Tweaks to make Gameplay more Realistic

[Pooploop]

1.) How do you toggle camera that only focuses on General - "General Camera"?
2.) If above is a bit too difficult, how do you toggle at least a more limited and restricted camera that doesn't allow you to hover over the entire battlefield as if you have a satellite, and presents just the sum total view your human troops are capable of seeing.
3.) How do you get rid of the mini-map present in real time battles?
4.) How do you allow yourself only limited information about enemy troops? As in, them flashing white (signs of rout), or the fact hovering over their flags can tell you whether they're tired or not; those types of information, how does a player disallow himself/herself from viewing or them appearing?

This is all in preparation for an awesome and immersive EB2 playthrough.

[QuintusSertorius]

1) I think that's in the Video Settings in-game.
2) No such option, it's either General Camera or not.
3) No idea.
4) You can't turn off the mouseovers (we've already generalised the levels of detail so you get less feedback), but in your config you can do the following:

Under [game] - disable_arrow_markers = 1 (turns off the arrows underneath the units selected, so it's harder to tell which are your units and which is the enemy, especially in a melee) and under [video] show_banners = 0 (turns off banners). I play with both of those by default.

[Pooploop]

Tried General Cam, and what a laugh! I think I get now why all those Near East Civilizations had their leader at their center. Best place to observe the whole situation and give orders down both ends of the line. It also makes one understand why it was incredibly risky to send your general into the fight, not because of the probability of him dying (for me anyway) but because once he's IN combat he can't SEE the whole battle or guide it. However, this also highlights why armies with a more loose and independent cadre of officers all operating under a general objective but given leeway in choosing how to execute it (e.g. Auftragstaktik) triumph over this Persian-esque OCD-like hierarchy. Alexander's armies, or the Mongol hordes are models of success in the school of decentralized command. Total War units are all like them Persian officers though, no AI to guide them, only can follow one order at a time. Hahaha!!

[Jurand of Cracow]

Total War units are all like them Persian officers though, no AI to guide them, only can follow one order at a time. Hahaha!!

It's what legendary Darth Vader always complained about and it's (among others) why he went for producing his own games (Ultimate General). This is, however, not our beloved historical period. Imo the M2TW engine is still better than the newer TW Warscape.

[betto]

It's what legendary Darth Vader always complained about and it's (among others) why he went for producing his own games (Ultimate General). This is, however, not our beloved historical period. Imo the M2TW engine is still better than the newer TW Warscape.

yeah would be nice have some Ai routines for player choose like infantry hold position and the player go into "alexander" mode controlling only the cavalry . or stay in the center and order the cavalry to flank .

[Kull]

Tried General Cam, and what a laugh! I think I get now why all those Near East Civilizations had their leader at their center. Best place to observe the whole situation and give orders down both ends of the line. It also makes one understand why it was incredibly risky to send your general into the fight, not because of the probability of him dying (for me anyway) but because once he's IN combat he can't SEE the whole battle or guide it.

That was pretty much my reaction, the first time using the General Cam. I also kept trying unsuccessfully to "push" it higher to get a better view of the battle. Once you've become used to the "God's Eye" view, it can be frustrating to have such limited information to deal with. Another thing about your General Unit. He needs freedom to move up and down the line so you can see what's going on, and in that sense, Foot Generals will leave you grinding your teeth. Just sooooo slow in comparison to cavalry. But anybody who's tactic is to send the General Cav unit off on a looping flank maneuver? Good luck with that. An entire segment of your line could crumble and you'd have no idea what's going (other than seeing unit cards suddenly sporting white flags)

[YourMadDoc]

3 During battle (you need to do it only onlce) esc- ui settings - minimal ui - hide radar time control. You can control speed of battle via hotkeys. You can disable other UI componets here as well. If you learn shotcuts to to change formations, stance and stuff, and set alied army cards to slide you can disable all UI.

4 You can disable mouseover information with ctrl+f2. But I would personally left it enabled and disable banners as Quintus said. If you disable banners,minimap and unit cards, only way how to know about unit morale status and causalities will be to "look" at in with mouse (to simulate general's view) and only way how to give them order will be to find them with mouse (to simulate chain of command). It will greatly reduce informations you will get about battlefield and cripple your ability to control large armies in difficult battles. Try it, it is very chaotic and satisfing. You will get painfully flanked in forest maps, whole parts of your army parishes in thick fog and your routed units will be massacred before your will be able to find them.

[QuintusSertorius]

Oh yes, forests with no feedback are a nightmare. All you have to go on where your units are is the minimap, and even that isn't brilliantly illuminating.

[Pooploop]

Also, has anyone ever bothered giving any units "local AI assistance". Or something like that?

[YourMadDoc]

I love the new ui thanks to your recommendations. Honestly, tactically-wise I'm giving up a lot of advantages, BUT it makes battles more challenging. No minimap, so now large portions of the enemy army can get away or can "surprise" me better. However, with me removing the unitcards from view (really changes how one commands battles, yes) how do I "group" units? Control+G then it gets automatically assigned "1", let's say? So I click 1 then it immediately selects all units, let's say the right flank being the hetairoi and the general?

Hold ctrl , hold mouse and drag it over all units you want in group or click on units you want in group, press 1-9 key and group if formed. If you want to form right flank hold ctrl, drag mouse over all units on right flank, then click on selected units you dont want in that group to deselect them, press number 1-8 and releasse ctrl. You better set unit cards to slide until you will get hands onit. Unit cards is only UI thing I have enabled, but I prefer RP over realism and I want to quickly jump between my veteran units to watch them fight.

+ F1 = full list of usefull hotkeys.

Also there is restricted camera option, which will disable free camera movement around map and offer no information about enemy units far away if you want to cripple yourself even more.

[betto]

Oh yes, forests with no feedback are a nightmare. All you have to go on where your units are is the minimap, and even that isn't brilliantly illuminating.

forest battle were a hell to keep chain of command working . to add realism units would need to respond slower to commands and some formations not be usable.

[Edimonde]

If realism is what you are going for, then the minimap should available for use. In a real battle the general would have access to aides riding to and fro, giving him updates on the battlefield and each of his units position, and what they are facing.

[Pooploop]

I love the new ui thanks to your recommendations. Honestly, tactically-wise I'm giving up a lot of advantages, BUT it makes battles more challenging. No minimap, so now large portions of the enemy army can get away or can "surprise" me better. However, with me removing the unitcards from view (really changes how one commands battles, yes) how do I "group" units? Control+G then it gets automatically assigned "1", let's say? So I click 1 then it immediately selects all units, let's say the right flank being the hetairoi and the general?

[Pooploop]

YourMadDoc I don't get the restricted camera option. That has been default checked in all the mods of MTW2 total war I've played and it has never really done what you've described. Like since vanilla.

[YourMadDoc]

YourMadDoc I don't get the restricted camera option. That has been default checked in all the mods of MTW2 total war I've played and it has never really done what you've described. Like since vanilla.

I didnt mean it will disable camera movement entirely, but it restrict movement only in certain radius around your units. For example at start of battle, without restricted camera you can move everywhere, you can go above enemy army with camera and check composition of their army and where they placed which units. With restricted camera you can go max into half way between armies and all you can tell is if it is cavalry unit. Thats all what it do.

[YourMadDoc]

Minimap gives instant detailed information about all units and it doesnt consider weather or terrain. It gives same info about battle on flat plain during sunny day as about battle in foggy, densly forested mountains.
With minimap it doesnt really matter how much scattered army is, it is still easy to control and routing units are doomed in every situation as player can pinpoint single units and assign pursuit immediately. Without minimap it is much harder to organize pursuit and especialy in forested maps it is very difficult as many units can withdraw, get their morale back and overhelm scattered pursuers, which never happend to me with minimap. I also dont have unit cards so once my units leave main army to pursuit enemies into woods they are most likely on their own until end of battle unless I can find them with camera.

Main problem I have with minimap is how very hard is to get importat information about battlefield too late. I just know everything in moment it is happening. Using "bird view" camera instead seem more realistic for me, it creates much larger differeces between battles in different situations. With camera I still have access information about whole battle, but there is some room for error, flanking or ambush, with minimap not so much.