Bringing two stacks to the battlefield

**Slaists** · 10-20-2004, 15:45

Has anyone tried putting the star-carrying general in charge of the smaller one of two stacks (if you have two) rather than the bigger one? It seems, frequently, especially in seige situations, the AI attacks the smaller stack if it has a choice: thus, if one has a general leading the bigger stack, it ends up in reinforcements under AI control (leading to imminent general's death...).

**Shaitan** · 10-25-2004, 12:39

Good idea. I will try this. Once I had a full stack lead by a general and a lone unit besieging a city. The AI attacked the single unit and my general took a very warm bath of oil at the enemy gate

.

Shaitan

**Prodigal** · 10-25-2004, 13:37

I have had the same situation, but it resulted in defeat as well as the loss of the entire army as I had nowhere to go to if I lost. I've not experienced it since, but I make sure that the stack led by the general is the last unit you move to attack the enemy; of course it maybe a bug & the attack order has no effect, but maybe worth a try in future.

**Bob the Insane** · 10-25-2004, 13:57

I might have misunderstood what you said....

But.. you don't have to make all the armies around an enemy attack it...

As long as there are friendly armies (or allies) in the 8 squares around the enemy army to are attacking then they are automatically drawn into the battle.... All you have to do is move the units next to the target and then select the stack you want to actually control and perform the attack with that...

I have found a useful thing to do in a siege is to not actually surround the enemy but to place the reinforcments for my seige force immediately behind the siege force, perferably in a fort without a general... This means that when/if the enemy sally the backup troops are available as reinforcements without having to walf around the settlement...

If I follow this thread it would also be a good idea to ensure the reinforcment army is the stronger one...

**Red Harvest** · 10-25-2004, 14:22

I believe he is thinking more of siege defense and bringing your reinforcements alongside, although the same could apply to other portions of the map when on defense. The AI often attacks the smaller stack. If your family member is in the larger stack you still get stuck with control of the small stack and no opportunity to command both (not logical, but, that's the way it is programmed.) It is a rude shock and is one of the few instances I have of the AI winning a battle on VH...the AI simply suicided my entire decent army as I watched.

**Slaists** · 10-25-2004, 16:02

Yes, Red Harvest understood my point. I've had a few instances of very disenheartening losses due to the AI attacking my reinforcement stack leading to glorious death of the general and his main army...

**Mori Gabriel Syme** · 10-25-2004, 18:14

It sounds like my experience may be atypical, but I've had several battles with the AI controlling part of my army, & I've yet to have the AI lose the general.

**Slaists** · 10-25-2004, 19:14

I guess, you're the lucky one amongst us. As soon as I see the pre-battle screen, I order the slaves to fire up a funeral pyre... So far, in all the AI controlled situations the generals have died one way or another. Not counting for one case, when he did not make it on time to his funeral...

**Red Harvest** · 10-25-2004, 20:11

Originally Posted by Mori Gabriel Syme

It sounds like my experience may be atypical, but I've had several battles with the AI controlling part of my army, & I've yet to have the AI lose the general.

The only sure way I've found to avoid it is to whip the AI enemy army with the other force before the AI "friendlies" arrive.

However, depending on the set up, the AI might use a less aggressive stance and preserve the general. I've seen this sometimes with enemy reinforcements. All too often the AI has units running winded headlong into the fight. It likes to use the general as a battering ram since he is in a heavy cav unit. This might work if there was support and the line was hitting all at once, but the AI usually strings out the reinforcements so they can beaten in detail. The AI usually deploys your reinforcing army as if it were many single units, rather than a body. The AI programmer could take a few lessons from Nathan Bedford Forrest. (Hint: review the action at Brices' Crossroads.)

**TheDuck** · 10-26-2004, 00:34

Originally Posted by Red Harvest

The only sure way I've found to avoid it is to whip the AI enemy army with the other force before the AI "friendlies" arrive.

However, depending on the set up, the AI might use a less aggressive stance and preserve the general. I've seen this sometimes with enemy reinforcements. All too often the AI has units running winded headlong into the fight. It likes to use the general as a battering ram since he is in a heavy cav unit. This might work if there was support and the line was hitting all at once, but the AI usually strings out the reinforcements so they can beaten in detail. The AI usually deploys your reinforcing army as if it were many single units, rather than a body. The AI programmer could take a few lessons from Nathan Bedford Forrest. (Hint: review the action at Brices' Crossroads.)

I've also noticed this. But my solution was to keep reinforcements away from the seige but within 1 turn so that I could reinforce right after a large fight. That keeps the AI from attacking the smaller stack and generally gives me good fights against dual AI armies (I've faced 2400 men against my 1300 in some cases). Since I'm not yet playing VH/VH, but normal/normal, these situations are survivable. VH/VH is my next foray (after finishing my Julii campaign).

**Sin Qua Non** · 10-26-2004, 05:28

I think a pre-battle function where you get to decide which stack you wish to control would solve alot of AI headaches due to these situations. I try to hide my reinforcement stacks directly behind my main stack so that they can't get to it without going through the main stack's zone of control. But some of the more serpentine AI armies slip right through.

Something's not quite on when I get the "reinforcements delayed?" message and sigh with relief.

**SpencerH** · 10-26-2004, 16:06

The suicidal generals are rediculous so I've generally never fought with more than one stack. This morning I broke that rule. I attacked a beseiging Jullii army with a small, but powerful, stack containing a 5 star general. The city forces were more numerous (comparable to the romans) and included a family member as well.

I was forced to attack with the small stack vs the city force cos I didnt want my 5 star to 'light brigade' the cohorts. Being heavily outnumbered with my small stack, I waited for the city force to move forward and engaged the Jullii simultaneously. Within 1 min my city commander was dead. Although I won the battle and slaughtered the romans, I took much heavier losses than if I had not moved my 5 star stack to support, and simply sallied forth with my city force