4 issues for CA

[Nowake]

well, it's my first post here, so let me say that I wish you all the best ...

now, I posted this in the official RTW forum too, but I would like to get some more opinions about it ... These ideas are not crucial for the game, but I'm sure that would have a huge importance if implemented ...

1) In STW and MTW you sometimes had your best generals leading on the field of battle a very weak troop type (this was ameliorated in MTW, because of the good royal blood generals); by all means, can't this be changed? If your generals is over three stars, a personal guard should be apointed to guard him, a pedestrian guard, like the lictors in roman times, but of course, well-armed ... And if it passes 6 stars, I think he deserves a small detachement of cavalry as bodyguards, which could be easily be the contubernals (even if there historic role consisted in carrying out the generals orders) ...

2) Let there be night ... you fight for a long time, and night falls; then you may retreat more easily under cover of darkness and so on ... the batlle could be interupted for the night as both sides consider it dangerous: the soldiers are tired by now, you can't see very well who is friend or foe (and neither the soldiers can, so they may kill their allies) and you can be easily ambushed ... The next morning you would have been able to bring and establish strong positions for the reinforcements, and your soldiers who fought the other day could have their energy restored to Quite Fresh ... armistices could be easier to negociate when the two factions are in their camp ... or you could use the time to gather some forces and try to surprize your enemy when he is asleep ... You could very well choose to start a battle by night, hoping in a succesfull night attack which would bring victory to you ...

3) And here it comes: a camp ... you should be able to build one of those, with small tents inside and a palisade wall (like a small castle in Shogun, just a little more developed) for the romans, or just tents and or something like it that for the barbarians ... guards should be posted to prevent ambushes :evil ...

4) I would very much like to see, and I am sure that many more would want that, that horses do not necessarily die if their master does, nor their master if the horse does ... Ronin horses on the battlefield, well, that would add feeling ... The dismounted men from the cavalry squadrons runing to catch them, and even your general, if his horse dies, could want to have another one ready, no? I trade a kindom for a horse (guess this was what the man said , no?&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif ...

well, for now, just these little improvements that I think were not mentioned (and if there were, well, sorry for bringing them up), CA, pleeeaase ... make them real thing. And, not to forget, thank you for the Total War you've unleashed ...


best regards ...

[Lord Of Storms]

I like your ideas especially the added reality that nightfall would bring, as far as building camps I do not see that aspect being put into the game by the developers it just doesnt fit into the MTW scheme in my opinion, also the ronin horses although a nice added touch it doesnt seem practical. Generals when increasing in rank being able to get more elite units sounds good to me I hope someone at CA is listening http://www.emotipad.com/emoticons/Clever.gif

[Wellington]

Quote[/b] (pr Fire @ Mar. 05 2003,05:44)]

Quote[/b] ]3) And here it comes: a camp ... you should be able to build one of those, with small tents inside and a palisade wall

You can actually create a map with such features (the models are all available for such a stockaded/tented enclosure (wagons as well&#33http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif.

Some the map editing experts (Kraellin/Alrowan) will be able to point you inthe right direction - maybe such maps already exist for download.

[Nowake]

well, about making camp over the night, I think it's important ... what are your soldiers going to do during the night? sleep in trees ? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif I don't know, it must be hard to implement such a thing, but once implemented ... well, you would be 85% close to reality ...

we all know that many battles were won through suddenly attacks over the enemy camp, not to mention doing that during the night ...

[Gregoshi]

Hello and welcome pr Fire. Thanks for sharing your ideas on RTW.

I definitely like #1 with the generals and #2 with the night battles could be very interesting. The camps (#3) might be okay when coupled with #2. The horses (#4), although they may add realism is a bell and whistle feature in my mind. I'd much rather have them spend time on improving the AI and making sure other more essential features work properly.

Regarding night battles, I think they should be setup as a very risky proposition. If they weren't, then why weren't they more common? With night battles, I'd like the see some randomness added to the battle setup. Things like units way out of position at the start of battle, units completely missing from the battle (got lost), friendly units causing routing of other friendly units (mistaken for enemy), enemy routing adversely affecting friendly units (mistaken for friendly unit routing), mouse over a friendly/enemy unit and it displays false information about unit type or friend/foe. I also think night battles might need an additional end battle condition when contact between the forces is lost for more than a set period of time.

Thought provoking stuff pr Fire. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/pat.gif

[Knight_Yellow]

hmmmm night sets and every1 stops killing eachother and walks away missing out on 1` of the most coolest sites in a game ever a NIGHT FIGHT

dont think so.....

[Chapius]

I like the ideas in general. Except the #4, it's not really I don't like that one, but I don`t think it worth the development effort.
Regarding the general's escort, I think we must be able to choose which unit he commands or select a group of soldiers to guard him, or manage a default option for generals (or for each of them) to command the unit with higher values in defense or attack or moral, etc.
The camps should be historically accurate. The romans built camps very fast, with this I want to say that we can't wait a season to build a camp. They built in a day or two (well, maybe three or four).
I agree with Gregoshi about the night battles. The key factor is how to end it, because I should want to ensure a safe position and wait to the day to keep fighting and not leave the field and be defeated. Maybe an option to choose end battle and keep the units in position (or back to the fort) and wait if the enemy wants to end battle too or keep fighting.
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif

[Nowake]

In reply to Wellington's sugestion, of having maps created, well, insn't this totally against logic in RTW, were you have a single huge map? I mean, you can't create some camps around from the beginig, standing there and waiting to be used ...

Thanks for the warm welcome, Gregoshi ... As for the night battles, well, I mentioned the features you were refering too:


Quote[/b] ]the batlle could be interupted for the night as both sides consider it dangerous: the soldiers are tired by now, you can't see very well who is friend or foe (and neither the soldiers can, so they may kill their allies) and you can be easily ambushed ...

Plus, numerous features could be included: disparated units losing their morale in no-time, pathtracking very hard and others, from which you've already mentioned many ...

The end battle solution ... hmmm, I don't think it's so hard: the battle ends when morning comes ... You see, you have two options: you keep your men awake all night, looking for the enemy, or you retire into your camp, with your guards posted; once all your units are secured, well, times goes faster, if only your sentinels won't alert you about the enemy's aproach ... If the next day the enemy is meeting what is probably going to be the distance condition (with no provinces, the armies could only engage when being resonably close to eachother, I supose) then this means he retreated and you have a victory ... if not, then let the slaughter begin again ... I'm affraid my reply it is a bit circular, because it very much depends on the camp setting, but I think that CA has the resources to manage this problem in an elegant and interesting manner. In most cases, you can't have night battles without camps, I say ...

In my opinion, in RTW a battle won't decide who is the ruler of the surrounding battle area (you won't dispute a province), like in STW and MTW, but who's going to have to accept the others peace conditions ... A real problem I think would be to decide when a faction is extinct ... my opinion is there will not be such think as faction extinction, but faction armies extinction ... The armies can be raised only by having a proportional territory and resources, so a faction reduced to three unimportant cities or polis, well, it's like extinct (if it doesn't form an alliance with your enemyes) ... I don't know if this will be added in Rome TW, but it would be a mind blowing game, don't you think? Anyway, all these are a hipothesis'hipothesis(sp?)

best regards ...

[Nowake]

Update: about my fourth ideea, well ... let's spare the effort with the horses, but what about chariots? Are those going to die in the same time as their handlers? ... Guess not, so something must be done to solve this problem ...

[Alrowan]

well as far as a camp goes, ill try make a map for my new set with a camp that the defenders must defend or something... ive finally got another 2 ideas for new maps

[Sir Black Raven]

I do find this topic quite interesting and very pertinent; battles must be fought with realism meaning that a night stop or an attack must be considered. Also if in the middle of the battle one side faces routing u should be able to have at least the possibility of calling a cease fire and negotiate the terms of surrender.That would be fun and create more realism to the game. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Asus]

I think we could go on an on when it comes to realism, which if implemented would probably take away from the playability. However I am all for the introduction of the night

I personally have countless ideas, but we should try to think of ways to keep them simple so that they may actually be considered.

As for Camping I have mixed feelings. How would this work in between turns and real time?

I for one would love to see LARGE improvements in the multiplayer side of things because that is where I will spend most of my time, once I have completed a campaign or two.

[71-hour Ahmed]

torches of reinforcements approaching at night, but you can't tell whose they are....

[Nowake]

I don't think that my ideeas are exagerated, plus I don't want to wait for another TW game in order to see them realized or so ... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif Plus, these are some ideeas, as I said, I do not consider them crucial ...

best regards ...

[rob s]

The thing with the horses is that on the battlefield you try to dismount the knight by killing the horse, then the knight, in his heavy armour, is more vunerable because of reduced flexibility. And no knight could RUN after a free horse, nor would he be able to mount his horse particulary easily without steps.

[Nowake]

the point in RTW is that you don't see knights anymore ... what I am saying is that seeing once in 4 battles a poor numidian trying to get on the back of a horse would be quite nice http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif