UPDATED: Rumour Control: Empire: Total War to be DirectX 10 only?

Posted at: 3:11pm 25th June 2008 by Clive Webster

Total War developers at work on new, DX10 only project

DirectX 10 might not have got off to a great start, with little appreciable difference in image quality for the 50+ per cent frame rate hit, but it seems developers are starting to get their heads around the much-lauded, much-derided gaming API.

At a recent AMD briefing Jez Sherlock, Technical Director of Sega America, revealed that a forthcoming title from Sega would be written for DirectX 10 and 10.1 only. Sherlock told us that this title would be out in early 2009 and would be from ‘the same studio that worked on Medieval II: Total War and Kingdoms [the Medieval II expansion pack],’ that being Creative Assembly.

UPDATED: Sherlock was under strict orders to not confirm the name of the game in question, and as Creative Assembly’s only announced upcoming title is Empire: Total War, we initially thought it was is the prime candidate, especially as Empire: Total War will introduce 3D naval combat, with the developers promising ‘seascapes rich with extraordinary water and weather effects.’ However, Mark O'Connell, The Creative Assembly's Online Marketing manager has been in touch to confirm that 'Empire: Total War is DX9 compatible, and it wasn’t the game being referred to at the AMD event.'

Nicklas Modrow of EA also spoke at the same event, saying that forthcoming co-op online RTS BattleForge runs ‘30 per cent faster in DirectX 10 mode than in DirectX 9’. Does this mean the time when DirectX 10 gaming and Vista will take off is finally approaching? Thoughts below.