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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [American Civil War] >> Forge of Freedom: The American Civil War 1861-1865 >> few questions

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few questions - 3/1/2008 9:36:37 PM

janh

Posts: 1216
Joined: 6/12/2007
Status: offline

Hi guys,

great game, no doubts to that. I still have a few questions concerning issues I could not resolve with the manual.

Firstly, what determines (advanced level) which battles I can fight as detailed battles? Can I mod this so I can basically fight even small division sized skirmishes in the far West?

Also, I see AI often reorganize its brigades in smaller units. What is the minimum size for doing so and can I increase it? Sometimes I found AI forming too many too small units which then showed up badly against my larger brigades. Any hope in the future that units can be merged together again?
Do brigades also retreat a few steps (without routing) if combat becomes to heavy? I did not recognize this, and generally my units always lock in close combats which can last for hours without me being able to move them out and replace by other units. They just become immobile. I would like such small 1 or 2 hex retreats when units get under heavy fire, and not only routs. That would make the detailed combat more fluid, and more interesting.

One question I am wondering about is the terrain in detailed combat. I often can choose something like "... and roads". But whenever I do so, I indeed get the terrain (open, swampy etc), but never any roads. I would like to see more roads and trails as these features were historically very important tactic landmarks that decided the shaping of battle lines etc. Also I feel sometimes that the ridges and hills, or the lakes and woods are somewhat fringed instead of forming denser areas (think of South Mountain, or the Wilderness, or Chickamauga). Can I mod this, too?

Also, is it possible to mod the strategic map and subdivide provinces, i.e. make ~4-6 out of each one there at the moment? Any future hope to get that in an addon? I think about it as it would allow for a lot more strategic maneuvering, and Jacksonian-like Valley campaigns and so on. Maybe larger formations would then need to be spread out over several counties then, while brigades or division might only occupy a single region.

Lastly, is there any prospect that one can in the future attach generals to certain units, i.e. brigade generals? That would be very important to give the army organization and detailed combat a certain flair... Also, being able to change the command structure in a battle, for i.e when a superior becomes a casualty, would be a neat feature.

Very obvious FoF is a very well researched, historically pretty accurate game with an enormously potent AI, especially compared to other games. I think bringing it to a new level, either by addons, or by making a FOF II, with some of the features suggested by many people in the forums (like historical battle maps for detailed combat; and maybe even a Sid-Meiers Gettysburg, or Take Command like 3D detailed combat engine, or at least an export function to use these games for solving detailed combat), would be awesome, and probably also economically a success.
Congrats guys!
Jan

Post #: 1

RE: few questions - 3/1/2008 10:18:30 PM

Erik Rutins

Posts: 37503
Joined: 3/28/2000
From: Vermont, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: janh
Firstly, what determines (advanced level) which battles I can fight as detailed battles? Can I mod this so I can basically fight even small division sized skirmishes in the far West?

Battle size, by default. When you start a new game check the "Always Detailed Battle" option and you'll be able to fight even tiny skirmishes in detailed mode.

quote:

Also, I see AI often reorganize its brigades in smaller units. What is the minimum size for doing so and can I increase it? Sometimes I found AI forming too many too small units which then showed up badly against my larger brigades. Any hope in the future that units can be merged together again?

See the readme notes on this for the requirements on splitting brigades and how frontage affects firepower.

quote:

Do brigades also retreat a few steps (without routing) if combat becomes to heavy? I did not recognize this, and generally my units always lock in close combats which can last for hours without me being able to move them out and replace by other units. They just become immobile. I would like such small 1 or 2 hex retreats when units get under heavy fire, and not only routs. That would make the detailed combat more fluid, and more interesting.

This can happen, but it's rare. I agree it would nice to see a bit more of that, but I think the existing system works quite well too as brigades crack and rout under pressure.

quote:

One question I am wondering about is the terrain in detailed combat. I often can choose something like "... and roads". But whenever I do so, I indeed get the terrain (open, swampy etc), but never any roads. I would like to see more roads and trails as these features were historically very important tactic landmarks that decided the shaping of battle lines etc. Also I feel sometimes that the ridges and hills, or the lakes and woods are somewhat fringed instead of forming denser areas (think of South Mountain, or the Wilderness, or Chickamauga). Can I mod this, too?

I'll let Gil or Eric answer this one. I will say that I've had some very road-filled maps, but I understand your point.

quote:

Also, is it possible to mod the strategic map and subdivide provinces, i.e. make ~4-6 out of each one there at the moment? Any future hope to get that in an addon? I think about it as it would allow for a lot more strategic maneuvering, and Jacksonian-like Valley campaigns and so on. Maybe larger formations would then need to be spread out over several counties then, while brigades or division might only occupy a single region.

There's been some talk of a FOF expansion and adding a few additional provinces here and there, but FOF is by design a game of grand strategy and doesn't focuses on strategic (rather than operational) maneuver. I've been able to do Jackson's Valley Campaign through a combination of strategic maneuver and detailed battles. Similarly I often spread out formations to minimize disease while leaving them on Seek Battle so that they can reinforce each other in the case of battle.

quote:

Lastly, is there any prospect that one can in the future attach generals to certain units, i.e. brigade generals? That would be very important to give the army organization and detailed combat a certain flair... Also, being able to change the command structure in a battle, for i.e when a superior becomes a casualty, would be a neat feature.

In detailed battle? Just use the "G" key to move a general to a specific brigade.

Agree that the command structure adjusting to losses in battle would be a nice feature.

quote:

Very obvious FoF is a very well researched, historically pretty accurate game with an enormously potent AI, especially compared to other games. I think bringing it to a new level, either by addons, or by making a FOF II, with some of the features suggested by many people in the forums (like historical battle maps for detailed combat; and maybe even a Sid-Meiers Gettysburg, or Take Command like 3D detailed combat engine, or at least an export function to use these games for solving detailed combat), would be awesome, and probably also economically a success.

I agree completely, thanks for your feedback! I'll continue to pester the West Civ team to come back to FOF in a future expansion or sequel as it's one of my favorites as well.