Reinforcements Delayed...and I get the City

[ishootfriendlies]

I was outside an enemy city that contained 2600 enemy troops. I do not think I was sieging the city, but I may have been. The enemy attached from behind with a 1000 man army. The attacking army was the outside army, not the embedded army. The embedded army was in the battle as reinforcements.

When the battle commenced, I got the enemy reinforcements delayed message due to computer limitations. The 1000 man army was archer heavy (crossbow militia), and I was cavalry heavy (noble knights), so as soon as the battle commenced I charged and routed the enemy army. It was over fast, maybe 60 seconds. Killed every last one of them as they routed.

The real concern was the 2600 reinforcements. However, they never "arrived", even when the other army was slaughtered. No big deal, I could fight them when I sieged the city. However, when the battle ended, they all just died, and I marched into the city unopposed. They never even got a chance to fight.

It was a real cheap (as in lousy) way to take a city. I was never one for cheats. Is this supposed to happen? I understand the fix here, but that does not account for the army in the city going away. What gives? Has anyone else had this happen?

[Aeratus]

This is supposed to happen. When an army that is currently in a settlement under siege participates in a battle as a reinforcement army, then it is destroyed if that side loses, even if the army never arrives onto the battlefield.

Failing to arrive on the battlefield due to technical limitations (i.e., "reinforcements delayed") still count as participating in the battle. However, failure to arrive on the battlefield can also happen if the battlefield map has certain obstacles blocking the army from entering. Exclusion of a reinforcement army due to inability to fight night battles does not count as participation.

So for example, you have 1 unit of mounted sergeants and you besiege a city garrisoned by 20 units of dismounted chivalric knights. The AI attacks with an external army of 1 peasant. As a result, the AI's city garrison is listed as a reinforcement army. Here, if you manage to rout the peasants before the reinforcement army of 20 dismounted knights is able to enter battle, the reinforcement army of 20 dismounted knights is automatically destroyed.

[ishootfriendlies]

Thanks, I understand. Bummer for the bad guys.

[napoleonic]

play with unlimited_men_on_battlefield = 1 in the cfg, so you no longer have that stupid reinforcement issue, note though that all armies will appear on the battlefield immediately.