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Gray Fox
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Combat further explained by loki100

Wed May 23, 2018 2:47 pm

Here is a very enlightening excerpt I found by chance about the Combat Explained thread in the Ageod Wiki:

(by loki100)
"Introduction

First, all the details for this can be found in the invaluable combat thread on the AGE Wiki.

When learning the AGE game system I found the issue of stack selection in combat perhaps the least obvious. It is also important as unlike the details of the actual combat engine (to come in later posts), its something you as a player can control through army organisation and use of stances.

I'll start with the rules, and then a short discussion

The Rules

1 - Stacks are sorted into three groups depending on stance. The groups are assault/attack (remember that for open battle these are the same); defend; or, passive (the green option)

2 - one stack (at random) is selected that is in the assault/attack mode

3- it then tries to chose an enemy stack that is in assault/attack mode and that is not already under significant attack. This will prioritise a stack that is not moving (ie was in the province at the start of combat) over one that was moving (ie has arrived via the MTSG mechanism)

4 - if there are no enemy stacks in attack mode, it will pick (at random) one that is in defend mode

5 - if no there are no enemy stacks in either attack or defend mode, it will pick one that is in a passive stance

6 - the game engine then picks another random stack in attack mode. If this is the one already under attack, nothing else happens and the game engine picks a new stack and that stack selects a target as in 3-5 above.

7 - once all attacking stacks are engaged, the stacks in a defend mode will either join an existing battle or pick an opponent as above

8 - very important... If there is a HQ stack present as well as other stacks, the HQ will not attack in its own right but will support an existing battle

Notes

The inverse of rule 2 is that 2 armies both in defend mode won't start a battle - this is unlikely but can happen if both sides share military control (mc) in the province. Usually having low mc will force one side into an attack stance.

Rule 3 makes it possible that a stack arriving via mtsg will take the enemy by surprise, they are fully occupied with the in-province units and all of sudden you can gang up on one enemy corps

Rule 5 means that if you have a stack you need to protect, if it is in the green stance it has a good chance to evade combat

Rule 7 means it is possible for a stack in defend mode to opt to join an existing fight

Rule 8 has significant implications. If you have just a single army stack on the battlefield, it behaves like a normal unit. If the HQ stack is with other stacks, it will only fight in support. This allows you to do one of two things. First your HQ can just be the CinC (even if they join a battle they will be fairly safe as there should be lots of troops between them and the enemy). Or you can put your elite reserve in with the HQ stack. Then it will fight in conjunction with a regular force and you have an excellent chance of overwhelming the enemy.

edit - a third option is to put all your badly battered units in the HQ stack. This won't completely protect them but it does mean they will only fight in conjunction with fresh troops. This used to be a common gameplay approach in Rise of Prussia.

Stack/Corps design

All this I think has some implications for how you organise your army and there are advantages and disadvantages to different options.

First, its quite by design that a large corps may target a small one. Bad news for the small one.

Second its by design that multiple stacks can gang up one (once the first round of target selection is over). Note that corps arriving via mtsg have a lower chance to be selected as a target than one already on the battlefield. This might allow them to double up on a target.

Third, if you have lots of small corps, you are taking a chance that they will be overwhelmed, but a few large ones may hand the initiative (ie the ability to gang up) to the enemy. Purely from my own point of view, I tend not to use small corps, I think its too risky, if I am likely to engage in a huge battle.

I've also lost battles where only one formation was targetted but been able to turn the tables next turn. Odds on all the enemies stacks have lost cohesion etc, only yours that actively fought will be in that state and the others fresh. I still have a warm feeling about an Italian victory at Adrianople over the Ottomans (in Pride of Nations) that came due to this ability to turn the tide after a defeat.



< Message edited by loki100 -- 12/6/2015 12:07:26 PM >"
The original post:
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.as ... =&#4425326
The Ageod Wiki link:
http://www.ageod.net/agewiki/index.php? ... ction=edit
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DrPostman
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Re: Combat further explained by loki100

Wed May 23, 2018 7:12 pm

Thanks Gray Fox. Very informative! :hat:

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ArmChairGeneral
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Re: Combat further explained by loki100

Thu May 24, 2018 3:07 am

Very nice post loki, thanks for the link Fox!

Note to new players: for CW2 purposes when loki says HQ, mentally replace that with Army Stack. CW2 also has the HQ Unit, which is not what loki is talking about.

Fox, Ape, Orso, pgr, et. al.:
Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't we also determine that defending Army stacks are not targeted by attackers unless there is no remaining stack for them to target? So if for example, a single stack attacks an Army and a Corps, the attacker will almost always choose the Corps.

Also, I am pretty sure that on the first round, if there are two attackers and only one defender the second attacking stack cannot target anyone (since there are no unengaged stacks available).

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Gray Fox
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Re: Combat further explained by loki100

Thu May 24, 2018 2:08 pm

Loki100's post is from the Wars of Napoleon discussion thread, which may explain some of the terminology. However, the explanation of the Ageod Wiki thread on "Combat Explained" pertains to CW2 as well, so I reposted it.

ACG, I have read some WON AARs. The French player tends to keep Napoleon in a small stack with several large Corps. This way he can influence any battle with his abilities, while his stack is a low priority target. L'Empereur is not risked directly in battle since his death would mean Game Over. I tend to make the largest stack my Army commander can lead, so I have no experience with this play style. The greatest honor that a leader has is to say, "Follow me!"

As to whether two stacks will attack one lone stack, "if there is none (meaning all enemy stacks are 'threatened'), then one at random will be picked." This would seem to mean that it just sucks to be them.
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pgr
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Re: Combat further explained by loki100

Mon Jun 04, 2018 10:35 pm

ArmChairGeneral wrote:Very nice post loki, thanks for the link Fox!
Fox, Ape, Orso, pgr, et. al.:
Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't we also determine that defending Army stacks are not targeted by attackers unless there is no remaining stack for them to target? So if for example, a single stack attacks an Army and a Corps, the attacker will almost always choose the Corps.


I have not seen it documented anywhere, but is sure seems to be my play experience. This relates back to point 8, if an army stack is sharing a region with another stack, then the other stack will get hit first (so make sure the other stack is big enough to stand on its own).

It's also worth stressing that stacks that MTSG only come into the battle on the second round of firing. The first round (round zero) only involves the local stacks. So at the very least, a corp needs to be big enough to fight long enough for support to arrive. (And inversely, if you can coordinate the arrival of multiple stacks at the same time against one enemy stack, you can greatly maul it before support arrives.

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