Suggestion to Devs, drawing battle lines like drawing movement paths..

[Xenutheeviloverlord]

I think the movement path tool (where you select one unit and draw the movement route they would take, forming an arrow along their path) is excellent and very versatile.

 

Which is why I wonder why the same isn't possible when drawing battle lines.

 

You just drag the mouse cursor over the battlefield while having multiple units selected and they simply form up on the line you've drawn...

 

because it's so clumsy to try and form battle lines manually, without UI or programmed assistance, it becomes a bit frustrating.

 

Perhaps a sort of tool...

 

 

You lasso or select a group of units, and then draw the line like you would draw the path for single units currently.

 

So draw an S shaped line with your mouse and the units will form an s shaped firing line, you draw a C or a shallow crescent and the line infantry will fall into a C or shallow crescent firing line.

 

Draw an O with your mouse and watch as your line infantry draws the noose around your surrounded foes!

[Technopiper]

Forming a battleline is more complex than drawing a line. For example, which unit should fit into which part of the line? Should the line be homogenous with equal spacing between each units? Or should certain portion be tighter? Making such decisions is half the game. Some sort of AI is required to make such decisions and the result will not be ideal. It is a nice option to have in the game but I rather more development resource be spent in other departments.

[admin]

interesting idea

it is hard to make but if it works it could be something new, the only problem that it will only work well for the player. we can't teach AI to draw such lines.

[dagdriver]

This is an excellent idea, I wished for something like that way back when I played SMG:

The ability to give a couple of units instructions to "line up along that ridge", or "behind that fence -  no,no, ALL of you behind, not half of you behind, half of you in front "  

- instead of manually placing each single unit.

[Ray_p]

I think the movement path tool (where you select one unit and draw the movement route they would take, forming an arrow along their path) is excellent and very versatile.

 

Which is why I wonder why the same isn't possible when drawing battle lines.

 

You just drag the mouse cursor over the battlefield while having multiple units selected and they simply form up on the line you've drawn...

 

because it's so clumsy to try and form battle lines manually, without UI or programmed assistance, it becomes a bit frustrating.

 

Perhaps a sort of tool...

 

 

You lasso or select a group of units, and then draw the line like you would draw the path for single units currently.

 

So draw an S shaped line with your mouse and the units will form an s shaped firing line, you draw a C or a shallow crescent and the line infantry will fall into a C or shallow crescent firing line.

 

Draw an O with your mouse and watch as your line infantry draws the noose around your surrounded foes!

Personally I'd rather have you select units and click on points that you want them to go to.   I find navigating around the map with arrow keys as opposed to dragging around with your mouse to be cumbersome and time consuming.   Rather have the map scroll under mouse control as opposed to arrow keys.   It's consistent with the way a number of the top games travel around the map.

[Xenutheeviloverlord]

How about another tool-

 

Where you select a unit, right click on a plot of land on the map and a drop down box appears with selections such as:

 

form up behind wall.

 

form right of XXX brigade.

 

form left of XXX brigade.

 

find cover

[RichardMcCor]

I'm currently practicing playing only with the Cntrl Right Mouse "formation command". 

I make my groups at start of game and the only command i give is the "formation command"

Much less clicks. Much more reliant on the AI on my brigades

Much more frustrating as the "formation" choice of which brigade goes where seems the change all the time based on who is "active" vs "Routed" which causes brigades to form and reform into line

 

Anyway, it's working after a fashion but my rank is falling so I need to practice more.

[MikeK]

Actual  orders from could well be as specific as to secure a hill or other landmark objective, form up on a ridgeline, a fence line, or behind a stone wall, or as general   as to probe to the front or secure some landmark  or objective. Brigade and regimental officers would conform their troops to the ground for field of fire and defensive strength (such as disposing a line on the military crest rather than the topographical crest).  Unit AI in the game seems to do a little of this as part of following the arrow path but often the player must fiddle with positions. .

[Husserl]

I make my groups at start of game and the only command i give is the "formation command"

Much less clicks. Much more reliant on the AI on my brigades

 

Along with the new grouping function (drawing a simple lasso line), commanding a large army is much easier now.