Unit Paths Comment... plus...

[RebBugler]

I get around this by ordering the unit several yards behind where I want them to be, so that they march directly to it. Then, I use the Forward 100 Yards command, then halt them when they are in position. If you use the Attack March (I believe that's the name of it in Bugles and Flags), they will keep going until you order them to stop.

I'm gonna' need to turn on FRAPS this weekend and get either some screenshots or short vids to show some of the goofiness related to unit paths. Just last night I had a unit I wanted to march less than 200 meters in column and form line on a fence. This was on Benner's Hill near the creek dividing Benner's and Culp's. The straight-line terrain between the regiment and the fence was clear. A firing six-gun battery was to it's right front partially straddling a fence. The AI decided to march the regiment completely around the right side (including crossing a fence) of the six-gun battery, countermarch in front of the firing battery, re-cross the fence, and take up it's ordered position on the front left side of the battery. I had to click the regiment's destination in stages, just a few yards in front of it, and virtually drag it to the fence in a straight line. This and similar occurrences are routine...

I completely understand and empathize with coder's who have to develop a game of this magnitude, and that nothing can be perfect in a computer simulation of this detail. Generally, I see the difficulties in programming out certain "gamey" aspects such as Seal's infamous column charging tactic, and even couriers that stick to roads, but the routing system is a bit much IMHO.

If you activate show tiles in the Debug mode, you can see why the pathing may seem goofy at times, unfortunately, more times than not. We are well aware of this behavior, and like you said, as the game is eventually threaded, this will most probably be worked out. In the meantime, the pathing is based on the network of fairly large tiles, necessitated for performance sake. Smaller tiles may be made possible with core threading so they don't hit the performance areas, but, I'm really just guessing...and hoping.

If you need immediate satisfaction with the pathing try the 'justrun' command...gives you a straight path every time, but unfortunately makes your unit very vulnerable, and it is very prone to retreat while in this state if fired upon. Also try micromanaging the path, column formation, and several destination clicks to find the best path...make sure 'pathing arrows' is enabled in options.

If you have any suggestions to improve the present tiling system, we will indeed listen and try to make it better if possible.

[WriterJWA]

If you activate show tiles in the Debug mode, you can see why the pathing may seem goofy at times, unfortunately, more times than not. We are well aware of this behavior, and like you said, as the game is eventually threaded, this will most probably be worked out. In the meantime, the pathing is based on the network of fairly large tiles, necessitated for performance sake. Smaller tiles may be made possible with core threading so they don't hit the performance areas, but, I'm really just guessing...and hoping.

If you need immediate satisfaction with the pathing try the 'justrun' command...gives you a straight path every time, but unfortunately makes your unit very vulnerable, and it is very prone to retreat while in this state if fired upon. Also try micromanaging the path, column formation, and several destination clicks to find the best path...make sure 'pathing arrows' is enabled in options.

If you have any suggestions to improve the present tiling system, we will indeed listen and try to make it better if possible.

I'll take a look at that. I'd love to learn the system works a little more!

Regarding the 'justrun' command -- your new "retreat to a point" command is brilliant and has seen some great use in delays and withdrawals. Well done!

[Davinci]

I think that another toolbar button could be added into the game that would disable the pathing for this particular unit.

It can be designed so that if any of the units should come into contact with another unit friendly \ foe that it would automatically deactivate.

This would allow for simple maneuvers to be preformed without the AI taking over and directing the units on an roundabout course.

Considering that this can only be assigned to say a brigade or lower unit, this should not have any negative affect on the game, or the AI routines. Just as the Take-Command is only applied to said units this would work the same way.

It could also be designed to not allow any unit to travel more than one-hundred-yards.

This would pretty much solve this problem.

davinci

[NY Cavalry]

I'de be satisfied if my couriers would just run in a straight line to the general. instead, in order to get a message to a unit 100 meters to my left, I have to watch a courier run right onto a road that takes him around the battlefield.

This is another thing that has been worked on and improved but its still not perfect. The idea behind the couriers using roads is to stress the importance of keeping main roads, junctions, etc. open and clear of the enemy; how it was historically.

At Getty the Union had the interior lines and the Rebels did not. Keeping roads clear enough to allow couriers is impossible. In a sp game last week I was Hancock at Bliss Farm facing East and sent a courier to my division commander Hays who was 500 yards to my Southwest in the woods. The courier jumped on the road 40 yards North of me and ran into Gettysburg and then south on the Emmitsburg Road he then left the road passing about 10 yards from me and then on to Hays.

I would love to use couriers more. When I do I have to ride my character up and down the battlefield to get couriers sent directly to their recipients.

[Little Powell]

Courier pathing is on the list of things to be improved.

[RebBugler]

This is not a courier pathing thread, courier pathing is completely different from unit pathing...start your own danged thread and beat it to death there, and believe me, it's already been beaten to death and addressed, but obviously not enough. Excuse me, but I just relapsed into OFFTHREAD rage.

[SouthernSteel]

Besides, I'm pretty sure it's already been fixed once and haven't heard any complaints about it in a while. If you guys would just play with real people, you wouldn't need couriers anyway.

[NY Cavalry]

This is not a courier pathing thread, courier pathing is completely different from unit pathing...start your own danged thread and beat it to death there, and believe me, it's already been beaten to death and addressed, but obviously not enough. Excuse me, but I just relapsed into OFFTHREAD rage.

You are correct the thread was hijacked just a bit.

Maybe at times some of us seem a bit critical. This isn't the case. We keep coming back and playing this game. We are helpful and try to encourage new players that are trying out MP. We have been appreciative of the changes and tweaks made to the game by the developers. We have posted as many posts describing how good the game is and why we like to play it.We have been mostly civilized in our posts.


This game is a great game and I encourage all people who have an interest in the civil war or just like to play challenging games in mp or sp to try it out.

[RebBugler]

My apologies to all. Came back to soften up my statement, but was quoted, now it's burned into forum history. Sometimes I just snap, and wind up regretting my overly zealous statements. But folks, let's please try to keep this forum organized, or the info is useless if thrown all over the place and impossible to find.

[SouthernSteel]

So who here likes pie?