Starting orders

[kstanb]

Currently, the starting orders for all your troops are disordely charge, you can obviously order stop and then give specific orders to your groups, but after some battles, you start getting tired of doing it

it will be much better if you could define a number of user defined initial stands, which will have specific initial orders for each of your groups, so you can then start battles with a stand that fit the tactical situation

 

[T'pek]

Yes, this sounds like a very good idea.

I am honestly tired of having to order my troops to stay still only to find some individual cavalry recklessly charge alone into battle.

 

[Brent15]

I agree that some sort of standard formation setup would be welcome. I usually spend a good amount of time organizing my men in the beginning of battle. But on the other side of the coin, sometimes its fun (and realistic)to get hammered before your men are in position.

 

[DesertSnow]

What i found out the hard way is that "charge" is the initial order even in sieges. Seeing my troops going down the ladder, eager to die for their country, was certainly not funny

 

[Archimbaud]

Good idea.
For the moment, first thing I do in a battle is 0, F1, F2 to order all my units to follow me.

 

[COGlory]

The "0" shouldn't be necessary as everyone should automatically be selected at the beginning.

 

[Archimbaud]

Good, one less key to use at begining of a battle.

 

[Aloriel]

I'm usually hitting F1 then F3, for hold this position. Then, I'll move to a more tactical position and hit the same (with a possible follow me inbetween if it is too far away)... I'd love to have the battles start with hold this position. Really tiresome hitting it at the start of every battle.

 

[Brent15]

Yea, I'm not retracting my position here but I noticed the button you press prior to battle says "Charge!"

 

[kstanb]

The AI should also start with hold position and depending on the situation, defende or attack... I have seen them charging with no odds of success too many times

I would love to see them defending once in a while

 

[unmerged(169164)]

They do. Usually depends on the landscape. If they start back to a hill, generally, they defend.

 

[Descartes]

Very good idea, kstanb! It'd be great if you could program your party's initial movements in detail. I don't think you're right about the AI, though. Even on "poor", they sometimes stand still and defend a hill.

 

[Hardradi]

Agreed, this is a great idea.

If its a decent force I usually hit Follow Me. Otherwise I try and beat my other cavalry to the foe. Now that I think about it I could tell them to wait behind me.

By the gods, I wish I could get involved in a game company and code some AI strategy into some of these games. Is it that hard, someone slap me down if I am wrong?

Surely it can be as simple as:

1) AI army primarily Archers, run to the nearest high ground and hold;
2) Army primarily melee horesemen, charge;
3) Army primarily spearmen, form line and advance towards enemy or if outnumbered advance to the nearest high ground;
4) Army primarily light troops, move to difficult ground;
etc;
etc;
4) Throw in random to keep things interesting and the player on their toes;
5) Better generals reduce the random.

Have they ever looked to a chess programmer for inspiration ?

 

[unmerged(169164)]

The line is ordered from left to right: archers, infantry, cavalry. Can be exhibited by halting troops and asking them to move forwards ten steps.

A number of players emitted complaints in M&B that action was too slow to start with the enemy spawning at the other end of the map. Now, the enemy can spawn in the middle, getting them fast.

Would be nice if lords were coded accordingly to their status (most of the times, cavalry)

 

[unmerged(18239)]

This is a very good idea. My normal procedure when I enter a battle is as follows.

- find a nice hill
- "Everyone, hold this position!"
- "Archers, ten paces back!"
- "Cavalry, follow me" or "Cavalry hold this position" which is either the right or left (=unanchored) flank.

Would be nice if the first three commands could be used as a starting command, altough I want to find the best place myself.