eritchie
Recruit
This is a suggestion to make field battles more interesting and historically accurate.
Currently Cavalry in the game is used in an illogical way by the AI, they charge it head on at the start of a battle and often completely waste what would be your most well trained and expensive units. Also the impact of a cavalry charge is less devastating than it would be against troops without the correct equipment to deal with it.
So my suggestion is two fold. First, the AI should hold back the cavalry until after its infantry have engaged (which they need to do much quicker, currently the infantry is getting trapped in loops of attack, retreat, attack, retreat). Then once the infantry is engaged the cavalry should either engage the player cavalry or if there is no cavalry should attempt a flank, then cycle charge.
Secondly, Cavalry charges should do much more damage to formations like archers and infantry in line formation, or from the rear/flank. This could be achieved through increasing charge damage and improving the physics of the collision. The only effective ways to deal with them would be either projectiles, other cavalry, or troops using spears in formation, (which are basically an unused aspect in the army at the moment). Spears could have their own formation group and be more or less essential to deal with enemy cavalry.
To make battles more varied. I would also increase the amount of cavalry that factions like Khuzait and Vlandia have to make them at least half cavalry if not more. This would make for a different battle experience, if you didn't bring spears for that vlandian heavy cav you would just get mown down like you would in real life. And for Khuzait you would need to shield wall until their horse archers run out of ammo or kill them with a lot of range. You could also decrease the amount of cavalry that Battania and Sturgia have to make these more infantry based factions, giving battania a special pike/ spear unit and improving the ability of Sturgia to deal with ranged and cavalry through the addition of a static shield wall formation that gave big protection from ranged and cavalry but was limited in melee combat.
Anyway just some thoughts!
Currently Cavalry in the game is used in an illogical way by the AI, they charge it head on at the start of a battle and often completely waste what would be your most well trained and expensive units. Also the impact of a cavalry charge is less devastating than it would be against troops without the correct equipment to deal with it.
So my suggestion is two fold. First, the AI should hold back the cavalry until after its infantry have engaged (which they need to do much quicker, currently the infantry is getting trapped in loops of attack, retreat, attack, retreat). Then once the infantry is engaged the cavalry should either engage the player cavalry or if there is no cavalry should attempt a flank, then cycle charge.
Secondly, Cavalry charges should do much more damage to formations like archers and infantry in line formation, or from the rear/flank. This could be achieved through increasing charge damage and improving the physics of the collision. The only effective ways to deal with them would be either projectiles, other cavalry, or troops using spears in formation, (which are basically an unused aspect in the army at the moment). Spears could have their own formation group and be more or less essential to deal with enemy cavalry.
To make battles more varied. I would also increase the amount of cavalry that factions like Khuzait and Vlandia have to make them at least half cavalry if not more. This would make for a different battle experience, if you didn't bring spears for that vlandian heavy cav you would just get mown down like you would in real life. And for Khuzait you would need to shield wall until their horse archers run out of ammo or kill them with a lot of range. You could also decrease the amount of cavalry that Battania and Sturgia have to make these more infantry based factions, giving battania a special pike/ spear unit and improving the ability of Sturgia to deal with ranged and cavalry through the addition of a static shield wall formation that gave big protection from ranged and cavalry but was limited in melee combat.
Anyway just some thoughts!
