Warcry: Yes or No?

[Sandraker]

I don't think the warcry ability should be included, for three reasons:
1. It doesn't grant you magical powers
2. Units already shout when they charge anyway
3. It makes ambushes and charges far more predictable, which reduces tactical flexibility.

Any anyway, depicting (most) barbarians as idiots who just scream a bit then throw themselves on a bunch of enemy pointy stuff is just pure hollywood.

[truth1337]

Totally agree.

[Greve Af Göteborg]

I think that they should just automatically start the warcry when they see the enemy, but they shouldn't get stuck in place while the animation runs its course. And of course it should not give any buffs.

[HappyGoodVibes]

Actually, there are historians from Roman times who wrote about how fearful the barbarian warcry was. The one I am thinking of said something along the lines of "It sounded as if the whole countryside had taken up arms against them." Don't remember who this guy was, but that's what he said. The Macedonian warcry was also very fearful apparently. Warcrys are by no means unrealistic, except perhaps in how they are implemented. And it would have been very unnerving to hear the warcry from a powerful enemy army before a battle, so it at least makes sense to lower morale a little or something like that.

Most of armies used war cry , battle cry and war chants , even now you can see something like that in the Haka of the Maori , the same Homer describes battle yells , it is something that is present in most cultures especially the more "primitive ones" other cultures used shield bashing or other forms of sound ... sound can be intimidating as well ... but using as a feature of the unit?
Not sure actually because a single unit doesn't make much effect as woudl the whole army , eventually it shoudl be a feature of the whole army not a single unit ... Ihope not to see stupid fear button like oth the naginata monks of STW2 ...

Agree with this, warcry should take place when the whole army is massed together before the battle.

[Kissaki]

Actually, there are historians from Roman times who wrote about how fearful the barbarian warcry was. The one I am thinking of said something along the lines of "It sounded as if the whole countryside had taken up arms against them." Don't remember who this guy was, but that's what he said. The Macedonian warcry was also very fearful apparently. Warcrys are by no means unrealistic, except perhaps in how they are implemented. And it would have been very unnerving to hear the warcry from a powerful enemy army before a battle, so it at least makes sense to lower morale a little or something like that.

Union soldiers often told of how frightening the rebel warcry was, as well, in the American civil war.

Warcries belong on the battlefield, but I didn't like the special implementation for barbarian units in R:TW. Warcry as a special ability, and when you clicked the button, a cheesy command was shouted ("Warcry!!!") and then they did their thing. It should be more spontaneous, up to the individual unit (NOT the player), when appropriate (eg. when charging). It should not grant any special abilities, but perhaps more experienced units should have a chance to demoralize less experienced enemy units. Bit difficult to balance, perhaps.

[PROMETHEUS ts]

Most of armies used war cry , battle cry and war chants , even now you can see something like that in the Haka of the Maori , the same Homer describes battle yells , it is something that is present in most cultures especially the more "primitive ones" other cultures used shield bashing or other forms of sound ... sound can be intimidating as well ... but using as a feature of the unit?
Not sure actually because a single unit doesn't make much effect as woudl the whole army , eventually it shoudl be a feature of the whole army not a single unit ... Ihope not to see stupid fear button like oth the naginata monks of STW2 ...

[truth1337]

Maybe the warcry could have negative morale impact on enemy, but nothing else IMO. Looking at this movie (esp 4:50 and on) gives a feeling for the effect of a charging, screaming mass of soldiers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LXyfnGb8_I
Then again there's already the charge impact negative morale bonus, I suppose... The warcry definitely shouldn't be something manually micro-managed by the player IMO.

[HappyGoodVibes]

Maybe the warcry could have negative morale impact on enemy, but nothing else IMO. Looking at this movie (esp 4:50 and on) gives a feeling for the effect of a charging, screaming mass of soldiers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LXyfnGb8_I
Then again there's already the charge impact negative morale bonus, I suppose... The warcry definitely shouldn't be something manually micro-managed by the player IMO.

The less I have to directly control, the better. I don't like pressing buttons for things either. If the soldiers are getting shot by arrows, let them automatically cover themselves with shields. If the soldiers are standing massed on one side of the field, let them being taunting the enemy and uttering their "war cry." This is certainly the direction CA should take with things like this, and the focus of the battles should be on maneuvering your forces around the battlefield, not pressing the *taunt* button on the user interface.

[DarthRuanek]

This isn't completely related. But I think I remember reading somewhere that when the Romans lined up for battle, they would stay silent. The common practice was to shout/insult the enemy soldiers, and the Roman practice was unnerving to some armies. A bit of an "anti-warcry", if you will.

War cries could affect enemy morale. It would probably also most scare the least experienced ones.

[PROMETHEUS ts]

Perhaps all armies at beginning of fight could have that warcry ability , perhaps with a pickeable retainer style ala STW2 .. so if you dont have u get the -1 malus lol if u have you make things even ... ( speacking of multiplayer now ) ... but single units that when engaged in combat all of a sudden start cry is quite unrealistic ...

[PcolaTy]

Some units should have warcry like in Shogun 2, but I think those units should be specialized units.

[Shea O'Gorath]

What if the warcry only had an effect on new soldiers. A warcry onto soldiers of the early roman armies when they wernt so organised and hadnt tasted battle before would have a bigger effect on them than lets say the soldiers after the reforms of Marius or a soldier who had fought a few battles (i.e one or two chevrons). That way it would further define the difference between a "green" and veteran army.

[denisvit]

What if the warcry only had an effect on new soldiers. A warcry onto soldiers of the early roman armies when they wernt so organised and hadnt tasted battle before would have a bigger effect on them than lets say the soldiers after the reforms of Marius or a soldier who had fought a few battles (i.e one or two chevrons). That way it would further define the difference between a "green" and veteran army.

Actually I do like this idea. Experience must have played a role in battles when it came to facing up against enemy chants or war cries. Not a bad idea about chevrons dictating moral and whether it would decrease. To answer the thread, I'd say war cry shouldn't give buffs but maybe only decrease the enemy moral (maybe cause the new recruits to become looser and less diciplined in formation?). I can't imagine it being a unit ability though ... surely if one group of soldiers started yelling the others would join in? It's more of an entire army thing, but then again it was natural and historical that armies yelled or chanted right before engagements.

[Asgaroth]

1. It doesn't grant you magical powers

Agree, but it lowers the moral of the enemy.

And I agree with the OP.

Not sure actually because a single unit doesn't make much effect as woudl the whole army

Maybe it could be used when you group certain units together, and the you would have that feature.

[Lord Dakier]

Warcry must be in. For gameplay reasons such as giving the barbaric factions some flavour rather than barbarian meets Roman wall, barbarian dies.

[Symphony]

There's nothing at all magical about the effects of a demoralizing yell, and there's nothing at all Hollywood or "degrading" implied. It's not a fantasy element.

For a more modern (and therefore better documented) example, consider the "rebel yell" used by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. There are several contemporaneous accounts (from Union soldiers) of the terrifying and demoralizing effects of the yell, which sounded nothing at all like a "yee-haw" and was much more similar to native American or Celtic battle cries. It had a more devestating effect when an entire charging front was using it, but there are accounts of individual units using it to a lesser but still solid effect.

All armies yell or scream often when charging, of course, but certain "trademark" cries can easily become associated with one particular army or culture, enhancing the battlefield morale effect of clashes with that particular culture, making it a historically viable way for CA to proivide some unit differentiation.

In fact, speculation by historians on the origin of the yell (why the COnfederates developed that particular cry) has considered the highly Celtic heritage of the Confederacy as opposed to the Union (census data showing the Union being approximately 3/4 Anglo-Saxon in origin, the South being about 66% Celtic), and historians have noted the similarity between the rebel yell heard on recordings made by Confederate veterans and Highland Scots warcries.

[hardcore knight]

I hope they will boost the charge sounds louder and longer, it gives me goosebumps

[|Sith|Galvanized Iron]

Well warcry as it was in original RTW was silly, a button that gave you 30 seconds of +10 attack and only available for barbarians: no thanks.

However a warcry as an ability for the general of all armies (civilized and barbarian alike) with all units in proximity of the general responding to the warcry and other units in proximity of those taking it up so that it goes along the entire army like a mighty roaring wave would be very effectful, however it's bonus should just be limited to morale increase, demoralization and perhaps a little boosted charge. Perhaps also different warcries could have different effects...

Technically a warcry is similiar to blowing the rally horn.

[Wowwars]

lawl everyone beyond alps and england are all idiotic barbarians, but their my little bars bars.

[BM309K58SMERCH]

I don't mind both Rome-Style warcries (with animations) and Shogun-style warcries (like the monks and the samurai units).
But I feel the game will be a bit lacking without the Rome-style ones.