"Take Charge" do's and don'ts

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Amish John
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"Take Charge" do's and don'ts

Post by Amish John »

During a recent game I had an infantry regiment within firing range of an enemy infantry unit. My regiment was going thru the loading and firing motions but no smoke was visible. Thinking this was a bug I saved the game and emailed it to SOW support. SOW support responded that since the regiment was TC'd (I hadn't noticed that when I sent the saved game) although it was going thru the firing animations it would not wheel to face the enemy to start firing. Seems like if they aren't going to fire they shouldn't just go thru the motions. Just thought I'd post this in case anyone comes across this loading/firing animation without actually firing situation.

I'm at work now so I can't check this, but does the AI have to make the opposing firing lines parallel when firing at each other or is oblique firing used. If so, what is the maximum angle they will fire obliquely before they wheel to reduce the angle? This sort of follows an earlier post in another thread about reducing the amount of wheeling a unit has to do. If the AI is programmed to oblique fire up to say 45 degrees it would reduce unnecessary movement and disorganizing a battle line.
You can get farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.
GShock
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Re: "Take Charge" do's and don'ts

Post by GShock »

And that's exactly why I pointed out it would be a good idea to keep the AI lines focus on following breastworks/fences/stonewalls lines. Since these are LINES, regiments in line instead of wheeling would work better without exposing to shots coming from the flanks.

On the other hand, since the bonus depends on the location of the regimental flag, keeping a priority on following the line of cover would contribute to building a more realistic battlefield on the visual side (we know the angle doesn't matter as long as the flag is occupying "covered" ground.

An excellent observation, A.J.
oho
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Re:"Take Charge" do's and don'ts

Post by oho »

"If so, what is the maximum angle they will fire obliquely before they wheel to reduce the angle?"
Good question - Norb - can you enlighten us? :)
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norb
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Re:"Take Charge" do's and don'ts

Post by norb »

I've gotta look in the code for this and won't be there until tonight. I will try to remember and find an answer for you.
Slick Wilhelm
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Post by Slick Wilhelm »

Amish John wrote:
During a recent game I had an infantry regiment within firing range of an enemy infantry unit. My regiment was going thru the loading and firing motions but no smoke was visible. Thinking this was a bug I saved the game and emailed it to SOW support. SOW support responded that since the regiment was TC'd (I hadn't noticed that when I sent the saved game) although it was going thru the firing animations it would not wheel to face the enemy to start firing. Seems like if they aren't going to fire they shouldn't just go thru the motions. Just thought I'd post this in case anyone comes across this loading/firing animation without actually firing situation.
If this is true, it may explain the situation I experienced during a brigade vs. brigade sandbox game I played recently.

I was practicing attack tactics, and so I was doing a "pin/flank" tactic. My three front regiments pinned the Rebs effectively. Meanwhile, I sent the large 153rd Penn. regiment around the Rebel brigade and came in on their rear. I maneuvered it right up to a fence, about 120 yds in the rear of, and parallel to, an enemy regiment.

My boys wouldn't fire. So, I finally marched them up to within 60 yds of the enemy, when they finally would fire. But instead of breaking and fleeing under this attack by a larger regiment from the rear, the Rebel regiment kept firing to it's front, blithely ignoring, or completely oblivious that there was a Yankee regiment firing at them from their rear!

I finally had enough and ordered the 153rd to charge, which they did. In the ensuing melee, even though I attacked from the rear, my boys were routed and sent fleeing to the Union rear.

*sigh*, Slick von Gilsa was not a happy regiment commander that night. I wish I would have had auto-saves enabled.
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