Nobunaga's Ambition: Iron Triangle

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Iron Triangle (信長の野望・革新) is the thirteenth Nobunaga's Ambition title to be released by Koei. This entry marks the series change from a flat plane, turn-based strategy game to a fully three dimensional map with real-time strategy game mechanics.

Gameplay
Having become a real-time strategy game, the traditional split of two phases of its predecessors is gone, replaced with the ability to instantly pause between Active mode, the real-time strategy aspect, and Planning mode, where most management of the clan takes place.

Battles have moved to also take place on the same fully rendered map, actively marching towards their targets. Although the officers and units are not controlled directly when in combat, each officer’s available tactics can be changed between automatic to manual control.

As with the rest of the series, the main objective in this game is to unite Japan through the management a clan’s resources of gold, food, and officers. Gold funds every action a clan engages in, from building infrastructure to raising an army, or even researching new technologies. Food is required to keep each territory’s population happy and maintain a mobile army without mass death by starvation. The third 'resource', the officers, prove even more valuable then the gold or food, as they are required for to execute almost any task.

Officers
Over a thousand unique officers appear in this iteration of Nobunaga’s Ambition, each possessing their own unique stats, abilities, and strategies. These stats range from 0-120 and can be modified in the edit officers’ section of the game to change an officer’s usefulness. Each stat controls how well an officer can complete his assigned task. The stats are as follows:


 * Leadership – controls how well an officer leads an army and how often they can employ their strategies.
 * Valor – controls how brave the officer is, keeping his army’s morale and will to fight higher then a similar officer with a low valor.
 * Intelligence – controls how likely an officer’s strategy will work and how likely they are to block an enemy’s strategy. It also controls how fast they can research a new technology for their clan.
 * Political – controls how well an officer can build new buildings, upgrade a fortress, persuade new officers (including those in rival clans) to join their clan, how fast they complete trade routes, and how well they transport military supplies.
 * Loyalty – a fifth, slightly different stat for officers, as it caps at 100 instead of 120. It controls how loyal a subordinate officer will remain in an army, dictating how much aught to be trusted to their abilities and how much of a stipend will be required to keep their service.

Abilities work hand in hand with officer stats. Each officer has a certain proficiency in eight categories, following a letter grading system with the letter D being the worst and S being the best. These categories are infantry, cavalry, archery, rifles, siege, strategy, naval, and civil. Not only do officer with higher ability rating preform better at their given tasks, but they also have the ability to research higher level technology associated to their grouping.

Alongside these stats and abilities, officers possess strategies, which can be employed in battle. Officers that have repeated victories can earn strategies or they can be received through unique items. Strategies are divided between unique tactics for only one type of soldier and generic stratagems which any army type can deploy. Each army can equip one strategy per officer leading the army, with a maximum of three strategies. These strategies can be linked together for devastating effect, encouraging clans to keep talented officers growing in their military prowess.

Building an Economy
One of the first functions officers must complete is the construction of a profitable economy that keeps the population happy and allows for the training, equipping, and upgrading of armies. Building options are myriad and controlled primarily by the number of districts each territory can posses. Districts consist of a hub building, surrounded by up to eight other supporting structures. Each hub building can only support two to three types of building categories; meaning different hubs are needed for different roles. Building focus on improving the following categories: increasing gold production, increasing food production, increasing research options, creating siege weapons, creating naval forces, and training new soldiers. These building can be built anywhere mountains and roads do not block the path, allowing for customization in how each territory should have its infrastructure laid out.

Warfare
Coupled with the infrastructure expansion, armies need to be raised and launched against apposing clans. Armies are recruited through the possession of barracks, while horse and rifles are acquired through trade buildings. Once the armies are prepared, officers must be assigned to direct their army, with up to three officers in command per fielded army. Each army consumes food as long as they are separate from castles or ports, and thus need to be well stocked to achieve their objectives of battle or siege.

Although unable to directly control armies’ combat, officer tactics can be managed, alongside what type of strategy will be used when laying siege to an enemy castle. Instead of just hammering away at the enemy’s defense, armies can be directed to surround three sides of the enemy and attack directly at their morale, which upon reaching zero will cause the city to immediately surrender. Another approach to siege comes through flooding and fire tactics that can only be used once the city is fully surrounded.

Domestic Affairs
Iron Triangle also offers other options to use when managing the clan’s resources, primarily though trade, research, and diplomacy.

Trade is a task officers can be assigned which will either trade gold for food, food for gold, or buy guns and horses. Each tasks’ time depends on how much is desired and the skill level of the officer sent.

Research is another new feature to the Nobunaga’s Ambition series, allowing a clan to gain the edge over their enemies in battle and in economic growth. The eight different categories of technology each bolter their subject in increasing amounts. Infantry, cavalry, archery, and rifles focus on upgrading types of units already available to each clan. Naval and siege both upgrade existing units and unlock unique ones only available upon completing the research. Strategy focuses on increasing the defensive capacities of castles and civil focuses on improving economy and increasing the number of soldiers gained through recruitment.

Finally, diplomacy is an aspect of the game which takes place both between clans and internally. Alliances, truces, and coalitions can all be reached by negotiation through subordinate officers. The return of captive officers and the demands for surrender or goods can also be conducted in the same way. The officer’s political skill, combined with their previous interactions with the clan in question and their Daimyo’s fame level dictate how the success rate of their negotiations.

Internal politics consist primarily of rewarding or punishing subordinate officers, moving officers to and from territories, and releasing or executing captured officers, all par for the course with the series.

Unification Mode
Challenges the player to conquer all of Japan from either one of the major time periods of the Sengoku period or a fictional scenario. The following list gives the different scenarios available.


 * Battle for Owari
 * Dragon Vs Tiger
 * Family Betrayal
 * Like a Dream
 * A Time of Heroes

These scenarios are unlocked by completing certain challenges in Unification Mode.


 * Incident in Osaka – complete Unification Mode as Regent
 * Onin Legacy – complete Unification Mode as Shogun
 * The Final Battle – complete Unification Mode with all research completed
 * To Declare War – complete the first Unification Mode scenario with Nobunaga Oda, view five events related to Nobunaga, and refuse both the Shogun and Regent titles

Local Mode
A collection of shorter campaigns, focused on capturing just a portion of Japan. Alongside choosing which seneario from the same list in Unification Mode, the player also chooses which of the major regions to capture.


 * Kyushu Region
 * Sanyo/Sanin/Shikoku Region
 * Kinki Region
 * Koshin/Hokuriku/Tokai Region
 * Kanto Region
 * Ezo/Mutsu/Dewa Region

Challenge Mode
This mode has campaigns with more focused goals to achieve victory outside of merely conquering the entire land. Each scenario has objectives that must be fulfilled to win the setting. New, harder challenges are unlocked by completing the easier ones.


 * Longing for the Sea
 * Man is a Castle
 * In Search of Fame
 * Kumano Shine
 * Knowledge is Power
 * A Refined Daimyo
 * The Path to the Capital
 * Battle for Shikoku
 * Enemy of the Land
 * A Clan Besieged

Edit Officers
Here is where officers can have their stats, abilities, tactics, age, loyalty, and portraits altered. One thousand historical officers exist and can be edited, alongside one hundred created officers can be added into the game. Alongside unique player creations, bonus officers exist which can be added to the game through the unique officers category after they are unlocked.


 * Masashige Kununoki – clear the Kinki region of Local Mode
 * Michizane Sugawara – clear the Kyushu region of Local Mode
 * Munetaka Nasu – clear the Sanyo/Sanin/Shikoku region of Local Mode
 * Takauji Ashikaga – clear the Kanto region of Local Mode
 * Tamuramaro Sakanoue – clear the Ezo/Mutsu/Dewa region of Local Mode
 * Yoshinaka Kiso – clear the Koshin/Hokuriku/Tokai region of Local Mode
 * Chiyo Yamanouchi – complete a four star scenario in Challenge Mode
 * Goemon Ishikawa – complete a four star scenario in Challenge Mode
 * Bokuden Tsukahara – complete a four star scenario in Challenge Mode
 * Sukezaemon Ruson – complete a four star scenario in Challenge Mode