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Originally posted by Bill Peters
<i>For me I have some disagreement on how you want these ideas to be utilized in the game but I wont go to John on my own with my own concept of it.</i>
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Bill, I'm still thinking the ideas over and don't yet feel ready to get in contact with John - I'm not really used to approaching him directly with ideas yet anyway. Perhaps it would be worthwhile setting up a special "Ideas Forum" to discuss and consider such things before presenting them to John? Just posting them here at the Tavern may mean that the ideas end up disappearing before they're developed into something potentially useful.
Yeah, I agree about the ACW dialog being wimpy, so something a bit more sophisticated would be useful. I can't recall the East Front system, but I've got the game somewhere so I'll take a look.
Some of the features I'd like to see in this engine are already present elsewhere and so relatively straightforward - eg indirect fire for howitzers, dragoons, supply points, breastworks, etc. Possibly also an action point system.
A viable Cavalry counter-charge system for the single phase is, as you point out, rather problematic. Clearly the less A/I control the better, although perhaps some cavalry should be impetuous and so liable to charge without orders. Instead of just a general counter-charge order against <i>any</i> nearby enemy cavalry (which is what my previous post probably implies), it might be possible to "pre-set" cavalry to counter-charge <b>specific</b> enemy cavalry if that cavalry actually charges? The concept would be basically similar to targetting enemy units for firing purposes, while triggering it is like ADF against enemy units that move or fire, except that it would only apply to the specific unit(s). Maybe units would need to be stacked with a leader to counter-charge? And/Or being stacked with a leader would make it less likely that an unauthorized charge would occur? On the other hand, perhaps the player might have the option of leaving the counter-charge "target" blank, so that <i>any</i> charging cavalry would be a potential target? This would leave more control in the hands of the A/I, but on a positive side would allow for unanticipated charges to be dealt with.
There might also be the possibility of cavalry being "pre-set" to conduct a defensive charge against advancing infantry or even nearby artillery, and perhaps a pre-set option allowing cavalry to fall back to avoid advancing enemy troops or even a "skirmish" option that allows light cavalry to fire, reduces their casualties if shot at and working like the ACW skirmisher system regarding visibility and impeding nearby enemy movement. There's nothing I dislike more - except perhaps captured guns "magically" disapppearing - than the sight of infantry advancing towards some poor defenceless cavalry and then blasting them at point blank range! The cavalry can't fire, can't fall back and can't charge! Is this how cavalry would have really behaved on the battlefield? Of course not. But what can be done to prevent this sort of thing occurring? Preventing any infantry - not just skirmishers - from moving adjacent to enemy cavalry in the open might be one simple solution, unless perhaps the infantry outnumber the cavalry by say 2:1.
Anyway, I suspect the basic principle would be an ADF (or rather ADCC - automatic defensive counter charge) for cavalry, but with some imput from the player to restrict the likelihood of the A/I conducting rash counter-charges. But perhaps the <i>possibility</i> of foolhardy counter-charges makes sense? It certainly occurred on the battlefield often enough and British cavalry in particular was notoriously hot-headed.
Capt Rich White
4th Cavalry Brigade
Cavalry Corps
Anglo-Allied Army
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