Battle Changes

[realms18]

What does this mod do for battles? Does it tweak stats? Improve AI? Increase/Decrease Morale, Arty range, musket range, etc?

[alpaca]

For a decent list you'll have to wait for l33t or Tan to post as I'm more on the campaign side myself. I'll list some of the improvements off the top of my head, though:

- Artillery roundshot is much more accurate and as useful as it should be
- the AI usually stands doing a shooting battle with you (unfortunately at max range unless you move in) but it's still not perfect as it will still often commit its army piecemeal - nothing we can do about it though
- Experience thresholds are lower
- you can break the enemies' morale more easily
- light cav shouldn't be used to break an enemy anymore but it can be used against weak troops like cannons and so on, like it should be

[l33tl4m3r]

-- Firing drills have been redone; no longer do a majority of your units use platoon fire when you get it, fire and advance is gone.

-- There is now general misfire chance (12% matchlock, 10% flintlock, 6% for percussion cap.)

-- Cavalry can dismount.

-- Dragoons are now set as mounted infantry, not cavaly.

-- Charge has been upped on all units, but the duration has been dropped. You'll find units can now smash an enemy regiment and turn the tide but if the smashed unit is not finished off, it may just come back to make you regret it.

-- Tried to line morale with training levels (mob, poorly-trained, trained, well-trained, elite)

-- Adjusted units stats around the board; armed citizens are tougher, SF and Elite units are actually SF and elite now.

-- A lot of adjustments on things like; mortar auto-correct areas range, distances for 50% chance to hit on cannons and muskets.

-- Line infantry now more suited to meat-shielding the line with higher morale and proper firing drills.

There is more and you should see a lot of this discussed and talked about when the Combat Layer is finished for the Manual!

[GoodKnight]

Do units still lose experience when you replenish?
If so more or less then before?

[l33tl4m3r]

They still lose XP when replenished -- in vanilla replenishing would almost remove all XP bonuses, something I never liked.

In APE: TI the experience gains after a battle will be higher but you will keep more of it after replenishing!

[Kip]

They still lose XP when replenished -- in vanilla replenishing would almost remove all XP bonuses, something I never liked.

In APE: TI the experience gains after a battle will be higher but you will keep more of it after replenishing!

That's great. It always frustrated me that an elite unit would diminish in experience so drastically after replenishing. I mean sure, fresh recruits into a veteran regiment are still fresh, but their new comrades-in-arms would inevitably mentor the greenhorns and make them more battle-ready than an average fresh soldier.

[Indus_Valley]

They still lose XP when replenished -- in vanilla replenishing would almost remove all XP bonuses, something I never liked.

In APE: TI the experience gains after a battle will be higher but you will keep more of it after replenishing!

This is a really enjoyable part of the mod for me. I dont replenish at all now, choosing only to merge. When you merge 75 three-chevron line infantry with 60 two-chevron line infantry, you get 120 three-chevron line and ,(reaches for calculator) 15 two-chevron infantry. - as I'm sure you know.

I find careful merging more interesting than replenishing. You get incomplete regiments on the battle field, which is better than vanilla where it was easy to field 20 full regiments all the time.

[l33tl4m3r]

I've added my first portion of the Combat Layer to the manual.

Look for it, coming soon!

[alpaca]

This is a really enjoyable part of the mod for me. I dont replenish at all now, choosing only to merge. When you merge 75 three-chevron line infantry with 60 two-chevron line infantry, you get 120 three-chevron line and ,(reaches for calculator) 15 two-chevron infantry. - as I'm sure you know.

I find careful merging more interesting than replenishing. You get incomplete regiments on the battle field, which is better than vanilla where it was easy to field 20 full regiments all the time.

If you follow the house rule you'll get understrength regiments with replenishing, too.

Anyways, I think experience is handled on a per-soldier base so you no three-chevron guys are converted to two-chevron ones magically. The game simply displays the average experience.

And I think the soldiers that are removed when you merge a unit onto another are those with the least experience.

[Seraph07]

Why does Britain have the best Line Infantry?Also I think Austria and Russia should be reduced to 160 and given a stat bonus, the larger size is given the A.I pathfinding problems

[l33tl4m3r]

Why does Britain have the best Line Infantry?Also I think Austria and Russia should be reduced to 160 and given a stat bonus, the larger size is given the A.I pathfinding problems

What makes their line the best from your view?

France and Prussia also have high quality line -- France has the best melee line infantry, Prussia has the best reload and decent melee and morale.

The other factions all have infantry that varies, some better than others.

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What stats bonuses were you proposing for Austria and Russia?

[Seraph07]

Either Melee or morale, it's not a big difference. I would just think that Prussia's line Infantry would be a little bit better. As for Austria, maybe slighter better morale or melee, I wouldn't know where to even start about calculating how that would balance w/ the rest of the campaign. They tend to get beaten around alot though in some of my campaigns.
As an afterthought, I would wait and see what differences the new patch makes to pathfinding, that was the main reason I suggested smaller units.

As an idea further down the road, if it's at all possible, id like to see tech-traits scripted in more. Like your research would either go w/ a proffessional army with higher costs and maintenance, your economey was geared to agrarian pursuits more than industrial.

[l33tl4m3r]

Either Melee or morale, it's not a big difference. I would just think that Prussia's line Infantry would be a little bit better. As for Austria, maybe slighter better morale or melee, I wouldn't know where to even start about calculating how that would balance w/ the rest of the campaign. They tend to get beaten around alot though in some of my campaigns.
As an afterthought, I would wait and see what differences the new patch makes to pathfinding, that was the main reason I suggested smaller units.

As an idea further down the road, if it's at all possible, id like to see tech-traits scripted in more. Like your research would either go w/ a proffessional army with higher costs and maintenance, your economey was geared to agrarian pursuits more than industrial.

Well, Prussian line do reload faster -- while British soldiers have a slightly higher melee defense. As I was saying earlier, the French have the best melee units.

Most units, especially the clone units; at least have a bit of variation in their stats to give them some personality.

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I like the tech idea.