I've been reading Caesars Commentaries lately, and I think battles should go thusly:
Every army should have a setting for fortification. High fortification = lowest marching speed. Forced marching = no fortification. Armies should attack each other as before, but instead of getting right into the battle, a prep map should be generated, with about 10 square miles of detail, including random villages, rivers where appropriate, trees, and as detailed terrain information as you can get around with (there should be some improvement in the algorithm to include neat terrain features, but make them not stand out like a cancerous thumb like they did in RTW).
This mode should be a turned based prep for the real-time battle, which should represent the intricacies of military tactics. The 'defender' should be camped at whatever level he specified, or if he specified forced marching, he should be at an appropriate formation (and, taking inspiration from the Roman loss at Teutoburg forest, the formation should mainly depend on the generals experience). The Attacker would then have a few options. Any scouting would be done here, or for more complete information, he could send spies, which costs a great deal of money, and a chosen unit will lose one man. He could also position his forces around the camp/formation and attempt a surprise attack (assuming he hasn't been discovered). He could also put himself in a favorable position with the option to start building some miner defenses, like digging a trench or building a rampart. Or he could take up camp himself and hope to draw the enemy to him. So here you have the option for a field battle, or a very simple siege assault (with fortifications that must be climbed over, ditches that must be filled, and narrow openings, that sort of thing).
The defender, if the attacker has not chosen an assault, then has similar options. Small villages can also be taken and fortified, or important tactical points can be blocked off, forcing the enemy to attack, that sort of thing. It should be possible to save in this mode, mind you.
I think, though, that programming an AI that doesn't choke in the face of this system would be a monstrous undertaking, especially considering CA's previous track record.
In a perfect world, how would mechanics in Empire work for you?
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