Idea for new unit division system in battle

[barry12]

I was thinking that it’s a bit weird that you and your enemies’ units in battle always have a maximum number. This takes away the immersion a bit for me.

Imagine if we were the true generals of our armies. We could divide our fighting force of, say 5,000 men, into more realistic-sized units.

Why make a line of 10 units when you can make a line of one unit? Why move 10 units at once when you can make 10 units into one unit and move them all together as one?

If you can see where I’m going… what I propose is a new system. The general chooses how to divide his army during the set up stage at the beginning of each battle. For example, we have 5,000 men in our army. During pre-battle setup, I choose to make a unit of 2,000 heavy swordsmen for a front line. I choose to make a 1,000 strong second line of swordsmen to support the central line. I put a 500 man unit of spears on each wing, a 500 man unit of archers on each wing, and a 500 man unit of cavalry to support each wing.

In this system I would propose that any one man can be separated from the unit during battle, whether by force or by general’s orders. If the player or AI wanted, he could detach 15 men from the 2,000-man front line to go and do whatever. He could even mix axemen and swordsmen if he wanted to. Basically, the unit system I propose is like silly putty. You can chop your armies all up into whatever sized bits you want, and when you need you can put them all back together again. Or chop them up even further.

Of course, units in their current state in TW games represent a chain of command. i.e 360 units led by one unit commander – this sort of emulates the structure of a Roman legion. But we could still keep this with the system I propose by assigning blocks of units commanders (centurions etc.) from a list of commanders available to that particular army.

Anyway, I’m rambling now, it would be good to hear people’s thoughts. It’s a pretty radical proposal that would have profound effects on campaign gameplay, for example recruiting men for an army.

[Aeratus]

The game engine is set up based on multiple units.

For example, if you have 10 units of 100 men attack 1 unit of 1000 men, the 10 units would not target the 1 unit correctly. The 10 unit would all attack and converge the center of the 1-unit army rather than attacking in a uniform line.

Also, morale is handled on a unit-by-unit basis. So if you have 1 unit of 1000 men, they either rout all at once or none at all.

[barry12]

Yes, my proposal would clearly require a new engine which I hope they implement for the next TW game. But surely combat lines can be made to match up to other combat lines, with any overlapping your choice (flanking or get the men to bolster up ranks that are engaged). As for routs, these could be done on percentages. A percentage of the fighting force unit routs, rather than all of them.

But don't you think it has more merit than the current system?

[Aeratus]

Sure, it would make it more realistic. But game design always revolves around technical limitations, and people have said enough about the current engine. The current engine isn't even capable of making units match up to the other combat line. If you Select an entire group of units and attack wit it, the individual units just auto-attack the nearest.

I wouldn't get your hopes up for a new engine. They are turning to fantasy next, and gamers who have played fantasy RTS games expect battles on the order of 50 men vs 50 men, rather than 1000 vs 1000.

[Sebidee]

I like the idea of being able to break down individual units, like instead of having one unit of 160 men you could press a button and it would split into 4 groups of 40 men. I think it would make small battles much more interesting if you only have 3 or 4 units each.

[Emperor of The Great Unknown]

I like the idea of being able to break down individual units, like instead of having one unit of 160 men you could press a button and it would split into 4 groups of 40 men. I think it would make small battles much more interesting if you only have 3 or 4 units each.

It would be nice if you could control units, on the battalion, company, and regiment level, sort of in nestled groups, make thing very interesting for a potential 18th - 19th century total war.

[StrangerGamer]

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