Mount/Dismount option

[DrNo]

Just in case anyone missed it (like me, but I found it eventualy) this is what Darkmoor said about this option:

'NB: I spoke to activision today on mount/dismount: During DEPLOYMENT you get the opportunity to mount/dismount mounted troops who will then form up as their foot-type equivalent (SO gothic Knights become gothic-foot-knights). '

This should make cavalry/knights come into their own and add significant strategy options to the game. I hated the way Heavy Cav in STW were pratically useless and couldn't hope to justify their cost.

To mount or dismount that is the question http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

In the deployment phase only? Sucks a bit.

I would choose to mount or dismount after examining the enemy army, not before...

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Clan Kenchikuka (http://www.totalwar.org/kenchikuka)
evil is within us... http://www.totalwar.org/site/emomalta.gif

[DrNo]

For now I think this option is a good middle ground until they have time to do something better.

The problem with allowing dismounting/ mounting mid battle is it would ruin tatics of using spears vs knights. Your Knights would dismount just as spears were about to engage. Then mount and chase down the archers.

To get around this would require a time delay(say 20 seconds game time) in mounting/dismounting and a vulnerability while doing so. e.g. like being flank attacked or perhaps -5 to defense ability for remaining time to complete action.

This would take a while to code in but could be done. The real sticking point would be the AI.

It's all very well allowing humans to make the choice but if the AI dosn't do it right then it's a big advantage to human players.
Maybe one for MP only!

We shall have to see how the AI copes with option as is.

[Nelson]

I think it was very rare that men at arms mounted/dismounted after the battle began. This was a pre battle decision. Horses were taken to the rear not to mention the weapon/armor choices that would have to be adjusted to switch back. Pages, grooms and squires would be running about. It would be a mess and the men would be very vulnerable.

In the campaign we must use spies to appraise the enemy OB on the strategy map in order to make dismount choices come battle. I'm curious as to how well the AI will handle this. Will it be influenced by the players mount/dismount choices?

This option is huge IMO. Contempary soldiers realised that there was a time for mounted action and a time to get off the horse depending on the circumstances. Both styles could be very effective and now we will enjoy the same flexability as Henry V while getting the maximun bang for our bucks from our elite gendarmes.

I also wonder if ALL cav in the game can dismount. My suspicion is that all should not. Horse archers wouldn't is my guess unless besieged in a fortress.

[DrNo]

I think the problem Teraza was hinting at, is that the AI may have an army in a region that you move to attack, but then as the AI gets to move after you do, it can change that army to something totally different in composition by moving units in from other regions etc.. Something that happened in STW.
In other words you won't know wether to dismount or not until you see the enemy before you on the field on battle.

One option I thought that might be available is dismout/mount only if enemy is a certain distance away. Generally this would be at the start of battle or you can optionally move your unit away from battle completly to dismount, then bring it back in. Going on map coordinates I think the range should be something like 10000.

To get the AI to master this option would be a simple case of adding up number of enemy units that are anti-cav, archers etc.. compare to number of cav units you have.
In fact I am sure that you could write some quite interesting(mathematical) rules for choosing to dismount or not that would be quite easy to code in.

[Emp. Conralius]

This adds a whole new dimension of strategy. Though it may seem a rather small feature, it can truly turn the tide of battle (not implying that you could do so in the middle of battle). But say for example you have a bunch of Chivalric Foot Knights in the middle of the desert, fighting a bloody and strenuous Crusade. And naturally, your knights get tired justby standing around. But you could also mount your knights before a battle starts, and give them the advantage of shock as well as essential speed.

[DrNo]

Emp. Conralius, I think you will only be able to dismount a mounted unit. Not mount a foot unit to cavalry equivalent.
The mount option will be there just in case you decided that the unit should stay mounted after you dismounted it while still in deployment phase.
For each battle all your cav units would be mounted and you will have to dismount them for each battle.

Foot units cost about half that of mounted equiv so that's my reasoning behind this.

[Emp. Conralius]

DrNo, soory I worded it wrong thats what I meant to say. I'm well aware that mounted knights would cost more than their infantry equivilant.