Improved AI for cavalry

[dochtorgajo]

Good day Id like to ask if there are already any mods or any effort on improving cavalry AI for sp.

What I mean is having cavalry being able to do at least basic things that make my guy on foot which could be easily overwhelmed by 5 mediorce enemies able to kill 40 without receiving a scratch. Simply said make them not to charge into masses of enemies but rather trying to pick lonely stragglers, not stopping when someone is behind them chopping into the air but getting out of it, trying to pick enemies unaware of them from behind.....and most importantly being able to hit something. (in compare to MB warband cavalry really lost ability to kill someone when riding by)

Or is it complete nonsence to wait for cavalry behaving better than infantry on something that takes 2 month to turn or gain speed in this game? 

 

[Captain_Octavius]

What I mean is having cavalry being able to do at least basic things that make my guy on foot which could be easily overwhelmed by 5 mediorce enemies able to kill 40 without receiving a scratch

I don't understand what you are saying in the bolded part above. The grammar seems strange to me.

 

[NJSQRL]

I think I get what you are saying here...

You want your cavalry to go after stragglers rather than dive head on into the meat of the battle right?

Well, get khergits? Their archers tend to stay to the fray rather than doing that.

The point of heavy cavalry was not to pick off straglers, you used light cav (like Khergit horse archers) for that sort of thing. Heavy cav was meant to charge into the enemy lines and force them to break formation which then made it easier on your infantry to slaughter them.

 

[_Malkuth_]

well real medieval combat started often with barrages of Arrows ( Archers / X-bow) while the Heavy Cavalery ( Swadian Knight, Vaeigir Knight, Mameluks) moved to the flanks to attack, while heavy infantry ( Huscarls, Sergeants ) advanced towards the enemy army ready to lure them away, when the enemy charged and clashed with the other infantry the Heavy Cavalery charged in from behind or the flanks which oftern caused mass routes, then there could be some light cavalery doing the mop up.

so,  this is the stratefy I use when fighting.  it works wonders

 

[dochtorgajo]

The problem is there are many things so alien to what you can do with real horse that the only usefull thing of being on a horse is speed i this game. Its very disapointing to see 40 horses charge 80 enemies and kill or disable 5 at the charge and also seeing stopped horses just standing  defencelessly in the middle of a fight and getting killed. So there really is no such a thing as heavy cavalry in this game in sence of how theyre used. There only is mounted heavy infantry or useless peasants on horses that cant run over a single man. I often dismount knights just because on foot theyre much more usefull and take lower casualties. Sending them somewhere on horses rather looks good than makes them any better.

It would be good as now generally more men and bigger levels make victories no matter which troops you use against which.

 

[SPD_Phoenix]

Cavalry charge in M&B often fail to make high impact because troops usually target the same closest enemy. That changes a line charge into a wedge. Then, cav get stuck behind each others trying to kill the same enemy. Charge fails to break through even a single line of archers.

It is better to lead the charge yourself. Have the heavy cav on follow order. Run them through the infantry. Then order charge. After a minute or two, regroup and charge again.

It is best to coordinate the cav charge with infantry. As said, let the infantry have the frontal charge. Take the cav to the flank or rear. I usually charge the cav frontal and through the enemy with my infantry follow behind. The enemy is disoriented and scattered by the charge and become easier target for the infantry. However, if the enemy also have heavy cav, then I would let my infantry engage enemy cav and my cav will charge the enemy infantry/archers.

 

[dochtorgajo]

Idea of having them folow me is interesting, maybe Im doing something wrong but it doesnt work. Best thing I can do with my cavalry is position them in line and order charge when enemy is few steps from them. Ive tryed anything but nothing had better results. Some thing Ive tryed:

Follow me- I charge through to get their attention and shields to me so my cavalry charge into their back. Result: Its complicated and no better than than simple charge.

Hold position somewhere behind enemy- I try it in line and then odrer charge when theyre close but no matter what I do they still do blob and get killed. Also they dont even hold line they herd together when approaching an enemy. Another option was to get them into square and order hold position behind enemy and then charge at some point- very effective against cavalry, suicide against infantry.

Charge withdraw charge etc.- impossible in this game.

Are there any other options I havent tryed yet?

Generally sending cavalry against infantry like vaegirs doesnt require anything I can kill 3x my numbers and loose nothing and it goes both ways- no tactics make them better when I use them.(not counting terrain) And then there are nords or rhodoks that are sometimes able to defeat knights in 1:1 ratio and once again there is nothing I can do to make it different. So all my battles against infantry strong enemies are same: I try to kill most of them myself as there is no way to do it otherwise without big loss and theyre too slow to catch me.

 

[SPD_Phoenix]

Best thing I can do with my cavalry is position them in line and order charge when enemy is few steps from them.

Similar to a charge through as idea is keeping them spread out and pick the closest target (also spread out a bit) so they do not run into each other. However, the charge through has the benefit of stunning or knocking down enemy because your cav is already in gallop speed.