Automatic battles = faster XP gain?

**Maestro Ugo** · 12-12-2009, 10:48

Hello everybody!

I have been lurking for some time, and finally decided to post in this well-behaved forum. Anyway, I play EB 1.2 on ALX.exe with MINImod and the City mod installed on VH/M. Now, I rarely automate land battles and only do it in rear occasions when my "guardian" army is fighting an obviously weaker Eleutheroi band inside my lands, or when I assault a city with only a FM guarding it, and just don't want to bother with it. Anyway, it seems to me that in these occasions units gain experience (chevrons) quicker than in the battles "on" manual. Is it just me, or is there something in this observation? I started sending a fresh, newly assembled army on automatic Eleutheroi chase for a few years before I send them to real battle.

Anyway, am I going crazy, or have you also noticed this?

**Chris1959** · 12-12-2009, 11:03

Yes the experience gained in an auto-calc battle is spread amongst all troops invoved. The main way to gain experience is to actually kill the enemy, hence in manual battles missle troops and cavalry experience often rises a lot faster than melee infantry as they actually kill more enemy.
Some experience is gained by all troops by simply being in the battle but I believe it is only a small amount.

**Macilrille** · 12-12-2009, 11:10

Congrats on the post, we are glad to meet you. Only by active participation can we keep The Guild alive. Well-behaved? Yes, most of the time, there has been the occasional straying from the path of politeness and respect, but it is rare and these days Ludens keeps it well in check. I like to believe that just as EB is better than other mods, so are the players, but that may be delusion ;-)

Anyway, for your question; the answer is yes. It is a well known effect that most of us here know. I even admit to sometimes exploit it when AS/Ptol/SPQR is spamming me with fullstacks or the XXX-tieth small Eleutheroi stack pops up in Germany (I prefer to play Rome or Sweboz) that I can easily and boringly defeat on Manual but that the Autoresolve will loose for me, I use Auto_win to get some chevrons. Call it a cheat if you want, you take greater losses...

Anyway, you are not alone.

**satalexton** · 12-12-2009, 13:26

always a dilema, that. Auto_win or not, the attrition's always far more than a manual battle. =/

**seienchin** · 12-12-2009, 13:55

I never use autowin, but autocalc battles tend to give me more chevrons

**Maestro Ugo** · 12-12-2009, 13:58

Originally Posted by seienchin

I never use autowin, but autocalc battles tend to give me more chevrons

Me to. What does autowin actually do? And how ethical is to use something called "autowin"? Is that considered cheating?

**Macilrille** · 12-12-2009, 14:15

It is a cheat using the Console to tell the engine to win an autoresolved battle for you. You take more losses and get more chevrons.

My game runs slowly though, so rather than spending 30+ minutes on my 50th+ identical battle against one of those three or Eleutheroi... sometimes I cannot be bothered and Auto_win them. You only do it if you knew for certain that you will win manually. But it is essentially a cheat.