reinforcements..any logic?

**Feanaro** · 03-15-2009, 23:09

For me, reinforcements seem to follow a consistent set of rules: they always appear in the least helpful location, at the worst possible time, with the worst possible unit at the head.

While we're complaining, I'd like to have the options to NOT bring in reinforcements. If I have a stack of beat up veterans awaiting replenishment next to a stack of healthy ones and the AI attacks the fresh stack, I have to risk losing the ragged veterans.

**Hollerbach** · 03-16-2009, 10:10

How dissapointing! The biggest issue I had with STW was the crappy re-inforcement system. MTW was a huge improvement and with BI, RTW, M2TW this aspect has steadily improved. Now we go back to a system essentially as bad as the decade old STW. It makes very little sense??

**Calmarac** · 03-16-2009, 16:47

Originally Posted by Hollerbach

How dissapointing! The biggest issue I had with STW was the crappy re-inforcement system. MTW was a huge improvement and with BI, RTW, M2TW this aspect has steadily improved. Now we go back to a system essentially as bad as the decade old STW. It makes very little sense??

It's even worse than the original STW system when enemy reinforcements are arriving in your rear and even crossing rivers to do it

Don't have the PC to run ETW yet so I'm following it's progress through forum feedback.

It appears there's an odd consistency with reinforcements always arriving on the exact opposite point to where you'd expect them. I've seen a thread asking Why does every battle start with the attacker to the south?, regardless of position on the campaign map. And someone else pointed out that the 'viewpoint' cone on the radar map is inverted, too. Maybe this is all related? Perhaps the AI 'map reading & compass' system is glitched.

CA said it would be possible to control the order in which your reinforcements would appear, presumably 'stack order'. Is this (at least) working as intended?

Edit: just noticed Bob the Insane already referenced the 'southern attacker' thread

**Bob the Insane** · 03-16-2009, 20:08

After testing in my Campaign when I was able I am not sure about the attacking from the South thing. If I had to guess I would say it seems more like the Attacker and Defenders deployment zones are always mixed up which is why you get such consistancy in odd reinforcment entry locations...

At least it is so obviously acting incorrectly I hope that CA sorts it out...

It is one of the issues that can actually really impact the emjoyment of the game. I mean CTD's and odd perfromance issues come and go and can be understood in a graphically rich game on PCs.

This kind of issue is not linked to anyone's hardware and is entirely related to game (application) logic. The replication is easy, just start a campaign battle with reinforcements...

Here is a side thought, given that the battles take place outside of a settlement how would you impliment reinforcements if you had armies on opposite side of the settlement when the AI sallies out?

**Feanaro** · 03-16-2009, 20:30

I just had a French army in Montreal "reinforce" a group across the river, well out of the reinforcing armies' movement range.

**NimitsTexan** · 03-17-2009, 00:36

Why CA just did not copy and paste the reinforcement system from M2TWK is beyond me. That one worked, and gave you a cool way to have ten-thousand-man battles.

**Graphic** · 03-17-2009, 01:15

Enemy reinforcements DO NOT ALWAYS come in behind you. I just played a game where I was attacked by 1 unit who had a full army as reinforcements. The reinforcements came in the front and to the left.

**foop** · 03-17-2009, 09:52

Originally Posted by Feanaro

While we're complaining, I'd like to have the options to NOT bring in reinforcements. If I have a stack of beat up veterans awaiting replenishment next to a stack of healthy ones and the AI attacks the fresh stack, I have to risk losing the ragged veterans.

Yes, yes, yes! Coupled with the seemingly random placement of reinforcements, this can be a real pain. There's nothing worse than seeing a quarter strength cavalary unit, some dispirited militia and an artillery unit with one cannon and three men appearing as reinforcements on the other side of the battlefield behind a full stack of fresh, angry enemy units.