Fall of the Samurai vs Regular Shogun 2

This is a group of strategies for taking on some of the FOTS armies. This was devised by Pariya. Don't think that 300 years of innovation should stop you from owning people in Fall of the Samurai if you haven't purchased the Expansion!

AzureCuzYeah vs [LONG]Azrael. Rush tactics.

Total War on TV: Krasnikof v. KaptenFloede 11AM EST/ 16:00 GMT

MAKE SURE TO ENABLE FULL SCREEN OR GOTO JUSTIN.TV/AZURETOTALWAR

Watch live video from AzureTotalWar.com on www.justin.tv

Clan system... How does it work?

I have had a lot of people come and ask me how the clan system works. Here is my explanation:



Azure Total War is always looking for members. Feel free to stop by our Steam Group to get updates on videos and/or join us!

All Matchlock Army. Guns Guns Guns in Shogun 2. The Achievement is possible!

Hey guys, I am back!. I have some great upcoming videos for you. Interviews with top tiered players and competitive replays. UNTIL THEN,... we have me with an all Gun army buying time. It is surprising the amount of damage 100% Matchlock units can do. Enjoy the ridiculousness and hold on a little longer for some great content.

2v2 7SAM vs Azure & TCNB, Naganata Samurai > 10 Units of Ranged

www.twitter.com/azurecuzyeah

Rank 3 2v2 team. Fighting against enemies with advantageous positition

A Call for Replays

Hey guys if you want a replay reviewed by azuretotalwar.com then now is your chance. I am looking for replays to review and commentate. I will select several to commentate so you have a good chance that I will review your submission. For those who are unaware your replays are located in:

C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\The Creative Assembly\Shogun2\replays

Please send all replays to AzureTotalWar@gmail.com

Thank you and I look forward to showing off your victories!

Keep in mind the folder "AppData" is a hidden folder and you will need to make it public in order to access your replays. You can learn how to access hidden folders by going here

Live games or replay commentary? 2v2 AzureCuzYeah Tom Cruises Ninja Baby vs Raptor&DivHunter

I have tried to put out some replays of live games recently instead of the straightforward commentary. I do not seem to be getting much feedback from the live games. I want your opinion. Should I do strictly replays or live games? Maybe mix it up a bit with both? What do you guys want to see?

AzureCuzYeah vs Sabre My Balanced army vs MASS RANGE & Cav + Facebook and Twitter

Hey guys I just got my Facebook group running so all updates to http://azuretotalwar.com will be more known and linked to here and hopefully contests and other stuff in the future. If you guys would LIKE me on the right---> I would really appreciate it.

Also I have a Twitter that will also display all updates to Azure Total War. Feel free to follow @AzureCuzYeah



Battle vs Mass Ranged Units. It was pretty scary for a moment...

LIVE 2v2 Trash Talk Shogun 2 AzureCuzYeah & TomCruisesNinjaBaby vs SupremeJustice & DeathShadow

I was called out by SupremeJustice to post this video win or lose. Here you go pal. I accept your challenge. Also some talk and confusion about the live chat before the game starts.



We now have a Facebook page that I will use to let everyone know of updates on azuretotalwar.com. I also let people know on twitter. So please feel free to follow me to show your support ;).

Hype vs AzureCuzYeah replay. importance of Ashigaru units. Bonus replay provided by MH_B

]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: I am here with Hype fresh after his victory against me. Hype is rank 2 in the Shogun ladder and rank 7 in the 1v1 ladder with 60 wins and only 6 losses. You aren't a one trick pony from what I saw what are your other accolades in Shogun 2?
Hype: Well currently I'm 7th in the 2v2 Land and 1st in the 2v2 Naval.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: That is pretty diverse. Which do you like better: the land or the sea?
Hype: I most definitely prefer land battles
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: You essentially are top 10 in two different games. It must be pretty hard to keep up with both fronts. How do you stay on top of them both?
Hype: I mainly just play Naval battles to control the entire sea in the Clan Competition. Land battles are what I play for fun
Hype: It's been a bit difficult playing 2v2's which is unfortunate
Hype: CA really needs to work on the game and fix many of the multiplayer matchmaking bugs
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Which have you been victim of?
Hype: Well what I mean is
Hype: 60% of the time when I'm trying to find a game with my 2's partner. The game will either crash. Or bug to the point of us having to Ctr Alt Del
Hype: It normally takes us on average 10-20 minutes to find a game.
Hype: Another reason it takes so long is because people leave when they see our ranks. Factor in the amount of times people pull the plug because of anger. It's really difficult to actually get a real game going in 2v2
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: I can see this hindering your ability to stay on top of the ladder
Hype: It's not easy. That's for sure.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: What % of people pull the plug would you say?
Hype: It'll happen roughly at least once a hour
Hype: It's a issue CA really needs to address in this game.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: So thats probably 1 plug pull in every 4-6 games or so. That is a lot of missed wins.
Hype: Unfortunately
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Have you ever purposely disconnected yourself?
Hype: No sir. That's one thing I'll never do.
Hype: I feel like if I was one of those people that did that then I'd deserve it happening to me.
Hype: I just wish that CA would give the person who disconnected a loss. Sure it may affect a innocent bystander every once in a while.
Hype: But overall it would prevent people from doing the bug at all
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: This is a good point.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: I am going to ask you something I usually save until the end.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: What is your favorite unit (I have a feeling it will has Ashigaru in its name)
Hype: Sure
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: have**
Hype: Haha, I do indeed love the Loan Swords
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: What makes Lone Sword Ashigaru so great in your mind?
Hype: The cost. Mainly
Hype: They're so cheap for what you get
Hype: For example
Hype: My level 9 Avatar Loan Sword
Hype: Has 6 Morale 24 Melee attack 9 Melee defence 15 charge bonus and 3 armor.
Hype: It only costs a mere 700
Hype: Compare that to a basic Katana Samurai and there just isn't any comparison
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Yeah, that is completely ridiculous in terms of value
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Do you ever see yourself mixing it up with other "exotic" units.
Hype: It really depends on the money alloted to me at the begining
Hype: Normally in Small / Medium battles I keep it simple
Hype: In large battles I always bring a few more Naginata Warrior Monks
Hype: Really any warrior monk be it a bow or a matchlock are great
Hype: Also the Katan Hero is always in my army if it's a large battle
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: How do you use your heros? I have seen many people keep them back to protect their general. Is it just to risky to send him charging?
Hype: It's a complete waste if you just use a hero for defense. you need to save them for when everyone is in a mosh pit.
Hype: After the initial charges and attacks have been set send your Hero in there to commence killing
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: You sound like a professional killer Hype
Hype: Haha, I don't know about that. Just been playing the Total War games for a long time. I've come to understand when you should do things.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: haha understood
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Alright Hype I want to thank you for letting me ask you some questions. Any parting words for the Azure Total War community?
Hype: Just for CA to fix this game. I think the gameplay is great. They just need to fix the multiplayer issues. Once that is done they'll have a keeper
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Alright. Thanks again.
Hype: Sure thing, thanks for letting me be a part of this.

A bonus replay was provided by the members of MH_B of them playing 7SAM. It is pretty hilarious and kind of raw. Enjoy.



I also have a special shout out for [N]KRAKEN who wasted 17 minutes of my life because I killed his Admiral. THANKS BRO



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New AzureTotalWar.com and accessing replays in Shogun

I want to thank you guys for all the support. Because of the huge interest in Azure Total War, I decided to get azuretotalwar.com to provide a better overall experience. In any case thanks again for giving Azure Total War a great start.

Many of you have had difficulty accessing replays in Shogun 2. One of the two methods for saving replays is bugged. For those of you that have been saving your replays at the Unit stats screen, your replays are broken. In order to save your replays properly you need to save them soon as you get the Victory or Defeat screen. You need to save them right away before pressing end game or else they are invalid.

To access your replays they are located here:

C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\The Creative Assembly\Shogun2\replays

Keep in mind the folder "AppData" is a hidden folder and you will need to make it public in order to access your replays. You can learn how to access hidden folders by going here

Interview with Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby and siege dominance in Shogun 1v1 league

]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: I am here with Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby rank 6 on the 1v1 Land Battle Ladder holding a 53 win/ 9 loss record. How are you doing TCNB (No way I can spell that out every time)
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Well, thank you, and don't worry, I did choose a pretty long name. :D
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: TCNB are you an active member of the Total War Community?
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I am trying to be, though I have only been active since Shogun 2 came out. Previously, I wasn't impressed with the other Total War mulitplayer experiences.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: What about Shogun has changed and made it interesting to you?
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: The multiplayer experience or the indivdual campaign mode against the computer?
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: the multiplayer aspect
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I would have to say the rank structure is very improved, as well as the limits to battle funds to help new players find their ground without being overwhelmed with large battles. There are many other awesome aspects, such as the ability to effectively couteract cavalry without having to use cavalry units. The siege weaponry is another sweet feature I use to the full extent.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: There are many more too, lol, how long did you want your blog to be?
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Many people see the use of siege weapons to be dishonorable. What would you say to them?
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I'd say it is something that is available to all players, though I do see how someone could have that opinion. The siege feature is not an end all, be all. I have fought against other players who use siege weaponry and the strategy aspect changes dramatically from the usual line up and duke it out strategy.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Can you explain your use of siege weaponry in 1v1 battles?
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Sure. Due to the buildings with their bonus features when someone 'captures' them, the siege unit is an effective tool to strip them of that bonus. On the flip side, it is also beneficial to me in the sense that some people do not desire to come within range of my siege weapons. If this is the case, I can obtain the buildings with all their bonuses without losing a single soldier.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Also, the siege units ability to destroy a general long before he has a chance to influence the battle is another key apect as to why I use it.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Have you encountered any affective counters to your strategy?
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Yes, those who use the landscape to avoid my siege units ammo are able to reduce the effectiveness of my strategy Understand, please, that when using a siege weapon, the utilizer loses other units with the money they have spent taking it into battle. If there are no buildings to give bonuses present, someone who waits outside the range of my siege unit also force me to abandon its benefits. Some have successfully rushed my siege unit in the heat of a battle and taken it out that way.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: You currently hold a 85.5% win ratio. This is a controversial number when compared to the many people out there experiencing plug pullers (Disconnecting their internet connection to avoid a loss). What do you have to say to that and what do you think of those people that do plug pull.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I think it defeats the purpose of the game, and is a detriment to those who play well and win the battle. I would suggest to Creative Assembly that they post another column listing the amount of DC's a person has during battles. Also, after 3 minutes of battle time, if a player disconnects for whatever reason, it should not end the battle, only leave their army leaderless, allowing the opposing player to claim what is, usually, rightfully theirs, a win.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I have not disconnected on anyone except a clan mate when we were testing out different battle strategies. This was consensual and only done because the Classic Battle feature does not allow full use of armies or veteran units.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Therefore, we decided to dc so as not to affect our score since we were not playing competitively.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Apart from that, I have had 6 or so people dc on me in the midst of a victory. All were in the last throes of defeat when they 'pulled the plug' or used 'alt+f4'.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Clearly you feel strongly for a change by CA
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I do, tho it bothers me about others dc'ing, it doesn't ruin my day. It kind of makes me laugh at their lack of respect for their opponent.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: Alright to the lighter side of shogun 2
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Please, lol.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: So what is your favorite unit
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Fire Mangonels, followed by Great Guard.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: I don't think i've ever used a Fire Mangonel personally haha
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Haha, you should, they are really fun to use, especially when you see 20 soldiers from an enemy unit go flying in 10 directions.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: haha
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: I guess I have a destructive nature. ^^
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: haha.
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Thanks again for asking me to do an interview, pretty flattering.
]TPG[ AzureCuzYeah: I saw a prodigy in the making. Anyway thanks for your time
Tom Cruise's Ninja Baby: Np man, and *blush*, I hope so.. =p Take it ez bro, try out the fire mangonels!

Out Gunned. Facing a more experienced opponent. Know your enemy! Know your Shogun.

When I originally fought this battle I didn't know what the stats of half of this guys units were. I never faced rockets before. I don't even own Matchlock Ashigaru in the Avatar campaign yet. If I did know I probably could have won this match. Instead I sat back and focused on killing his Warrior Monks. This was not a battle of killing power but Moral. My opponent had few units but with spectacular Moral. I had many units with limited Moral but with numbers comes confidence. The Key. Other than my mistake of throwing my general into the "flank" of my enemies warrior monks, I could have removed the one unit that lowered my moral until my 600 units fled the battlefield.

Rockets have a Melee Attack defense of 2, Melee Defence 2 and Moral of 2. Rockets in their own right scare the living hell out of all enemy units.

As a 16th century Japanese Samurai I would probably run from rockets too. If only I attacked those rockets before my army wet their pants.

Tight formations and maneuverability.

The importance of unit formation, before the battle begins, has much to do with the outcome. Total War games place a huge emphasis on unit management. I found myself admiring the beauty and mechanics of the game instead of trying to win. Thankfully Shogun adds some simplicity to the total war franchise by distinguishing between classes of warriors (Ashigaru Samurai, Monk etc) and the types of weapons they yield (Yari, Sword, Archer).

The custom formations Total War provides are not the end all be all to unit formation but should absolutely be utilized by beginners. If you are going to Emulate how I play I can give you a simple rundown of my strategy

1. Always use a clustered formation
2. Archers up front.
3. Calvary far off your enemies flank
4. Sword units ready to charge soon as they are in range of bows.
5. Yari units always near your General.

I play very aggressive with my melee infantry. I do not wait for a prime opportunity, I make one. I want my enemy on their feet as soon as the game starts. I push the attack.

I like tight clustered formations in the beginning because from a management standpoint I can see all my units on the screen, without having to scroll halfway across the map to deal with other units. This adds simplicity when reacting and fanning out before your charge. This of course does not apply to the Cav. Which you will use to flank any exposed unit.