Momaw said:
Playability is more important than realism. But if you really want to talk realism, then realistically the guy that charges out onto the plains and tries to do battle with mounted archers 1-vs-1 while on foot would die, his men would be slaughtered or flee, and somebody else would take over his lands. Which sounds like a lot more scripting.
Actually, realistically, the guy that charges out onto the plains while looking an army of fast horselovers with bows dead-on tends to get ignored, stomped to death, and...Hmm. King awards lands to the nearest guy who hasn't stepped outside his castle for a decade.
Fortunately, your soldiers aren't smart enough to make their own decisions[or they'd all be chased down as they run in random circles], and you get to command them. Generally means 50 "STAND CLOSER"'s and a good bit of follow me this river so we can pwn them and their horses, too!
Or, in my case, several stand togethers, "Screw it, there's 60 freaking Nord Huscarls forming a shieldwall, let's go see how many I can down before they reach my shieldwall." The shieldwall rocks. It's like: *Line of shields* *Scattered group of enemies* *Some make it to the shield wall and manage to tag it, others die as they get hit by everyone in range.*
It's super effective!
TOTALLY OFF TOPIC. Truthfully, if somebody could script it, custom orders. "KNIGHTWALL" command might be your knights couching their lances, riding alongside each other in a wall, with 2 lines behind them.[Carnage!]
"PHALANX" could be where 2 smaller groups of people[or more] break off from the main one and attack from the sides and back, much like the Romans.[Who conquered the entire world using this technique xD]
SHIELDWALL could be a bunch of guys holding up tower shields while archers, smartly scripted to find higher ground behind the shieldwall or to arch their shots into the air..
But, you know, custom. It would make everyone's strategy unique. and what if lords had a few of their own? YEAH IMAGINE THAT! Battles decided by more than just stay together, advance and kill everything in your path![much like the Romans]