Sega and developer Creative Assembly excited strategy fans worldwide last month when they announced that the companies are working on Medieval 2: Total War. The fourth Total War game will revisit the setting of the popular second game in the series, Medieval: Total War. Of course, this new Medieval will offer a huge technological leap over its predecessor, with gorgeous 3D graphics as well as new and enhanced gameplay. And Medieval 2 will remain faithful to the Total War blend of turn-based and real-time gameplay. The Total War games feature an overarching turn-based campaign where you raise and move armies around a map, as well as develop settlements and castles, make treaties with neighbors, and more. Then, when two hostile armies clash, you lead your forces in a real-time battle, maneuvering units around the battlefield as you attempt to crush the enemy.

The first Medieval: Total War had 2D units. Four years later, Medieval 2 is all in glorious 3D.

Medieval 2 is being produced by Creative Assembly's Australia Studio. Eager to learn more, we caught up with Bob Smith, the project director of Medieval 2. In our interview, Bob reveals some tantalizing details as to how Medieval 2 will differ from its predecessors. The game is slated for release this winter.

GameSpot: The big question on everyone's minds is: Why go back and revisit Medieval: Total War so soon? It's obviously a very popular game, but there was a lot of speculation that Creative Assembly might extend the series into the Napoleonic era or some other time period in history that we haven't seen covered before. Why go back to medieval Europe rather than explore a new time period?

Bob Smith: There were several factors behind our decision to revisit Medieval. First and foremost, the medieval period is just so great for a Total War game; it is in many ways the perfect setting. It has a wide range of unit types, technological progress, constant warfare, treachery, intrigue, and the clash of civilizations. Plus, of course, the setting proved very popular with Total War fans.

The other big factor concerned our technology. In the four years since the launch of the original Medieval, our technology has improved hugely, and on the battle side, we can now really capture the color and pageantry of the medieval period and do it justice.

GS: What were some of the lessons that the team learned from Rome: Total War, and how did they go about shaping Medieval 2? Also, there must be no shortage of ideas being submitted by fans, so what did they want to see in the sequel?

BS: I think that the most important thing that we're continually learning about, and striving to improve, is the organization needed to produce huge games like the Total War series. This covers the way we write code, the pipeline for getting assets into the game, the way we document designs, write art specs, organize audio recordings, and tackle localization. Having good systems in place from the beginning saves a lot of stress at the end of the project, and having less mistakes to fix should give us more time for polishing to raise the overall quality.

In terms of generating ideas, it's nearly eight years now since work on Shogun: Total War began, so we have an enormous backlog of ideas for things to put into the game, far more than we could ever cram into one game. Also, with nearly 100 developers between the two studios, most of whom are avid gamers, we live in a bit of a creative furnace and are continually coming up with new ideas. Of course, we're continually scanning the Internet forums for fans' ideas, and they do get incorporated.

Medieval 2 uses an advanced version of Rome: Total War's graphics engine, with at least double the polygons and texture resolution.

GS: There seems to be a split between fans over the kind of strategic map that they prefer. Some liked the Risk-style, board game map of Medieval, while others preferred the "living, breathing" world map of Rome. What can you tell us about the strategic mode in Medieval 2? Will it be more like Medieval, or will it improve on that of Rome?

BS: Medieval 2 will use an enhanced version of the 3D map as first seen in Rome, and there are some significant changes to the map itself and the turn-based campaign game.

Firstly, the map will be populated with new types of agents, which include merchants, princesses, and priests. These will give the player new opportunities to engage with rival factions off the battlefield by aiding with trade, diplomacy, and spreading the influence of your religion, respectively.

The map will also be bigger than the Rome map and include the opportunity for the player to discover the Americas. Initially, these lands will be hidden from the players, and the squares of the Atlantic Ocean will be impassible. Late in the game, however, players will be able to develop the technology that allows them to cross the ocean, discover America, and attempt to capture its riches. However, before a faction can begin to claim the rich resources that lie in wait, they'll have to do battle with the Aztecs who, not surprisingly, will not take kindly to would-be invaders. If a faction can claim the New World, then it will have access to resources that will aid them considerably with their expansion in the old world. So the race to discover and claim these prized lands will introduce some added spice to the campaign.

The campaign game will also play very differently when it comes to expanding your empire through settlements. In Medieval 2, players will have the option to develop each of their settlements as either a castle or city. They both have particular benefits, with castles placing greater emphasis on military expansion, while cities will have a much greater benefit to your faction's economy. This will call for a good deal more strategic thought when it comes to expanding your empire across the map--the number and location of your cities and castles will be vital. Build too many cities, and you may have to rely on mercenaries to bolster your forces. Opt for too many castles, and you may not have the funds in the coffers to maintain your war effort. It becomes a fine balance.

GS: We understand that the historical period covered in Medieval 2 is larger than that of Medieval. What year does the game begin, when does it end, and what's the significance of those start dates? Also, Medieval featured yearly turns, while Rome featured six-month turns to allow for winter and summer seasons. What's the case in Medieval 2, and why did you choose this system?

Units look great up close, and there's now variation between soldiers, so they no longer look like clones.

BS: The grand campaign will span four and a half centuries of history, from the year 1080 to 1530. These years are significant because it was a particularly turbulent period and because of the milestones that took place. It begins with the golden age of chivalry and the crusades, spans the Mongol invasion and the invention of gunpowder, and finally ends with gun-toting professional armies, the renaissance, and the discovery of America.

The campaign will feature summer and winter turns as in Rome, but we're trying to get away from the idea that a turn represents a specific amount of time, since it's impossible to reconcile the scale you need for army maneuvers with the scale you need to cover a decent slice of history. The history of the period will unfold in around 225 turns.