Scourge of War Boards

This is, I'm sure, not a new subject. It's probably on the wish list and/or NSD's laundry list of things to try and get in the game, but since I ran across it again last night I thought I'd bring it up again.

In TC2M I had a division in column on a road that would deploy into assault formation when they reached their destination. However, before reaching the destination I wanted to halt the division while I checked ahead on the road. When I hit the halt button, the division starts to deploy or go off the road. They must have thought I said it was OK to boil up some coffee.

Anyway, when I order a halt with a unit in column I just want it to STOP where it is. Don't deploy. Don't leave the road. Just stand there until I'm ready to resume the march so we can pick up right where we left off with everyone on the road and ready to go. We should be able to do this with a single command selection. If this capability is already in there I guess I'm missing it.

You're just going to have to get on the test team so that you can submit bugs. You'll have to recreate the problem in the new engine and get me a good saved game, then I can take a look at fixing stuff like this. This types of things are what we really want to rip out of the engine. It may no longer exist in this new engine, but it might do something close to the same thing. It's hard to tell until hard core testing starts.

If the coding works the same for the new game as it did in TC2M for this situation I don't think this is a bug or an isolated circumstance. I think it is just how the game handles this type of a situation. It seems to give the units some kind of deploy or reposition order after the halt order. I haven't played TC2M too much recently, so I'll defer to some of my peers on the forum to let me know if I'm interpreting this correctly. However, I'll try it in a few situations tonight in TC2M to see if it repeats this sutation everytime a halt order is given to a brigade or division.

Obviously, I'm looking at TC2M and the coding for handling this situation may be different in the new game and it may not even be an issue.

Well John, you cannot chastise the boys from wanting a hot cup of coffee and a hard tack snack.

Having tramped many a mile myself with a civil war knapsack strapped on my back while carrying all the other equipment, I certainly don't blame the 1st Pixel Volunteer Infantry for wanting to rest. There were times when I unslung my knapsack and it literally felt like the straps were still digging into my shoulders.

I have no problem if they want to lounge by the side of the road when a halt is called, but they better not start deloying into the formation I intended for the destination point.

Amish John, you're right, this is not a bug, this is how this game works. The TC function is a good idea for control, but it's present set up makes for a lot of micro mgt. If not TC'd, troops move fine while no enemy is present, and, if they halt, some will take a smoke break. Once the enemy is in sight then forget any control...it's TC for the rest of the battle, or, watch as some head the other way and decide to be reserves, some charge insanely into the enemy, some do fairly well, try to flank, etc.

I addressed this area with my "TC, Detach..." post. TC work's as it should on the brigade, artillery captain level...as long as the immediate commander above, Division, is TC'd. However, once div and corps level commanders are TC'd, this control is no more. Here, the brig. commanders, artillery captains, division commanders, will follow their traits, no matter that their immediate commander is TC'd.

This is the area that needs to be addressed to cut down on needless micro mgt. When a div. commander is TC'd, his troops should obey...unless engaged...otherwise follow orders. With the present system, this control is impossible unless one TC's down the ranks and issues the same orders, sometimes in triplicate.

I personally TC all Division Commanders initially most of the time now to somewhat get around a lot of these issues. Same with a lot of Brigade Commanders. At some point though its advantageous to unTC em as often times an unTC'd Division Commander will direct a brigade (or sometimes unfortunately his entire Division) to an unseen enemy. A double-edged sword for sure but its all part of what makes the game interesting.
This works for small and most medium battles as Micro managing is the surest way to route the enemy in my experience. However, its just about next to impossible to adequately micro manage the entire Army during a large hotly-contested battle especially where the enemy attacks both flanks.
In that case, i just bite the bullet, let the Commanders 'have their head' at the other end of the field and just wait for the cannister sounds.

One thing i'd like to see is giving unTC'd Commanders a little more realistic intelligence when confronted with enemy grand batteries certainly when their orders are to HOLD or even DEFEND. Its not uncommon for a lone unTC'd Brigade commander to try and take out a grand battery with sometimes only 2 out of 4 regiments available who quickly get routed by cannister. Other times i've seen Brigades marching within enemy cannister distance to battle it out with an enemy brigade.
OK, i'll selfishly admit it, i like it when the enemy does all this suicidal stuff! :dry:

If not more commander intelligence, then maybe an anti-suicidal death wish instead?
Or if nothing else, the HOLD, DEFEND or even PROBE orders could include a
KEEP-OUT-OF-CANNISTER range component built into them? Problem is, when a Division commander is unTC'd no matter what orders given to him, seems his brigades usually end up in ATTACK mode. Is it realy a bug? Is it a commander taking a wreckless opportunity which has happened in the real battles? Is it a particular commander's personality?
All very confusing! :S

Am I missing something or unless you click on the flag of the commander you're interested in to bring up his particular toolbar, there is no way to see on the game screen that a unit has been TC'd. Sometimes I forget who I've TC'd and I have to click each commander to see who has TC active.

In the new game, how about an on/off keystroke command to show a TC indicator above each unit that has TC active. With one keystroke you could see all the units visible on the game screen that have TC active.

Yeah John, i agree fishing around to find out who's been TC'd and who's not been TC'd is frustrating especially during hot battles. Good idea!

This option could also be put in the Advanced SetUP menu as a game default too.
Not that i'm lazy (maybe just a little:unsure:) but once i settle into my 'ol easy chair to play a battle, i hate having to go through all that trouble of hitting a key on the keyboard!:silly:
But then again, i seem to have no problem pausing the battle in order to travel that loong distance to the fridge to get another cold one!
Go figure! :S

I've personally gotten rather adept at micro-managing. In any type of engagement I TC all my commanders and manage everything from that point on.
In the case of having sharpshooters available, I usually detach them and set them up in strategic area's where I don't have to worry about them and with a TC'd ammo wagon nearby.
This way when I think they're about to run out of ammo, I just TC the units and run that ammo wagon by them to re-supply.......and keep them a'shootin' away.