Pathing question.

[conjotter]

Hi folks.

In recent games I've noticed some pretty bizarre pathing problems with regiments.

Even when TC'd, troops sometimes really seem to go out of their way to avoid walking a straight path between Point A and Point B.

Is there a reason for this? Is this fixable? Or is it just one of those things we should accept as inherent in the game? (which is still amazing in so many ways)

All of my Scourge games are fully up to date.

Regards, CJ>

[Garnier]

They only go out of the straight path if there's something in the way.

If you want them to go straight regardless of obstacles, you need to hold down CTRL and double click at many points along the straight line you want them to follow. This is called using "waypoints" and with them you can get a unit to follow whatever exact path you want.

Once you get used to using them it's pretty fast.

[conjotter]

Thanks!

[Grog]

Good Tip Garnier

Will units be able to interpenetrate using this method?

I was thinking of thinking of a 'Passage of the lines' situation, which would be useful for skirmishers, particularly.

I would be in favour of passage of the lines inclusion if the unit being penetrated is stationary and not in combat. A brief disordering effect might be added.

[Jack ONeill]

Grog,

A "passage of Lines" will work in a couple of ways. Skirmishers under "Fall Back" orders will pass thru a formed unit almost every time. I think they might be counted as "disordered" in a sense, kind of like certain retreating troops. I will move formed troops up behind the unit I wish to relieve and have that unit go under "Fall Back" orders until it is out of the line of fire. Seems to work with regularity.

"Molon Labe"

Jack B)

[Grog]

Thanks Jack

Again, I am reminded how much I still have to learn about this game.

When I have finished the Nap mod portraits (400+ and counting!) I intend to spend some time looking at modding formations for the Nap mod.

I know you have done some good work on Skirmisher formations and wondered if they could be made more easy to use in game. My early thoughts are to have small units attatched to each brigade to represent a few light companies combined or half a Light battalion. The frontage of this unit deployed in skirmish order would not be that wide (hardly wider than an inf battalion in line [to aid control]) but two or three of these units spread out might be enough to screen the formed line behind.

In MP games where players might only command a brigade or two, I think a few extra skirmish units might be manageable (and historical)

Another theory would be to make skirmisher's range and hit rate significantly better to counterman the fact that they are no more difficult to hit from small arms fire.

OOB's would have to be modified, of course, but cutting and pasting a few generic skirmish units into each brigade wouldn't take too long (would it? :unsure: )

Now blow my theories out of the water :laugh:

[Floyd]

I sometimes see regiments with the 'take roads' button active. Disabling this, they
move straight to their destination. I wonder what activates this button magically.

[Leffe7]

Thanks Jack

Again, I am reminded how much I still have to learn about this game.

When I have finished the Nap mod portraits (400+ and counting!) I intend to spend some time looking at modding formations for the Nap mod.

I know you have done some good work on Skirmisher formations and wondered if they could be made more easy to use in game. My early thoughts are to have small units attatched to each brigade to represent a few light companies combined or half a Light battalion. The frontage of this unit deployed in skirmish order would not be that wide (hardly wider than an inf battalion in line [to aid control]) but two or three of these units spread out might be enough to screen the formed line behind.

In MP games where players might only command a brigade or two, I think a few extra skirmish units might be manageable (and historical)

Another theory would be to make skirmisher's range and hit rate significantly better to counterman the fact that they are no more difficult to hit from small arms fire.

OOB's would have to be modified, of course, but cutting and pasting a few generic skirmish units into each brigade wouldn't take too long (would it? :unsure: )

Now blow my theories out of the water :laugh:

In my MP games I almost never see players using skirmish formation with normal-sized regiments. They don't seem to have any bonus, but only penalties like spending a lot of time getting into formation and turning their heading.
Your idea of having extra smaller units to perform in this role could work. And yes, this could be added very quickly to a OOB. But, why shouldn't a player use those small regiments in line formation too?

[Garnier]

I would be in favour of passage of the lines inclusion if the unit being penetrated is stationary and not in combat. A brief disordering effect might be added.

Skirmishers are no different from other units. With proper use of waypoints any unit can walk through any other unit. There's no disorder effect. Although sometimes units that are really close together will move slower, which is good.

The only use for skirmishers that I see is that they take less damage from artillery. In GCM games people use skirmish formations any time their units are in the open (so vulnerable to artillery) and there are not enough troops to have a solid line the whole way. Granted, we use a different skirmish formation that is just twice as wide as the line, in which all the troops can fire (there's no block of men in the back wasted).

I don't see how skirmishers can be made to behave differently to make players use them in more interesting ways. But if anyone finds anything I'm interested.

[Jack ONeill]

All,

G is right. Skirmishers in SOWGB on the ACW side are almost pointless. The units are generally too big to be usefull and, using the stock skirmish formation, take forever to get anything done. Skirmishers in SOWGB/NapMod are different. Thanks to Gunships idea of drawing out the Light Companies from the French Battalions and forming them into seperate, (small), 3 company battalions, they can work. In conjunction with the skirmish formation Mod I put together, (similar to Garniers formation), they can actually work. Unfortunately, I can't get it to work within the ACW side. Don't know why.
So they can be used, but you have to watch them. They won't really operate on thier own. But they LOOK great as they screen your advancing Battalions in Columns of Divisions.
Somewhere on the forum here I have posted the Mod File and a discription of how effective they can be.

"Molon Labe"

Jack B)