Setting your spear.

[Piddyx]

I just had a thought. I don't know how possible it is, but here goes.

One of the advantages of pole-arms was that they gave the infintry some protection from being charged by cavalry. A formation fould set their spears by planting the butt of the spear into their ground. That way, if a charging horse was hit, it's momentum could be used against it.

In a related topic, it would be nice in you could order the troops into formations.

 

[GeraldDuval]

I agree about the formations.

The spear idea i think would be good, but inf vs. cav is already unbalanced as it is. I mean, how long does an armored knight last if he rides into a group of even lightly armored inf....they get chewed up in seconds.

I think its a balance issue rather than a realism issue.

 

[Gilglaurad]

Cavalry getting killed by infantry is an AI issue, at the moment - the AI just can't handle cavalry charges and run-by attacks, and does stupid things like rushing into the middle of a group alone.
Add a better AI (which will happen sooner or later, hopefully), and Infantry will have enough problems with Heavy Cavalry.

 

[Drapabee]

I like the idea for setting spears.

The AI cavalry seem devastating as long as the enemy aren't in a group, though. Five knights tear though ten dismounted enemies if they're spread out.

 

[Thucydides]

Formations would be ideal, but right now, I'd settle for a few simple additions to the order menu, ideally the following: "stick to ranged", "melee-specialists with me, archers stay back", and "cavalry escort [could be "escort the hero" or "stay with the ranged set"], don't run ahead and commit suicide, you moron". Something like that.

 

[Wanderer]

I agree about the formations.

The spear idea i think would be good, but inf vs. cav is already unbalanced as it is. I mean, how long does an armored knight last if he rides into a group of even lightly armored inf....they get chewed up in seconds.

I think its a balance issue rather than a realism issue.

I agree, but I think it needs to be explicit: AI Cavalry is weak to Infantry.

My lance is rediculously powerful as long as I simply nip at the edges. If my AI calvary would simply learn this, instead of trying to ram the infantry like it was a game of ten pin, we'd be all good...

... and would then need spear setting.

 

[nox]

Regardless of AI problems, this is a big oversight and it's really the entire reason for spears at all.

The spear is defense against being charged, and defense against horses. Right now the horse seems like a massive advantage because there's no infantry defense against it.

The way it -should- work, is that a charging horse that hits a spear should take set-spear damage if the spearman is holding the spear and aiming it the same way the couched lance works.

Hitting a set spear should damage the rider (or horse) as much or more than a charge. Hitting a set spear will -kill- you. Horses do NOT charge into the face of spears, not unless you are throwing them away.

 

[Worbah]

The AI should be worked on, because you'd have to kiss every last one of your Knights goodbye, since they always charge head on.

 

[nox]

The AI should be worked on, because you'd have to kiss every last one of your Knights goodbye, since they always charge head on.

yep, the ai needs help.

 

[Otto Von Lanstien]

The AI cavalry seem devastating as long as the enemy aren't in a group, though. Five knights tear though ten dismounted enemies if they're spread out.

...and thats exactly the way it should be. Even trained horses will stop and rear or panic if they meet a group of infantry who stand firm; meaning they can be butchered and dragged from their horses. Infantry who are dispersed should be, and areat a major disadvantage.

Examples to site are (antiquty I know) the cataphract charge against a roman leigon armed with only short swords and javelins (cataphracts being an offshoot of nomadic tactics that would become, through the sarmatians, the western/frankish knight) they were halted dead and pulled off their horses and butchered by the arguably inferior weapons for the situation.

On the other hand, use common sense. If you are standing in the open against a armoured horse, and you have say a pike; an experianced rider is unlikely to want to turn shish-kebab and will ride along side it rather than onto it... or if you've got a shield and axe - you are more likely to be concerned with blocking and getting out of it's way than getting a hit.

Just my two cents.

Yours

 

[Howzer]

I think the biggest AI improvement we need is in orders. You should be able to order mounted, ranged, and infantry units seperately. Next we need better AI tactics. Footmen need to bunch up, Cavalry need to attack enemy flanks, not groups. From these basics we can move on to more advanced things.
Although i don't think we really need formations. Formations were hard enough to do in real life with actual people who can think(atleast a bit) asking some computers to get together and stand in even a straight line is going to be a lot of work.

 

[Shellcaster]

I like the idea of set spears bringing a horse down (or at least causing massive damage). Even though I prefer to play as a mounted character, adding this would mean I'd have to think twice about charging footmen.

The other thing to consider is having footsloggers target the horse rather than the man. At the moment foes target me and horse damage seems to be pretty much accidental.

 

[Howzer]

I think setting spears should work for the 2 handed pikes/polearms. Rather than block, you set it and just point at the cavalryman. He runs into it and *schloop* instant swadian knight kabob.
Also I think the pikes could use a little more range, something to match(or compare to) the lances. Also I don't like how the awlpike has a swing function, although it isn't that bad. I'd like to see a halberd or some other forms of long polearms in the game too.

 

[tsuken]

I made a pikeman named Pikeman (original isn't it? ) Who is always on foot. It goes really well It's funny to stab those horses with. Or walking backwards while stabbing footmen

He also has a crossbow as secondary weapon. Which works very well too.

 

[Otto Von Lanstien]

hmmm - that reminds me of another point - walkig forwards should be faster than walking backwards.