Using the crusades disbanding system...

[RaduAlexandru]

I looked very hard at the fundamentals of the game as compared to reality and then I looked at all the mods that make this game more realistic and tackle various aspects in depth - such as DLV and SS (and I am a great fan of SS6.4 with BGR IV).

I realized that despite all the fabulous and I would say almost unbelievable work done to enhance this game all the mods are confronted with a number of fundamental problems which prevent all of them from making the game "more realistic".

Rising above all other issues is the fact that units once recruited don't disband automatically - which means there is no hope of simulating the actual medieval system of war where standing professional armies were nonexistent with the exception of some military orders and some royal household units. This in turn made war (and conquest) in medieval times a seasonal affair - campaigns as we all know were fought with the same units for no more than 2-3 years in extreme situations (again with very minor exceptions) and then invariably the campaign ended until fresh troops could be raised. Or more frequently campaigns were fought for a couple of months in a year after which the troops returned home and the fighting started again the next year. But one constant remained - medieval rulers were unable to conquer an enemy state unless they got a decisive victory very fast.

And this can't be depicted in the game by no mod until now because once units are recruited ... they remain recruited.

Enough said about the problem - in fact we all know it all too well.

Here's what I thought about - Crusades and Jihads do have a system which disbands units .. and I saw that some mods implemented a feature which automatically disbands cursader units some 2 years after the crusade ended.
So the system actually already exists - and it is exactly what we could use to simulate medieval armies and campaigning.

But that can only be possible if this feature of automatically disbanding units could be extended to most of the units in the game so that after a number of turns passed since they were recruited these units would automatically disband.

So here's my question: what are the mechanics behind automatic disbandment of units and could we extend this feature to any unit we like?

[TNZ]

RaduAlexandru: Automatically disbanding units no, but you can do this:

[Tutorial] The use of destroy_units in the campaign script by Rozanov

[RubiconDecision]

no longer interested in participating

[TNZ]

RaduAlexandru: I think the best thing you could do would be to discharge the peasant and militia units at the onset of winter. But for the AI's benefit, I think you would need to keep some units on the map.

Here's what I think you need do to accomplish the above:

campaign_script:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

declare_counter period
set_counter period 1

	monitor_event PreFactionTurnStart FactionIsLocal ; set the season for each period
		if I_CompareCounter period == 1 ;Jan, Feb
		console_command season winter
	end_if	
		if I_CompareCounter period == 2 ;March April
		console_command season summer
		set_event_counter can_recruit 1
	end_if	
		if I_CompareCounter period == 3 ;May June
		console_command season summer
	end_if	
		if I_CompareCounter period == 4 ;July Aug
		console_command season summer
	end_if	
		if I_CompareCounter period == 5 ;Sept Oct
		console_command season summer
	end_if
		if I_CompareCounter period == 6 ;Nov Dec
		console_command season winter
		destroy_units sicily demob
		destroy_units england demob
		destroy_units hre demob
		destroy_units spain demob
		destroy_units turks demob
		set_event_counter can_recruit 0
	end_if	
		inc_counter period 1 ;advance the period
		if I_CompareCounter period == 7 ;start a new year
		set_counter period 1
	end_if
	end_monitor

	monitor_event FactionTurnEnd FactionType slave
		and I_CompareCounter period > 1
		console_command season summer
	end_monitor

export_descr_buildings:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

building barracks
{
    levels town_watch town_guard city_watch militia_drill_square
    {
        town_watch city requires factions { northern_european, southern_european, greek, mesoamerican, eastern_european, }
        {
            capability
            {
                recruit_pool "Merc_levy"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { sicily, england, hre, spain, } and event_counter can_recruit 1
                recruit_pool "Merc_levy1"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { portugal, scotland, moors, normans,  }
                recruit_pool "Merc_levy2"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { venice, milan, hungary, russia, denmark, egypt, poland, turks,  }
                recruit_pool "Milites"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { venice, }
                recruit_pool "Picts_levy1"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { hre, } and event_counter can_recruit 1
                recruit_pool "FrankGermanicSpear"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { france, }
                recruit_pool "Germanic levy alamanni"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { france, }
                recruit_pool "Steppes Germanic levy"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { mongols, }
                recruit_pool "Barbarian_sword"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { mongols, }
                recruit_pool "Germanic_AxeInfantry"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { england, }
                recruit_pool "Germanic levy"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { sicily, }
                recruit_pool "Vandal Infantry"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { sicily, }
                recruit_pool "Gaelic_spear"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { portugal, moors, normans, }
                recruit_pool "Amaethwyr"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { denmark, scotland, egypt, turks, timurids, poland, hungary, }
                recruit_pool "HvyPicelwyr"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { scotland, } and hidden_resource dioc_capital
                recruit_pool "Saxonlevy"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { saxons, spain, }
                recruit_pool "SaxonJavelins"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { saxons, spain, france, }
                recruit_pool "RBMilites"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { milan, russia, }
                recruit_pool "Germanic Auxilia1"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { hungary, } and hidden_resource dioc_britannia_south
                recruit_pool "SaxonJuteMercs"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { hungary, } and hidden_resource dioc_britannia
                recruit_pool "Mintai Ymosodol"  1   0.7   6  0  requires factions { denmark, egypt, turks, timurids, poland, hungary, }
            }
            material wooden
            construction  3 
            cost  2300 
            settlement_min village
            upgrades
            {
                town_guard
            }
        }

export_descr_unit:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

type             Merc_levy
dictionary       Merc_levy      
category         infantry
class            light
voice_type       Light
accent         Mediterranean
banner faction   main_infantry
banner holy      crusade
soldier          Merc_levy, 90, 0, 1
;officer       	 roman_tribunus
;officer       	 roman_laburum
;officer       	 roman_draconarius
;mount            heavy horse
;mount_effect     elephant -4, camel -4
attributes       sea_faring, hardy, can_withdraw, demob
formation        1.2, 1.2, 2.4, 2.4, 6, square
stat_health      1, 0
stat_pri         12, 6, no, 0, 0, melee, melee_blade, piercing, spear, 14, 1
;stat_pri_ex      0, 0, 0
stat_pri_attr    spear_bonus_6
stat_sec         no
stat_sec_attr    no
stat_pri_armour  3, 5, 3, flesh
;stat_armour_ex   4, 5, 0, 0, 5, 0, 0, leather
stat_sec_armour  0, 0, flesh
stat_heat        3
stat_ground      0, -2, -4, 0
stat_mental      8, normal, trained
stat_charge_dist 45
stat_fire_delay  0
stat_food        60, 300
stat_cost        1, 102, 150, 100, 75, 390, 4, 90
armour_ug_levels 2, 3
armour_ug_models Merc_levy
ownership        england, saxons, spain, slave, sicily, hre

type             Picts_levy1
dictionary       Picts_levy      
category         infantry
class            light
voice_type       Light
accent         Mediterranean
banner faction   main_spear
banner holy      crusade
soldier          Picts_levy, 100, 0, 0.8
attributes       sea_faring, hide_forest, can_withdraw, demob
formation        1.2, 1.2, 2.4, 2.4, 5, square
stat_health      1, 0
stat_pri         5, 3, javelin, 45, 2, thrown, missile_mechanical, piercing, spear, 15, 1
;stat_pri_ex      0, 0, 0
stat_pri_attr    thrown
stat_sec         10, 3, no, 0, 0, melee, melee_blade, piercing, spear, 15, 0.6
;stat_sec_ex      0, 0, 0
stat_sec_attr    light_spear
stat_pri_armour  0, 7, 2, flesh
;stat_armour_ex   0, 4, 5, 0, 1, 6, 6, flesh
stat_sec_armour  0, 0, flesh
stat_heat        2
stat_ground      1, -2, 3, 2
stat_mental      8, low, trained
stat_charge_dist 30
stat_fire_delay  0
stat_food        60, 300
stat_cost        1, 65, 320, 75, 60, 290, 4, 70
armour_ug_levels 0, 1
armour_ug_models Picts_levy
ownership        hre