A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI - manual

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAIManual

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Navigating this manual

Welcome to the A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI web manual.

You can use the Contents menu on the left to skip directly to the section you're looking for. Alternatively, click the Enter button to access the manual, and use the Next and Previous buttons to navigate page by page.

Can't find what you're looking for? There's even more information in the FAQs and ReadMe: you can view them using the buttons at the top of the screen.

Warnings & Ratings

Important Health Warning About Playing Video Games

Photosensitive Seizures

A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these “photosensitive epileptic seizures” while watching video games.

These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects.

Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms—children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures. The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by taking the following precautions: Sit farther from the screen; use a smaller screen; play in a well-lit room; and do not play when you are drowsy or fatigued. If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing.

Precautions to take during use

  • Sit a good distance away from the monitor.
  • Avoid playing if you are tired or have not had much sleep.
  • Make sure that the room in which you are playing is well lit.
  • Rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes per hour while playing a video game.
ESRB: Teen PEGI: 16

1

Installation

As part of the Steam download process, the game has already been installed on your computer. To start playing the game, read the Getting Started section.

Getting Started

  1. Double-click on the Steam application icon. By default this is located in the Applications folder on your computer's hard drive.

  2. If you are not already signed in, the Steam Login dialog will appear. Enter your account name and password, then select Login.

  3. The Steam application will launch. Select the Library tab.

  4. In the library, highlight Total War: SHOGUN 2 in the list of games on the left-hand side of the window, then select Play.

  5. The A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI pre-game Options window will appear. Click on the Play button. The game will launch.

  6. After the loading screens, the Main Menu will appear. Place the mouse cursor over the Single Player icon until a new menu appears.

  7. Place the mouse cursor over the New Campaign icon until a new menu appears.

  8. Select Fall of the Samurai.

  9. The Fall of the Samurai Campaign screen will appear. On this screen, you can adjust your campaign settings and choose your clan. When you are happy with your settings, select Start Game.

  10. After the opening video, you will find yourself in a divided Japan, teetering on the brink of civil war…

2

Introduction

The sun rises on a brave new Japan.

It is 1864 and Japan is steaming into the modern age; to shape its future, you must take command. On the battlefield show your mastery of real-time tactics, while away from it, utilize turn-based campaign strategy to direct urgent political reform and oversee rapid industrialization.

Take advantage of the change you create; pit Gatling guns against hand-forged steel katanas and launch torpedoes against wooden-hulled ships in spectacular clashes of medieval weaponry and mechanized warfare. Drive modernization further and faster by investing in civil development and new technologies that will open a world of opportunity to your nation.

3

Controls

The default keyboard configuration is detailed below; these controls can be customized by selecting Options → Controls from the Main Menu. Please note that the instructions in this manual refer to the default controls; if you have customized your controls, the instructions will no longer apply.

As part of many commands, A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI requires you to right-click. If you are using a Magic Mouse or a Trackpad, your secondary click may not be activated by default: see Can I play A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI using my Magic Mouse or Trackpad? in the FAQs for detailed instructions on how to enable secondary click.

If you have a short keyboard, you will need to use modifier keys for certain commands. For instructions on how to do this, see My short keyboard does not have certain keys. How can I use the game commands that are mapped to them? in the FAQs.

Universal

Toggle sound effects Alt (⌥) + X
Toggle music Alt (⌥) + M
Select all Control (ctrl) + A
Select next .
Select previous ,
Cancel order Backspace (←)
Encyclopedia Control (ctrl) + F11


Campaign Map

Show diplomatic relations K
Show clan management panel L
Show technology / mastery of the arts M
Show finance panel N
End turn Return (↩) / Numpad Enter (⌤)
Toggle character movement speed Space
Disband selection Control (ctrl) + P
Quick save Control (ctrl) + S
Quick load Control (ctrl) + L
Auto merge units Control (ctrl) + M
Zoom to home Home (↖)
Repair buildings / ships R
Default camera rotation End (↘)
4

Battles

Game / UI Controls
Cycle battle speed Control (ctrl) + T
Change radar map size J
Show deployment images Space
Toggle radar visibility O
Toggle battle UI K
Toggle first person mode H
Toggle pause P
Group Formations
Double Line Alt (⌥) + 1
Grand Battery Alt (⌥) + 2
Cavalry Heavy Right Alt (⌥) + 3
Cavalry Heavy Left Alt (⌥) + 4
Melee Frontline Alt (⌥) + 5
Artillery Cross Fire Alt (⌥) + 6
Naval Group Formations
Line Astern Alt (⌥) + 1
Line Abreast Alt (⌥) + 2
Unit / Group Controls
Withdraw Control (ctrl) + F5
Group / ungroup units G
Lock / unlock group formation Control (ctrl) + G
Toggle melee mode F
Toggle fire at will Shift (⇧) + 2
Toggle run R
Special ability slot 1-7 Shift (⇧) + 1-7
Increase rank [
Increase file ]
Step unit / group backwards /
Step unit / group forwards '
Rotate unit / group left L
Rotate unit / group right ;
Zoom to unit End (↘)
Create group 1-10 Control (ctrl) + 1-0
Select group 1-10 1-0
Additional Naval Unit Controls
Decrease sail [
Increase sail ]
Sail forward '
Repair ship R
Toggle boarding B
Fire broadside forward Alt (⌥) + W
Fire broadside left Alt (⌥) + A
Fire broadside right Alt (⌥) + D
Selection Controls
Select all siege weapon units Control (ctrl) + B
Select all melee units Control (ctrl) + I
Select all cavalry units Control (ctrl) + C
Select all missile units Control (ctrl) + M
Deselect all Return (↩)
Zoom to and select general Home (↖)
5

Camera Controls

Move forward fast Numpad 8
Rotate up V or Numpad +
Rotate down C or Numpad -
Camera up X or Numpad *
Camera down Z or Numpad /
Toggle move fast §
Speed up camera Page up (⇞)
Slow down camera Page down (⇟)
Rotate left Q or Numpad 4
Rotate right E or Numpad 6
Strafe left A or Numpad 1
Strafe right D or Numpad 3
Move forward W or Numpad 5
Move back S or Numpad 2
Increase camera rotation speed Shift (⇧) + Page up (⇞)
Decrease camera rotation speed Shift (⇧) + Page down (⇟)
Zoom to unit End (↘)
Intelligent zoom N
Toggle tracking Delete (⌦)
Context camera \

Multiplayer

Toggle chat entry Y
Toggle player list U
Chat with everyone Shift (⇧) + G
Chat with team Shift (⇧) + T
Standard ping F5
Move ping F6
Attack ping F7
Defend ping F8
Voice chat Control (ctrl) + Q

6

New Players - Start Here

If you’ve never played a Total War game before, the best place to start is with the game tutorial movies. The tutorials will introduce you to the three main sections of the game: the campaign, land battles and naval battles.

To view the tutorials, place your mouse over the Single Player icon in the Main Menu, then select Tutorials from the menu that appears.

The game provides two additional forms of help beyond the tutorials: an advisor system and an encyclopaedia.

Advisors

Your in-game advisors will provide help with controls and game concepts as you play. They'll jump in to offer helpful comments at timely moments.

Encyclopaedia

The encyclopaedia is a comprehensive source of information that covers almost all aspects of the game. You can access it by clicking the Total War Encyclopaedia button in the top-left corner of the screen during a game, or by pressing Control (ctrl) + F11.

You will also find a Total War Encyclopaedia button on most information panels in the game: clicking one of these buttons will take you directly to the encyclopaedia entry most relevant to the panel you were viewing.

When viewing an encyclopaedia page, use the hyperlinks (indicated by text highlighted in white) to access other pages in the encyclopaedia.

Experienced Players - Start Here

If you have played a Total War game before, then you're probably ready to leap right into the fray! However, before you draw your katana and make short, bloody work of your enemies, you might want to read the What's New? section of this manual. It explains important differences between A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI and earlier titles in the series.

You should also be careful when choosing your first clan. Not all clans and their starting positions are equal. A clan that starts in a corner of the map or on an island is easier to play than one in the center of Japan, if only because there will be fewer nearby enemies to face early in the game.

7

How to Win

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI is the story of the war between the Shogun, the military leader of Japan, and the Emperor, the nominal hereditary ruler. Each clan eventually lent their support to one or the other.

As your clan prospers, its fame will increase. Fame is a measure of a clan's power, notoriety, honor and political clout. When your clan's fame reaches a certain level, you must decide whether to stand with either the Emperor or the Shogun, or whether to become independent, thereby declaring war against the rest of Japan. Whatever your choice, the aim is to unite Japan under one rule.

Historically, the Boshin War ended in victory for the Emperor and his supporters, and the centuries-old shogunate was cast aside.

That's history. It's up to you to decide whether history should repeat itself…

What’s New?

If you’ve played a Total War game before, welcome back!

You probably know all there is to know about the Total War series, but a few things have changed in A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI.

Total War: SHOGUN 2 was set during a time when swords, bows and horsemen dominated the battlefield. Warfare in A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI is a somewhat different proposition: modern guns and artillery have little respect for courage and honor. Order traditional Spear Levies to charge at some well-placed Gatling guns and you'll soon have a vivid demonstration of exactly what “little respect” means!

For this reason, you might want to spend a few minutes reading the sections that follow, which explain the differences between this and previous Total War games.

8

Campaigns

Naval Bombardment

Naval bombardment allows fleets on the campaign map to attack land targets in two ways.

Firstly, a fleet can be ordered to attack nearby enemy armies, ports and settlements; this happens automatically if a target is within range, but you can order the fleet to bombard a specific target if you wish. This is useful for “softening up” a settlement before an attack. Fleets can’t bombard anything if they are docked at a port or blockading an enemy port.

Secondly, a fleet can provide naval fire support during a land battle.

Port Battles & Coastal Defences

The increasing size and accuracy of artillery during the nineteenth century was remarkable: new guns and fortifications gave admirals pause.

Gun batteries near ports prevent any fleets from landing troops in a province. To put troops ashore, coastal defences must first be eliminated by attacking the port. Alternatively, you can use an agent to sabotage the port and its defences.

During any port battle, coastal defences will fire in support of the defending fleet.

As ports develop, their coastal defences also improve. Military ports, as you might expect, have the best defences.

At the end of each turn, any enemy fleet within range of coastal defences (as shown on the campaign map) will suffer attrition.

9

Railways

Railways served to knit together the disparate regions of large countries during the nineteenth century, changing the way that people thought about time and distance.

You can speed up the movement of troops across your provinces by building railways. However, they can only be built in provinces with the “railway” speciality, which allows you to build the necessary telegraph offices and railway stations.

Once provinces have railway stations, you can use the railway to move troops quickly between them. Select an army or agent, right-click on a station, and select a destination to move there instantly.

If you have military access to another clan's territory, you will also be able to use their railway network.

Rail travel can be hindered by agents sabotaging railway stations or armies destroying them.

Modernization & Clan Development

The Boshin War was a time of change and upheaval in all spheres of Japanese life. Both the Shogun and the Emperor knew that Japan would have to embrace foreign, modern ways if it was to survive and prosper, but neither side relished the prospect of abandoning Japan’s traditions.

You can track your clan's development using the Clan Development panel. To open the panel, click the Clan Development button in the lower-right corner of the screen. Your clan's level of development is shown on the left-hand side of the panel. Improving your infrastructure and civil buildings will increase your level of development.

This will also increase your level of modernization, which is necessary to recruit certain units. This can cause unrest among traditionalists and possibly even provoke a rebellion by traditional samurai warriors.

It is possible to develop along traditional lines by avoiding modern research and buildings, and constructing and upgrading traditional buildings, such as inns. Without modern technology, you will have an “old fashioned” army, but this can still be surprisingly effective and will not cause discontent due to modernization.

Your choice of whether to modernize your clan or remain traditional is completely separate from your clan’s allegiance to the Shogun or the Emperor. See Allegiance for more information.

10

Clan Fame

Your clan's fame is a measure of your progress during a campaign as viewed, depending on your allegiance, by the Emperor or the Shogun. It is determined by how many provinces you control, your battles lost and won, the personal honor of your clan’s lord, and some of the buildings you have built or control.

Fame is double-edged sword: while it indicates that your clan is prospering, your fame will eventually increase to the point that the Emperor or Shogun will begin to see you as a potential threat to their rule. You will then be forced to choose whether to officially declare your support or renounce your allegiance and become an independent republic, attempting to unite Japan under your own rule. At that point, you effectively declare war on all the clans with an opposing allegiance. You may also find that your people do not entirely agree with your choice…

Allegiance

The population of each province has an allegiance to the Shogun or the Emperor. To view a province's allegiance, double-click on the settlement in a province to open its information panel.

A province's allegiance can be influenced by “Shinsengumi” or “Ishin Shishi” agents. These agents don’t have to do anything in a province: their presence alone is enough to persuade or intimidate the local civilians into support for the imperial court (in the case of the Ishin Shishi) or the shogunate (in the case of the Shinsengumi). Keep an eye out for agents lurking in your lands, particularly if you don’t want your population’s allegiance to be unduly swayed. You can, of course, use them in your own home territory to maintain the loyalty of your people.

Your clan has its own allegiance, which may differ from the allegiances of your individual provinces. Each clan starts the game with an allegiance to the Emperor or Shogun, but this can be changed once during your daimyo's lifetime. You can change your allegiance in the Clan Management panel, under the Family & Council tab, by clicking the Convert Allegiance button.

Government Posts

As a clan’s fame increases, special commissions are unlocked. Each of these represents a government post or function that can be given to a general, such as “chief of staff” or “comptroller”.

You can assign commissions in the Clan Management panel, under the Family & Council tab. Select a general to see the available commissions.

Once assigned to a general, commissions provide a number of helpful effects. For example, the comptroller improves the clan's accounting, decreasing upkeep costs, increasing tax revenue and improving the clan’s economic growth.

Agents

There are three new agents in A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI: the “Ishin Shishi”, the “Shinsengumi” and the “Foreign Veteran”.

The Ishin Shishi is only available to clans who support the Emperor; one of his powers is persuading the people to support the Emperor’s cause. The Shinsengumi is only available to clans who support the Shogun; his powers include converting people to the Shogun's cause.

The Foreign Veteran is a military advisor. He is able to reduce recruitment costs in provinces you control, damage enemy armies and challenge other agents to a duel.

Agents have different uses and abilities from those in Total War: SHOGUN 2. Old favorites, like the Geisha, have slightly altered abilities and skills. All agents and generals can gain new retainers appropriate to the nineteenth-century setting of the game.

11

Land Battles

Multiple Armies in Battle

You can now control up to 40 units in a battle, and multiple armies can join forces in the same battle.

Your first army (the one that initiates a battle or is attacked by an enemy initiating a battle) is deployed normally; the second enters the fight as reinforcements, and you can give orders to the component units once they enter the battle.

A second row of unit cards will appear at the bottom of the screen when there are more than 20 units in battle.

If you already have 40 units in a battle, any additional units that could enter as reinforcements will have to wait for a unit already in battle to be destroyed or leave the battlefield.

Naval Fire Support

Naval fire support from nearby fleets can be called in by generals as a special ability during a battle. To use naval fire support, there must be a friendly fleet nearby that includes ships with suitable guns. If naval fire support is available, a control panel will appear on the right-hand side of the screen during the battle.

Naval support is a great way of devastating the countryside and an enemy army, but there are a couple of things that you need to bear in mind. Firstly, once naval fire support starts, it can’t be stopped. If the enemy moves out of the fire zone, your ships will continue to pummel the landscape. Secondly, naval fire in the late nineteenth century wasn’t particularly accurate: don't be surprised if you end up taking damage from your own guns!

First-person Gunnery

You can take direct command of any artillery unit or ship and fire its guns from a first-person perspective. To do so, select a unit, then press the H key to enter first-person mode. In first-person mode, move the mouse to aim, and left-click to fire.

Grouping Units

Grouping has changed slightly. Land units and ships will not behave as a group until you select and lock their formation. To do so, select a number of units, press the G key to form them into a group, then select a formation by clicking one of the formation buttons that appear.

A group of units will then march or maneuver while maintaining their formation. With a group selected, you can change formations using the on-screen buttons.

Battle Realism

The battle realism setting is now independent from the campaign difficulty setting.

To turn battle realism mode on, tick the Battle Realism Mode checkbox before starting a campaign or battle.

Towers: Concentrated Fire

Towers would previously fire at all targets around them, but they can now be ordered to focus all their efforts against a specific target. To do so, select a tower and right-click on the enemy unit you want it to attack.

12

Naval Battles

Steam-powered Vessels & Ironclads

Many of the modern ships in A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI do not rely on the wind to move, instead using steam power for propulsion.

Not all steam ships are ironclads, but all ironclads are steam-powered. Ironclads of this period were wooden ships with iron armor-plating, hence iron “clad”, but entirely iron vessels were being constructed by European navies. Be aware that ironclads are extremely tough opponents, and will shrug off most attacks from traditional vessels.

Explosive Shells

Many large-caliber guns on bigger ships and ironclads can fire explosive and armor-piercing shells as well as solid shot. These can be most effective against certain targets.

Coastal Defences

If a port is attacked while a fleet is moored there, a siege battle will take place. If there are any coastal defences built in the province, these will aid the defending fleet.

Coastal defences will automatically select their own targets during a fight. However, you can issue specific orders if you prefer by selecting coastal defences and right-clicking the enemy ship to attack. It is also possible to enter first-person mode to fire coastal defences directly.

Ramming & Torpedoes

As the ironclad’s armor proved to be an effective defence from gunfire, ship designers began to add rams to the front of a ship’s hull, an ancient but largely abandoned practice, to provide another form of attack in naval encounters.

Ramming can be devastating when used effectively, but requires careful preparation. To ram, select an ironclad and click the Ramming button. Once you’ve given the order to ram, you’ll be unable to change the ship’s heading, so make sure you put it on the right course beforehand.

Torpedoes are a new form of ranged attack available to certain ships. They are extremely effective when they strike true, usually sinking the target, but they require care to use successfully. Torpedoes during this period are not “homing” weapons: it’s possible for a target to swerve away from a spread of torpedoes. It’s also possible to hit your own ships when firing torpedoes, so be careful where you aim!

13

Multiplayer Games

Multiplayer Tutorials

There are new multiplayer tutorials for you to watch. If you haven’t played a Total War multiplayer game before, we strongly recommend that you watch the tutorials before you start playing. Victory is a lot easier to achieve when you know all the weapons you have at your disposal!

New Avatars & Conquest Map

The avatar is now appropriate to the Boshin War period, complete with new skills and new units to command.

There is also a new conquest map that reflects the game's nineteenth-century setting.

Mix Boshin & Sengoku Land Units

You can mix and match Boshin War-era land units and units from the original Total War: SHOGUN 2 game in battles. However, you can’t fight battles between Boshin-era and Sengoku-era ships. It would be utterly unfair for rowing boats to go up against ironclads!

14

Technical Support

Every effort has been made to make A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI compatible with current hardware. However, if you are experiencing problems when running A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI, please read on.

The latest version of the FAQs can be found by selecting the FAQs button in the Support tab of the A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI pre-game Options window (this is the window that opens when you launch the game), or by going straight to the Feral website: http://support.feralinteractive.com

Contacting Feral

If the FAQs and/or updates do not solve your problem, then please feel free to contact us. The following information must be obtained before contacting Feral Technical Support:

  • The error message displayed when the problem occurred (if any).
  • A Total War SHOGUN 2 Report.txt file. This contains:
    • An Apple System Report of your Mac
    • Any crash logs that exist for A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI
    • A list of the game's contents


All the information required can be obtained by opening A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI and clicking on the Support tab in the A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI pre-game Options window. In the Support tab, click on the Generate Report button. Once the report is generated it will appear as a file in the game's Preferences folder; click on the Open Preferences Folder button to open the Preferences folder. Now click on the Create Email button. Remember to attach the Total War SHOGUN 2 Report.txt file to your email.

In your email, please include a brief description of the problem you have experienced with A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI.

email: support@feralinteractive.com

15

Warranty

Please check the warranty information provided by Steam.

Credits

Originally developed by:
The Creative Assembly
Originally published by:
SEGA
Macintosh development by:
Feral Interactive
Macintosh publishing by:
Feral Interactive
16

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