General Cam

Hi. Am relatively new to both EB and RTW (in fact I bought RTW in order to play EB). I'm a history nut - as I'm sure most people here are - and love the accurate portrayal attempted here on the RTW engine.

I've noticed a lot of grumbling about the AI's shortcomings, particularly in terms of battle deployment, and wondered how many have tried playing with General cam turned on. This restricts your view of the battle (tough you still have the map, of course) and means that often you will have to combine units and leave them under AI control - to stop those units hanging around idly while a nearby unit gets slaughtered, for example.

I have found that it makes the battles far more challenging, and makes your positioning (and overview of the battle), and initial deployment vital to success.

Just a thought.

Indeed, try it with a Sweboz army in the middle of a forest. Awesome fun.

I've seriously considered it to make the game more challenging...

But the problem is I love to watch epic battles unfold from 'up top' and sometimes like to take screenies of epic moments...

So I really do want more challenging gameplay, but I don't want to sacrifice being able to enjoy watching epic battles unfold from a good vantage point...

I remember a series on the History Channel with Matthew Settle (sorry if I'm not spelling your name correct Mr. Settle). No sarcasm, I did enjoy his introduction to the battles he narrated about. In particular I liked the part where he says something along the lines of, "And now, with state-of-the-art videogame technology...get the view the generals wish they'd had...on Decisive Battles!" I felt so amused listening to those words. Made me feel 10 years old again.

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Originally Posted by Gaius Sempronius Gracchus

you will have to combine units and leave them under AI control - to stop those units hanging around idly while a nearby unit gets slaughtered, for example.

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Hi! You can actually put units under Ai control during the battle?

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Originally Posted by ziegenpeter

Hi! You can actually put units under Ai control during the battle?

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Oh yes, it's an excellent way to deplete your troop numbers. You know, for those battles where you just have too many soldiers... Anyway, to activate the AI you just have to click one of the buttons on the right when you have units grouped (don't remember the exact button, you'll have to search).

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Originally Posted by Kikaz

Oh yes, it's an excellent way to deplete your troop numbers. You know, for those battles where you just have too many soldiers... Anyway, to activate the AI you just have to click one of the buttons on the right when you have units grouped (don't remember the exact button, you'll have to search).

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Ha ha...very true. Playing on General cam though, it's a matter of the lesser of two evils.... some I have under AI "assistance" and others I hold in reserve. There's nothing as annoying as finding one of your units being torn asunder while another stands close by chatting idly among themselves.

As I said, it makes initial deployment and your own positioning paramount. It also makes one a lot more..... careful about the battles you fight.

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Originally Posted by Intranetusa

I've seriously considered it to make the game more challenging...

But the problem is I love to watch epic battles unfold from 'up top' and sometimes like to take screenies of epic moments...

So I really do want more challenging gameplay, but I don't want to sacrifice being able to enjoy watching epic battles unfold from a good vantage point...

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It's a pity there's no way of recording them, because I know what you mean - there's a great deal of pleasure in watching a battle unfold. (It would also help in understanding what went wrong when you find your armies routing all over the field, to try and avoid a similar mistake again...)

I know that Historical Battles can be recorded, so... how hard would it be to implement that in Campaign Battles?

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Originally Posted by johnhughthom

Indeed, try it with a Sweboz army in the middle of a forest. Awesome fun.

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I usually play as one of the Gallic factions and I find forest battles are great (most of the time) if one is doing the ambushing. Provided you can neutralise their cavalry units (and so utilise your own with relative impunity), have plenty of strong heavy infantry and good missile troops (slingers and archers) hiding, then just draw the enemy in..... a beautiful way of annhialating armies - particularly Roman ones :laugh4:

However, if I find myself ambushed in the woods.... I just try and get the hell out as quickly as possible, with as many of my troops as possible :shame:

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Originally Posted by Gaius Sempronius Gracchus

It's a pity there's no way of recording them, because I know what you mean - there's a great deal of pleasure in watching a battle unfold. (It would also help in understanding what went wrong when you find your armies routing all over the field, to try and avoid a similar mistake again...)

I know that Historical Battles can be recorded, so... how hard would it be to implement that in Campaign Battles?

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Who said there is no way campaign battles may be recorded? :laugh4: Just because you cannot use the engine's movie_cam feature does not mean you cannot fool the viewer into thinking you did! Anyone with the audacity to record a campaign battle and make it look like a movie_cam recording deserves R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Pan & Crop ftw! :laugh4:

And, of course, never pause in single player battles. Really helps the MP reflexes. And makes it a tiny bit harder to massacre the AI.

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Originally Posted by MisterFred

And, of course, never pause in single player battles. Really helps the MP reflexes. And makes it a tiny bit harder to massacre the AI.

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Which reminds me...once the melee portion of the MP battle begins, it gets faster and it starts to remind me of high-APM players of StarCraft...

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Originally Posted by MisterFred

And, of course, never pause in single player battles. Really helps the MP reflexes. And makes it a tiny bit harder to massacre the AI.

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Try doing a siege of a large city defended by elite units. I literally put the game on 3x speed, go grab a drink, cook up a burger, and come back to find my troops haven't even captured the main wall yet...