Stronger Player - Turtle vs. Hare

[Askthepizzaguy]

How can i reorder units in stack?

It's simple really. Take the unit you want as your captain (if you dont have a general... if you have a general this is not something you can choose) and move it one space adjacent to your stack. This is now your lead unit in the new stack and the captain by default (unless you have a mounted unit... sometimes the computer chooses a captain for you as a mounted unit... I havent figured out why it doesnt happen every time).

This is advantageous if you've had lame captain units... peasants make bad captain's bodyguard units, but archers are by far the worst. Anything with a special ability (like knights who have formations, spear militia which have a formation, archers which have flaming ammo) means you can't use the rally troops function. Which is like having no captain at all.

If you have scouts (Denmark) they make great captains. they have no formation, they are light and mounted, and they can rally troops. Use them as your lead unit always. Except auto resolution battles where you want a lead unit of heavy infantry.

If not, go with infantry that can rally. Sometimes thats pathetic peasants... but if you have dismounted knights, and they have no special function, please by all means go with that. Or any mounted unit with no special function.

But like I said, if you have a general, this discussion is moot. Your general, no matter how bad he is, is always better than a captain due to the ability to rally, and his bodyguard unit is comprised of the toughest knights in the game.

A blundering idiot general (unless his morale penalty is for some reason negative 10) is always better than the most elite captain unit.

Next, select your toughest infantry. Hit shift (or control, I forget) and click on your toughest infantry unit and all the others of the same type will highlight. Now have them join your lone captain unit/general in the adjacent 'stack'.
Now select all your other mid level infantry, and do the same thing.
Now select all your light/bad infantry/achers, and do the same thing.
Now select all your mounted units, and do the same thing. This is how you practice effective stack management for auto resolutions.
Save the best for last. Your objective should be to burn infantry before you burn your elite cavalry, is it not?

Of course, if you're playing only on auto-resolve... why would you ever USE cavalry??? Cavalry are worthless, just like archers, on auto resolve. Elite infantry is always better. Pretend you're meeting in the middle of a bridge. That's how I imagine auto resolve battles. Which unit would you send in first? The best morale/stats infantry unit you have to force a rout. Archers and cavalry will run away.

If you can only auto-resolve... then simply use a full stack of armoured seargents/dismounted knights. Those are the best best best auto resolve unit. Have them under any general and you win the auto resolve battle.

Except in extreme tactical situations like... uh... hmm... hilltop/bridge battles.
And seiges where the enemy has exactly the same troops as you do.

Don't hold your breath waiting for that to ever happen, because that would be just plain stupid (for many strategic and tactical reasons) If you have that many good troops, you need them on the field. Worthless militia are all you need as garrisons. Use elite troops as relief forces and have them sit on bridges, hilltops, or hidden in forests for ambushing. Remember, against smart humans ambushes will never ever work!

A single worthless scouting unit always rides ahead of the main force when I play versus AI or human. I NEVER get ambushed. Sorry. I wish the computer would simply allow you to choose whether or not to spring your trap on a lone worthless unit, and just reroute you if you choose to ride through it. The only way you should be able to spring a trap is by clicking directly on it and occupying the space, thus revealing an army lying in wait.

But I digress... and this is only vaguely related to auto-resolution stack management and that's only mildly related to human versus human battes and that's only tangentially related to turtle versus hare. So it's a bit of a stretch to say I'm on topic here.


This line of questioning could be the basis for a new thread.