why do routing troops charge the enemy?

[flying iguana]

My routing troops have a really weird tendency to charge straight into the enemy. In fact they do this way more often than they run away. What's going on? It's not only very unrealistic, but also very frustrating.

In general the game dynamics and AI seem so sophisticated that I'm assuming there's something I'm missing, but I can't figure out what it is

thanks

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by flying iguana

My routing troops have a really weird tendency to charge straight into the enemy. In fact they do this way more often than they run away. What's going on? It's not only very unrealistic, but also very frustrating.

In general the game dynamics and AI seem so sophisticated that I'm assuming there's something I'm missing, but I can't figure out what it is

thanks

The routers will choose the quickest path to the baseline, and ignore any nearby enemy. They are in a panic after all, and their spotting ability is about nil.

If there is a massive pile of wrecks then they can run along the front of these since they take MP to cross. Or there may be a road nearby that is a tempting retreat path so they head for it. That sometimes might make it look as if they are "charging" you. They are merely looking for the least-cost solution to getting to the rear of their side of the map is all.

Cheers
Andy

[RERomine]

Gotta keep all of what Andy said when fighting assaults and in battles were you end up in the enemy rear. During assaults, there is nothing more frustrating when a tank routs and runs right into a section of the minefield you haven't cleared. It's just as bad when you get behind the enemy. You think they run toward the enemy now; it's much worse when they rout from the enemy rear. Not only do they run into enemy you see, they try to push through their layered defense. Positions you don't see when fighting. Bottom line is they won't survive the battle.

[gila]

It's called shell shock!Damn, cowards if i could i shoot them myself.
Not quoting anyone in pacticular.

[gila]

Originally Posted by RERomine

It's just as bad when you get behind the enemy. You think they run toward the enemy now; it's much worse when they rout from the enemy rear. Not only do they run into enemy you see, they try to push through their layered defense. Positions you don't see when fighting.

That's realistic if consider routing units will surrender as to fight anymore.Many were shot down before it was clear they were surrendering.
Or eliminated after surrender being a burden as in Maladey.

[Imp]

Dont bother doing often but if you have some units behind enemy & close to you can set that formations rout hex to anywhere on the map. So if behind pick a hex that makes them rout in the same direction as the enemy does.

[RERomine]

Originally Posted by gila

That's realistic if consider routing units will surrender as to fight anymore.Many were shot down before it was clear they were surrendering.
Or eliminated after surrender being a burden as in Maladey.

Well, somewhat realistic. I've seen routed units with buddies all around them surrender to an isolated enemy unit only to have the enemy unit eliminated the next turn. I had that happen during a game where I had two enemy tanks surrounded by a company of infantry. Smoke was everywhere because of all the burning enemy tanks around that I had already killed. My unit surrendered to the tanks and the next turn my infantry finsished off the tanks. Having friends all around will tend to shore up your morale a bit.

Also, most people, no matter how panicked they are, can tell what direction the bullets are coming from and run away from them. At the very least, they try to run back in the direction they came from. They might blunder into unknown enemy positions, but should run away from known ones.

Anyhow, I know units rout in the game so I adapt. During assaults, I open large gaps in the minefields so there is plenty of room for tanks to run through if they do happen to panic. For attacks from the enemy rear, I just accept the fact if my unit panics, it's going to try to run through the enemy position. Usually, my point units are support anyhow and loosing them doesn't bother me as much.

[iCaMpWiThAWP]

Rally Point may avoid this?

[flying iguana]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Changing the rally hex helps.

To explain: I was playing a lot of Partisan vs. Nazi scenarios in which the battle side doesn't really apply; usually my partisans started off with the Nazi's surrounded. This meant that the default setting to retreat to their "own side" didn't make a whole lot of sense--in one scenario my routed troops tried to run straight into the Nazi-held town they were assaulting, which meant getting mowed down by the same hmg's they had been battling before they routed. I suppose I could imagine that they were trying to surrender (but what crazy Partisan would deliver himself over to a Nazi occupied town in Partisan controlled territory?). In any case, changing the rally hex works in these situations, although its a bit cumbersome.

I have played other wargames where routed units would refuse to go closer to the enemy, which seemed to make sense to me, although I can also see the point of a desperate run for one's own battle lines in cases of more conventional warfare. At the same time, apart from Partisan units, it also seems to me that surrendering was a much more common practice in WW2 than is reflected in this game, as evidenced by the many millions of POW's. Would it make sense to incorporate that?

[RERomine]

Originally Posted by flying iguana

I have played other wargames where routed units would refuse to go closer to the enemy, which seemed to make sense to me, although I can also see the point of a desperate run for one's own battle lines in cases of more conventional warfare. At the same time, apart from Partisan units, it also seems to me that surrendering was a much more common practice in WW2 than is reflected in this game, as evidenced by the many millions of POW's. Would it make sense to incorporate that?

A routed unit can surrender if it's next to or in the hex of an enemy unit. I've lost a few good units that way. It might depend on how routed they are and their unit type, however.