Dev Diary #44 - Battles

[Nerewar90]

Where are forts

In eu4

Forts are everywhere in eu4

 

[wilcoxchar]

I'm excited by what I'm hearing so far. The inability to micro my way to victory in a bad war raises the stakes of diplomatic plays and keeps the focus on the strategic layer. It reminds me a bit of Lincoln's role in the American Civil War - absolutely critical to the effort, but uninvolved with the minutiae of the campaign.

One piece of feedback - the war dev diaries have focused a lot on the mechanics of the war system itself. And that's important! But often I struggle to understand how I fit into this as a player. What are the critical decisions I am making? What are the consequences of those decisions? Or alternatively, what were the key decisions I made earlier that influenced the outcome? I think sometimes it comes across that war is almost an automated process and that perception is selling the benefits of your new system short.

The very first war dev diary covered this. You, as you say, are making the critical decisions at the strategic level. You're picking the generals, you're deciding which barracks to call up the troops from, you're making sure the war is being funded and the economy and infrastructure of the country is staying strong enough to supply the soldiers at the front, and you're keeping up diplomacy with other powers so the country doesn't get bogged down in another incident while it's being distracted by the ongoing war.

 

[mikhail321]

Can units from generals with a defend order or garrisons join an offensive battle?

 

[Grave461]

Casualties are determined by both sheer numbers and the relative combat stats between the two sides. For example a numerically inferior force equipped with more modern weapons may still emerge victorious against a larger foe.

How will aircraft factor into battles? I would think they have special properties, so that a guy with a Musket or rifle can't shoot them out of the sky, like shooting a guy off of a horse. Do they have special modifiers, or something else?

Also, how are tanks represented?

Is trench warfare and/or chemical warfare represented?

 

[pheonicia]

This isn't HOI4. Or Reddit. People need to stop obsessing over encirclements.

Actual military leaders have been tripping over themselves trying to pull off the perfect encirclement/double envelopment since cannae.

 

[digiyyt]

Good, but can these generals surrender in the battle or be captured by enemy arms?
For example, if our general is more experienced or we surround the enemy, their general should not be able to escape. This part kinda like crusader kings, but I think it will be fun if you add it.

 

[AnssiA]

How often does a war take more than one battle? If 2 even sides are at war, and there is a battle at the beginning with all troops taking part, is the war effectively over? Is there any reasonable chance of the losing side recouping and pulling off some defense in depth etc?

 

[luxfelix]

I wish you could see sprites battling it out when you zoom in. That’s something I really hope is implemented.

Or maybe at least the generals on opposing sides of the fronts?

Or perhaps, a flag bearer?

 

[Arbus]

So in a hypothetical US-Canada war, will the front have battles on one point at a time?

Maybe have the chance of a battle happening be proportional to the (sum of) infrastructure along the whole front?

Expanding on this, when the front is that wide, and since wider fronts tend to have larger battles, will we see massive battles over Alberta despite the complete lack of infrastructure? Will the terrain for the battle be decided randomly among the entire front or based on the wargoal? If I have a front spanning the desert, will I likely have to fight in the desert despite having no goals to take there?

Second, is the "advancement progress" affected by the ratio of "number of units" / "number of provinces" or something like that? If I assign 100 units to the US-Canada front, or 1000 units, how does that affect progress? I imagine having more people on the frontline increases the chances for advancement on several "fronts" at once, so the number of battles should be more frequent in a densely populated front than in a sparsely populated front. Say that Russia is fighting Germany, with both sending their main armies, but Russia is also fighting Manchuria on a second front with much less strength. Technically the front size is the same, but there should be more battles on the European front than the Asian front no?

 

[Kikaider]

Quick question but since it is mentioned that "an advancement meter will slowly start, to fill up and once it’s full a new battle will be launched" is it possible for multiple battles along a front trigger simultaneously? I.e. the battle of Verdun continuing for 303 days (below the sun! /sabaton) doesn't lock up the rest of the western front during a WW1-type scenario? Or is that while that battle rages another can be triggered as well, which can only draw from a reduced set of units.

Also, can/will battles be reinforced over time if they drag on long enough?

 

[CaptainGrimlock]

I actually don’t mind this new system, mainly due to the fact that the economy will be complicated enough to manage. I don’t want to have to micro-manage 100 divisions at the same time.

 

[Techadept]

You. Are. Managing. The. Economy.

And the politics. And Diplomacy. All with seemingly more choices for the player than actual warfare ("3 buttons") which has been criticized from the get go.

 

[prismaticmarcus]

And the politics. And Diplomacy. All with seemingly more choices for the player than actual warfare ("3 buttons") which has been criticized from the get go.

yes. and is the last bit supposed to mean something?

 

[vilkas622]

1. As long as the other generals are stationed at the front and not in battle their units may be borrowed like the garrisons.
2. Beyond giving the generals their orders the movements of the front & battles is largely automated.

Thanks for replying.

1. Understand infrastructure calculations may not be doable because of design decisions or other factors; but I think a province distance modify could help prevent troops being borrowed over great distances.
2. Are there any factors that play into what troops are borrowed?
   1. If my Virginia regiment just fought a battle in their province, could they be borrowed for a battle occurring a week later in Tennessee?

 

[DreadGrunt]

Not a fan personally but then I'm a masochist who wants control over everything from politics to the economy to the military for maximum micro of all things like Vic2. I'm gonna keep an open mind and give it a try but based on all the stuff you guys have shown so far and stuff that has appeared from the leak this def seems like the weakest part of the game.

 

[No Stockpiles Lmao]

You, as you say, are making the critical decisions at the strategic level

Critical strategic decisions like "go" or "stop," wow

You're picking the generals, you're deciding which barracks to call up the troops from,

From the sound of the dev diary you don't have any control over which general and what troops are fighting in any particular battle, the game just grabs some at random.

you're making sure the war is being funded and the economy and infrastructure of the country

Max out taxes day one and maybe set up a trade route for guns, very deep

 

[Vityviktor]

I really hope we can eventually see some kind of graphical representation of armies and battles in the map, even if it's something like colored lines "marching" and "firing".

 

[CaptainGrimlock]

Critical strategic decisions like "go" or "stop," wow

From the sound of the dev diary you don't have any control over which general and what troops are fighting in any particular battle, the game just grabs some at random.

Max out taxes day one and maybe set up a trade route for guns, very deep

Maxes out taxes day 1.
The entire country revolts.
Gee, wonder why?

 

[Being Earnest]

Could we get a confirmation that morale is like in previous games, where it going to 0 is THE determiner on whether an army retreats from a battle? Or could the ai decide to retreat earlier? Will morale affect combat effectiveness of battalions?

 

[prismaticmarcus]

this def seems like the weakest part of the game.

what do you mean by 'weakest?'