Tactics & Strategies

Hello,

I will post here my idea about something that is lacking in MB, and that would be a great improvement for a sequel:

1)Strategy Plan before Battle:
Let's suppose here you're on the march with your kingdom's vassals, you're the marshal here, so you'll have the power of planning when going to battle, against a big joint of enemy armies. Instead of a simple screen with number informations about the armies and a 'head-set-go!' option to go to the senseless butchery, It will show up a screen of the battlefield map with options of placement and organization.

1-A)Merging Units by class:
Here you'll have the power of creating units, as many as your number of warlords that you'll attach to command the units (including yourself), with the option of creating units with desired classes for each one. Archer based units can shot arrow volley from the map (more or less like Civ5or4 dunno ), making casualties that you'll be dependent on the overall skill and accuracy of the archers(I'll explain on the next topic)
Here is an exemple of what I'm talking about:

1-B)Real Time Strategy:
What I suggest now, is that this battlefield map could be played in real time. Units that you're not commanding will engage, and it will require a better made autoresolve, and if the unit you're commanding or simply attached to engage an enemy one, then you'll be set to battle normally. Once in time, you'll fight normally, while a clock counts the time you're spending in battle, 'till one of the sides retreat, when that happens, all the spent time, will be spent on the planning map (again: it'll require a better autoresolve), with all the casualties, so, that will require you or the AI to be an real general, planning timing, preventing being flanked by reinforcing the flanks with troops from other units, ordering arrow volleys when the enemy is far and your troops safe from friendly fire, and so on.

2)Siege Plan:
Same situation, you're the marshal, you're sieging, castle map, and many units to organize. You'll have not only the option of creating units but, will be possible to set units to stand on certain parts of the castle, building siege equipment (rams, catapults, siege tower and ladders) that will take time to be build and usable, and they you'll have to be properly manned, for exemple, ladders will have to be carried by susceptible men, same thing for the siege towers, instead of siding it with shields on, they'll need to have free hands, and, if you want, you can place some shielded men to give them cover. Catapults could be used to spread plague or ignite stones to spread fire on their infrastructure and defensive structures. Rams, to breach the gates. If you leave an open spot on the siege, you could press them on battle till they're terrified enough to take this spot as an escape route ("Art of War", Sun Tzu), and if you want, trap them there (possibilities could be enormous). Raiding from multiple sides could be possible too, making your enemy have to divide to defend properly.

All the units, yours and the allies', will available to this organization, at the end of the battle, they'll back to their original armies.

For now, that's it, if I remeber something I'll write later.
My english is not perfect, so, any questions, feel free to ask, suggest, etc.

So a sort of Total War type setup pre battle?

You got the idea, but it would be far better than TW in some points.
But here it comes more like Civ5, with the archers' units shooting from the map interface.
But will not be possible to change the strategy while in battle, as some people can do in TW, sending your general into close combat and still commanding, even when he's dead (my idea is that, if you got knocked in battle, a big time will be spent in the battle map, without being capable of ordering while this penalty time is running), that's why Sun Tzu said that generals never would come to combat, but, of course, you'll be tottaly free to choose, like choosing an unit to be in when things are going well for your side, so that you don't lose the joy of the fighting .

I personally like the multi-sided siege

Ikaguia said:

I personally like the multi-sided siege

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This idea will demand a huge overhaul of the siege scenes.
But that's what MB series demand, a big overhaul on its whole engine. The devs should pay more attention and feedback on this vital part of the forum (sorry if I'm wrong devs, but you should show more presence here with posts).

Mais um brasileiro por aqui! Bom saber que o vasto contingente de BRs estão se mostrando presente aqui no forum, nao tantos quanto seria legal, mas, já é alguma coisa. Se você tiver alguma opinião a comentar, à vontade.
Ajeita o "brasila" no seu perfil. 

Siege ladders and offensive structures could be based on Engineering skill.  Multiple ladders, walls breached a la trebuchets.  Gates smashed by rams. 

Yeah, could be nice to see engineering levels unlocking new siege machinery and adding speed to their construction.

These are some really good ideas, but I think they should be optionable for people who want this kind of control. Not every player wants to use strategies and tactics to succeed, they just want to watch as the units clash and kill eachother. I personally like the siege idea, because having 600+ troops spawn in one location isn't quite realistic.

Cookie Muncher said:

These are some really good ideas, but I think they should be optionable for people who want this kind of control. Not every player wants to use strategies and tactics to succeed, they just want to watch as the units clash and kill eachother. I personally like the siege idea, because having 600+ troops spawn in one location isn't quite realistic.

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I agree with this.

I think your idea is the only simple way to introduce some tactic in M&B.
Still I don't think it's a perfect system as it is.

I think that using a map would be perfect for battle plans before the fight, but after that coming back to the "tactical-map mode" after every small clash would deeply compromise immersion and brake a single battle in too many small clashes.

The only alternative to that would be to have a much more powerful engine capable of handling huge battles in real time.

In the case of sieges, especially of huge cities, the system you suggest would work very well in my opinion.
Especially if you're not the army leader and you're just commanding a single part of the assault.

Anyway I would prefer to have a limited control over the battlefield after the beginning of the clash since I think in middle ages commanders did not have very efficient communication systems during battles. Probably they used flags, for sure horns and sometimes horse-riding messengers (at the risk of losing them to the enemy).

The fundamental point of all this is that none of this is even remotely possible without a much improved AI for troops and NPCs.

Imnotwhatiam said:

The only alternative to that would be to have a much more powerful engine capable of handling huge battles in real time.

The fundamental point of all this is that none of this is even remotely possible without a much improved AI for troops and NPCs.

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Those are imperative to the success of the idea!

Part of the idea is to have a battle for every flank of the army occuring at the same time.
Sorry if that wasn't explicited on the main post.