I HATE forest battles

[QuintusSertorius]

I'm growing to absolutely loathe moving my armies into forested areas, because I hate fighting battles in them. Nothing fills me with a greater sense of dread than when the deployment opens up and there's nothing but vast expanses of green.

It means another battle where I won't have a clue where the enemy are, and more importantly a lot of my own forces either. It also means my cavalry are guaranteed to either get lost, or vanish off doing their own thing.

This isn't a complaint about EB, indeed it isn't really specific to any mod, but since EB is what I'm playing right now, it's most relevant. I'm not keen on hills (especially because it makes zooming out difficult), but I absolutely hate forests.

Am I alone in this?

[Kubelwagen]

The Romans hated forests too. :laughing:

I hate fighting in them, but it certainly helps you realise just how hard it was to conquer the forested areas of the world...

[Korlon]

Hardly. I also hate them as well, but I see how it can be a bit realistic since generals would usually not be able to see what the heck's going on in the forest anyhow. You basically have to pan down to eye level to see anything.

I generally just do a "strategic retreat" if I see that I may have to fight on a forest map, which means I may have to do this sort of thing a ton when fighting the Gallic tribes. Sometimes, there are small empty spaces that exist on these forest maps. Even though the terrain is a bit sloped with me being on the lower side, I may just go there if the enemy's attacking me, even with the disadvantage. At least it means my cavalry charges to the rear will be working wonderfully.

[QuintusSertorius]

Hardly. I also hate them as well, but I see how it can be a bit realistic since generals would usually not be able to see what the heck's going on in the forest anyhow. You basically have to pan down to eye level to see anything.

Absolutely. I'm not decrying them for being unrealistic or anything, they're just something I don't like.

I imagine real generals hated them too. Perfect territory for your tribunes to get ambushed delivering messages to your commanders.

I generally just do a "strategic retreat" if I see that I may have to fight on a forest map, which means I may have to do this sort of thing a ton when fighting the Gallic tribes. Sometimes, there are small empty spaces that exist on these forest maps. Even though the terrain is a bit sloped with me being on the lower side, I may just go there if the enemy's attacking me, even with the disadvantage. At least it means my cavalry charges to the rear will be working wonderfully.

I always set up in the empty spaces (if there are any) to then march in if I have to. I find even setting up difficult when I can't see where any unit is to then line up the staggered line ahead up against them.

Fortunately Roman forces don't have many spearmen, so you're not getting penalties in woods, but my slingers are nerfed. Too many trunks in the way.

[Papal_Knight]

i play another excellent game, called Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin (www.battlefront.com) and it has toggle for all terrain features (sequentially), that allows you to toggle on and off, various terrain features. Apropos of this topic, you have 4 degrees of tree toggle-ability (awesome word, eh? ), from no trees (barren) to light to dense.

wish this game had that!

[Erwin Rommel]

I LOVE FOREST BATTLES mwuhahahahahahah

come now romans.....where just here squatting on the tall grass

but srsly......micromanagement is difficult but it forces you to see down level all those really good skins and army

[Dominatrixx]

Forests rox

[Tacticalwithdrawal]

Forest are a cause of extreme pain, but at least it evens up the battle for the AI. Actually, try running a normal (non-forest) battle zoomed right in and with the camera locked onto the general, it's almost as bad but much more realistic.

For me, I form up the troops, group them and then move the groups around in their locked formations - which is probably what the real generals would try to do.

and yes, where do the bloody cavalry bog off to in a forest battle?

[Smeel]

The Sweboz can thank their lucky star that they live in a forest. They will most probably live through my romani campaign.


I hate forests too.

[eggthief]

The Sweboz can thank their lucky star that they live in a forest. They will most probably live through my romani campaign.
I hate forests too.

it doesn't matter which faction u or the AI is, forests are always a pain. I played as the Sweboz in 0.81 and I got my ass kicked in a forest battle cause the AI outnumbered me and I couldn't see them well.

[johnhughthom]

I play general cam, I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear I avoid forests like the plague.
I would have to say the ultimate test of any EB general would be VH hard battle difficulty with general cam and a faction with foot generals in a forest battle with odds of at least 2-1 against.

[QuintusSertorius]

I still haven't got the hang of groups and locked formations in all these years of playing. I sometimes group my cavalry together if I'm using them as one unit, but that's usually it.

What really annoys me more than anything is when sometimes I click to move everyone (when they're static) and then press space to see their destinations, and they've inexplicably gone haywire all over the place. Or equally bad it's reduced my careful formation into a single line.

[mcantu]

I still haven't got the hang of groups and locked formations in all these years of playing. I sometimes group my cavalry together if I'm using them as one unit, but that's usually it.

What really annoys me more than anything is when sometimes I click to move everyone (when they're static) and then press space to see their destinations, and they've inexplicably gone haywire all over the place. Or equally bad it's reduced my careful formation into a single line.

shift-right click to have them march in the formation they were in when you grouped them...

[QuintusSertorius]

shift-right click to have them march in the formation they were in when you grouped them...

Does that only work with groups, or is it a general function?

[ThePianist]

you can select the whole stack without grouping and do Alt-click. If you then press Space you'll see the little arrows on the ground and it'd be the formation you started with.

[Visarion]

yeah me too but I love what tone did for RSII with the environment! EB team members should take example from him...

[Ummagumma]

I quite like forest battles. But I usually play with a strong heavy infantry element, so they are in their element. It's always fun defeating Phalanx - based armies on home their home turf with a fraction of their numbers. You take less, or no, missile casualties too, which is always a bonus.

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

It depends on the density of the forest, some of the are dense to the point of inhibiting game play -- you can see anything -- the AI is confused and stands still and lets you surround it -- it's just boring and hard on the eyes.

[ThePianist]

I like forest battles when the AI has got archers or even better, if it's an entirely mounted AI army, like a horde of mounted archers, then I love forest battles. Though I have yet to fight a horde on a forest map.

[Dracula]

The big forests look absolutely gorgeous. But I started to hate them because of the battles. They could arrange it to fight on a field in front of the forest,surrounded by trees everywhere,then everything will be OK. You still will have the scenery and won't loose sight of the soldiers. But naahh.