Autocalculation

[Space Voyager]

I started this thread because I hate autocalculation. Not that I wouldn't use it, I just hate its results. Sometimes it looses when I'm sure I should have won and sometimes it gives you far better results than it should - mainly in sieges. Naturally it is still useful for the time saved in less important battles (although sometimes it feels like cheating with sieges).

This is why I've been thinking about what to do with it, meaning how to make it more realistic (game-wise). I hoped something like this would happen in M2TW already but it didn't. My idea is pretty simple really. Autocalculation shouldn't autocalculate. It should play the battle. Weird? Maybe, but computers today are good enough for it, even mine...

Just imagine a battle being played out by two AIs with NO GRAPHICS involved. At maximum computing speed. Everything is being calculated as it would be in "real" battle but there are no actual models being drawn, no animations graphically loaded etc.. All just calculated. I think such a battle would be played-out very fast, fast enough to be worth the wait and get "real" results. Definitely a much more game-realistic battle than using any kind of more or less complicated formula. One more (IMO very) significant result would be that you could be able to get a replay should you wonder why the result was such-and-such, why your king is dead and the likes.

Just an example; you can instantly (not waiting to build siege equipment) attack a city with huge walls with an army that has one ballista. If you play the battle yourself you won't even breach the walls. If you autocalculate you can win without a problem if the rest of your army is strong enough.

Ok, so this equation can be corrected; you insert an "if sentence" and you have corrected THIS example. Than the next one arrives. And the next one... Unless the battle is actually played out you will never get it right.

In my opinion this could be done in M2TW without much problem if the AI was good enough. I'm reffering to sieges mostly. For Empire CA promised far better AI and the computers Empire aims for will be even better. Since the battles are already being played out by the AIs (reinforcements, multiple sides, group AI) the implementation of such autocalc battles would need hardly any work at all - considering the size of the whole project. And add A LOT to the game.

Disclaimer: I posted this topic in off. forums as well but this seems to be much more thought-oriented community. So please don't attack me for thread "duplication".

[Space Voyager]

:hmmm: What, nobody else uses AC?

It may not be the most important part of the game but once your empire grows its significance rises because of all the battles in one turn. I would just die (of old age) if I had to play them all so I thought people would find this a more important issue...

[lord_IRNBRU]

yeah i do agree with u for example say one of my mtw2 patrols sights a general ia attack with 4 units of horse archers i do this alot icall them hit squads i know to much time. anyway cause i have alot of these we battles if i command i lose no mn cause the heavy cvalry cant get me so peper them till he is dead. however same battle and i ac surprise surprise i lose with 154 casulties.

so i agree with u that the ac shoud be based on what units u use and even past sucesses as it judges the human commander not some character.