Carl's BugFixer (V1.1)

[Carl]

Halberd Militia are recruited from Militia Drill Square (level 4). Pike Militia are recruited from the Militia Barracks (level 5). How can a lower level unit be a replacement for one that is higher level?

Because (to my knowledge), NO ONE but HRE gets that. For everyone else it's either Halberds OR PIKES, NOT BOTH. (p.s. caps are for emphasis). HRE and France are the only armies that get pikes AND halberds. Everyone else gets one or the other. I haven't checked Poland and Hungary yet, but I know that for Papal States and Denmark that Halberds are their last tier unit. I suspect that Halberd Militia are the same place for Poland and Hungary although I'd have to check.

The fundamental problem is that with the 'fix', pikemen become untouchable from the front (literally, because the enemy is unable to close with them in the first place), but without the fix, pikemen are rubbish (because they ALWAYS allow the enemy to close with them). They are the unbalancing element ATM, not the halberds themselves.

Not really Dopp. If they fixed the switchover code so that only those who where in melee range pulled swords you'd get the exact same situation as now. Right now if someone gets into melee range all the nearby pikes turn toward's him and away from the front, yet the unit remains impenetrable from the front. If those that turn their pikes toward's him pulled swords out at this point as they should, (whilst the rest of the unit keep their pikes), then the only real change would be those that got through would do more damage before dying. They aren't performing much different to how they should Dopp.

Interestingly, I find that on huge unit sizes (Which is naturally my balance target), with their unit sizes upped to 60 halberdiers are devastating. They beat pikemen that are better quality even (Halberd Militia can take on Highland Pikemen, and occasionally even Scottish Heavy Pike Militia).

2 Problems here.

1. your doing 1v1, that means that means theirs no other unit protecting the flanks of the pikes. try 4v4 so that some pikes can only be engaged head on.

2. Your using default formations, in reality fixed pikes/spears have formations that are far too deep. My Pikes now deploy 4 ranks deep which means that you can't make the Halberd's formation any thinner, (if you try for wider, the center just disintegrates vs. anything and you get worse results, I checked). Thus under my BugFixer you won't see them getting in the flanks for you. I tried even on Huge and it didn't happen. Try controlling the Pikes and widening the formation till your only 4 ranks deep and try that against comp Halberds, or edit your EDU ranks numbers for Pikes.