See Japan's castles the easy way

Poker face. Not me!

Article posted on Friday, July, 22nd, 2011 at 11:13 pm


Me & the kids had some time to kill this afternoon, so we thought we’d go to our nearest, large shops for some window shopping. Usually, it’s the kids who want to buy everything in sight, but today it was me lacking the self-restraint.

My first reaction was a big grin and, "KEEEWL!". My second reaction was, "What the… heck?!?"

Well, I did manage to fight the urge and hold-off on making the purchase. Um… that shape is just too weird. Shuffling, getting them back in order, it might be just a pain. But, they are just so cool!

The threat of me outlaying some ¥ still lingers; I see they have a couple left at Amazon Japan.

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A Creatively Assembled Castle

Article posted on Sunday, December, 19th, 2010 at 12:08 pm


Today I wanted to talk in-depth about the castle seen in spectacular 3D glory in the latest Shogun2: Total War video. The first thing I’d like to say is that I completely accept changes had to be made from a typical castle’s design for the sake of game-play. These departures from a real Japanese castle may be a deal-breaker for many of you but I suggest you build a bridge (like the very out-of-place one in the video) and get over it.

The scene

So, pictured below is the bad-boy. It is impressive, there are no two ways about that! Beyond the initial Wow, what struck me is the out-of-placeness of the castle. It looks to be a flatland castle (平城) transplanted atop a flat-ish topped mountain.

I heard a murmur in the forums about the lack of moats. Water-filled moats at this altitude? I don’t think so. Ditches (water-less moats) on the other hand, I think we should expect. The fact that this is a flatland castle does muddle things up somewhat, which is to say, both moats or ditches would look odd in this setting.

As to the when of the castle, the game’s makers state it’s set in the Sengoku period (1467–1573). Well, looking at the picture above I’d say we are at the very end of that period if at all. Of all the castles built in the Senkoku period, castles with central towers were in the minority. Even when there was a central tower (Tenshu – 天守), two-stories high was common. Getting in to the (admittedly) overlapping Azuchi-Momoyama preiod (1568–1603) taller and taller castles became the norm.

A closer look

- Tenshu As I’ve already hinted at, a little too advanced for a Sengoku-period main tower. The design of the Tenshu looks to be based on that of Matsumoto castle (completed in 1597).
- Turrets Nothing to odd here except for the lone two-story turret in the centre-right enclosure. Real-life examples of such turrets did exist but were exceedingly rare. Just as it is depicted elsewhere in the above picture, turrets were located along the walls, generally at corners.
- Gates The Creative Assembly got real creative here. Such free-flowing, ramped entrances never existed. What we would normally find are 90° turns & more walls. No doubt this has been changed to improve the game-play.
- Walls Sure, the real-life examples are climbable, until you arrive at the plaster-coated wall that is. There is just no way to magic yourself over them. Also, no matter where along the wall, an archer would have his sights set on you, and I don’t mean in an amorous way. Walls? – game-play is the winner here.
- Enclosures The large enclosures really do look out of place on a mountain castle (山城). Most real-life examples are elongated due to them being at the mercy of their topography – i.e. on a slope. A step carved into the mountain would create very irregularly shaped enclosures. Carving out football-field-sized open areas just wasn’t on the cards. *edit* The emptiness of these enclosures is also striking. Storehouses, stables, the lord's residence, soldiers quarters, etc… A great deal has been omitted. (thx for pointing that out ElephantGuts)
- Bridge Stands out like a sore thumb. Cool but whimsical. Perhaps we’d see such a bridge in an Edo-period (1603–1868) Daimyo’s garden.

To conclude

So there you have it, more comparative than critical. There’s just no other way for me to look at it. It is just a game, and a game I intend to buy.

Would love to hear your thoughts though. Anyone?

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Shogun 2:Total War – Battle Report 2

Article posted on Saturday, December, 18th, 2010 at 7:34 am


I don't have enough time to write anything significant here. I literally have to run off to work right now. Well, perhaps there's nothing I really need to say other than, press play & enjoy!

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