Yes I think that's the way to go. Give folks a choice.I'm in favour of leaving all the game info as it is now, but providing a series of historic/accurate/FoW toggles to turn off any number of options regarding information on the enemy right down to no player names and no enemy regt names given when you click on their flags. If you melee an enemy I think you should be told what regiment it is because win or lose you'll most likely come away with a few prisoners.
A fair point re the host. In MP games, the obvious solution is for him host to take a junior command position where his supperior knowledge won't come into play.Most of the information about enemy formations was obtained prior to battles from deserters or prisoners or sympathetic locals so I don't have many issues with the army formations being visible in the formation selection screen (the host in any case will have very good knowledge if he's setting up a scenario or creating a sandbox scenario). Some of us have super analytical minds and excellent information retention and might remember those things in the heat of battle, some players won't and even that isn't unfair I don't think.
Martin
) I served in Armor and Cavalry units for 20 years and am well aware that before battle you know who the enemy commander is, formations names, equipment, capability, etc. However, as an OPTION for FOW to turn off who has what part of the OOB or identify them once on the field would allow those who are experts in the OOB a little more challenge. If I know ANV CSA I Corps is commanded by person X, who is known to be timid, my tactics will be different from the start. I know his OOB down to the battery. This could be versus someone who is aggressively stupid, verus aggressively dangerous, verus a great defender, versus just has fun but is terrible player. I do understand the other side that says typically commanders of corps were known even sometime at division level. We are just trying to keep battles fresh so it is not the same map, the same forces, the same guy playing the same corps over and over an over. Again, an option for MP players rather than a requirement. Now if we could get the AI to stop leading attacks with artillery to make it that much harder to differentiate between human and AI.