Campaign map marching range and streets

[geala]

When I played EB as the Ptolemies I was always a bit annoyed about the range of armies marching cross country (in this case cross desert). I imagined the streets as rows of watering points and small supply stations without which no bigger army should dare to cross the desert. In the northern regions, walking cross country through woods or other rough terrain would also slow down a bigger army enormously. Streets or ways of any kind on the other hand are a great help for marching.

What I like to imply, would it be possible and plausible to give armies much more movepoints (I mean much!) on and near campaign map streets and hamper them greatly away from them? Or is it actually planned already? Or not, for coding reasons or gameplay considerations? Would make the control of streets an strategical and tactical goal and possession of some strongholds very important.

[Arjos]

I don't know how it is going to be for EBII, but iirc EBI did that because otherwise the AI armies (with realistic movement points) would jump around mindlessly...

[Maeran]

Roads in EB (Medieval II) are an abstract concept. You see certain roads connecting places, but the movement bonus applies to the whole province. This is as if you have built a complete network of roads throught the area and not just those major ones that you can see.

Yes, movement in the desert away from the nile should be difficult, but the game engine may not be capable of realising this.

[Rex Somnorum]

The graphical campaign map roads - as opposed to the abstract notion of a wider network crossing the country - are already central to strategy, since they represent trade-routes and the default movement path for armies. I've often hampered an enemies income by sending small cavalry detachments into the trade hubs of their empire and blocking roads. It's almost like a land blockade, and highly effective. Ambushes are best laid beside roads, too.

[Ca Putt]

but the movement bonus applies to the whole province.

hmm? I'm pretty sure that armies march much faster on These main roads than through countryside. There probably is a General boost to Speed in the province but afterall building "roads" in a province does not only mean to build the big ones.

Anyway: could one not mark "desert" as difficult Terrain? Thus adding a movement malus just like in forests, the engine already recognizes desert as destinct Terrain by assigning some Units a Bonus to fighting in deserts. Also Generals do suffer from prolonged "beach stay".

[Moros]

these boni or mali only work for the battlemap as far as I know.

[geala]

In N:TW it seemingly is possible to attach waypoints to streets. Maybe not in M2TW.

[Nightbringer]

hmm? I'm pretty sure that armies march much faster on These main roads than through countryside. There probably is a General boost to Speed in the province but afterall building "roads" in a province does not only mean to build the big ones.

Anyway: could one not mark "desert" as difficult Terrain? Thus adding a movement malus just like in forests, the engine already recognizes desert as destinct Terrain by assigning some Units a Bonus to fighting in deserts. Also Generals do suffer from prolonged "beach stay".

Correct. Road movement bonus is tied to the graphical road on the map. I don't know it the degree of bonus that provides is modable though.

As to making desert impassable, I believe that is possible.

[BroskiDerpman]

In my beliefs EB 1 movement points should've been a little higher over all. I Hope EB2 has a little more movement points out of the box.