New Developer Blog: AI and Battles

[Puzz3D]

An annoying thing with RTW default (or even large) settings is that you can end up having a handful of men still in the fight if they manage to avoid annihilation by any cav giving chase. In earlier games of the series that was the exception for logical morale settings. Sure, you could end up with that odd cav or 10 inf men, but not so often as to hurt any suspension of disbelief.

In MTW, there is a global morale penalty for level of decimation of the army. It helps prevent a battle from being dragged out by a handful of units which have suffered heavy casualties. I don't know the level of decimation at which this penalty is incurred. I don't think this penalty was in STW because all units routed towards the original entry point on the map so it's much easier to chase off a defeated army. MTW introduced routing away from the threat which makes it a lot harder to mop up after a battle, and I think that's why the level of decimation penalty was introduced.

[Bob the Insane]

In MTW, there is a global morale penalty for level of decimation of the army.

I think they have this in RTW, at least during a custom battle that I had as good as won I noted one still intact enemy unit (most of the rest where routing off the feild at this point) had a morale level of Steady with the note "dismayed at the loss of the battle".

Now the note usually refers to whatever morale bonus or penalty the unit is experiencing at the time and this note seems to indicate some form of global "we lost" morale penalty...