Like the ancient empire it's based on, Rome: Total War wasn't built in a day. The upcoming third game in Creative Assembly's popular strategy series has been four years in development, even while the company was turning out Medieval: Total War. It's a game that the folks at Creative Assembly have wanted to make, and they've pulled out all the stops to make it play better than its predecessors. Creative Assembly and Activision let us check out the game shortly before E3 to give us a peek at what they intend to show.

　　In Rome: Total War, you'll play as one of three powerful Roman factions from approximately 300 BC to 50 BC. That era covers the expansion of the empire, and includes the famed Punic Wars as well as the many conflicts against the barbarian tribes to the north of Italy. As in the earlier games, there are basically two phases to the game: A turn-based campaign mode that allows you to manage the empire, construct roads and buildings, and raise armies, as well as a real-time battle mode that lets you maneuver thousands of men on the battlefield in an attempt to crush the enemy.

　　For most of the game, you'll focus on expanding the empire and waging wars against more than 15 different factions, including the Egyptians, the Carthaginians, the Gauls, the Germans, and the remnants of the Greek empire. As a loyal servant of the empire, you'll initially take your orders from the Senate, and undertake missions such as conquering territories and building temples for the glory of Rome. As you become more successful and powerful, though, the Senate and rival factions will begin to act against you. Eventually, you'll reach a point where the empire will erupt in civil war, and you'll have to return to Rome with your armies to stake your claim to the emperorship.

　　The biggest feature in Rome: Total War is the new 3D graphics engine that brings both the campaign map and the battles to life. The engine is capable of rendering battles with thousands of infantry, cavalry, and siege units, each of which is depicted in impressive detail. The 3D graphics aren't just for looks, either; Creative Assembly has included a physics engine that results with cavalry charges that have much more effect than in previous games. In Medieval, all the units would melt together into one gigantic scrum; but in Rome, cavalry can actually slice through infantry units, and you can see individual soldiers battling for their lives. Once again, it's up to you to use basic tactics, such as flanking maneuvers to defeat your enemies. You'll also need to be aware of the rock-paper-scissors relationship between different units; cavalry are deadly to infantry and archers, while pikeman can defeat cavalry. Meanwhile, pikeman are vulnerable to archers. To make things easier, you'll have the option of splitting your forces into groups and assigning artificial intelligence captains to them while you sit back and watch as they fight the battle for you.

　　The new 3D engine also means that there's much more of a relationship between the battlefield and the campaign map; the world is dynamic, so if you build a road or construct a certain building, it will appear on the battlefield. The campaign map will also let you position armies so that you can block a strategically critical mountain pass, or station an army in a forest so that it can ambush any other passing armies. Instead of yearly turns, like in Medieval, each turn in Rome will represent six months, so there will be a seasonal difference between winter and summer. In winter, mountains will have much more snow on them, and mountain passes will be impassable. Bad weather will also affect your mobility and performance in battle, so you'll want to conduct most of your campaigning in the warmer summer months.

　　Keeping the game accessible to new gamers is a big goal for Creative Assembly. Lead designer Mike De Plater said that their goal is to make it so you can play the game without having to refer to the manual. To accomplish this, the designers have integrated advisors into all portions of the game. These advisors will give you everything from strategic advice to tutorials on how to do things in the game. The designers also streamlined the strategic gameplay; one of the big complaints from Medieval was that there were too many pieces cluttering the campaign map. In Rome, the designers cut down on the number of nonarmy units to just spies, assassins, and diplomats.

　　In addition to the campaign game--which you can play as any of the three Roman factions or any of the other eight unlockable factions--the game will also ship with a number of historical single-player missions. These will include the Teutenberg Forest, a pivotal battle in which legions of Roman soldiers were butchered by the German barbarians. There will also be a level editor included to allow you to create your own maps. Rome: Total War will be Creative Assembly's most mod-friendly game.

　　The game's multiplayer mode will support up to eight players in battle, and players can team together. We had the chance to play multiplayer battles, and the battles turned into ebb-and-flow struggles as each side tried to find and exploit a weak spot in each other's formations. A harrowing moment came when the Carthaginians threw their war elephants into the fray, and those lumbering behemoths cut a swath throughout the formations. Fortunately, elephants are a danger to both sides, especially if they get out of control. We were able to stabilize the situation and rout the enemy. It's especially gratifying to watch as your cavalry runs down fleeing infantry and cuts them down like dogs.

　　Unfortunately, players will not be able to play the campaign in multiplayer, which has been a request since the first Total War game. Mike Simpson, Creative Assembly's technical director, told us they calculated that it could take up to two years to resolve a multiplayer campaign game, and few players would have the interest in participating in such a game. Apart from that, the game is shaping up quite well, and Creative Assembly plans to have it done by the end of the year.