Explanation of Suicidal Generals from CA

[Craterus]

Notice that when you order the army as group to move to some location.
Faster units like cavalry will come first. They won't wait other units, or synchronize their movement.

That'll make them vulnerable, since they first arrive near enemy.

If you order the whole army to run the cavalry will arrive first but if you order them to walk they will arrive at roughly the same time.

[Someone Stupid]

Yes, this was so hard to code to prevent.

If "General"
..then "stay"
....else "attack"

Yes it is overly simple but it explains what could be done which is better than the instant death that happens with them mostly now. Also the general would never attack that way, but I'd rather a general that doesn't attack than one that will barrel headfirst into a row of spartans (as nice as it is for me to kill a faction heir this way, it loses its wow factor when it becomes expected). Some simple additions to that "code" above could have the general wait until he is needed or to avoid certain enemies (those with long pointy sticks generally). Not an issue of can't fix it, it is an issue of them not wanting to fix it.

[The_Mark]

While testing defensive formations, I have noticed that in many cases AI breaks its formation with no apparent reason, sending its units to charge my lines piecemeal. I struggled with this problem, trying to figure a way of forcing AI to keep its form. Then I tried different unit sizes. On small size AI charged. It charged on normal. It charged on large. But it didn't charge on huge; on huge it kept its form.

Now, if AI checks that a unit seems weak enough for a frontal charge that'd break the unit (as it tries to do with a general), why wouldn't this apply also on normal units? And what if the checks that are made check the manpower of the unit to be charged, but not the unit scale the game is being played on?
Wouldn't that equal as:
Small unit size, 20 men unit (although full strenght, in neat order, in the middle of players line) vs a full-strenght AI unit => AI perceives the situation as: "only 20 men, full-strenght gen. bodyguard/full-strenght swordsmen will break it instantly"
Huge unit size: 160 men unit (full strenght, in neat order, in the middle of players line) vs a full strength AI unit=> AI perceives the situation as: "damn, 160 men, even a full-strenght gen. bodyguard/full-strenght swordsmen wouldn't break it"

That is, it could be that AI checks the percentual strenght of its own unit against the raw soldier count of the players unit.

I haven't tested this conclusively, but I am pretty sure that this is the case.

[Turbo]

Maybe generals should be simulated abstractly instead as a physical unit. Routing is completely out of control and unrealistic as is without the additional routing because a general died.

[Jambo]

Does anyone know how the AI controls its general if the number of soldiers in a general's unit is modded down to the lowest possible, i.e. 1 in the export_descr_units file?

Does it then still consider the general unit to be such a tough unit worthy of frontal assault?

Given that the AI has in general fewer family members than the human player, maybe this is a suitable way to balance out the advantages of having family members on the battlefield?