The Dogs of War: Adjustments Need??

**ToranagaSama** · 07-17-2005, 06:27

Unless I'm seriously mistaken, the Roman "dogs of war" were used to hunt down -- literally -- fleeing troops after the battle that were trying to hide from the victorious side.

I was reading some old threads and came across this quote from Doug-Thomson (Senior Member)

You know he's right.

I was thinking that in order to bring more realism to the Dogs of War, the *Fleeing* code needs to be re-worked. Perhaps, the first instinct for fleeing units s/b to *hide*; and, to stealthily work there way to freedom by exiting the map.

Of course, the degree to which a unit would engage in this hide/stealth behaviour would be dictated by the availability of Objects useful for hiding/stealth; AND, the degree level of any Pursing troops.

If pursing troops are right on a unit's heels, then going into hide/stealth mode is a bad idea.

The proximity and activity of enemy (victorious) troops in relation to the fear level of a fleeing unit along with the proximity and capablity of Objects; objects would included, trees, rocks, backside of hills, gulleys, etc.

Of course, battles in or near large forests would have the greatest potential for hiding and stealthy Fleeing.

As the games eixts, I have and I know many have won battles where the enemy units have fled, BUT you still don't get the Victory screen, because somewhere someplace there's a unit or the remants of a unit lost or hiding(?) and the game clock is ticking away. Often, it takes awhile to track that unit(s).

This is the perfecf scenario for the Dogs of War. Dogs s/b coded to have *bloodhound* capabilities or something approximating such. Won a Victory, or so you would think, but the no Victory screen. Let your Dogs loose to slowly *hunt* down the fleeing hiding scragglers.

Well, that's just some thoughts I had. To me it gives the Dogs a more purposeful role, rather than the present gimmicktry/eye candy sort of role.

A lot of behaviour coding to achieve this, but it'd be worth it, no?

BTW, anyone have any ingenius or unintended ways they've used the Dogs of War?

**Colovion** · 07-17-2005, 20:47

Well met, ToranagaSama

I supremely appreciate your thoughts and threads.

I really like that idea of having the enemy troops hide, and then slowly but surely fade out of the battle-map to their homes. On the other hand I think that it would also make for a more strategic importance for factions such as the Germanic tribes defending a forested area and a part of their army is broken and flee into the trees. Once there they have a better chance of re-forming into a unit of soldiers because of it being their home-land as well as the protection of the trees gives a frightened soldier a feeling of safety.

Currently we're all aware that when a soldier flees that they will not 'go to ground' or likewise climb a tree. Nay, they merely flee hell-mell towards the magic red line for their safety. Many times during a battle a unit will rout which you have no intention of chasing. It would be rather surprising for your bloodied soldiers to view a refreshed army on the other side of that hill there who have reformed after hiding and waiting for other routers to meet up with them (a rallying point, as it were). If you have Dogs in the role you're describing, you'd have a much better chance of rooting out men hiding in the trees - perhaps the dogs would simply wander around sniffing the ground and the air until they find a soldier. Probably very slow of a procedure but very worth it when you find the sole-heir to the Greek throne hiding in the limbs of a mighty Oak in the middle of a vast forest.

Then again these thoughts are once again going ahead of the reality of the battle system at hand. Especially, the vanilla battle engine is too fast for any kind of intricacies like those mentioned to be implimented. Even with the mods, it's just attack, rout, chase. But we can always dream.