Quote Originally Posted by professorspatula
I pursue the occasional enemy, perhaps the enemy's stronger units, but I generally end the battle as soon as the option pops up. I think the AI needs all the help it can get in a campaign, and killing all its men after it loses a battle is a bit unfair as it can't do that to your own men.

From Celt Centurion,

I recall seeing the AI chasing my men down and killing them as they routed, and being unable to do anything about it.

When I have the enemy routing, I usually turn my cavalry loose on them chasing the ones farther out, and then work back toward where the biggest pile of bodies is. I take my phalanx units out of phalanx formation and send them running after enemy phalanx units. Sometimes, they catch up and cut them down enough for the cavalry to finish off.

My preference is to use cavalry to chase down archers first, peltasts and slingers next, and whatever is left afterward. I rarely overtake a horse, and as such rarely chase them unless in the case of an enemy General. I will then continue chasing the General anyway in the hope that he will turn and my cavalry catch him then.

An enemy killed while running away will not attack me later. Given the choice of totally killing every one of a unit is preferable to a few getting away and those surviving to be the "core" of a retrained unit. If I kill them all, the unit won't be around to retrain will it? It's better to make the enemy train a totally new unit rather than the lesser expense of retraining one. I make it a point to make them train LOTS of totally new units.

I certainly don't want them coming back later with a lot of retrained units.

What I would like to see is being able to "loot" the defeated army after the defence of a city, or for that matter, out in the field. Think about it. Kill some 1300 bad guys, and empty their pockets for money and take their armor as well. That could offset the cost of retraining your own losses, and perhaps even upgrade your armour. In a town with only a blacksmith, it could provide armour to those who didn't have it at all.

Strength and Honor

Celt Centurion