Reduce the Causalities while disengaging from Combat

[Rana_sharun]

Hello Modders,

I like the idea of keeping a reserve unit just behind to reinforce the units already in combat . However, when i disengage the fighting unit , it takes a lot of casualties
(sometimes waver and routes completely)

Could you please lower the casualty level during Disengagement ? Or is it supposed to be like this to keep the Human Player exploiting the AI ?

[Zom]

Swapping units during battle is an interesting problem, both in game play and apparently in real life. https://youtu.be/croWDsDhgPo I am sure we all enjoyed the way HBO portrayed the swapping of lines within a maniple, but that is not the same problem. https://youtu.be/J7MYlRzLqD0

How do you swap your units during a fight? Do you first send in the relieving unit, then when it is engaged pull back the tired unit? That sometimes works, but not always, even in vanilla. It strikes me that it should be risky business withdrawing from a fight.

[Rana_sharun]

Swapping units during battle is an interesting problem, both in game play and apparently in real life. https://youtu.be/croWDsDhgPo I am sure we all enjoyed the way HBO portrayed the swapping of lines within a maniple, but that is not the same problem. https://youtu.be/J7MYlRzLqD0

How do you swap your units during a fight? Do you first send in the relieving unit, then when it is engaged pull back the tired unit? That sometimes works, but not always, even in vanilla. It strikes me that it should be risky business withdrawing from a fight.

I will just move my reserve unit closer to the combat area and give the attack order .Once they start getting into the fight , i will pull back my exhausted unit. This is how i do .. But i can live with the casualty rate, the battles in this mod is far superior than the vanilla

Very interesting thing is , Even the AI pulls back its own units and do cycle charges. Simply Awesome.

Wonder how a fully developed Total war game by Ancient Empires team will look like.....

[Whitey McKnightey]

I first send a relieving unit to cover for the unit alreadyvengaged (which is almost certainly how they did it in RL), but even then disengaging a unit leads to heavy casulties, and sometimes a rout.

[Eladryel]

Yeah, my units usually rout (or at least wavering), when I try to withdraw them, because the sudden casualties I guess, but I'm afraid, this is some kind of hard-coded thing. I hope I'm mistaken, and this can be fixed.

[KAM 2150]

That is because on Attila engine, units that are moving are unable to defend, which leads to funny effects especially in base game. For example in Thrones of Britannia (Which is Attila expansion, do not be fulled that this is a new game), if you have stationary and inferior cavalry unit, it will beat charging superior AI unit because AI will eventually try to pull own unit away, which will lead to your guys butchering them as they don't need to pass defence check.

Now how unit pulled away in real life and how players try to do it is other story. Especially that it was not as common as people try to pull it in game.

[Swarbs]

I think it helps if you give the relieving unit multiple charge attack commands, over a period of 10-20 seconds, before trying to pull the other unit out. Just select it and double right click the enemy every couple of seconds. That way the relieving unit will push forwards repeatedly, opening up a gap between the other unit and the enemy so you can retreat with fewer casualties.

If there is another enemy unit to the rear of the engaged enemy (such as archers or javelins) it can help to tell the relieving unit to charge attack this one as well, as this will also cause it to push forwards before re-engaging with the closest enemy, again opening up a gap.

Also telling the unit being relieved to halt can help, as this stops it actively trying to push towards the enemy, and returns it more towards a line formation. This can also help open a gap between it and the enemy, allowing it to retreat without too many casualties.

The best way to avoid casualties and routing in a tired unit under pressure, in my experience, is to try all three of these methods repeatedly over a period of 10-20 seconds. Alternate between commanding the relieving unit to charge forwards and telling the unit being relieved to halt. But don't actually tell the unit being relieved to retreat.

That way, if the relieving unit is strong enough, it will push through with repeated attack commands and overwhelm the enemy unit causing the enemy to rout first, or lose enough men to open up a big gap so the first unit stops fighting (check the unit card).

Once the is has happened, the unit being relieved will fall out of the battle without needing to move. Once it's completely clear of the line, it can be redeployed as required.