Lethandis
Recruit
I think it would be really great to add a few changes to how one enters, and goes about controlling their units. One key thing that would be awesome would be the ability to organize your troops into specific units. This would allow you to command them individually and allow a more versatile "army" to be built, instead of having to largely focus on one tactic and combat style throughout the game. Another part would be more direct control of the reinforcements and reserve units. I'll explain as best I can, though it's late, so bear with me.
First, when one first enters a battle, the player should be able to select which units to bring onto the field. This way, they could bring infantry first, or leave their newer units they are training out of a tough fight. This could be done as a simple interface panel before the battle begins, allowing you to add or remove units from the marching order, and placing them into specific units. For example, Unit 1 could consist of your infantry skirmishers, 2 your cavalry, and 3 your archers, or however you choose to allot them. Also, you may set a reserve order, so that you know what to expect when reinforcements appear on the field.
Second, inside the actual battle, players could issue commands to their units as a whole just as they do now, or they could first press a key corresponding to one of their units, and issue a command exclusively to that unit. This would prevent dragging archers and infantry along behind a cavalry charge, and having valuable cavalry sitting on the hill with your archers while you pray nothing nicks you for your last 3 hp. As a side-note to this feature, I think it would be invaluable to be able to take less than the maximum troops. For example, if a large portion of your army is heavy cavalry with only a few skirmishers, and you find yourself entering combat against a whole pack of crossbowmen, you may opt to leave the cavalry out completely. They are a valuable asset, that takes a long time to train up to, and since the game loves to start AI archers on a hill, sometimes on a hill accross a stream, you would lose more than it'd be worth just getting to the hill, while your skirmishers' shields and ability to climb steeper grades could allow a more protected approach.
Third, I think a waypoint/goto feature would be useful, especially if you'd like a unit to withdraw from a fight. An illustration of this: You rode ahead of your force and softened the enemy cavalry and managed to get the infantry dispersed over a nice plain, so you call your cavalry to you, and they rush in to help drive the blow home. Enemy reinforcements approach, arriving from the high-ground with cavalry, it'd be nice to be able to get your cavalry out of the way of the rush without having go with them. You could simply hit the "way point one" key, which you set (perhaps by a ctrl+"way point one" key) earlier, sending your cavalry off to their hill-top ambush point, while you stay with your infantry to help absorb, distract, and hopefully deflect the oncoming cavalry rush.
Now, on to reinforcements and reserves. Just like the initial units you field, you should also be able to determine one or two "reserve" units, that can be called onto the field in the event you A) lose troops, or B) brought less than your maximum troops for an initial strategy, and were holding the others for the final push. One big aspect of this is letting the player reinforce when he wants, and not automatically spawning them from time to time. This can prove disastrous, as I have had reinforcements "arrive" spawning heavy cavalry in the middle of a pack of infantry. Cavalry at a dead stop is just that, dead. So, a player may want to wait to ensure the reinforce area is clear before calling on his reserves. An example of how this would play follows: Say you came into a battle against the black raiders, and knowing they were a devastating cavalry unit, you didn't want your infantry to get hammered initially, so you left the bulk of your army in reserve, and only brought a few light cavalry to hopefully outmaneuver them. The fight goes fairly well, however, the heavily armored troops are very resistant to damage, more so than their mounts. So, you end up with several angry metal balls on the ground with shields and reach weapons, not the happiest target for light cavalry. However, you planned for this when you left your army back, and your first reserve unit is all heavily armed and armored foot foot soldiers that will be able to press in and finish the job quick, you press your "reinforce" key, and join the victorious charge.
Finally, the addition of a mini-map in battles would be invaluable. This would allow you to remotely direct your soldiers withough having to hold their hand to get them somewhere. While it's true that, in midevil times, they didn't have satelite maps or radios, it's also important to point out that a commander did not have to walk to every point he wanted a unit with that unit, leave it there, and go on to the next.
First, when one first enters a battle, the player should be able to select which units to bring onto the field. This way, they could bring infantry first, or leave their newer units they are training out of a tough fight. This could be done as a simple interface panel before the battle begins, allowing you to add or remove units from the marching order, and placing them into specific units. For example, Unit 1 could consist of your infantry skirmishers, 2 your cavalry, and 3 your archers, or however you choose to allot them. Also, you may set a reserve order, so that you know what to expect when reinforcements appear on the field.
Second, inside the actual battle, players could issue commands to their units as a whole just as they do now, or they could first press a key corresponding to one of their units, and issue a command exclusively to that unit. This would prevent dragging archers and infantry along behind a cavalry charge, and having valuable cavalry sitting on the hill with your archers while you pray nothing nicks you for your last 3 hp. As a side-note to this feature, I think it would be invaluable to be able to take less than the maximum troops. For example, if a large portion of your army is heavy cavalry with only a few skirmishers, and you find yourself entering combat against a whole pack of crossbowmen, you may opt to leave the cavalry out completely. They are a valuable asset, that takes a long time to train up to, and since the game loves to start AI archers on a hill, sometimes on a hill accross a stream, you would lose more than it'd be worth just getting to the hill, while your skirmishers' shields and ability to climb steeper grades could allow a more protected approach.
Third, I think a waypoint/goto feature would be useful, especially if you'd like a unit to withdraw from a fight. An illustration of this: You rode ahead of your force and softened the enemy cavalry and managed to get the infantry dispersed over a nice plain, so you call your cavalry to you, and they rush in to help drive the blow home. Enemy reinforcements approach, arriving from the high-ground with cavalry, it'd be nice to be able to get your cavalry out of the way of the rush without having go with them. You could simply hit the "way point one" key, which you set (perhaps by a ctrl+"way point one" key) earlier, sending your cavalry off to their hill-top ambush point, while you stay with your infantry to help absorb, distract, and hopefully deflect the oncoming cavalry rush.
Now, on to reinforcements and reserves. Just like the initial units you field, you should also be able to determine one or two "reserve" units, that can be called onto the field in the event you A) lose troops, or B) brought less than your maximum troops for an initial strategy, and were holding the others for the final push. One big aspect of this is letting the player reinforce when he wants, and not automatically spawning them from time to time. This can prove disastrous, as I have had reinforcements "arrive" spawning heavy cavalry in the middle of a pack of infantry. Cavalry at a dead stop is just that, dead. So, a player may want to wait to ensure the reinforce area is clear before calling on his reserves. An example of how this would play follows: Say you came into a battle against the black raiders, and knowing they were a devastating cavalry unit, you didn't want your infantry to get hammered initially, so you left the bulk of your army in reserve, and only brought a few light cavalry to hopefully outmaneuver them. The fight goes fairly well, however, the heavily armored troops are very resistant to damage, more so than their mounts. So, you end up with several angry metal balls on the ground with shields and reach weapons, not the happiest target for light cavalry. However, you planned for this when you left your army back, and your first reserve unit is all heavily armed and armored foot foot soldiers that will be able to press in and finish the job quick, you press your "reinforce" key, and join the victorious charge.
Finally, the addition of a mini-map in battles would be invaluable. This would allow you to remotely direct your soldiers withough having to hold their hand to get them somewhere. While it's true that, in midevil times, they didn't have satelite maps or radios, it's also important to point out that a commander did not have to walk to every point he wanted a unit with that unit, leave it there, and go on to the next.