Lots of questions

[Kaunitz]

Hi there!
I've got a couple of questions, especially about differnt morale factors. Maybe there are some pros around (Demokritos? )who can help me a little bit?
1. Concerning "training" in the "unit stats". It can be set to rabble/mob/poorly_trained/trained/well_trained/elite. Does anybody how the training-stat affects a unit? Okay, the formation is staggered when set on "mob", but apart from that, there seems to be no difference at all? So we could also limit this factor to mob/non-mob?

2. When does the "being charged in the flank"-morale factor apply? I don't see any pattern for that in the game. Very often, units are not attacked in the flank and still get this malus? How does the game decide whether a charge is flank/front? How are the flank/rear areas determined? This also applies for "encouraged: flanks secure": e.g. is a unit in column formation (deep) more likely to get flank support for it having a "larger" flank-zone? When formations are lost due to a charge, you almost always get this malus (on both sides). As there is no way of making your "formation" more stable, this is kind of stupid!

3. Concerning the casualties-morale factors (recent/extended/total). Does anybody know how they work in detail? My guess:

When you check a unit in the game you can differentiate the factors:
concerned: recent casualties (=recent)
concerned: casualties sustained in battle (=extended)
concerned: casualties sustained (=total)

I guess that only one of these factors is at work at any time, or perhaps the total casualties are cumulative with recent and extended. Recent seems to be a very very short amount of time (one or two seconds at most?). So, when there a lots of hits in short amount of time, you get "recent casualties" for some time (how long?), then the morale factor drops to "recent casualties". Do the values stand for absolute casualties or rather %? E.g. does a factor apply when a unit has suffered 15% of its strength casualties, or rather when it has lost 15 men? For total casualties, the value seem to represent %.

4. Concerning unit stats again: What does "Morale Shock" (False/True) mean?

5. Is there a hidden morale factor "encouraged: friendly units nearby"? It also applies when there is actually no other friendly unit on the battlefield! I guess it stands for the "base morale"-bonus?

6. How can I make a unit more resistant against musket (and other small arms) fire? I want to have that for my generals bosy guard (which I resized to 5 men)

7. Does "concerned: panic" apply when there are routing friendly units nearby?

8. What is the "blood bonus"-morale factor? Do you get a morale boost for having inflicted a certain amount of kills (in absolute numbers? in a certain amount of time?)? How long do you get this boost?

9. Is there a way to have "two rank" fire instead of "three rank" fire in late custom battles?

10. Having changed the speed of cavalry (in "battle entities"), I notice a graphic bug: Horses and their riders do not move synchronously when you look at them at some distance. The rider moves quicklier than the horse and is then set back on his horse. So the horse moves flawlessly whereas the rider is jerkily set back every second or so. Can I get rid of that?

11. I've made infantry formations denser. Sometimes it happens that when I order a unit to "halt", two or three guys suddenly plunge forwards a few steps. The line then has to close up to them, wasting precious time. Can I get rid of that?

12. I fear not, but can I make charging cavalry not to break into infantry-formations? Basically I want them to stop when they reach the formation. At the moment, they're charging "through" the formation, often running another 20 yards *g*. Reducing "charge distance" does not keep them from running though infantry formations.

Thank you very much in advance!

You can take a look at my "modding attempts": http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=346471 (including two small AARs) Though at the moment, I'm working on a different attempt at cavalry (making them good for breaking unsteady infantry by charging (not by inflicting real casualties) and for pursuit, but nothing more really), and I'm experimenting with different unit sizes (which is very important for the inf.-cav. balance).

[Kaunitz]

I noticed that "training" influence whether a unit can fire by rank or not. Apparently, "trained" units cannot fire by rank. I'll do further testing!

PS. Not sure anymore. Some of the units suddenly DO use 3 ranks fire.

[Kaunitz]

I can answer one question by myself:

Question 10:
Answer: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=348232

[zowrath]

I noticed that "training" influence whether a unit can fire by rank or not. Apparently, "trained" units cannot fire by rank. I'll do further testing!

PS. Not sure anymore. Some of the units suddenly DO use 3 ranks fire.

unit_class_to_unit_ability_junctions and/or unit_to_unit_abilities_junctions dictates which unit can use what ability. Training's got nothing to do with it.

On some occasions it may seem that a unit perfectly capable of doing a fire by rank does not do so. If you study the ranks carefully you'll probably see one or a couple of soldiers still reloading. Some times they are out of sync, so to say.

Last battle I had a unit of Walloons do the whole rank animation without them firing a single shot. At the third animation sequence they raised their guns but did not fire. On closer inspection, one of them was still in the process of reloading. As soon as he finished, they fired in the correct order again. There are a few other issues that can cause similar behavior as well.

[Alex---79]

Hi there!
1. Concerning "training" in the "unit stats". It can be set to rabble/mob/poorly_trained/trained/well_trained/elite. Does anybody how the training-stat affects a unit? Okay, the formation is staggered when set on "mob", but apart from that, there seems to be no difference at all? So we could also limit this factor to mob/non-mob?

It affects the uniformity of soldiers' motions, how they carries muskets etc. And may be something else.

[Kaunitz]

Hrm! That's interesting! So, if units have "fire by will", does this mean that the fire of a trained unit stays synchronous (muskets going off at the same time) longer than the fire of a less trained unit? That would be great!