Greetings to everyone.
First of all I would like to thank Lordsith and all the content creators for the great contributions they make to the game.
This is my first post on TWC even though I’ve been following it for many years, and I do it in the hopes of providing useful data.
Imperial Destroyer is probably the Empire mod I like the most and before writing these lines I tried vanilla version 6.3 and some of the options offered in the Gameplay Options section. Unfortunately my old laptop doesn't like VDM at all.
The first observation that I want to emphasize and that I consider crucial is the moral system. Some players won’t find anything out of the ordinary, but I have to say that annihilating a unit to force it to retire in disarray is unrealistic, to put it mildly. With 10% casualties (decimated) morale begins to weaken, with 50% casualties only elite or veteran units resist, and not always. In that sense DarthMod was more consistent with a more realistic pace of retreats, groupings and counterattacks, I would venture to say it even fell short. Morale should be drastically reduced, only the most veteran units should be able to withstand 50% casualties.
This brings us to the second observation, in reducing morale we must also do so in the ability to cause casualties. I've tried the Less Accurate Shots option, but it doesn't solve anything because it overly favors melee units. The melee, of course, was a key part of any confrontation, but there would be no firearms if they were not also fundamental. The attempt to reproduce linear battles is quite good, but it is unrealistic because many clashes in the eighteenth century were not. Clashes in the American colonies, for example Monongahela in 1755, were not linear battles at all. Limiting ammunition to two or three shots and then assaulting with the bayonet should be optional for the player, this is especially detrimental in terms of light and irregular units, but also in the case of buildings or fortifications being used. As for the behavior of AI I can't say anything, since I don't know if it can be conditioned via code, but I suspect not.
So reducing morale, accuracy and melee stats, but especially the first, brings us a little closer to what we might call realism. I would do it myself, but my knowledge in modding is nil reason why I don’t contribute with the modified files. And it is important to note that auxiliary, irregular, or light units should have twice as much ammunition as line units. Pandours, Freikorps, Rangers et alli were used to harass the enemy, not for the purpose of frontal bayonet attacks.
Speaking of forts and fortifications, I like the fact that they can be chosen as an option, they existed and were used a lot, especially at the turn of the century. The only downside I find is the fact that a single battery can breach in a matter of minutes, I think the solution to this problem is by tripling the hitpoints of the buildings or alternatively reducing the damage done by the guns to the buildings. I understand this prolongs the sieges, but we are talking about realism, not 5 minute arcade battles. In return, it allows buildings to be occupied in cities without being immediately demolished.
As for cities, I like the fact that they don’t have walls. Empire fortifications do not serve at all for the purpose of representing them, with a few exceptions. As for the garrisons, they are ahistorical, but they add a plus of difficulty which is welcome. No more blitzkrieg in Paris, London or Moscow which is historically unconvincing. Nothing more to comment on here.
Russian biass. Dear Lordsith, I know the good opinion of Frederick the Great on the courage of Russian soldiers, especially in defense. But the truth is that reproducing the Great Northern War I have problems. The Swedes usually went with numerical inferiority, but that did not stop them from going on the assault frequently. The values of morale and melee must be balanced. I understand that the problem with the Swedes is manpower, but this problem, without limiting the number of units artificially is unsolvable in Empire. So I wonder if the solution should not come from reducing income, if that can be done, after all Sweden has always been a demographically weak country. Alternatively, the costs of recruiting and maintaining the units can be raised, with the same goal, for example at the English level.
As for the fire range of the units, I think that reducing their accuracy solves any inconsistencies. And as for the guns I use the BSM option which seems right to me, although historically the range of the canister was much higher, but I find it to be a minor issue.
And to finish this post, I would like to emphasize that aesthetically the mod is excellent. The choice of mid-century uniforms is the least bad, a good compromise for all scenarios. Ideally a system of reforms should be implemented that included uniforms, this was usual after a major defeat as did most major powers. And not only that but these reforms included the navy, but it seems to me that this is beyond the scope of the tools that Empire provides.
Thank you so much for reading me, if you will excuse me I will look for a selection of 18th century musical themes to add to the game.
Axland