New recruitment system

[Oaty]

link

So you don't individually tax different provinces anymore, you don't have to recruit armies in different cities and then annually get then manually get them all to march to a destination and join them up. You can just go to your general, and go, "I want this, this and this," and then they're built all around him and they automatically come to him.

So no more puny stacks to go chasing down (I hope).

Wonder how exactly this is going to work hopefully you can only recruit when in allied/home territory.

[Martok]

So no more puny stacks to go chasing down (I hope).

That's the idea, anyway. We can only hope it actually works out that way.

Wonder how exactly this is going to work hopefully you can only recruit when in allied/home territory.

From what CA has said, I get the impression that you *can* recruit additional units when in enemy territory, but that it won't be advisable. The reason for that is if while on campaign a general orders additional units, they could easily be intercepted by the enemy before they can link up with his army.

So you can call for reinforcements if you want, but there's a good chance they'll never reach you.

[amritochates]

This has the potential to be either the best thing to happen to TW games or a monumental cockup.
The key here shall be much ignored and little understood facet of the TW series since RTW, namely path-finding.

What they are attempting here is that instead of individually queing up units at different locations and then combining them to form an army, you click on the general himself and are presented with a global/local list of units available that are then selected.

Now comes the crucial part, if CA is smart then units will be recruited as mercenary units are now done, i.e on recruitment they shall automatically be part of the army. However based on what has been said so far it seems more likely that units will be recruited at different locations and will be attempt to join the general as was previously done in RTW with drop-points.

If that comes to pass I fully expect to see a greater magnitude of tiny stacks each endevouring to join the main stack yet being constantly frustrated by both terrein obstacles as well as enemy/rebel units.

and yes the glass is half empty.

[Eusebius86]

This has the potential to be either the best thing to happen to TW games or a monumental cockup.
The key here shall be much ignored and little understood facet of the TW series since RTW, namely path-finding.

What they are attempting here is that instead of individually queing up units at different locations and then combining them to form an army, you click on the general himself and are presented with a global/local list of units available that are then selected.

Now comes the crucial part, if CA is smart then units will be recruited as mercenary units are now done, i.e on recruitment they shall automatically be part of the army. However based on what has been said so far it seems more likely that units will be recruited at different locations and will be attempt to join the general as was previously done in RTW with drop-points.

If that comes to pass I fully expect to see a greater magnitude of tiny stacks each endevouring to join the main stack yet being constantly frustrated by both terrein obstacles as well as enemy/rebel units.

and yes the glass is half empty.

Or maybe they'll make it so that when you recruit a unit(s) it is automatically in the stack? Kind of like with mercs, except you have to wait 1 turn? Anything to avoid tiny little stacks everywhere...

[Polemists]

I actually hoping it works more like crusades. The idea of depending on where you are it's easier to get certain kinds of troops and harder to get other kinds of troops to you. Also being able to click, pay, and you get them.

Obviously there should still be limits based on cities and populations, and mercs will always make nice cannon fodder.

[nameless]

Pretty sure it was stated somewhere (probably earlier article) that the general can only do this if he's within friendly terrority (or in other words, only the nearby cities supply the troops for him). If he was in america then it's say Boston and New York if he's near them that supplies the troops and not from Europe or further away.

[Polemists]

see that view has two points.

Yes if your sweden invading america you should not be able to recruit troops until you conquer a city.

However if cities are more spread out this time, and AI more clever, it's going to stink gameplay wise if your army has to sit for 6 years while reinforcements come (6 is optomistic.)

I am just hoping that movement of armies has been expanded and changed. If Sailing armies takes as long as it did in MTW2 I just don't see it being viable.

Plus what about navies? I mean can your admiral recruit navies on the spot? Then if he can, how would you know what zone you control?

[pdoyle007]

I would imagine each settlement has an sphere of influence and if a general is within that he can order up any troops that settlement can produce.

The only other way would be to say a settlement 2 movement turns away can still be used to produce but takes more turns to appear in your stack.

I don't see why you can't still recruit in the old way, unless you need a general to be present with every stack, maybe make a smaller group to scout an area on the way to joining your main force.

Mercs should still be instant, however as we're moving a little away from melee combat will their effect be lessened as the chances of getting a group of men, similarly armed might be greater than in previous games

[Martok]

I don't see why you can't still recruit in the old way, unless you need a general to be present with every stack, maybe make a smaller group to scout an area on the way to joining your main force.

CA has indicated that you can still train and assemble armies the "traditional" way like in previous games, but that it shouldn't be necessary.

[Akka]

Now comes the crucial part, if CA is smart then units will be recruited as mercenary units are now done, i.e on recruitment they shall automatically be part of the army. However based on what has been said so far it seems more likely that units will be recruited at different locations and will be attempt to join the general as was previously done in RTW with drop-points.

That would be much better, in fact.
Because soldiers magically popping directly in the army seems more of a total dumbing-down of the game than an improvement.

[Haxorsist]

I was sure I read in one of the interviews that you can go into a neighbouring province and start recruiting, but it wouldn't be safe (supply lines and all). It also said that, for example, you can't recruit in America before you've captured a province and build a barracks there. Probably because you're separated by sea. That being said, I tend to dream about Empire alot, so maybe I made this up.

[Martok]

I was sure I read in one of the interviews that you can go into a neighbouring province and start recruiting, but it wouldn't be safe (supply lines and all). It also said that, for example, you can't recruit in America before you've captured a province and build a barracks there. Probably because you're separated by sea. That being said, I tend to dream about Empire alot, so maybe I made this up.

No, I read that bit too. I also remember reading something about needing to capture a province's port before you could bring in additional forces by sea.

[Mailman653]

No, I read that bit too. I also remember reading something about needing to capture a province's port before you could bring in additional forces by sea.

That makes sense

[Megas Methuselah]

CA has indicated that you can still train and assemble armies the "traditional" way like in previous games, but that it shouldn't be necessary.

Oh, nice! I'm a hard-core conservative.

[Owen Glyndwr]

Hmm, that's interesting, I wonder if you'll also be allowed to have armies camp to be better trained, so that if you have the time, your troops will fire faster and march more in-line, rather than forming the army and running off. It would add a new facet to the game.