How are you guys commanding large battles?

[Punkb101]

I would like to use some advanced tactics but I find it impossible. I can't micromanage each division, especially cavalry or HA since I have to watch them all the time. I wish I could give orders like the AI generals do (protect the left flank, skirmish etc).

Once I try using more than three divisions I tend to start mashing my control buttons to disastrous effects, such as hitting 'Charge' instead of 'fire at will' for my archers, or accidentally sending my infantry 50 km away because I slipped on my mouse hitting the F1 key. And as I madly try fixing things I'll see my horse archers have come to a stop and are engaging the enemy cavalry while standing still and my cavalry are sitting 30 feet from the enemy archers.

The three division model works with me getting the cav to follow and letting the HA follow their sergeants while commanding the foot soldiers from wherever I am, but I would like to try a bit fancier stuff.

So how do you guys do it?

1) Shield wall in the middle
2) archers on the left
3) Calvary F1 F2 follows me
4) Horse Archers Follow me
5) archers on the right

I bring the horsemen around to the right circling to rear.
Run thru the protecting Calvary ( my Calvary will usually pause and engage for a bit.
I then attempt to slow walk the horse archer to the rear. (they are way more accurate when they stop)
Once I have them peppered from three directions I charge the Calvary from the rear.
most route on contact from Calvary.
(beware Vlandian crossbow men will destroy your day in this )

hope this helps.

 

[Lord Bryggan]

Ok, these are all great tactics, and probably the best we can do with the commands we have now.

But I was dreaming of doing some more complicated tactics. Such as having light infantry (recruits and level 2) flank the enemy while they are engaged with the heavy infantry (easy xp for them), or splitting up the archers so they can get behind the enemy, etc etc.

I see now there is no simple way. In Warband I used these tactics to devastating effect, but that HUD map was a bit unrealistic. I guess I'll have to wait for Captain Mode mods before I get fancy.

 

[Apocal]

Ok, these are all great tactics, and probably the best we can do with the commands we have now.

But I was dreaming of doing some more complicated tactics. Such as having light infantry (recruits and level 2) flank the enemy while they are engaged with the heavy infantry (easy xp for them), or splitting up the archers so they can get behind the enemy, etc etc.

I see now there is no simple way. In Warband I used these tactics to devastating effect, but that HUD map was a bit unrealistic. I guess I'll have to wait for Captain Mode mods before I get fancy.

There is this mod. RTS Camera.

 

[CzeReptile]

I avoid large battles. Huge mess, weird behaviour, high losses for no reason. I just wait for them to duke it out and when its good numbers, I hop in and mop up

Mostly as I have been in few big ones, died and then two formations stood in front of each trying to figure out how to deal with ONE horse archer.

 

[AshDragon]

rts camera. Makes this game perfect for me

 

[Gelimer]

Well personally I barely use any infantry at all because i dont see the point of having any apart from sieges.

So my army is 50% crossbowmen and archers ( mostly crossbows because they are better at destroying the usual cavalry force the AI sends at the start of battles.

The rest is mostly cavalry, about 40% mix between horse archers and shock cavalry to circle around their battle formations , keeping far from archers that I only charge at the end with range support because otherwise they can kill many of your horsemen if you charge with only cav too early even though it also works, depends how many archers/xbows they have.

Then i use 10% heavy infantry that i hide and only use when necessary on the flanks or to protect my ranged troops a bit ( it is rare though cause crossbowmen can defend themselves well for the most part), it is mostly to defend archers against melee cav.

 

[TheCalradian]

When the battle plan is decided before you even know anything about the opposition, calling them "tactics" is a stretch.

The reason you command the battle is because of the massive difference in death tolls for the battles you oversee vs the ones you put to auto-resolve.

 

[King Yngvar]

F6 -delegate command to "sergeants" works very well for me on cavalry. Of both heavy and skirmish variety (horse archers including). managing archers and infantry is not very difficult then.

Typically I split my cavalry force in two and post one on each flank, then once enemy is close, I just tell both to F6. I have never experienced problems with that. Cavalry on F6 does what I expect it to do, tie down enemy cavalry and harass their archers. Meanwhile I engage enemy infantry with my infantry frontally and maneuver my archers to the enemy right flank where they can shoot in to their unshielded side.

Works well.

You don't need to split the cav in two before using f6, that command will automatically split cav in two.

 

[hruza]

You don't need to split the cav in two before using f6, that command will automatically split cav in two.

Didn't know that. Will try. Thanks Ynqvar.