Can other units receive an enhanced ai package like horse archers?

[PsychoThruster]

I'm very impressed by the horse archers ai in this mod, and I know there exists formation options for infantry as well but I've yet to see ai armies utilize a shield wall for instance. I was wondering if it was possible to create new divisions like "shield infantry" and give them an ai overhaul like horse archers that persevered their behavior throughout a battle. Right now it seems like if the advanced formations are even being used as soon as a charge order is issued they never attempt to reform and infantry lines dissolve into sporadic clusters chasing whatever enemy is closest. I've read there's an option to tick advanced formations on or off, but I can't find such a thing and I've always had the ability to personally employ them so assume the ai can too, just seldom does.

I'd love to see common infantry always try to hold on a shield wall. Two handed infantry attempt to flank and engage from the side while the shield wall holds. And shock calvary charge through enemy lines, reform then charge again. So when a player orders a charge the formation holds. Maybe it could be done by making the formation form around a randomly selected high level shield troop instead of the player, and the charge command is issued just to that unit with the remaining troops forming around it.

The unfinished mod tholobaria somehow managed to give every faction a unique battle doctrine that while imperfect and unfinished has great potential. A cavalry dominant faction for instance would line up it's knights in a single row ahead of it's infantry then slow march until it has just enough room to couch charge creating a beach in the enemy formation which the infantry behind would charge into.

Despite being over a decade late to the party, I really enjoy PoP I just hope there's a chance we can see some changes to the battle ai.

 

[Vetrogor]

Well I'm not impressed by horse archers AI. There are some mods with formations v5 by Motomotaru but they are ugly. Moto formations behaves like the hole organism but in reality it should be separete individuals. While they moving towards enemy they get a lot of missiles and their formations should weaken. You will not see this because he wanted them to move all with constant speed just for esthetic. Taleworlds created special operators for this when they worked on Viking Conquest. Moto's code is spagety and it is better to create new. Maybe their code was revolution in the past but today it is just old and outdated.

 

[PsychoThruster]

The horse archer ai is about as good as can be expected I think. It's an extremely difficult thing to counter, and that's what makes it both enjoyable and frustrating. When I engage an army with a large percentage of mounted archers they circle my units and fire into the formations, that's exactly what I would want and expect from a mounted archer. The problem is that infantry divisions and formations are too limited to provide much counter play. For example if I want to form a defensive shield wall to encircle my more vulnerable units I have to have 4 distinct shield bearing units each assigned to their own division and then manually place their shield wall formations to form a defensive perimeter, whereas if I had a defensive square option for a formation I could use a single division. The same sort of problem arises with foot archers, if I want to make a square covering every flank I need another four divisions and four unique archers to fill them.

Ideally I'd like to see a "formation" be something that encompasses all infantry. Where if I order a "defensive perimeter" the shield bearing units form up and hold the outermost rank, followed by pikemen bracing in the rank behind, and then a few meters back the archers form the innermost ranks and cover every angle of approach. Essentially an outer square of shields and pikes, and an inner square of ranged units.

There should also be offensive oriented formations that cover the entire infantry spectrum. Basically templates for the whole army which offer more tactical depth instead of always forming up infantry to my left and archers in front and then having to micromanage individual divisions.

I think something like infantry wide formations should be doable, especially with assigning special divisions to pikemen and also two handed infantry. I've seen other mods that have been able to make certain units be placed in specific divisions without player input (sayazn banner holders and drummers for example), and the rest is just making the existing formation options include the entire army, or selective divisions to accomplish the tactical intent of said formation, and finally making the ai lords prefer to utilize an organized army instead of ordering a charge and hoping for the best.

I think it could be possible to see two ai armies march their shield walls into each other, order two handed divisions formed on the right/left flank to advance and then charge the flanking division into the side/rear of the main shield wall, however after a certain amount of casualties on either side it's determined to pull back and reform.

I know the code can read army unit composition and attempt to act accordingly, I also know other mods like tholobaria can move the entire army and employ an army wide fighting doctrine. I think it should be possible to tie the two together to get really incredible and dynamic battles.