two weird things in battle

[Hulegu]

Perhaps the old hands have seen this many times before, but I haven't played as much as I would have liked and I've never seen it. In a recent battle, all my units were committed and all I could do was adjust my archers' targets and hope that my terrain advantage would be sufficient to carry the day. It was touch and go, and some of my chaps were just beginning to waver, when the entire enemy army just turned around and marched back to their initial positions. They marched, I emphasise - they were not routing or withdrawing: only when they got back to their start positions did they run away. I was not unhappy, but surprised, not least because of the difficulty I have disengaging my units from combat sometimes. The only explanation I can think of is that the AI had decided the battle would be lost and wanted to save as many men as possible by pulling out in good order. Is the AI capable of this - it's quite impressive in a way? Or was he just changing plans, only to be thwarted by his troops' desire to get away?

Another recent anomaly was more annoying. I had 23 units in a province, so during the battle I withdrew my archers as they ran out of ammo and awaited my reinforcements. They never came. This was worrying, because the enemy's reinforcements amounted nearly to a whole new army and all I had were my tired, depleted units and no arrows. Have I overlooked some factor that prevents reinforcements arriving in some circumstances, or was this perhaps a glitch?

Any opinions welcome.

[Orda Khan]

Hulegu, how are things at the Ilkhanate? Your first problem I have never witnessed, sounds really strange that. I have had enemy units march to try to gain advantage and then give up and retreat. I have also taken one of the river bridge provinces routed the enemy only to find I had missed someone. After a search ( against the clock ) I found the remainder of one unit of cavalry archers on the river bank at the edge of the map. I could not attack them, therefore losing the battle! Frustrating or what? I suppose these are just glitches that occur from time to time.
The second scenario has been discussed before. Be aware that when you invade a province, the first army in takes the field. So if your enemy has 1200 men and you attack with 500 and 800 that first army takes the field first, plus some of the other army to make up 960 men. The last thing you need is to have your weaker army running for its worthless life while your reinforcements exhaust themselves running to their aid. If your archers are out of ammo and you know what reserves you have, rout your archers. Once they leave the battlefield your reserves will take their place.

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" Send us your ambassadors and thus we shall judge whether you wish to be at peace with us or at war..if you make war on us the Everlasting God, who makes easy what was difficult and makes near what was far, knows that we know what our power is."

[Hulegu]

The Ilkhanate is gradually getting on its feet, thanks, after I killed too many of the peasants and messed up the irrigation, but I wish I didn't have to keep fighting the Golden Horde (or was it my successors who had to do that?). I'm sure I will defeat the Mamluks soon.
On the reinforcement thing, I should have made clear it was a defensive battle, and that my forces were in two armies. The out-of-ammo archers left the map with plenty of time left, so I'm still not sure what was going on.

[Dionysus9]

First anomaly:

Ive never seen anything like that, if it was close fighting and your men were wavering, the enemy would definately route when all of its units turned its back to yours. All enemy units would lose morale supporting bonuses and would get hit with penalties in the same animation frame... this would route them for sure.

AI should not be capable of this, must be some strange/very rare bug.

See if you can get it to happen again!

[Khan7]

Well, if Hulegu's units were wavering, it is theoretically possible that the AI units could have been able to get away, as wavering men don't fight very well.

That's very interesting.

As for #2, I wouldn't know, cuz I always plan to decisively win my battles with one army, no reinforcements.

Matt

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Shogun 2 has arrived! Check it out here.

[Bubba]

For the first one...I've had a Kensai surrounded by almost the entire army's archers and then they'd (the archers) just marched away regrouped and charged back in. Don't know if that's the same thing.

As for 2. I've been in the same position, but with YS who had been bloodied pretty badly and I just waited for a while and the reinforcements never came. I was fairly angry, but I reconquered it the next season.

[Puzz3D]

I was in a situation where I needed my reinforcements to win a battle, but they would not come on even though I only had a few units left on the battlefield. I eventually withdrew my daimyo, and as soon as he left the battlefield all my missing reinforcements arrived.

MizuYuuki ~~~

[pdoan8]

First point (if I am attacker): I only have seen that the enemy routes the moment I advance my troops. However, it happens only if my troops are superior in quality in term of troop type (I have YS they have YA, ...), honor level and upgrade level.

Second point: I don't really know how the reinforcement system works. However, I usually break up my reserve into smaller army of 2 or 3 units (both defend and attack).

[This message has been edited by pdoan8 (edited 05-18-2002).]

[1dread1lahll]

himmm. That sounds like the AI system of fighting a bridge defense.. repulse the attackers them pull back out of range of missile units...