3D campaign map: Your ideas on how to make more challenging battles.

[Dead Moroz]

Dozens of small armies on approximate ground instead of all of them together.

That's because of wrong made AI... again. AI in RTW must be initially programmed to create and hold armies in large stacks. I'm sure it's possible to make. E.g. in Civ4 AI usually attacks in large group of various units, tends to keep 'em grouped and adds reinforcement in it. Moreover AI of units in this game is much smarter than campaign AI in TW... Just add TW style battles to CivNext and you will get perfect competitor of CA products.

As for having all neighboring forces join in a fight... I agree that for the AI its necessary since they like to show up under-manned which gets their butts kicked. However, for the player there are times when I use small missle and cavalry troops to whittle down an AI's army.

I also had situations when reinforcements were absolutely needless and even interfering. I think that players (both human and AI) should be able to decide either they want or not to use reinforcements in battle and if it necessary choose what exactly troops they want to use as reinforcements.

[Dead Moroz]

I'd like to propose another ideas.

- If AI army loose 50% or more of its troops in battle it should tend to retreat to its lands for reinforcement, unless it's near enemy city which AI can easily capture. IIRC there was something like that in RTW, but I'm not sure. But no doubt devs must make AI to necessary reinforce battered units if AI have resources for it. (In RTW there were lots of detachments with dozen or just several units in it, and AI never reinforced such units until they were completely annihilated.)

- Winter movement points should be descreased (twice, I think), because it's much harder to move in snow (I tested it today :).

- Rivers covered with snow/ice should be crossable.