Random dessertion

**Rusty Hammer** · May 31, 2007, 10:48 AM

I am heading towards the crusading target via ships, but I continue to lose troops each turn. For one turn I was defeated in a naval battle and was forced away from the target, but the following 3 turns I was making good progress, but continuing to lose troops

**Xeno_cws** · May 31, 2007, 05:01 PM

Its a bug I believe because the same happened to me when I decided to make a quick unload, recruit mercs, load run in north africa. Next turn no matter what I did I lost men, lots of men (one or two full units per term). By the time I got to Cairo I only 300-400 men out of a 2 thousand man army ><

Might be interesting if you could make it so that whenever some unit (or a group of 50 or more men) dessert a rebel army is spawned. Though for the sake of scripting sanity it could just be a random unit. Each turn some of your army leaves another unit of rebels is on the board.

**ReichMaster420** · June 01, 2007, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by Xeno_cws

Its a bug I believe because the same happened to me when I decided to make a quick unload, recruit mercs, load run in north

the problem might be with added/recruited troops into the jihad/crusade too quickly

say you have 8 units, form a crusade, then add 2 addtional units and launch for sea , the 2 additional units wont be part of the crusade which messes things up

you have to wait a turn for addtitional troops to merge with the holy army on land before sailing seas or theres desertion

i bring priests, spies, diplomats on my crusades too

i also used to have this problem, until i realized the above

hopefully it helps some

**Ivniciix** · May 31, 2007, 06:35 PM

Question-Did you have any preists or spies in your army? I've seen that cause desertions when transporting via ship.

**Xeno_cws** · May 31, 2007, 08:02 PM

I didn't, too much bother.

**Irishmafia2020** · May 31, 2007, 08:26 PM

It would be more realistic if units could not desert at sea... Do they just swim to the nearest Island when deserting? Its probably not moddable, but If a crusader army is on land or in garrison, I could see desertation taking a major toll, but at sea it shouln't happen unless boats are deserting as well...

**Valantine** · May 31, 2007, 09:00 PM

I simply presume that men deserting at sea is actually them dying of scurvy and other such diseases that were prevailant on long voyages

**AMMsterz** · June 01, 2007, 10:01 AM

Nice one, Valantine!!!

I'd buy that though on second thought...

**Glade** · June 06, 2007, 04:48 PM

Priests make your men desert faster? That makes little to no sense whatsoever.

**Valantine** · June 07, 2007, 06:35 PM

Having any agents in a crusading army makes them desert faster because, i believe, they cant move as far. The crusade system seems like a secon thought with regards to how it is implemented and worked out, the desertion figures are far far far too high!

**Umbrisse** · June 08, 2007, 08:54 AM

Rusty, I really don't see what the problem is here.

Who the hell would have a problem with random dessertion? Unless you're trying to lose weight or something, but man I'd take random desserts anytime. Although, I can understand that if I were defeated in a naval battle, I would probably want to dessert as well... mmm chocolate =D

**Phil Stanbridge** · June 08, 2007, 11:31 AM

i'm experiencing more problems with this.

I had two crusading armies completely obliterated by random desertion - I lost the entire army but for the two generals leading them. I joined the crusade within a couple of turns, and had more or less a full stack join in one turn. Both armies had priests/cardinals and spies.

I've just joined another crusade, and joined it much later on - probably a few turns off the expiry - with another full stack. I haven't lost a single man. This army had no priests/cardinals or spies! I sailed all the way from England to Cairo, and won the crusade.

**Umbrisse** · June 08, 2007, 12:33 PM

As far as I can tell, military units can become part of the crusade/jihad, but agents can never become part of it (you'll never see a spy with the cross or the symbol for jihad on his/her unit card).

This is probably hard-coded. Just send agents along separately, usually after you siege the place for a few turns, the agents can catch up (the army will travel much faster than the agents, especially if you have no siege equipment tagging along).