General Camera

[TinCow]

Thread sparked by this post:

This may not be as much a campaign thing as a battle thing, but I've played one-and-a-half campaigns now using the "General View" camera for everything but defending siege battles. (With limited minimap usage, too.)

The effect on both the difficulty and immersion is staggering! I love it.

It forces you to think about where and when to deploy on the campaign map, because a thick forest or view-blocking hill can spell your doom.

It forces you to use more appropriate historical medieval tactics, since initial troop positioning and grouping becomes far more important when the battle itself is going to be a fight to maintain situational awareness in the confusion.

It's just so much more realistic than the superhuman, hive-mind-like coordination of your army caused by the more traditional RTS birds-eye perspective of control.

That, and it's so fantastic to be marching your army through dense evening fog, towards the suspected enemy position, and see faint torchlight in the distance. Is it an unexpected farmstead, or the enemy vanguard? Only one way to find out...

How many people play with the General Camera battle view? I am very interested in anything that increases the difficulty, but I have always shied away from the General cam. I have this concern that it will be annoying and frustrating more than it will increase gameplay enjoyment. If anyone else plays with it or has tried it, please post your feelings.

[Odin]

I have played with it, its not an easy transition from the stock total war camera...

It is most definately harder, mainly because your line of view is only accessable through the generals position, he goes ofter a router and your main force is out of view, not only that but you cant really direct them to attack individual units (unless the order was already given) because your so far away.

Yes its harder, arguably more realistic too, but I found it tough to do myself. If you try it I reccommend you do your battles without a time limit, because if you dont stick with your army you'll spend a good portion of the clock repositioning forces for the battle (again, perhaps realistically...)

[Bijo]

When playing I mostly use the General Camera. There is a suggestion post I made in the wish list to allow some alternative control scheme. Maybe you're interested in supporting it.

Personally I enjoy using this camera and have no problem with imagination and being an "overseer", but, indeed, it's the controls that don't facilitate effective execution.

Therefore I usually position my army atop a hill (or on ground as high as possible) enabling me to actually click the proper spots (with minimal obstruction from units).

I of course use the 'Shift #' combinations a lot to mobilize the whole army into a setup.

For siege battles, if I start inside the settlement, I use the TW Camera. If I start outside the settlement I only defend and use the General Camera (but sometimes I go in depending on the situation).


Generally I would certainly recommend using this camera mode, for it can be highly enjoyable, removes the boring typical overhead view, and even increases difficulty. It just takes some familiarization. And of course it makes you more careful (-- I try to keep my commander's unit as close to the army as possible for effective command, while still fighting in battle... you can of course sometimes easily use the unit cards).

What makes it even better or more beautiful is when you use this camera setting and the minimized HUD. This is what I like a lot in it.

[Per Ole]

I don't like the General Camera view. The computer can see everything at once, so it would be quite sucky if you couldn't as well. However, if computers coud only see with general camera as well, and game mechanics were different, I would love it.

Say, you tell a unit to go through the forrest on the right, circle the enemy and attack. Normally the computer would respond, but if it had general camera, it wouldn't "see" the unit, cous of the trees, making tactics more useful.

Buttom line: As long as the computer can see everything everywhere and responds in less then a second, I don't like General camera. Love the idea though

[hoetje]

first thing i hear about it ^^

is it a mod or just an option in a vanilla version?

[Odin]

first thing i hear about it ^^

is it a mod or just an option in a vanilla version?

Its an option in vanilla, I believe there are 3 camera choices actually...

[Per Ole]

yeah, there's RTS camera, Total War Camera and General camera

[hoetje]

hmm... and do you change that in battle or in options of the game itself?

[Per Ole]

Main menu, Options, and Camera options

[hoetje]

thanks a lot mate ;)

[Rhedd]

I guess there's no reason to give my opinion.... sniff. ^_^

The one thing I'll add is that as Odin said, a routing general equals disaster. If your general routes, the battle is pretty much lost. That, of course, is a very good reason not to do things that make your general route. I've never really had a problem with it, myself.

I do as Bijo and place my general somewhere where he can see the battlefield (realistic), or even sometimes use him to lead a charge, which puts him in the center of the action.

The only time you'd really have to worry about a route is if the poor guy is way out by himself, unsupported, and if that's the case, you deserve to lose.

I guess it could be a way bigger problem if you fight battles with only captains, too, but I avoid that like the plague.

And remember, playing from the general's view means that your initial deployment and hotkey grouping becomes extremely important. You can't be making pretty formations once the game begins.

[RoadKill]

Like the others said, its really hard to manage everything, you'll start forgetting about where th other troops went, and then it gets really hard to control everything, and also the angle pisses me off.