Suicide Generals and defenders attacking...

I just finished the last battle on the Italy campaign on H/H. I was utterly dissapointed that the enemy General charged my left flank and was dead within 1 minute of the battle starting.

Also they were the defenders and had their defensive spiked logs set up and cannons in redoubts. The infantry left their defensive positions and made a deadly Pickets Charge to the middle of my lines where they were thrashed by shrapnel shot. Both of their cannons were positioned outside of range of my main lines and could not move into position.

In the end, I only lost 450 or so men to their 2200.

I hope all major battles don't go this way!

No, they don't all go like that. I haven't seen many charges at all. I've had about 2 or 3 in my previous campaign, in my current I had 1, and that was when the French were losing and a bunch of militia just rushed into my lines...(created alebit of havoc might I add). No, they aren't all like that.

Unfortunately, I have observed a lot what the OP described. The defending BAI leaving good defensive positions and advancing upon my units as if it was the attacking army.

Also, the "suicidal daimyo" is still part of the TW series. It's been ten years and ten major releases in the TW series and CA's BAI still sometimes throws away the lives of its generals by treating them as understrength heavy cavalry units. Granted each new release of the TW series has seen less and less of the "suicidal daimyo," but it's still present in NTW. In my Italian campaign, a Piedmontese general entered as a reinforcement and the BAI immediately marched it across the map and charged it straight into my lines where it was promptly destroyed.

Also speaking of the BAI, I am very pleased that NTW reintroduced the abiltity for the BAI to perform tactical retreats which had last been seen in MTW. However, the NTW BAI rarely uses them even when facing hopeless odds so it ends up taking unnecessary heavy losses. I wish the BAI had a broader "discretion is the better part of valor" threshold when making the decision on whether to make a tactical retreat.

I've noticed the extremely daring generals in all of my battles, though. They seem to run around alot - presumably the AI is trying to use its influence on one unit, then as soon as it gets there decides it should be using it on another somewhere else, etc - and then decide to charge headlong into a waiting line. I wonder if the AI cannot distinguish that they are a general, and treats them as normal cavalry?

It definitely distinguishes. The general will charge a weak enemy, and they do run around a lot to use influence. I've noticed them constantly monitoring the line that way.

Originally Posted by Roslolian

It definitely distinguishes. The general will charge a weak enemy, and they do run around a lot to use influence. I've noticed them constantly monitoring the line that way.

Well in that case, there should be a line of code that says 'if general, do not charge.' Besides the few historical circumstances when a general himself would fight in this era, it is a huge disadvantage to the AI in terms of morale loss when the general spots a weakened unit down the far side of the line, and promptly charges across it getting shot by every one of my units until he drops off his horse or runs away.

Originally Posted by DisposableHero

Well in that case, there should be a line of code that says 'if general, do not charge.'

Totally agree. How hard is this?? They've had this problem since RTW, now it's excarbated by the fact that in ETW and NTW Generals are terrible fighters.

The ONLY battle that I have been in thus far that the enemy general did not either charge or stray out to the side where he was easily picked off by a cav unit was the Battle of Lodi, and its scripted for the Austrian General to flee. Then again, I've had artillery and/or light infantry in every battle too. I have hope that this will be patched out.

Originally Posted by Rotaugen2009

The ONLY battle that I have been in thus far that the enemy general did not either charge or stray out to the side where he was easily picked off by a cav unit was the Battle of Lodi, and its scripted for the Austrian General to flee. Then again, I've had artillery and/or light infantry in every battle too. I have hope that this will be patched out.

Any official word from CA if and what they will be patching with this game. IMO this is public enemy #1

Did you have the advantage in artillery?

Originally Posted by the_mango55

Did you have the advantage in artillery?

Yes, of course Je Suis Napoleon!

I understand that you have to get the artillery out of there, but they could have done a number of things like a 2 pronged attack on the flanks. Not the Picket death charge into 4 regiment of cannon. on top of that, their artillery was entrenched and out of range of my lines so that killed them too.

I think sometimes the AI will use its heneral like calvary. I can understand them attacking late in a battle to give a last push, but no way should their general be undefended by my lines attacking out infront of its main force.

That behavior has to be patched up if its a normal occurrence.

I have never seen the enemy general charge.

Originally Posted by Thoragoros

I have never seen the enemy general charge.

Well I saw it in RTW, M2TW, ETW very often and I am sure I will also see this soon enough in NTW. It is the "I-am-tired-of-living" generals syndrom which we can sometimes see in TW games...

Originally Posted by Thoragoros

I have never seen the enemy general charge.

Me neither. They tend to be hesitant to attack.

Originally Posted by M2TWRocks

Me neither. They tend to be hesitant to attack.

This is what I find so interesting. Some people don't see the suicidal generals, or its rare. I had it in my first custom battle. There has to be a trigger, like artillery and where it hits.

Originally Posted by Rotaugen2009

This is what I find so interesting. Some people don't see the suicidal generals, or its rare. I had it in my first custom battle. There has to be a trigger, like artillery and where it hits.

Or light infantry on the wings. Something makes the General do it, they need to test this. I don't buy that its not happening to everyone though. If you have played a decent sized battle its happened, but you may have been focusing on a different part of the battle field.

It happened when the guy was streaming his live video as well. Hundreds if not thousands saw Nappy charge. The guy did have 4 units of cannon.

Originally Posted by irish437

Or light infantry on the wings. Something makes the General do it, they need to test this. I don't buy that its not happening to everyone though. If you have played a decent sized battle its happened, but you may have been focusing on a different part of the battle field.

It happened when the guy was streaming his live video as well. Hundreds if not thousands saw Nappy charge. The guy did have 4 units of cannon.

Hey, Nappy was known for his brave charges! Remember that painting of him on the rearing white horse? He must have been quite the horseman.

From what I've read, he was a horrible rider. I think the odds of him leading a cavalry charge are slightly less than the odds Megan Fox will find me and beg to become my mistress.

Originally Posted by Thoragoros

I have never seen the enemy general charge.

Oh man...

OK, I am now convinced that Empire's AI is better than NTW.

1777 I am playing as France and Austria comes and moves an Army into Rhineland which I control. So I go attack the Austrians. The Battle Opens with Austria on the High Ground. Its a relatively steep hill with a house on the top and hedges throughout.

1st thing the Austrians do is move their entire army out of range of my cannons and set up their cannons so they could reach my army due to the elevation. I had no choice but to advance. There was a rocky cliff on the left so I moved my calvary to the far right flank in hopes of taking out the cannons as my infantry advanced up the incline. As soon as I got my calvary up the hill, the Austrian infantry formed 2 squares between the calvary and the cannon. So I called off the charge only to get shredded by a few units of Puckle Guns that were stationed by the house with a couple lines of infantry support.

My 10 units of infantry rushed up the hill weathering the shrapnel and eventually got the upperhand. I was moving my artillery up the hill behind the infantry and the AI swept around with a few units of calvary and got them before I could break off a couple units of infantry to come to their aid.

I outnumbered the Austrians but actually suffered more casualties. I lost 700 men and horse to their 600 when all was said and done. I left my Army in shambles and now I see 1 1/2 stack of Bavarian Elites coming to join their Austrian Ally.

No suicide General, no picketts charge. Sure they could have done a few more things right and a human would have probably defeated me given the start positions. But overall much better than what I saw from the NTW BAI.

I have, but its usually something like when they're trying to pick off one of my weaker or exposed units. They generally DON'T do it when they have any other kind of cavalry units with them.