Anybody else fight at troop eye level or have to use arial views to win.

[ericostermann]

Some joker made some comment about waiting till I am an expert and good a tactics which after 15 years as a Combat Soldier and the Tactics Training I find amusing. Yet I only deploy at arial view and after that run the battle at troop eye level. It is why the graphics were invented...I think it is easy to move icons from above, but the game captures well the loss of visibility and chaos that occurs on the battlefield where you can't see and everyone hardly does what you wanted in the way you wanted. You think your good never losing a battle? Try it without pausing the game at troop eye level only. Hearing horses and trying to see them. Watching those screaming Barbs coming at you. Not sure what is behind a building or down the street. Waiting in ambush as they march closer and then thankfully miss you or find you, ugh!. Jeez! Anyone can be an expert with the pause key and an arial balloon view. All or 90% wins, no loss claims....Yeah Right! No fight like a man!

[Shottie]

I use both, when I want to get down and dirty in the fight I zoom in and I control that way, but when Im in trouble and I need a way out, I zoom out and I use birdeye's view, it doesnt mean you suck at the game, or you have to play it that way its just the way you play.

[Akka]

I use both.

I give orders in the aerial view, and then I go down to the eye level to follow the action ^^

[Quillan]

Same with me. I've been playing tabletop miniature wargames for years, so I tend to play that way in RTW, but I like zooming down to low level to observe.

[Ulstan]

I usually deploy my men and then give initial orders from up above, then zoom in to watch the pretty show :)

With pause breaks every now and then to manage my missle units so they stop shooting my legionares in the back and to prevent 4 adjacent cohorts from burying a single engaged cohort in a pile of javelins.

[zhuge]

I also play with the aerial view camera. I do however agree that the general's camera is more realistic and a tougher view to play well, especially in city sieges. Having tried the general's view a few times, I could never really get used to it though I did win most fights comfortably (mainly fought on plains).

As for the pause button, players don't have the benefit of being able to react simultaneously as the computer AI does when giving orders. There are also certain things that individual unit commanders should know of such as to avoid friendly fire which you would have to order on the spot.
I've heard of players using lots of hotkeys and groupings when playing without pause but it certainly sounds tough and would demand really good reflexes and camera control.

[Lord Ovaat]

It's entirely the player's choice. I use the aerial view (mostly) for two very good reasons. First off, I have NO subbordinant commanders. My troops are not lead by captains or anything else. If not ordered to do something, they will do nothing. If not ordered to move five feet to avoid being totally destroyed by one arrow tower, they will stand there unto death. This game is all micromanagement, like it or not. Secondly, I really enjoy being able to "watch" the battle. Since I really don't care how much enjoyment the computer gets out of the game, I place my priority on my personal enjoyment. The AI hasn't once complained about it, even while issueing multiple orders to each and every unit simultaneously. In all honesty, I'm still waiting for someone to truely unlock the camera, ie, MTW's -ian command line addition.