Old STW problem comes alive in RTW demo

**biguth dickuth** · 08-29-2004, 03:32

I really don't want to comment anymore on which way the TW series is going regarding gameplay and historical accuracy. I (and many others) have spent enough time on this in the past, with no apparrent effect as it seems.

What i'd like to ask, though, is if anyone else noticed in the demo an old problem:
The armies seem to have a certain "escape-the-battlefield-area" and when a unit routs it tries to head this way, no matter the hindrances, often passing through enemy units in the process, thus resulting to more casualties.
I have noticed that this mainly happens just after the rout begins and the routing unit tends to try and pass through the unit it was fighting with just seconds ago. It seems to me that this happens more characteristicly with cavalry but i might be wrong.

This used to be a well known problem in Shogun but it was fixed in Medieval. I wonder why it has reappeared in Rome, just weeks before it's release. I hope they will notice it and take care of it.

PS: In order to see for yourselves just experiment a little with modrome and set up a small cavalry battle and see what happens to the routing unit.

**Orda Khan** · 08-29-2004, 04:01

Yes I've seen it. I had heavy infantry ' chasing ' my elephants. This was on the un modded demo, just thought I'd mention that as I have already seen a CA post stating once the game is modded they can't comment

....Orda

**Red Harvest** · 08-29-2004, 04:01

Yes, and you can find the location in files too. Hopefully this will be altered a bit so that is more like MTW: units flee/rout in a given default direction, except when there are opposing troops in the path. Then they should try to move around this or flee off the map in a different direction.

This can have some interesting consequences in Trebia. Historically, the Roman Hastati/Principes broke the center of the Carthaginian line so that ~10,000 escaped by pushing on forward to withdraw. (Note that the Carthaginian Phalanxes were not in the center, the Spanish and gauls were. The Carthaginians took few losses, but the Spanish and gauls lost about 3,000. This is a problem with the demo battle.) I am going to post about some of this shortly.

This should be fairly easy to fix, but I agree it has some problems.

**Elmo** · 08-29-2004, 11:53

Originally Posted by Orda Khan

....I have already seen a CA post stating once the game is modded they can't comment

....Orda

Apparently they have decided not to comment on much of anything regarding the demo. Granted the "reviews" here have been less than enthusiastic, but since CA chose to publish a demo you would think they'd have planned in some time to support it.

**Aelwyn** · 08-29-2004, 18:43

This may be a problem in the full game, since wherever the army runs off, thats where it will be on the campaign map. that'll probably work both ways, for the beginning of the battle, and when its over. so they probably don't want stray units on one part of the map, and the rest somewhere else. thats probably why they run in a specific direction. at least my theory.

**Slyspy** · 08-29-2004, 19:12

Good thinking that man.

**TexRoadkill** · 08-29-2004, 22:18

Originally Posted by Aelwyn

This may be a problem in the full game, since wherever the army runs off, thats where it will be on the campaign map. that'll probably work both ways, for the beginning of the battle, and when its over. so they probably don't want stray units on one part of the map, and the rest somewhere else. thats probably why they run in a specific direction. at least my theory.

It would be better if the units were scattered after the battle. That way the looser would have to waste a turn reforming his army after a big route.

**MiniKiller** · 08-30-2004, 02:21

Yup and I wish you can surrender aswell. No fleeing in all directions but if ur escape route it blocked, u surrender and they capture u.

This way u still kill routers, only making captures when they choose to surrender and u accept...or not

**Lonewarrior** · 08-30-2004, 04:06

Yep an old problem came back, and it really bugs too.

**Colovion** · 08-30-2004, 06:03

I think it would be better if your units don't just stop at the line, but run a little past it.... slow down and then cheer as the unit they were chasing runs off before they get back on the right side of the line automatically.

I'm hoping the reason CA hasn't been commenting on much of anything is because they are saying "holy crap guys! we have lots to do!" and are in the process of making a patch for the release date.