Relating to Battles

[Nathan B. Forrest]

Is it just me in my newbish ways or do numbers tend to dictate battles. I was facing off 40,000 yanks with Longstreet's corps with numbered around 22,000. I wouldn't expect to demolish or come out unscathed. But what happened was pure destruction. I managed out of there with only 8,000 men.

Also, when I synchronize movements they never arrive at the same time, and what happens is written above ):
Any trick I have to do to make them all arrive? Do they have to launch from the same province? Or can I do it from 3 bordering provinces.

[James D Burns]

There are far too many variables to make a blanket statement about what does and does not affect a battles outcome. Sometimes numbers make the difference, sometimes not.

I think the real problem is in how the battle outcomes are reported to players. Without a good concise breakdown of what happened and what the major deciding factors were in a battles outcome, it’s left up to the players and their knowledge of the underlying game engine to try and figure things out for themselves and that usually means you are just guessing, this leads to lots of frustration.

Here’s an example of what Longstreet can do if the variables go his way:

http://matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3422005

Jim

[Ol' Choctaw]

You didn’t say what the power of your army was vs. the enemy.

Supposedly numbers of men is a flavor ingredient. Power is the key.

Honestly, I have not found that to be the case and I have brought it up a time or two but never gotten an answer.

Where I have noticed it most is with troops who are unsupplied and with low cohesion.

I have attacked them with huge amounts of superior power and because these guys with sticks, stones, and rifle butts out number me I take big losses even when they run.

Artillery is also a factor, even when they have no ammunition. So attacking a force with 50 power, 200 guns, 8000 men, and no supply with a stack of 450 power a few guns and half the number of men may upset your day.

Defending may be a different story. You just have to be careful what you are attacking.

[Ace]

Where you attacking or defending?

[charlesonmission]

These tutorial videos might help.

http://youtu.be/ZcTZ9uc3ZFk On Army, Corps, and Division command.

Is it just me in my newbish ways or do numbers tend to dictate battles. I was facing off 40,000 yanks with Longstreet's corps with numbered around 22,000. I wouldn't expect to demolish or come out unscathed. But what happened was pure destruction. I managed out of there with only 8,000 men.

Also, when I synchronize movements they never arrive at the same time, and what happens is written above ):
Any trick I have to do to make them all arrive? Do they have to launch from the same province? Or can I do it from 3 bordering provinces.

[Nathan B. Forrest]

Where you attacking or defending?

I was attacking, I stated I thought my other 2 corps of 20,000 each were arriving on the same day but I was mistaken.

[Ace]

That is the reason you were so badly mauled. If the roles were reversed, you could count on balanced battle that can go either way.

[Pocus]

power is just a rather abstracted guess estimate of how will fare your men in battle. It is much more better to have 100 combat power of a few elite troops in hilly terrain, led by a good general, and not 350 combat power of militia having lost half their cohesion with a lousy leader.

[Nathan B. Forrest]

power is just a rather abstracted guess estimate of how will fare your men in battle. It is much more better to have 100 combat power of a few elite troops in hilly terrain, led by a good general, and not 350 combat power of militia having lost half their cohesion with a lousy leader.

I'll keep note of that. Any reason why my synchronized units aren't arriving on the same day? They are part of the same army

[Ol' Choctaw]

If they are not in the same region to start they will not be synchronized. You can hope they MTSG but they don’t always come as soon as they are needed. If you were defeated before they arrived that is it.

A few times I have seen one group arrive just as another retreats also. If they had been together they stood a chance of winning but if they arrive piecemeal then it can be a double defeat.

[Le Ricain]

I have also noticed that an army and its corps moving by synchronized movement from one region to another will arrive on different days. The faster corps will get mauled and the latecomers will win the battle and get the glory.