Two questions - Battles and Merchants

**Stildawn** · March 16, 2008, 07:18 PM

Hello.

First question.

Ive been experimenting with this battle formation.

4 units of longbowmen placed in a square with stakes on all sides. Trying to build a small force (like 4 to 5 units) that can generally defend against anything... (might be impossible I know)

So far my results have varied. Against a full stack of experienced cavalry this square formation (with skirmish off and guard on) will own with a heroic victory (something like 800 kills for 10 or so deaths) Add some HI to the bad guys and you still win with quite a bit more deaths though. Now around a more balanced attacking force you start to lose a bit. Then I added one unit of HI to the longbowmen, that changed the odds again.

Any improvements??

Second Question

Is there a mod or something out there, that like auto manages your merchants? Cause it annoys me that I have to constantly keep track of whos alive/when the die/where they are and if they get taken out etc. It distracts me from the game lol.

**pwijnands** · March 17, 2008, 03:18 AM

There isn't a mod that automanages merchants and it most likely can't be made either. You will have to spend time in managing your agents, watching those messages that appear at the start of each turn can help. One of the messages will list the deaths/acquisitions of your merchants.

**Stildawn** · March 17, 2008, 07:07 PM

Yeah I know about the deaths messages etc. Lol just thought there might be a mod out there, it takes ages from my merchant city to the resource when the guy died lol.

Anyone have any thoughts on a small army thats the man in defence but nothing else. My reasoning behind my quest to make the ultimate defence small army, is so I can have these formations as boarder armies blocking key passes in mountains rivers etc. I want them to be able to hold out against invasion for long enough (at least win one battle) for my main armies to come to the rescue.

**Samir** · March 18, 2008, 05:57 AM

even a one peasant fort keeps the enemy blocked for at least 2 rounds if they do not have any siege engines with them

**Stildawn** · March 19, 2008, 12:11 AM

But they build them in the seige lol.

**Samir** · March 19, 2008, 04:04 AM

i meant if you put a single peasant unit into a fort, it still keeps the enemy blocked for at least a turn or two

**pwijnands** · March 19, 2008, 04:23 AM

And if the enemy doesn't have a lot of missile units you can do some serious damage. A handful of units of peasants with weapon upgrades all ganged up in the middle of the "town" square take a while to die.

**Stildawn** · March 19, 2008, 10:58 PM

Im talking about in the open, no fort. Cause I find that forts are useless, cause 1. they get seiged (which means you cant retreat) 2. You lose all your troops when you lose. 3. The AI builds rams etc which negates the bonus of having a fort. and 4. You troops are hampered by buildings.

A square formation means that every side is protected. Im tryin to design something that I can just set up (before battle starts) but on speed 6 and walk away to get some coffee or food lol and know that my formula will either win or lose causing great casulties in the enemy to make them retreat after the battle.

**Samir** · March 20, 2008, 04:12 AM

well why do you play a strategy game then?!

the tactic behind the peasant fort ist to buy time. that only works in bottlenecks though. 2 turns can give you time to produce almost a full stack in a citadel or in 2 neighboring citadels which can crush your opponent completly. A Peasant unit is a minor loss, if it traps the enemy in a damaged fort for your army. especially if it traps a superior enemy in a fort negating certain strengths like cavalry, horse archers, etc.

and to answer your question. there is no such thing as a single setup that can cope with everything without you paying attention. that only works with heavy cavalry some siege equipment and auto resolve...

while your longbow square would probably win against a stack of cavalry it would get eaten by a trebuchet, or an infantry army. especially without your input to the battle.

**Archus** · March 25, 2008, 11:27 AM

Put peasants on each of the four sides of your "open-air, person fort" this will hamper then enemy even more and give your Longbowmen nice, big targets.