Blind Officers

[garyknowz]

It would be really nice of you guys if you could find a way to let us make all officers unable to spot enemy units.

We have a rule in GCM games that you must keep all officers within 200 yards of friendly units. And that works okay. But it would be cool if we were forced to use skirmishers to scout and not simply plant officers on the flanks to guard against traps and flank movements.

If you ever make another patch for SOW: GB, please take this request into consideration. The GCM community would appreciate it.

I principally agree, but armies didn't generally march blind for several miles. Skirmishers work great for a quarter to half a mile, but too slow beyond that. So how could the devs best tackle scouting a couple thousand miles out if not with the commanders sprite simulating scouts, aides, and whatnot? Could couriers be employed for this purpose by sending them to a specific location and recording data? Or some very small units, susceptible to fire, but immune to routing (but not retreating)?

[Garnier]

I think this request is not about simulation, it's about adding one aspect of realism to a certain type of game.

By going the simulation route, this problem can be mostly solved with HITS where you have players going scouting and sending couriers back with news.

But in a game with even 100-yards-from-saddle like typical GCM games, you can thwart most sneak attacks and know a lot more than they really would have known about the nearby enemy just by putting a bunch of your officers out in front of your men. You instantly know which regiments you're facing and what they're doing. Realistically your pickets might know the enemy was there, but they wouldn't be able to instantly give that kind of info.

I think most GCM players follow a rule where officers can't move more than 200yd in front of friendly troops, but it's not always easy to make sure everyone is following it.

[garyknowz]

I completely agree that the fog of war in scouting is sorely insufficient. And scout's reports should be far from the reality of the enemy movements. But you as have I seen the AIs meeting engagements (i.e., two columns walking until they nearly knock heads, then deploy for battle). How accurate is that? It's not. That is my fear. I completely sympathize and understand the grievances you and KG have aired, especially that it's been abused. I look for a repair to this concern as well. But I think that blinding commanders only opens the simulation to even worse ahistoric issues. That seems to be the modus operandi of most major fixes of the gaming engine.

But I'm truly on your side on this, Garnier. Just not sure how best to resolve it.

Cheers!

[Garnier]

I don't think anyone's asking for it to be mandatory -- if it was done at all it would be something you can mod in. This way it would only affect people who choose to use it.

[Chromey]

Cmon Devs we really need this for GCM

[Little Powell]

There is a request in for this. See my last post. It all comes down to risk and time it would take to implement and test.

[Chromey]

well its been 2 months since my query and Ive still yet to see our request full filled. Is it really so hard to make it so officers cant see far or at all?

[Garnier]

well its been 2 months since my query and Ive still yet to see our request full filled. Is it really so hard to make it so officers cant see far or at all?

Woah. It's kind of been announced that they're working on Waterloo now. I assume if they were planning a patch for the civil war game they'd have said so.

It's not that it would be "hard" to disable officer vision, per se, but making a patch is a big deal in itself, and this idea is just one suggestion on a massive list of everyone's suggestions.

[Saddletank]

Yeah, just asking for something doesn't mean it will happen.

[KG_Soldier]

well its been 2 months since my query and Ive still yet to see our request full filled. Is it really so hard to make it so officers cant see far or at all?

Your query?

Mine was answered in the first response.