New HITS Features

[con20or]

Would be really interested to hear how you guys get on with the new features, so post when youve checked them out!

[Marching Thru Georgia]

I only had time to look at this for a few moments, not play a game, but I didn't notice any new courier commands. Can you give a brief synopsis of the new features?

[con20or]

Im not sure if the final changelog has been posted yet, but the main new features are

- Couriers now spawn down the OOB - so ordering a senior general will cause him to spawn couriers, and the next general down and so forth. You'll really notice the difference on the bigger battles, the time dely in receiving orders is super-realistic.

- There's a new courier level, where you can have regiments and batteries receive couriers.

- Theres a new button to read a list of your sent messages - i've found this really handy.

- The division formations on the toolbar now work within the courier hierarchy, most of the toolbar buttons do now.

- The number of couriers spawned after one is killed has now been limited for the human player, and is settable in the .ini for the AI so if a courier gets killed, your orders wont get through You can set if for the AI to give them a better chance.

[Options]

NumAICouriers=2


There were fixes too, but you will need to see the changelog for all them.

[Marching Thru Georgia]

con20or wrote:

Couriers now spawn down the OOB - so ordering a senior general will cause him to spawn couriers, and the next general down and so forth. You'll really notice the difference on the bigger battles, the time dely in receiving orders is super-realistic.

version 1.359
Yes, but the units still begin moving immediately, before the couriers arrive. They have to ride hard to catch up to their recipients. I was a bit disappointed when I saw this was not fixed.

- There's a new courier level, where you can have regiments and batteries receive couriers.

I've sent many a courier to regiments and batteries as a division or corps commander. For brigade command the player is usually within shouting distance and is better played with point and click as regimental positioning usually requires micro-placement.

- The division formations on the toolbar now work within the courier hierarchy, most of the toolbar buttons do now.

Division formations always worked for me, even ones of my own creation. Were new ones added to the stock csv file?

[con20or]

Yes, but the units still begin moving immediately, before the couriers arrive. They have to ride hard to catch up to their recipients. I was a bit disappointed when I saw this was not fixed.

I havent come across this, all regiments/generals wait for their orders before moving. Can you give me an example of the order sequence?

I've sent many a courier to regiments and batteries as a division or corps commander. For brigade command the player is usually within shouting distance and is better played with point and click as regimental positioning usually requires micro-placement.

This is different to how you have interpreted it, now If you order a brigade/battery commander (or he is ordered by the superiro who commanded him) he is required to send couriers to his regiments, which didnt happen before.

Division formations always worked for me, even ones of my own creation. Were new ones added to the stock csv file?

These were the toolbar division formations - which didnt work with the courier systems before. Now you can use this system, and couriers will be sent properly. Before, if you used a division toolbar formation, no couriers were sent. This saves you alot otf time for standard orders.

[Marching Thru Georgia]

Con20or wrote:

I havent come across this, all regiments/generals wait for their orders before moving. Can you give me an example of the order sequence?

Start a game as corps commander. Give a division the usual order to move to a location, facing, formation, use roads. A courier goes out to the division commander. The division commander sends couriers off to all brigade/battery commanders. But the brigades/batteries begin moving immediately. They don't wait for the couriers to arrive. This has been the case since the patch from early spring. Previous to this, things worked properly.

This is different to how you have interpreted it, now If you order a brigade/battery commander (or he is ordered by the superiro who commanded him) he is required to send couriers to his regiments, which didnt happen before.

I'll check this, but I don't remember seeing any couriers going off to the regiments.

These were the toolbar division formations - which didnt work with the courier systems before. Now you can use this system, and couriers will be sent properly. Before, if you used a division toolbar formation, no couriers were sent. This saves you alot otf time for standard orders.

I don't understand. Are you saying that clicking a formation button now generates a courier(s) being sent?

[Marching Thru Georgia]

Following up on point 1, an AI corps commander will send a courier to the division commander and the division commander will send couriers to the brigades. The brigades will wait until the courier arrives before moving. This is just as it was before the spring patch. However, if the corps commander is the player, it is as I said in the last post. The brigades will move instantly.

On point 2, I can verify that the AI brigade commander does not send out couriers. Perhaps he has a large shouting radius and doesn't need them. The regiments all move instantly.

[con20or]

I just tested both of these and they work fine, so we're doing something differently.

The brigade generals didnt move until they received the order, and the regiments didnt move until they received the couriers from the brigadiers.

I have my courier level set to 'brigade', what is yours set to?

Something else to try - I have no MODS installed - try disabling couriers and maps if you have it enabled.

[con20or]

I don't understand. Are you saying that clicking a formation button now generates a courier(s) being sent?

Yes - you can now use the toolbar formations properly. So you can give move, formation, use roads orders on the toolbar and have couriers spawned. Its a real time saver. Obviously you cant specify a destination, but if you can see it, you can say 'go there'!

[Blaugrana]

I've just played a sandbox game with Courier level set to Brigade and used the toolbar.

I love it! The time delay of couriers without the intricacies of composing courier messages. Strikes me as a perfect compromise.

I was telling units where to go by clicking on the map and the unit's destination appears on the map once the courier reaches them. I would then (if I was still looking) adjust the direction I wanted them to end up in by clicking on the toolbar. Would it be possible / desirable to show the destination of the unit (and hence direction) as soon as you click on the map? This would be the equivalent of writing a courier msg giving them the destination and direction.

I hope this makes sense.

Thanks to all who've contributed to this great patch.

Merry Christmas, too.

Jeff