Does more speed make rolling up AI flank (too) easy?

[afrit]

After playing with RodeO mods a bit, I found that the easiest strategy to beat the AI is to mass your best troops on one flank, engage that flank first and then roll up the rest of the enemy.

I feel this is definitely easier to do in RTW demo than in MTW . In MTW, often your strong flank got "stuck" and by the time it burst through the rest of the line has been engaged. Now with the faster combat cycle, this is more easily done.

What are your thoughts? Does it feel easier in RTW, or is it because I'm playing the same factions and battles again and again? And if it is easier, is this a bad or a good thing? It's a valid historical tactic, but may be making the game too easy.

Afrit

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

After playing with RodeO mods a bit, I found that the easiest strategy to beat the AI is to mass your best troops on one flank, engage that flank first and then roll up the rest of the enemy.

I feel this is definitely easier to do in RTW demo than in MTW . In MTW, often your strong flank got "stuck" and by the time it burst through the rest of the line has been engaged. Now with the faster combat cycle, this is more easily done.

What are your thoughts? Does it feel easier in RTW, or is it because I'm playing the same factions and battles again and again? And if it is easier, is this a bad or a good thing? It's a valid historical tactic, but may be making the game too easy.

Afrit

I agree that with the current state of the Demo (fast killing rate), agressive tactics with your best troops are the way to victory. In MTW, we tend to be more carefull in planning. In the Demo, a rush tactic works wonders if done by your best troops against the enemy's weakest...

[DemonArchangel]

Historically, Epinomidas (sp?) used such a tactic to great effect.

[Kraxis]

Historically, Epinomidas (sp?) used such a tactic to great effect.

Epaminondas...
He did that indeed, but he also played on the enemy (the Spartans) to stay in their line and not stagger their own line as he had done. That way he could engage part of the enemy line with superior forces without having to fear his own weak side would get steamrolled. It worked... But it won't work like that in RTW, so it work for another reason and that is the faster killrate.

[Sir Moody]

there are pther battles where this tactic was used as well (mostly Roman Vs Others) it was a common tactic

[Orda Khan]

I ran a test battle tonight, Julii v Senate on Hard setting.
I put my units in guard formation, skirmish off and fire at will, stood there and let him attack. The major plus was being able to zoom down to troop level to watch the action...this was gorgeous. However I won convincingly, which I thought was a bit much but worse still was the fact that 3 Barbarian inf, 1 Tiarii and my General never even engaged

With 2 equal armies surely this can't be right

.....Orda

[Tamur]

I just did the same thing, with 4 units each of Hastati, Principes, and Triarii on each side (Julii vs Senate). I was defending, and parked my units in three lines on a small hill with my left flank covered by a big rock. I won without touching the mouse (except to get my Principes to charge in when the Hastati were getting worn down). 520 kills to 160 or something like that.

I've begun to think that, for the demo at least, the fatigue factor plays a much larger part than perhaps it will in the full version. The enemy had to march about 500 yards to engage my troops, who only had to march about 50 to position themselves on the hill.

As you said, with two equal armies you'd think the odds would be closer. But it's been pretty consistent that the army who marches more gets smacked pretty hard, given equal odds otherwise.

[Steppe Merc]

I've noticed that after marching, if you rest a bit, mabye send out skirmershers for a while, your army regains it's effectivness. I've had troops go from exhasted to warmed up after standing around for a bit while I tried and control my dancing skirmershers.

[Kraxis]

I just did the same thing, with 4 units each of Hastati, Principes, and Triarii on each side (Julii vs Senate). I was defending, and parked my units in three lines on a small hill with my left flank covered by a big rock. I won without touching the mouse (except to get my Principes to charge in when the Hastati were getting worn down). 520 kills to 160 or something like that.

I've begun to think that, for the demo at least, the fatigue factor plays a much larger part than perhaps it will in the full version. The enemy had to march about 500 yards to engage my troops, who only had to march about 50 to position themselves on the hill.

As you said, with two equal armies you'd think the odds would be closer. But it's been pretty consistent that the army who marches more gets smacked pretty hard, given equal odds otherwise.

Seems about right, but at the same time I had a unit of Hastati do the opposite. Granted, it was against a unit of Swordsmen, but they didn't march much and they fought downhill. So either Hastati are very much superior to Swordsmen and will win basically any fight with them (which seems a bit strange given the Swordsmen seems to be the mainstay of Barb armies), or the Demo is very playerfriendly.

[Lord Ovaat]

Does more speed make rolling up AI flank (too) easy?

Not if the flank has seven armoured elephants on it.