Commander on hold

[GrudgeBringer]

I have read the manual agian and read a couple of posts but am somewhat still confused on a subject.

If I have say 40 Heavy Inf and 40 archers in 2 divisions.

Can I script the Commander to hold, hold, hold, hold, attack closest.

If the answer is yes do I set the INF and ARCHERS script on NONE?

If the answer is NO, how do I control blocking forces?

Thanks

[MaxWilson]

I don't quite understand the question. You may set the commander to a different script than the units. It's perfectly legitimate to have the INF do <Hold and attack closest>, the ARCHERS do <Fire Archers>, and the commander do <Hold, Hold, Hold, Hold, Attack Closest>. The infantry will charge on round #3 and the commander will follow on round #5.

-Max

[Gandalf Parker]

As far as I know, the only times that a commanders script affects the actions of his troops (which is strange now that I think about it) is if the troops are set to "guard commander" or if the commander retreats. Then I believe that the troops will try to follow

[GrudgeBringer]

I think thats what I expected...

I was just wondering if there was a way to keep my troops back for 3 or 4 rounds and then have them attack in mass hoping that my opponents troops where spread out.

IF...I had my 40 man division INF set to Guard commander and hes in the rear of the field, and another 40 man INF set on hold and attack...right next to the commander in the rear of the screen. (stay with me on this)

NOW I have my commander set on hold,hold,hold,hold, attack closest...would the TOTAL 40 man Inf division follow the commander into battle as it was set to guard commander?

The INF that was set to hold and attack would be blocking and the Commander and his 'Guard' of 40 Inf would slam into the attack on round 5.

It might also work on archers (if it would work at all)

THANKS

[Gandalf Parker]

I think "Hold and Attack" waits 3 turns.

[MaxWilson]

1.) Hold and Attack waits 2 turns and attacks on the 3rd.

2.) "IF...I had my 40 man division INF set to Guard commander and hes in the rear of the field, and another 40 man INF set on hold and attack...right next to the commander in the rear of the screen. (stay with me on this) NOW I have my commander set on hold,hold,hold,hold, attack closest...would the TOTAL 40 man Inf division follow the commander into battle as it was set to guard commander?" I don't understand the question. There are two 40 man INF divisions there. The one set to Guard commander would follow the commander into battle, and the one set to Hold and Attack would attack before that.

3.) If a commander retreats his troops stay on the field, unless he was the only commander (including PD) and then of course all troops route.

-Max

[JimMorrison]

Actually no, the units will not follow the commander into battle, and I'll tell you why because it's a frustrating mechanic.

By the 4th round of combat, when that commander starts to think about moving, he will in fact be completely surrounded by his men. He will have no empty square to move into, and so will not move - and neither will they.

If you want the commander to lead the charge, then you need to understand some things. First, there are 8 squares that a unit can move into at any given point (unless it flies, if he can fly you are good to go). If the troops are human size 2, then that is 24 men that can crowd into the squares adjacent to the commander. Thus, you can make this work most of the time by having the Guard Commander squad consist of 23 or less men (so he has somewhere to move), and having them start just behind him (so they will move forward to get close, and you maximize the odds of his open spot being in front, as he may not move if it's behind him). The trick is to get the other squads to come with. If you aren't worried of getting blitzed in the first few turns of combat, then you can gauge based on the units' movement speed, how far back to set them so as to be in a line when they all start to move forward. So say it is a heavy infantry with 6 AP. They will start to move 2 turns before the commander, so at 2 AP per square, you want those squads to be placed ~6 squares further back from the commander. Then, you tell then to Hold + Attack Rear, and they should advance straight forward, maintaining a bit of a formation.

Hope that helps.

[PvK]

You can definitely plan for different groups to move and attack at different times by varying the orders as you suggest. Managing my armies' tactical arrangements and watching how they play out on the field is a big part of my time playing. Their placement and speed (APs), movement type (i.e. flying) and what type units you order them to attack also plays a role.

I tend to combine various groups doing various things, and often send commanders in to fight with a few men guarding them and sometimes a magic item and/or mage starting out next to them to cast a spell on them. By placing groups near these groups with orders so they will tend to be fighting nearby... well I've been working on it for years and it takes some fiddling and experimentation and luck and so on, but it's one of the most compelling parts of the game for me.

[thejeff]

Also bear in mind that troops set to Guard Commander will try to do just that. Even when the commander charges into battle, they'll try to stay around him and will only attack when they happen to wind up next to an enemy. They won't spread out and engage nearby enemies like troops on attack will.

How about putting the commander on Holdx5, retreat? As long as you have other commanders on the field, the guarding troops should default to attack when he leaves the field.

[MaxWilson]

Unless they're tramplers. Tramplers will lurk by their commander until somebody gets next to them and then trample as much as they can, sometimes winding up 4 or 5 squares away from the commander.

-Max