watch this space!
在戰鬥方面，特殊具有歷史影響的英雄能幫助我們力挽狂瀾，我們做的在圍城戰也在積極的努力當中，我們極力的讓日本城堡有別於歐洲的城堡的佈局及設定，以期望能夠達到更好的遊戲效果。我們也計畫更加激動人心的連線對戰部分。
What do you want to achieve overall with Shogun 2: Total War?
你想如何實現整體的幕府將軍2：全軍破敵？
We really want to make Shogun 2 a thing of beauty, and the most immersive Total War game ever. We are focusing on pushing gameplay depth and polish rather than raw ‘size’ or scope: doing more with less.
我們真的想讓幕府將軍2做的完美，更加細緻的一款全軍破敵系列作。
我們注重於遊戲性及遊戲深度上。
本帖來自：黃龍騎士團論壇 原文：http://www.clanlong.com/forum/thread-138056-1-1.html
就最近宣佈的 幕府將軍2：全軍破敵 這款遊戲，我們特別採訪了全軍首席設計師詹姆斯羅素
It has been a decade since Shogun launched the Total War series. What were the reasons for returning to where it all began for Shogun 2: Total War?
全軍系列已經有十年了，那是什麼原因讓它回歸原點呢？
In many ways, Empire: TW represented the expansion of Total War to its greatest extent in terms of global, geopolitical scale – and that fitted the reach of the great powers of that era. What we are excited about with Shogun 2 is to taking things back to a more contained, pre-modern environment where we can really focus on characters & immersion – and in a fresh setting, away from the map of Europe. Rather than having to portray many different cultures across the world, we can delve deeply into portraying one culture in beautiful detail. The game will still be epic in scale – but in terms of story and depth rather than by encompassing much of the world in geographic scope.
事實上在許多方面，帝國：全軍破敵已經將其範圍擴大到全球，並且可以扮演擁有當時最強大的國家及勢力。當然我們現在也非常高興的談論關於幕府將軍2的回歸，一個現代及古代交接，聚焦於人物個性特點的，和有更多內涵的時代。在一個遠離歐洲的世界當中，我們無須描繪世界各地的許多不同的文化，而是可以用細膩美麗的筆鋒，深入描繪出日本特有文化。遊戲依然是具有史詩的規模，但這是指從故事及文化深度入手，而不是單從地理上的涵蓋世界。
Feudal Japan is an incredibly evocative setting with so much great content for the game: bushido (the Way of the Warrior), mighty warlords leading vast samurai armies into battle; huge castles and epic sieges in unique landscapes like nothing you’ve seen in Europe.
封建時代的日本是能展現全軍破敵系列非常好的一個題材，武士道，強大的各勢力大名領導武士投入上京之路的戰爭，巨大的城堡，大型的圍城戰，都將展現一個別於歐洲戰場的體驗。
Chronologically, where does Shogun 2: Total War fit in the timeline of the original game?
按時間排的話，究竟幕府將軍2 時代背景時間是什麼時候呢？
As in Shogun: TW, the setting we have is during Japan’s Sengoku Jidai: the warring states period in the 16th century, before the Tokugawa Shogunate asserted its complete control and ended the anarchy.
幕府將軍：全軍破敵，設定在日本戰國時代，交戰時代在16世紀，在德川幕府宣稱統治日本前。
We have chosen this setting now for the same reasons we chose it a decade ago: it was a time of epic struggle between the feudal lords of rival clans across Japan. With the breakdown of central authority, there was constant warfare and any one of many clans could have ended up winning. It’s the perfect setting for a Total War game where the player can choose one of many factions all competing for the final victory in what was the most turbulent period of Japanese history.
我們現在的設定與幕府將軍1 時代相同，但提前了10年，這是個有無數的敵對勢力，軍閥混鬥，且波瀾壯闊鬥爭的時代，隨著前一個幕府的分崩離析，不斷的戰爭，使得任何人都有獲勝的可能，你已經可以選擇諸多勢力之一，以期在日本最為動盪的時代獲得最最高無上的統治權。
It was the time when a uniquely Japanese samurai culture was forged. It was also a time of great change: for example, first contact with Europeans saw the introduction of Christianity and later the first large-scale use of firearms in Japanese armies. This opens up lots of interesting gameplay choices for the player that are unique to this specific period.
時代鑄就獨特的武士文化，也醞釀的偉大的變革，比如首次與歐洲基督教的接觸，與之後大規模運用火槍。這都將開闢許多新的遊戲樂趣。
How has the Total War series progressed since the original game and what will this bring to the sequel?
全軍破敵的續作與前代遊戲有甚麼樣的進步？
Clearly, PC technology has come on so far in the last ten years, and we can do things that were simply impossible before: the game engines for both campaign and battle have been completely revolutionised (and re-written) several times over since the original game which had sprites in battle and a 2D campaign map. Now we can portray huge samurai armies in all their glory with a new and improved battle graphics engine that looks utterly stunning. On the campaign side, we will depict the unique geography of Japan with the most beautiful map we have ever produced. We are constantly looking at ways to improve the game, and each new project gives us the opportunity to push into new territory.
顯然，經過了10年，電腦技術飛速的發展，我們能做之前不可能做的事情，戰役和戰鬥的遊戲引擎已經革命性的進化了好多次，原版中的軍隊在2D的戰役地圖上移動，如今我們可以在全新的遊戲引擎上描繪出新的而且非常驚豔的武士。在戰役上，我們不斷的在製作，將描繪出最為美麗的地圖，我們正尋求各種方法，提高遊戲性，當然每個新的項目使得我們有機會進入新領域。
The Total War team consulted with Professor Stephen Turnbull during the production of Shogun: Total War. Will you also be working with any experts in the field for Shogun 2?
史蒂芬特恩布爾教授與全軍破敵開發團隊在幕府將軍：全軍破敵有過合作，是否還有其他專家參與幕府將軍2的工作呢?
Well we’re actually working with Stephen again this time round, and he’s been involved from very early in the project. He’s been to see us in the studio (his journey down, carrying authentic pieces of samurai armour raised a few eyebrows on the train!); we are talking to him regularly about planned features and game content – he’s been a fantastic help for us: not only making sure we stay on the right path, but also giving us a lot of inspiration (watching all the Kurosawa movies helps a lot too!).
的確我們已經再一次的和史蒂芬特恩布爾教授合作，他很早就參與此專案，他也參觀過我們的工作室。（他弄來了幾件真正的日本盔甲讓我們大開眼界）我們將定期的和他商討一些遊戲內容及遊戲設定，他的幫助是巨大的，不光是確保我們在正確的路上行進，而且也給我們許多啟示（看黑澤明的電影）
As a studio, we have much lower staff turnover than many in the industry, and there are still a fair few people working on Total War who have been here from the very beginning, not least Mike Simpson.
作為工作室，我們的人員流動性非常小，相對於其他公司，還有一些從一開始一直堅持到現在的員工，尤其是麥克辛普森
Empire: Total War introduced naval warfare to the series. Is there a chance that the feature will return to make an impact on feudal Japan?
帝國：全軍破敵引入了海戰這一概念，那麼在封建日本海戰又將如何表現呢？
Of course – Japan is an island nation, and the sea is never far away. One thing to emphasise is that the way naval battles were fought in Japan during this period is very different from the bigger-is-better artillery-fests of the 18th century European contests we represented in Empire. Japanese ships of the era were full of samurai swordsmen and archers, so we’re focusing a lot on boarding systems and stone-scissors-paper interplay between different ship types. Another big addition is the inclusion of land masses at sea: this provides new terrain-based tactical play as well as helping orient the player. We think we can make naval battles in Shogun feel very fresh & new – and be more fun to play than ever before.
當然，日本是一個島國，海洋是生活的一部分，一件事情需要強調的是帝國：全軍破敵，我們表現18世紀的歐洲是大炮巨艦，那個時代的日本船，船上充滿著武士，劍客，弓箭手，所以我們著重在於相克的船隻的製作方面。另外一個重要的改進就是增加了沿岸陸地（諸如島嶼之類的玩意兒吧）以求增加更多的策略幫助玩家。我認為我們製作的海戰將是的幕府將軍2更加有新意且更有遊戲性。
What other areas of the game might see major changes with Shogun 2?
When we begin development, as a team we immerse ourselves in the period and the setting that we are trying to bring to life in the game. We develop features that reflect the battles and the military & economic dilemmas of the time (as well as making for great gameplay).
On the campaign map this means we fold in the importance of honour, treachery, clan & family, and many other aspects of being a warlord in feudal Japan. Of course, we need a completely new set of agents and agent abilities too.
還有什麼變化能夠讓我們看到幕府將軍2的其他主要變化？
當我們開始發展，作為一個勢力當我們融和與時代，考慮如何戰鬥，考慮軍力和經濟的平衡。（造就一個偉大的局面）
在戰役地圖上，那就意味著榮譽，背叛，宗教，家庭，還有許多其他方面，當然我們需要一個新的設置來管理這些。
On the battle side, special, historically accurate, hero characters can help turn the tide of battle. We’re also giving siege mechanics a complete overhaul: Japanese castles are very different from European castles, and we’re working hard to make the layouts look convincingly Japanese as well as playing well.
We’re also planning some very exciting things for the multiplayer part of the game, so watch this space!
在戰鬥方面，特殊具有歷史影響的英雄能幫助我們力挽狂瀾，我們做的在圍城戰也在積極的努力當中，我們極力的讓日本城堡有別於歐洲的城堡的佈局及設定，以期望能夠達到更好的遊戲效果。我們也計畫更加激動人心的連線對戰部分。
What do you want to achieve overall with Shogun 2: Total War?
你想如何實現整體的幕府將軍2：全軍破敵？
We really want to make Shogun 2 a thing of beauty, and the most immersive Total War game ever. We are focusing on pushing gameplay depth and polish rather than raw ‘size’ or scope: doing more with less.
我們真的想讓幕府將軍2做的完美，更加細緻的一款全軍破敵系列作。
我們注重於遊戲性及遊戲深度上。
本帖來自：黃龍騎士團論壇 原文：http://www.clanlong.com/forum/thread-138056-1-1.html
