Medieval Pinball...?

[Dark Lord's Heir]

In my Roman Empire campaign I recently conquered Rome but I began pulling back my weakened armies since Venice came barging in. However I placed a garrison at Rome that would be able to do well hold off Venice and at the same time I marched a very weakened army back towards Bari to heal up. But as I ended my turn, Venice attacked the weakened army heading towards Bari, sending it in retreat and another large Venetian army appeared and attacked it, and because of the stupidity of the retreat system in this game my army retreated back towards Rome where currently there were 2 large stacks near the city. One of them attacked the army and that sent me into a situation in which because my army was near Rome, it FORCED THE GARRISON AT ROME TO ''AID'' MY EXTREMELY WEAKENED ARMY. The Rome garrison was only fit for defense and would die on the open field. This caused me to lose the city because of one stupid army that got pinballed around.

So is there anyway to stop an army from coming to the aid of a smaller army? Or at least tweak the retreating system of armies on the campaign map?

[Ichon]

No... you should have had a ship nearby or evacuated the garrison with your weakened army. I don't see anything wrong with the current system. Overwhelming enemy forces chased you down and forced you to give battle. If perhaps every time you declined a battle you lost a few men then it would be more fair to keep retreating but that would be annoying when AI did it so. The current system works fine to me.

[Dark Lord's Heir]

No... you should have had a ship nearby or evacuated the garrison with your weakened army. I don't see anything wrong with the current system. Overwhelming enemy forces chased you down and forced you to give battle. If perhaps every time you declined a battle you lost a few men then it would be more fair to keep retreating but that would be annoying when AI did it so. The current system works fine to me.

Oh not retreating, might not have worded it right. But I was continually defeated so that weakened army became pretty tiny. Or maybe I misunderstood you? Its just that my armies sometimes retreat back into enemy lands after being defeated, and it annoys me.

[Byg]

Oh not retreating, might not have worded it right. But I was continually defeated so that weakened army became pretty tiny. Or maybe I misunderstood you? Its just that my armies sometimes retreat back into enemy lands after being defeated, and it annoys me.

The current system sounds even more reasonable then. Your men were routed, why would they be able to escape to where they wanted? They tend to run away from the direction of the army that defeated them don't they? I can't fault the system.

[Dark Lord's Heir]

The current system sounds even more reasonable then. Your men were routed, why would they be able to escape to where they wanted? They tend to run away from the direction of the army that defeated them don't they? I can't fault the system.

Culminated with the whole ''forcing your garrison to fight a larger army that attacked a nearby allied tiny army, and not having control of the garrison army'' is what makes it frustrating at times.

[Polydamas]

How many generals do you know of that pointed in a random direction and said, "Hey, that looks like a good place to run, let's retreat there." ?

You should be able to pick where you retreat your army.

[Kolaris8472]

What happens if you just Retreat the garrison army off the battle-map? I know it says it's fight to the death, but in my experience that isn't the case.

If I attack an army outside of a settlement and the garrison reinforces, I usually have to completely wipe it out in order to take the settlement unopposed.

[Forever Steadfast]

Just roleplay that the reinforcing army was coming to your rescue, as good comrades should.

[Dark Lord's Heir]

Just roleplay that the reinforcing army was coming to your rescue, as good comrades should.

Noooo I want to leave them to die! Especially when hordes of Italians are coming to get Rome. Plus that tiny army that forced the garrison to aid them had only like 30 units left ''Sure we'll come to your aid! Even though your pretty insignifcant and we have a high chance of losing the original capital of the Roman Empire, that we just took back, if we fight on an open field!'' lol

[k/t]

That's cause they disobeyed direct orders to let those guys die.

Just reload the game and move that army where the Venetians can't hit it.

[Forever Steadfast]

Hey man, they were thinking of Thermopylae, and the glorious deaths that came with it.

[Rahvin]

Have the reinforcements retreat. I had a similar situation after taking Granada (as Norway) in a crusade. A small allied army (English) was attacked outside the walls by 2 stacks of Moors on their way to recapture Granada. My reinforcements from Granada marched onto the field, watched my allies charge headlong into overwhelming odds, said a prayer for the dead, and walked away. The Granada army was untouched after the battle. The only time reinforcements MUST fight is when they come to the defence of a city under siege. In that fight there can be only victory or death.

[CobraStallone]

This caused me to lose the city because of one stupid army that got pinballed around.

So is there anyway to stop an army from coming to the aid of a smaller army?

You could block the path to the city with a fort and buy some time, it dosen't need to be well defended, just 1 unit can force the enemy to either lay siege to it and loose a couple of turns or sometimes they will go around it in a longer route.

[k/t]

That's true, but the main issue here is the fact that you can't tell the morons in the city to stand down and pretend they don't see their fellows getting murdered. If that can't be changed, then the retreat path becomes a problem.

Also, if you press the Withdraw button and you make an organized retreat, you still don't control where your guys go, even though you should be able to.

[Andytheplatypus]

That's true, but the main issue here is the fact that you can't tell the morons in the city to stand down and pretend they don't see their fellows getting murdered. If that can't be changed, then the retreat path becomes a problem.

Also, if you press the Withdraw button and you make an organized retreat, you still don't control where your guys go, even though you should be able to.

Exactly

[Thefallenhun]

I find the retreat system frustrating when your 200 man army, instead of retreating into the arms of your 1400 man heavy troop contingent, they run into the enemy.

[Gnostiko]

I find AI allies dastardly take advantage of this and try to lure my stacks into fighting their battles for them!

[Warmaster Tibs]

I find AI allies dastardly take advantage of this and try to lure my stacks into fighting their battles for them!

They do the same to me! Its always the French it seems..

[Ferdiad]

I find AI allies dastardly take advantage of this and try to lure my stacks into fighting their battles for them!

But I enjoy killing many armies for teh lulz.