View Full Version : Controlling type of reinforcement?
This have been bugging me for a while, when battles take place between huge battles, you are usually looking to gain a specific type of reinforcement. For example when fighting the GH they usually have an initial setup of 50% heavy. cav. and 50% foot soldiers. Normally i stock up on archers and defensive spear units and take up a good defensive position. This works well until after the initial charge my archers run out of ammo, and i sent them out. All my reinforcements from that point on is heavy cav, but the GHs reinforcements are Horse archers. The problem is that i *dont* want hv. cav, i want archer replacements. In fact it seems it will keep reinforcing with the same basic type until i run out of horses(pretty unlikely since i have 108 units of reinforcements in this battle, and about 1/3 is cav.)
Is there any way at all of controlling the type of reinforcements that arrive? The manual doesnt mention any as far as i can tell. Does the order the reinforcements are in on the pre-battle screen have anything to do with it?
In regular MTW you can't. But VI gives you the chance to arrange your reinforcements before the battle begins.
Sir Robin
06-18-2003, 19:53
If you are using MTW/VI 2.0 there is a way of ordering reinforcements.
When you are on the Pre-Battle Screen click on the reinforcememnts button beneath your army layout.
If you want to change the order just click on the unit you want to move.
Move the unit to where in the order you want it to be and click again.
I think you misunderstand me http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif I know i can change the initial setup of 16 units. What i want to change is what comes in when i withdraw units from the battle.
The question is whether or not the order the reinforcements(not the main 16 units) appear in on the pre-battle screen affect the order in which they are called in. It seems that Sir Robin thinks so, are you sure? To me it seems like it usually always calls cavalry in first, but it might be a coincidence.
pyhhricvictory
06-18-2003, 20:13
In VI you can order the reinforcements by dragging and dropping the units into position on the bottom screen (pre-bat) This lets you bring in men in any order you would like.
From the manual:
The unit in the top left hand box (of the reinforcements grid) appears first, each row is taken in turn from left to right and the unit in the lowest right hand box will appear last.
Golden horde always brings on cavalry reinforcements for some reason, and withdraws the infantry. Watch the replays, and browse the logfiles, and you'll see that is what they do.
*DUH* I was only looking in the MTW manual http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
Sorry for all the confusion.
Good to know that the order counts, too bad it isnt saved when you quicksave http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
I still think you should be able to choose which units to bring in on when in the battle itself though, after all why not.
Btw, when fighting the GH, they do use the foot soldiers in the first attack, but after that they have a tendency to bring on horse archers, which is why i want archer reinforcements.
MiniKiller
06-18-2003, 20:43
lol zip I think you misunderstood THEM http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif Ya in VI you can arrange everyone and its a cool new feature.
Is it too much of an advantage to see what the AI is bringing and when? The other day I saw the Egyptians coming with mostly spears first followed by a mess of Saharan Cav and camels. I set up some catapults and archers behind my spear line and saved most of my cav for later. I withdrew my cats when they got close and some of my archers after I broke their spear line and was rested ready for the Egyptian's second wave. If I hadn't known the composition of the AI's reinforcements I might have been in trouble. I can see being in control of your own troops but having such detailed knowledge of your adverary is a bit much.
Quote[/b] (ziphnor @ June 18 2003,14:40)]*DUH* I was only looking in the MTW manual
Beacuse of the smilies I don't know whether you're serious or not, so pardon me if I'm stating the obvious (I only want to help, nothing else): page 5 of the VI manual has everything about reinforcements. Also, someone suggested always pushing the artillery down to the bottom of the list if it's not going to be used just to be sure.
And for GH, I would go for cavalry reinforcements, so you can drive them from the map wave after wave (just fought 3 5000 vs. 1500 battles against them yesterday). They'll be killing my guys as well while I'm killing them, and since I've already dealt with the first wave (and the general is dead), it's easy to just push them back and minimize my own casualties.
I WAS only looking in the MTW manual, because basicly primarily i was looking to choose reinforcements from inside the battle, the pre-battle order was an after-thought. I usually dont read manuals, i just start playing http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
As for the GH, i want archer reinforcements because its too hard catching up with their horse archers, much easier to just shoot them.
Eh, now i tried the battle again, ordering my reinforcements whith 16 units of archers before anything else, but i still get *ONLY* cavalry reinforcements, is that a bug or something?
I think im just gonna auto-calc it, bugger this.
Maelstrom
06-19-2003, 16:08
I'm sure I've seen a thread reporting this as a bug - you can re-order your reinforcements but the AI still brings the cavalry on first...
Well, ziphnor, it happened to me as well yesterday - for some reason, in one battle reinforcements didn't show up in order that they were supposed to. Were the units that showed up first also the units that were in the stack with the general that was commanding the battle?
That seems likely, since i tend to group large armies into stacks of similar units. Any solutions to this bug? Its kind of a big problem when fighting large scale battles.
MizuKokami
06-20-2003, 04:24
what i would like, is, after seeing what reinforcements the enemy brings, then be able to choose what reinforcements i bring. ie, as was said, the man's archers ran out of ammo, so he withdrew them. on came his heavy cav to face off the enemy's horse archers. i would like to be able to tell my hc to stay back, and bring in my medium cav, or another round of arbs/spears. my choice 'during' battle, not a prearranged order where i have no say with what comes next.
It happened again Bloody annoying http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif
Different assault, different armies, same setup. The first stack cavlry-heavy with the general, the second stack obsolete reserve infantry destined to die in the assaults, and the third siege machines. Initial lineup siege machines, general, and some infantry. First reinforcements to follow are supposed to be the rest of the infantry, and the cavalry shows up first. I quit, reload, try again, the same thing I even put general in different stacks, but always the same thing.
Is there any newly introduced "feature" that isn't messed up, btw? I end up swearing at the comp instead of having fun. Oh, well, where are my pills and Masters of Orion 3....
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/rolleyes.gif
HopAlongBunny
06-21-2003, 11:09
This worked pre-VI; don't know about now.
While you are still setting up your forces; select one and hit the reinforcement button. Cycle all the way through until you are back at the unit you replaced_that is the order the units will appear. If you want to get a particular reinforcement first, cycle through again and chose the unit before your desired replacement. The order should follow (from that unit on) as it appeared when you cycled through the first time.
Stacking units by type helps if you really want all cav next, or all spears...etc.
gawd i hope that was coherent http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif Time to get some sleep g'luck http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif
Quote[/b] (HopAlongBunny @ June 21 2003,13:09)]This worked pre-VI; don't know about now.
While you are still setting up your forces; select one and hit the reinforcement button. Cycle all the way through until you are back at the unit you replaced_that is the order the units will appear. If you want to get a particular reinforcement first, cycle through again and chose the unit before your desired replacement. The order should follow (from that unit on) as it appeared when you cycled through the first time.
Stacking units by type helps if you really want all cav next, or all spears...etc.
gawd i hope that was coherent http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif Time to get some sleep g'luck http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wave.gif
This is still on, so I don't see the problem.
Ok, I'm calm now. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Yes, I know the tricks, and there are ways to bypass it (others would be attacking with a single stack, or just the units you want, etc.). I was just a bit frustrated because it's so much more of a hassle, and I considered the pre-battle screen as almost the most important/enjoyable feature of the expansion. It really saddens me to see that it's not working as intended.
Thanks for the reminder that not all is lost. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Just to add that it happens on the defence as well. And yes, it's always cavalry that shows up first. Funny thing is, it was working a couple of days ago, in this same campaign. I was getting the exact reinforcements that I ordered. At least I believe so...
HopAlongBunny
06-22-2003, 06:29
Yup
Seems pretty randomn. I agree, the pre-battle screen was one of the best things added to the game...would be better if it worked *shrug*
Given that this is an add-on to an established game, I shudder to think what will be in store for Rome http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/dizzy.gif
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