Green Generals

[ToranagaSama]

I presume everyone knows that in VI you can turn-on the Green Generals feature which will cause your generals to age and die.

Are you using this feature? Do you like it?

[TS, hates the way polling functions]

[Ser Clegane]

I always use it as it adds to the realism and the role-playing aspect of the game.

With this option you appreciate your uber-generals much more and it kind makes your best generals "historical characters" during the campaign

[A.Saturnus]

The down-grading of the generals could be a bit more effective. Often enough, new generals have still the same stats as the old ones.

[hoom]

I would use it if it was a full inheritance thing like with princes.

Sometimes the replacement should actually be better than the person they are replacing.
Othertimes they should be abysmal.

As is, I don't use it.

[lancer63]

I don't recall ever seeing any change in the v&vs of a general's succesor. The only changes I see are the name and his married status. I even had and inbred general that died and his second in command was an inbred too Maybe the whole unit was made up of inbred morons. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/rolleyes.gif

[DemonArchangel]

Well i use the green generals thinggy cuz then i just have to wait for the enemies uber generals to die instead of fighting them. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

[Martok]

I don't use the Green Generals option. While it does add to the realism (and I do think it's cool), it adds yet one more thing I feel the need to keep track of--and there's already almost too much to manage as it is

[katar]

I don't use the Green Generals option. While it does add to the realism (and I do think it's cool), it adds yet one more thing I feel the need to keep track of--and there's already almost too much to manage as it is


ain`t that the truth http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/dizzy.gif

[Oaty]

Not to sure on this but don't you actually have to activate the green generals. Because I never activated it and my guess is it just says your general dies but really doesnt and thats the reason they keep the same stats. I get the general dies of old age message all the time but my guess is its programmed to keep track of there ages and tell you that they die but because you dont have it selected they just go back to 16 years of age and wait another 40 years to die at the age of 56. Hard to explain what I'm trying to say but I hope you can understand what I'm saying

[Ser Clegane]

Quote[/b] (oaty @ July 31 2003,21:35)]Not to sure on this but don't you actually have to activate the green generals. Because I never activated it and my guess is it just says your general dies but really doesnt and thats the reason they keep the same stats. I get the general dies of old age message all the time but my guess is its programmed to keep track of there ages and tell you that they die but because you dont have it selected they just go back to 16 years of age and wait another 40 years to die at the age of 56. Hard to explain what I'm trying to say but I hope you can understand what I'm saying
If you do not activate greengenerals your generals will die after 40 years and the successor will have the same stats (I am not sure about V&V). If you activate it the stats (specifically the "stars") will decrease.

[jas]

Quote[/b] (Ser Clegane @ Aug. 01 2003,02:05)](I am not sure about V&V)
In my experience the V&Vs stay the same also. I don't use the green generals feature (yet) because decent generals are hard enough to come by as it is and I don't need any more micromanagement thanks ..

[A.Saturnus]

Depends what faction you play. In my last Spanish campaign, I had in inflation of 6-star-generals.
Green generals doesn`t cause micromanagment, it just makes high command more valueable.

[jLan]

Playing as the italians, hre, hungarians, polish etc it's really hard to get decent generals early on as it is...

[Obex]

OK, this may sound stupid, but i cant find the option to enable/disable green generals. my new ga campaign seems to utilize it, and im sure i didnt enable it on my own. where is this option found exactly?

[ToranagaSama]

Just add -green_generals to your desktop "shortcut". Presuming Win2000: Right-click, Properties, Target

It should look something like the below with X being your hardrive c:\ (or whatever). Add to the end of the line.

"x:......\Medieval_TW.exe" -green_generals

[Obex]

Ah, command line option, got it. thanks

[Shadow_Wolf33]

so how does one disable that option then? or does it come disabled already?

[ShadesWolf]

As far as im aware Ive never used the option didnt even know that it was there

[invalidopcode]

Speaking of options, is there a list of all of the available command line options for the game? The only ones I can think of are the green generals and the loyalty one mentioned in one of the other threads.

I apologize in advance if there is a list somewhere that I overlooked.... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wacko.gif

[BDC]

I find the fact that all my generals become perverted, alcoholic nutcases within a few weeks of being promoted is good enough without them dying too.

[Brutal DLX]

I'm using it since word of this feature got out. It effectively reduces the number of high star generals, right now I'm happy if I get a 4 star or 5 star guy. In 1.1 there were 9 stars all over the map.
Oh, and I don't care too much about V&Vs not changing, the stars count the most, the rest is only of concern for province governours, your absolute top generals and possibly members of the royal family.

[ToranagaSama]

The command doesn't necessarily "reduce" the number of high star generals (I think having 9 star generals "all over the map" is a bit much), it simply reduces the *TIME* span you may have to make good use of them. Simply put you've got to be better at "time management".

The pressure comes in knowing that that general is going to die and every year he just sits around doing nothing is a year probably wasted.

So you the need to "pick" the moment of battle becomes greater with Green Generals. Often, to make use of a high star general you have make the decision to *go* (to battle) with whatever troops are available. Waiting around until you've Trained the very best troops to go with your great general may not be the best idea, as he may be dead by the time you've finished training the troops.

Makes things MUCH more realistic dontcha think? A great general makes use of what he has, not what he wants.

[Brutal DLX]

Mind you, yes it does reduce the number of such generals, especially for the AI factions. In 1.1 games there were times when Spain and Byzantium had 4 or 5 9 star generals each, because they wouldn't die.
I agree now you have to make good use of your generals, and I like that, in case it didn't came across accordingly.
The main benefit is that big AI faction can't steamroller whole parts of a continent so easily anymore, only because they had high star generals, which now balances the gameplay.

[Jazzman]

can i switch to green generals mid-campaign? if so, will it start counting their age then or will all my old generals die off in the first turn?

[ToranagaSama]

Don't know, never tried.

Everytime I try something new, it invaribly means scrapping the present Campaign. Just about to try the new MedMod 3 beta, giving up on one heck of a campaign game I had going...sa la vie

[Teutonic Knight]

I've owned VI for two months now and I've only played 1/2 of one campaign because of this damn bug..... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

[ToranagaSama]

What are your talking about? Green Generals is NOT a bug If you don't place the command in the command line then its not working. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif

[bhutavarna]

Quote[/b] ]can i switch to green generals mid-campaign? if so, will it start counting their age then or will all my old generals die off in the first turn?

yes you can jazzman. it won't kill your old generals. everything will be as usual, except that when they die the green generals kick in.

[Teutonic Knight]

Quote[/b] (ToranagaSama @ Aug. 29 2003,13:16)]What are your talking about? Green Generals is NOT a bug If you don't place the command in the command line then its not working. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif
no no no no...the 56-bug is what I meant...

[Jazzman]

thanks for the info bhutavarna, nice to hear from the celebes, i'll give it a try, seems like it'll add a bit more realism

[LestaT]

First time i ever heard of it... Green generals ? Huh ?

[rory_20_uk]

I use it, but I tihnk that it should occur to all Generals, not just the good ones (why doesn't a drunk, inbred idiot die, yet a warlike fit leader does?) I also think that the generals that are produced should have a greater range of abilities, as I have usually found that the new one is not that different from the old.
Could there be a system that there are vices and virtues that accrue with age? A general might display wisdom for example, or increased loyalty (as the point in trying for an uprising looks more remote, so he sits back and plays it safe). Of course the other side of the coin would be things such as sinelity, failing health, forgetfulness etc etc. With this, it would be good if commanders of a unit could be more easily removed, and not only by killing the offending person.

[Revenant69]

I dont use it. I seem to lack good generals all the time anyway (well except when i played Byzantines http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif ) I remember fighting an Almohad 9 star Jedi general at the head of 2000 strong army once with my 0 star general lol. I lost 3 battles in a row to him with horrendous losses, but the point was to reduce his army size and then walk in with my 4 star general and win. It worked.

So the point is that not having green genarals turned on will sometimes benefit the AI more than it will benefit you. And as such it makes the game more fun http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Over and out,
Rev

[ToranagaSama]

Quote[/b] (rory_20_uk @ Sep. 15 2003,09:29)]

Quote[/b] ]Could there be a system that there are vices and virtues that accrue with age? A general might display wisdom for example, or increased loyalty (as the point in trying for an uprising looks more remote, so he sits back and plays it safe). Of course the other side of the coin would be things such as sinelity, failing health, forgetfulness etc etc. With this, it would be good if commanders of a unit could be more easily removed, and not only by killing the offending person.

I like the basic premises of your ideas.


Quote[/b] ]I also think that the generals that are produced should have a greater range of abilities, as I have usually found that the new one is not that different from the old.

The premise sounds good, but I think that ECS (was it he who did Green Generals, bad memory, I apologize) it this way, because any greater "range" would be too dramatic and game altering. A 4 star general droping to 3 stars is effect enough. Imagine an 8 star dropping to 1 star It would be fun, nor enjoyable.

Possibly, some combo of all the above would be best, and I think probably fun and challenging.

How about this:

As generals mature in age, wisdom and experience, perhaps they should gain Stars and/or V&V that have postive effects; and in the reverse as generals age and get older they should begin to suffer the negative effects, as you suggest above, but additionally their Command level (Stars) might decrease as well. Of course, this would ALL have to occur, quite, GRAUDALLY over time.

So, in other words, a general's capability would have an ascendency with age, experience and maturity; a Peak period; and finally a descendancy with age, senility and lack of desire.

I Like it

Yo, y'all CA guys, you listening?

Hmmmm....perhaps there could be "multiple" possible paths available for a general. When "born", a general could be born with one or more certain "Traits", which would then define the path of Ascendancy and Descendancy.

In addition, I wish very much Geneology could play a part in the initial defining Traits that a general may be born with. This would make "Marriage" a much GREATER strategic factor.

Marry a six-toed Princess to a six-toed General/Prince and they'll bore six-toed idiots with a rather low ascendency/descendancy "Arc". Marry a Great Warrior, Great Builder General/Prince with an "Intellectual", "Cunning" Princess and they should produce a great General/Prince with a rather High ascendency/descendancy "Arc".

Whaddaya think?