Koei Tecmo Explain Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence’s Battle System
Koei Tecmo’s Nobunaga’s Ambition series is pretty much the grandaddy of the grand strategy genre. It doesn’t mess around. But even though the series has been around since the 1980s it hasn’t stopped evolving. The latest entry in the franchise, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence, comes out 4th September 2015. Koei Tecmo sent us a nice little primer about how battles will work in SoI.
Battles play a vital role in Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence. Although it is not necessary that players would have declare war to strengthen their position, it is quite possible that enemy lords will try to attack castles, towns, and settlements to increase their area of influence and grow their wealth. Defeating enemy fiefs can also strengthen the overall standing of the player’s chosen clan, so growing a strong, well equipped and well trained, loyal army is a key component to completing the game successfully.
Players can enter the battlefield with one or multiple army regiments, call on banner-men, allies and subordinates and use the terrain strategically to the advantage of their clan!
Battles are resolved in multiple ways, with the two main ones being a remote, birds-eye view of the map where there is free control of individual armies or combinations of allied forces and a close-up view option that offers more control of individual units.
Taking the first option, allows for a Multi-faceted Battle; meaning there can be various fronts and skirmishes all over the map and control of the chosen clan and its allied forces. All battles are in real time, so this option offers a better overview of the map, as well as ally and enemy movements.
In the second event, players can strategize further using information like terrain particularities and current weather (e.g. finding out the army would go faster taking a detour around a hill rather than going over it on a straight line). Close-field battles also offer the player the possibility to take on the role of the Grand Commander. Doing so opens up the option to use officer ‘Traits’ and ‘Tactics’. Traits are passive special abilities of officers that automatically take effect when the officer is present. They can be learned when the officer levels up or through his/her retainers and can affect –among others- strategic, military, or diplomatic situation.
Tactics are actions unique to each officer that can be used to strengthen the army or weaken the enemy for a short period of time. A few of the ‘Tactics’ available are ‘Bondbreaker’ (a power that makes enemy soldiers fight each other), ‘Incite’ (which nullifies the enemies strengthening effects), ‘Against all Odds’ (limits the army’s speed but greatly increases their strength) and many more.
‘Tactics’ can be used at any time during a conflict by expending ‘Command Points’- a metric of the army’s energy levels.
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence offers a great selection of options for tactical warfare and allows the player to choose how each skirmish or conflict should be resolved. If battle is not the best strategic option, players can opt for negotiations or diplomacy to gain friendly allies and weaken the enemy forces.
