Creative Assembly has brought RTS games to console before, but Total War: Warhammer 40K will be a much more intense experience on gamepad. With the 40K adaptation planned to be the studio’s biggest release yet, with no numbered sequels planned for the game, it’s certainly an ambitious project for consoles.
While RTS games are more playable on console than ever, there has been some worry that the new Total War might be too ambitious for a gamepad. In a discussion with 4Gamer, Creative Assembly studio director Gareth Edmondson explained that the game’s console ports have been designed to be fully playable with a gamepad with controls inspired by their work on Halo Wars 2.
“Console support was built into the design of the Warcore Engine from the very beginning,” Edmondson said. “In other words, this isn’t a case of simply adapting a PC game so it can be played on consoles.”
Edmondson explains that it is a “major challenge” to design a proper Total War game and adapt its unique gameplay to a controller. However, they explain that the studio’s work on Halo Wars 2, which saw them design a controller-led RTS for the first time, has been evolved to fulfill all the actions a Total War player needs.
“We view controller support as essential for the future of the Total War series, and we are building our new engine with that in mind.”
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 game director Atilla Mohasci
“Back then, we spent a great deal of time refining the game through countless iterations, and the know-how we gained from that process is invaluable,” the studio director said. “It would be pointless if we failed to preserve the authentic Total War experience; ensuring that hardcore players can enjoy the game seamlessly is crucial.”
While playing on console, Total War: Warhammer 40K will have its own unique UI that is designed for console. With that said, Edmondson explained that the RTS “cannot compromise the amount of information available to the player on-screen”. Yes, the game will have a different UI on console, but every essential piece of information will be shown just like on PC.
With this in mind, players will still be able to play Total War: Warhammer 40K, and its future expansions, in its entirety. Every feature will be present and players will be able to “seamlessly draw cameras from each battlefield to the end of the universe”, just as you are able to on the game’s PC version.
Game Director Atilla Mohasci added that the controller support is so usable that the “lead battle designer” who “is a core PC gamer” has found themselves testing the game with controller. “Now he relaxes and enjoys the controller,” the game director said.
Mohasci adds that Total War: Warhammer 40K’s controller support is the start of the series’ future with console releases planned for the future as well. “We view controller support as essential for the future of the Total War series, and we are building our new engine with that in mind,” he added.
Honestly, with Age of Empires, Halo Wars, Company of Heroes, Stellaris, Iron Harvest and more, console RTS and strategy games are more popular and viable than ever. While they all require some learning to get used to, every one is completely playable, and it’s good to have more options. We don’t yet know how popular Total War: Warhammer 40K will be on consoles, but it’s quite exciting that an entirely new audience can now play the series.
