Seeing a lot of the same issues already raised:
- Units have a VERY though time holding and getting in formation.
This tends to lead to battles often being more of random mobs running around than formations of soldiers.
- Units seem to react very slowly to orders.
It seems (at least much of the time) that a unit often hesitates for quite a while before reacting to an order. This, combined with the high movement rate of a unit in full speed often makes it very hard to react to an approaching unit in an organized fashion. It seem like it takes units longer to take the first couple of steps than it takes a unit already moving to cover fairly large distances.
- Cavalry charges
Been brought up quite a few times already, it tend to be very hard to get cavalry to effectively charge. It seems that in order to charge a hostile unit they not only have to be in near perfect formation (something that tends to be difficult, see above). But they also insists on 'walking' most of the distance to their target, then slowly start accelerating.. If the unit hasn’t moved during all this, then you got a charge. In reality it very rarely seems to work like that. I would prefer to see the cavalry get at least a decent attack bonus if they engage a unit while moving at run speed when colliding with the unit. The full bonus could still be reserved for the 'perfect charge' system, but right now I just don’t have the time in the heat of the battle to wait for the knights to get their act together.. by the time the do the fight the unit they are trying to charge has usually already won or lost.
- Path finding in cities
The path finding in cities really doesn’t seem to work very well. I find that it's generally very difficult to get your unit to go where you want them to with one or two single commands. Instead I find myself having to micro manage them through the streets. For example I often find myself having to send multiple units up a narrow street. The front unit will be slow to start moving, this leads the second unit to consider the path blocked and instead it'll often start moving the opposite direction (presumably to find an alternate route by going though have the city..) all I want is for several units to walk down the street.
- Hibernating AI
Often the enemy AI seems to go into some kind of hibernation and simply just stand there. This issue has been brought up a lot in regards to using missile units to slaughter the AI without the AI charging. But the AI also tends to ignore obvious things like several units riding around their army to take position behind their army.
- Stagnant siege combat
Sometimes you get stuck in a situation where the AI is unable or just unwilling to try to attack in a siege battle, unless you are using the battle timer there is no way of really fighting the battle short of a suicidal frontal attack out of the gates. If the UI is unwilling to assault the walls, it should withdraw.
- Crusades
It's much to easy to loose units when moving across the map. Unless you’re able to take something close to a bird flights route to your destination you will loose units. This often makes little sense. A typical example is sailing around Spain. I've also lost several units trying to cross from northern France to the Mediterranean to get on a ship, natural features, blocking units and other terrain often makes it very hard to not kick off the 'moving in the wrong direction' penalty.
Agents:
- Too much micro management
Currently I feel it takes way to much time to manage your agents. Too much time is spent getting them from A to B. I would suggest two changes to agents in general:
1) Drastically increase their movement rate (I would suggest double or triple movement rate). They are not an army trying to cross the land, but rather a few individuals. They should be able to move much much faster than a full sized army. In addition, the game play challenge of agents should not be in getting them to their destination. That’s relevant for armies on a campaign but the game play of diplomats should be centered on negotiations with other factions. not spending two decades getting across the map.
2) Allow agents to move through units blocking their path. I can understand the potential tactical element in being able to block agents at chokepoints but the negative impact on the flow of the game play far outweigh this. All it general accomplishes is that you have to spend more time micro managing the agents to get around random obstacles.
Assassins
Personally I'd prefer to see assassins do better against other agents and worse against generals. Killing off merchants, spy’s and generally unwanted, undefended individuals should be heir specialty, not infiltrating a heavily defended camp or castle to kill the leader of an army. Currently the opposite seems to be the case. Assassins generally fair better against generals than against other agents.
Spies
Enemy spy’s that has been revealed on the map should be all but doomed. They are spies; their strength should be to avoid being seen. Once seen they should be easy pickings for other spies, assassins or even army units
Priests
I would LOVE to be able to denounce the priests of other religions if they are in my territory. After all a Muslim Imam IS a heretic in the eyes of the Catholic Church. The way I would prefer to have it work is that in a territory owned by a faction of your religion, priests of your religion can attempt to denounce priests of other religions in the same way you can denounce heretic units.
Inquisition
This is a point that’s been brought up a lot. I'd like to see the option to disallow inquisitorial trials in your territory at the cost a drop in your favor with the pope. For example, if the inquisitor shows up and wants to try to put your general on trial you'll have the option of a) Deny the trial. This would prevent the inquisitor from performing the trial but cost you a lot of favor with the pope, potentially leading to excommunication. b) Allow the trial, potentially loosing your general, possibly getting a small boost of pope favor for not getting in the way of the popes blood hounds. This would also have the side effect of kingdoms being excommunicated being able to simply tell the inquisition to buzz off.. Why would a faction that has already been excommunicated allow the popes inquisitors to burn them at the stake at will?
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