Party sizes

[Lancefighter]

So, im not sure particularly what for, but I have this sneaking suspicion that as you grow in levels, your enemies party size gets larger and larger. For instance, I currently, as a vassal under the Vaegir, have throughly trashed the Nords for all they are worth - Tihr keeps changing hands, but other than that, the nords only have 3 castles to their name...

Yet SOMEHOW, they still manage to roam around with 400 man armies.  most of them dont even have fiefs...

its not like those 400 men are even useful - i carry around maybe 300 (dont have the morale to support many more), and even only ever having 200 on the field, its usually childs play to walk all over 600+ people. Battles are long, and well, kinda boring, as what happens is I sit there and watch arrows/bolts/bullets go back and forth while either dead, or hiding behind my troops.

Also, I seem to have a minor problem - boyar vlan refuses to recruit more than 11 men, and sits in a castle all day (month) long whining about how few troops he has. Normally, this isnt a problem, except that im trying to wed his daughter, and he refuses to leave the place (and hold the feast), instead complaining that he needs more men. But he never recruits them (been like this at least for the last 2-3 weeks)

 

[Flandy]

As you level the game does get harder in that enemy party sizes yes.

As for the Boyar problem, I have the same issue in my game but it's King Harlaus, although I'm chipping away at Swadia so it makes no difference to me in my game   I'm not sure if it's a bug with B&S or a Native problem, either way I documented it in the bug reports so hopefully Xeno looks into it.

 

[Steffenximus]

Battles are long, and well, kinda boring, as what happens is I sit there and watch arrows/bolts/bullets go back and forth while either dead, or hiding behind my troops.

At that problem i can prescribe this - join the fight yourself. Be a field marshal, that's the whole point of this game, it allows you to join the battle with your troops, what you are describing is simply strategy games, there are a dozen a nickle.

I always enjoy every fight, even if i fight the same enemy. Why ? Because sometimes the AI pulls maneuvers out of nowhere, and I always compensate with movement of my own troops. Also, being in the first line is risky, you need to know what you're doing but it is very enjoyable. It is in our human nature to love challenges and to overcome them.

 

[Lancefighter]

well, yes, I am in the battle (man if it was a traditional rts at that point itd be more boring), but me as a person is not useful in the battle (see: increased party size as i level)... Sure, I could kill ten people, or I could lead a cav charge, or whatever... or I could do all of that while looking pretty standing on top of a hill near my troops. I just cant see what benefit there really is to my being in the middle of combat.


Also, you and I must be playing different games - the AI seems to have two strategies - all charge, or 'oh, lets have the archers form a giant line on the edge of the map. Oh yeah! Everyone else, charge!'.......

Back in NE it was more interesting >.>  you actually had the other lord make a wedge of cav or line up his infantry and archers someplace defensible and wait for me to go to them. I rather enjoyed NE battles... but now it just seems as if each battle is the same.

 

[Steffenximus]

well, yes, I am in the battle (man if it was a traditional rts at that point itd be more boring), but me as a person is not useful in the battle (see: increased party size as i level)... Sure, I could kill ten people, or I could lead a cav charge, or whatever... or I could do all of that while looking pretty standing on top of a hill near my troops. I just cant see what benefit there really is to my being in the middle of combat.


Also, you and I must be playing different games - the AI seems to have two strategies - all charge, or 'oh, lets have the archers form a giant line on the edge of the map. Oh yeah! Everyone else, charge!'.......

Back in NE it was more interesting >.>  you actually had the other lord make a wedge of cav or line up his infantry and archers someplace defensible and wait for me to go to them. I rather enjoyed NE battles... but now it just seems as if each battle is the same.

LOL at first statement. Well i don't kill only 10 troops per fight, more like 50-100, even more in sieges. So you could say I take down around 20% of the enemy myself, which is quite effective. Oh, and only rarely it happens that I go down in battle, usually at the end of the fight from overextending myself, which is understandable, when you start slicing enemies quickly you enter a frenzy. The benefit is that when you draw fire, your troops will live longer and you will lose a lot less, this is very important.

You're saying computer uses only charge ? Not always. Sometimes he decides to flank you, it happened to me several times, but I outmaneuvered him. However it sometimes surprises me by attacking from different directions.

If by NE you mean the old M&B Native Expansion, then I agree, that was an unique mod, really awesome.

 

[Lancefighter]

maybe im just so jaded to the strategy that i dont notice when they try to flank me :\ 

Yeah, native expansion really spoiled me in terms of what i expect out of warband...

also, the only time ive seen teh AI attack from different directions is that map where they have to cross the river on two bridges on opposite sides of the map

 

[Tumetsu]

I, too, haven't seen the enemy made any other "tactical" move in 1.151 than letting their archers waiting behind.
It's just plain stupid. Full charge every single time. Earlier it was custom that they camped forever but this is worse. After their cavalry is down I can just release my own heavy cavalry and watch they sweep the field. Their waiting archers usually shoot some five arrows before fleeing.

 

[mcnostril]

I have to agree.

I like the fact that they hang back sometimes, but they do so at the edge of the map (which is always a pain to play around) and they're so far away from the main force that they basically offer no support to their own troops. It's also always just archers, so once everyone else is dead, they're easy pickings unless you get really unlucky and by pure coincidence they happen to do this on the top of a hill.

I've seen a flank once, but that's because I was trying to be clever and split up my troops. Every other time, it's a beeline with cavalry while every one else plays catch-up and trickles down into the meat grinder. Especially bad in large battles with 600+ parties, where reinforcements just form a line that continually charges for 15 minutes into volleys of arrows and bullets.

There needs to be more formations other than just one really long line of stuff. I guess it depends on your battle size, but even at max default it's not uncommon to see these really really long lines of men that end up all over the place because the lines are so massive they spill all over the place (especially on uneven terrain). If at least the lines changed orientation depending on the enemy direction they would be much more useful (there's not much point in flanking maneuvers when most of your unit is lining up away from the enemy, and then charging single file).

I'm still having a good time crushing the AI (M&B sure knows how to make those deaths satisfying), but it is getting repetitive and the flaws just become so apparent the more you play.


Some way of implementing starting formations during battles would go a long way at least. Having the AI use the terrain would be even better although it doesn't seem all that possible since they appear to be oblivious to its features.