Battle planner...

[ajarnlance]

The battle planner is truly one of the most exciting new features of the game. It has so much potential that is not being realised yet. Battles are currently too static. There should be room for manouver: with the right combination of troops and high initiative leaders. I am thinking of Jackson's march around the Union flank at Chancellorsville or Van Dorn getting in behind the Union army at Pea Ridge. As Napoleon said "manoeuvre sur la derrier" or Patton: "hold 'em by the nose and kick 'em in the ass". This could be reflected more accurately in the game and it would give the Confederates with their more audacious leaders the historical advantage they possessed early in the war.

Another addition that would truly enhance the battle planner is the addition of flanks and a reserve. Currently all we see is the general in charge of the entire battle. However, in reality the medium to large scale battles had senior generals (usually corps or divisional commanders) in charge of the flanks. It would be awesome to assign generals and separate tactics to each flank, the center and the reserve. i know this might be a sore point for AGEOD but the way you can set up your army and tactics in "March of the Eagles" is the direction that this game should move towards... and why not surpass it?

My final recommendation is to slow down the battles so that they are more enjoyable affairs. Then the player can see the impact of the tactical and command decisions playing out in the battle. Obviously small skirmishes would play quickly but the larger set piece battles should feel like significant events and be memorable. After all, for this old war gamer all of the planning and manouvering is about getting to the battle: therefore the battles should be more detailed and more exciting and involve more choices and input from the player. Currently the way the battles play out and the battle report screen doesn't do much for me.

Like I said, the battle planner and the actual battles themselves have HUGE potential to be one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of this fantastic game!!!

[Pocus]

There is potential yes, and depending of what the players feel of the feature, we plan to expand it or not in a possible expansion pack or in the next game. So far it seems that most of you see a good potential in this new feature, so that's good

[ajarnlance]

I would definitely buy an expansion pack if it offered an improved battle planner and battle experience. This is the part of the game that should produce those 'memorable' moments!! Please consider offering the option to appoint commanders for the flanks, center and reserve. Also more tactical options that allow for flank marches, possible envelopments etc... There should be a way to add more excitement to the battle experience. Maybe more detailed feedback like "Stonewall" rallied the troops at 3pm or Grant ordered a successful charge at 5pm etc.... It is the characters of the leaders that make this period of history so special. The more flavour you can add regarding leader traits and abilities and how they affect the outcome of battles would be very welcome.
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[RickInVA]

One thing I would like in the Battle Planner is something that tells me the Inf, Cav, and Art breakdown of my force. It is currently hard to know if you have a large amount of Art to choose the Grand Battery or a large amount of Cav to choose Massed Cavalry. Some players may have perfect recall of their force compositions, but I could use something to tell me. Its not like my own force pool would be a secret to me!

[RebelYell]

Is it possible to make so that you can set the battle plans for an army when you do the turn, just like ROE, then you could use it in PBEM also.
The AI would use the one you set when the turn is run, maybe the AI can change to retreat if things are going bad during the turn?
Im sure it is lot of work but if it can be done, im paying happily for it.

[minipol]

I would also like such an expansion pack. It would add to the feeling of the game.

[ajarnlance]

Please change the setting on the Battle Planner so that it triggers more often. I can't give you more detailed feedback on it right now because I see it so rarely in the game!