Lamest rearguard?

[Ulair]

After an epic ding-dong in Tunisia between the glorious hosts of the Byzantine Empire and the dying ex-crusaders of his so-called Most Catholic Majesty of Spain, I'd drawn up my battered troops on a dune, with fresh horse archers awaiting the final waves of Spanish reinforcements and I waited. And waited, thinking, funny, where is everyone, and if we're done why hasn't the battle ended. Then I spotted one lone fanatic - an individual, not a unit - standing waving his flag on the far edge of the map. Not moving, just standing there, trying to hide and run the timer out, I guess. So I shot him. But it was the most amusingly feeble rearguard I've seen

Anyone else seen the comp leave a soldier or two behind on defence to try and run the timer out?

[SpencerH]

I've never seen a lone soldier but I have seen a few stragglers here and there. I dont believe its an AI ploy to time-out the game however. Usually, I find that these units are 'pinned' at their location by the AI's inability to calculate a direction for them to run in when faced with encircling enemy troops and terrain.

[katank]

I've also had lone units of archers remaining fixated and standing even though general rout already occurred and my cav is rumbling around catching everything.

They were easily ran down but still annoying because sometimes it cut close to the timer.

[The Wizard]

Oh, I've had times where all I had to chase after approx. 4 horse archers were infantry... extremely annoying.



~Wiz

[Shamus]

I had something very similar happen to me. I was fighting the Turks as the Spanish, and had managed to rout their army off of the field. I received the “The Turks, Enemy is fleeing the field message”, and waited…and waited….

I finally gave up waiting and scouted the map. I found one lone horse archer sitting quietly in the woods by the edge of the map. His very small green dot had blended in with the trees on the map, and so I hadn’t noticed him there. He wasn’t stuck on a tree (which I have witnessed before), but rather was just standing there. I guess he didn’t take kindly to the rest of his comrades fleeing. I sent a unit of light cavalry to go over and deal with him, at which point he fled the field and the battle was over.

[katank]

in the Wizard's case, I don't consider that a lame rear guard as the HAs actually do have a chance of beating pure inf and run out the timer at the least provided they used good tactics.

[Tribesman]

I often find a Ballista hiding in the trees after everyone else has routed , these lone units can be a pain to find even if you use the mini map .

[ChaosLord]

Rearguards in general are always a joke. You defeat their finest infantry, heavily armored knights, and exprent bowmen. So after all those have fled or died, a unit of 30 spearmen or some peasants come marching onto the battlefield. Like somehow they're going to succeed where the knights failed. I can only imagine what the commander told them to convince them to take the field, especially after watching the rest of the army run by them.

But for me the lamest rearguards are archers, they'll run like crazy as soon as something comes near them. Once they get away they rally and do it again. Then again, and again. Without fast cavalry it drives me insane.

[son of spam]

Seriously, I don't get the whole timer concept at all. As ChoasLord said, you kill their huge, well-equipped army, and then your conquering heroes have to retreat because they can't chase down a few straggling peasents fast enough?

[katank]

turn the timer off if you are so inclined.

I too hate instances in which I almost run out the timer but I rarely do.

it's also nice with the timer sometimes.

if youa re playing defensive bridge battles but the AI doens't attack and only stands there, you can simply run out the timer or be forced to attack them across the bridge and suffer heavy casualties.

I usually have catapults or other arty to prod them into action but it's annoying if I don't and can't sit out a timer.

[Oaty]

Quote[/b] (Shamus @ May 20 2004,16:00)]I had something very similar happen to me. I was fighting the Turks as the Spanish, and had managed to rout their army off of the field. I received the “The Turks, Enemy is fleeing the field message”, and waited…and waited….

I finally gave up waiting and scouted the map. I found one lone horse archer sitting quietly in the woods by the edge of the map. His very small green dot had blended in with the trees on the map, and so I hadn’t noticed him there. He wasn’t stuck on a tree (which I have witnessed before), but rather was just standing there. I guess he didn’t take kindly to the rest of his comrades fleeing. I sent a unit of light cavalry to go over and deal with him, at which point he fled the field and the battle was over.
I've had that message before and still have'nt won the battle. The thing I noticed is it was a rebel unit from the civil war that I completely forgot about. So did you mouse over the unit to see the ownership. Of course a lot of these battles that go like this ends up being archer practice in the end

[Nowake]

they are frustrating sometimes, when your troops are exhausted and you have only infantry. my luck: don't use time limit.

[The_Emperor]

Oh man its so funny when it happens isn't it?

Fortunately I dislike using the timer these days for this exact reason. Of course it does mean I had to rout an attacking army when defending, but that can be half the fun of it (Just don't fight the Mongols when they show up unless you have lots of time to spare)

Rout them all http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/bigthumb.gif

[katank]

routing all can be fun.

I still would like custom length of battle through a slider?

though I like the timer, sometimes the default isn't enough.

[The Wizard]

Quote[/b] (katank @ May 20 2004,21:46)]in the Wizard's case, I don't consider that a lame rear guard as the HAs actually do have a chance of beating pure inf and run out the timer at the least provided they used good tactics.
4 horse archers versus 500 byzantine infantry? Not a lame rearguard? HOW DARE YOU http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif



~Wiz

[Mr Durian]

Its especially annoying when you have several hundred heavy infantry chasing one horse archer in the middle of the desert until they get exhausted and can't run anymore.

[katank]

yep, it's not lame.

properly managed 4 HA can run the inf completely ragged.

500 byz inf isn't enough to stretch across the map and do the steadily closing net technique so you are pretty much screwed.

BTW, where is this?

chasing Turkish HAs in Syria with only Byz inf wouldn't be my idea of fun.

good thing I had my alan merc cav.

if you had packs of treb archers, then you are mostly guaranteed the win but only Byz inf means not so easy.

[The Wizard]

It was the AI.... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

Anyway, I had just suckered the Hungarians a good one and they had a couple of szekelys running around... All I had was lancers and kats, which can't catch them. Eventually I lost the battle but I came back with a hell of an army. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif



~Wiz

[katank]

kats can't catch them but lancers should be eventually be able to as though their speed is lower, the szeks can't shoot or they risk getting caught.

have you tried a byz inf. across the map net? what about mobile treb archer battery?

arrows are faster than cav http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[LordKhaine]

I like it when a sides reinforcements consist of a whole stack of peasents and nothing else. You just laugh and wait for them to get to you. Then send in some horse and you'll capture a thousand odd men by the end of the day.

[katank]

that's quite true.

now that's a nice way to get the butcher vice for your general. I consider that a status symbol http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

the thing is to be aware of the smaller units of peasants as they may in fact be muwahid foot instead of peasants

these would slaughter your little horsies and look very misleading (should float cursor)

[The_Emperor]

Quote[/b] (LordKhaine @ May 29 2004,21:29)]I like it when a sides reinforcements consist of a whole stack of peasents and nothing else. You just laugh and wait for them to get to you. Then send in some horse and you'll capture a thousand odd men by the end of the day.
Sounds like a regular war with the Egyptians, they have a habit of training the peasant Horde. (especially if your playing as the Byzantines)

[katank]

well, they do include mounted peasants AKA bedouin camel warirors and some nubian spearmen.

in the desert, they are the anti cav specialist due to spears and camels.

they are still great pin cushions though as my treb archers found out.

my byz inf and varangians can also rack up nice number of kills before they get too tired to move.