Jimmer
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Joined: 12/5/2007
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quote:
ORIGINAL: pzgndr
quote:
However, when ones opponent has cav superiority, choosing a lower tactical rating might cause what would have been a +1/+1 battle to be fought on the 0/0 table instead. This would imply fewer casualties and lower morale loss (or, if done in reverse, the opposite). An army with superior troop counts is very interested in keeping the battle going as long as possible. Using a lower table means the possibility of extra days of combat (or even extra rounds). Or, in the reverse case, a low troop count army might want to get it over with as soon as possible.
Jimmer's point here emphasizes the trade-off between casualties and morale loss, where players may want to make a choice? If this is to be automated, it should reflect the "better" choice and the logic should be documented. What should constitute the superior troop count threshold, 2:1?
No, it does not emphasize a trade-off of any kind. The most common use is a simple conversion of the final modifiers from what would have been +1/0 to +1/-1. In other words, the other guy does fewer casualties AND less morale, at no cost to the leader making the choice.
There CAN be a trade-off, but not in this example (which by far the most common use: 4 leader vs. 2 leader, with the 4 leader having cav superiority). It's also the only one that has an obviously correct choice.
It's interesting to note that there is only one pair of numbers in the tables which carry a real choice: 4 vs 2. The example I gave was when the higher tactical side also had cavalry superiority. However, if the 2 leader has cavalry superiority, the guy with the 4 leader is presented with the choice of 0/0 or +1/+1. In this case, he has to actually think about it. Does he want more casualties AND more morale damage (on both sides), or less of each? Normally, lower morale armies choose the lower mods and vice-versa. But, either choice is legitimate. In fact, in these situations, it is very common for the rating to be different during the same battle (i.e. start with a 4, drop to a 3, etc).
Marshall, this point brings up something else: The ONLY time this matters is when one side is being led by a tactical 4 leader and the other is tactical 2. In all other cases, no improvement can be made by reducing ones rating. Which side is attacking or defending is irrelevant, since the table is diagonally symmetrical.
So, really, you only need to offer a choice to the guy with the 4 leader, and then only if he's up against a 2 leader. But, there are three possible situations: 4 leader has cav superiority, 2 leader has it, and nobody has it. Each of the three presents interesting possibilities, although the first is a lot more common (who puts a 2 leader on a real army?)
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RE: commander sandbagging? - 
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