Are units lost forever when they rout off the game map?

[Hobo]

I seem to be losing my cav units this way.  They jump in to a trap, get hammered, rout, and run off the screen never to be seen again.  I would think they should be available for the next fight (perhaps after a demotion).

[ptg2000]

Is the unit icon still above them when they route off the map? I've only played through Union easy mode campaign and haven't experienced this myself(though I have lost a few Cav units learning how to use them).

[GeneralPITA]

If you withdraw them, they will be available in the barracks. If they shatter (indicated by their battle standard disappearing) they are gone forever, along with their weapons, experience, and officer. 

Don't let that happen, basically. 

[Sir Texas Sir]

Which I don't get cause some times I had full new units shattered with little to no damage on them cause of one volly into them.   I think some times they freak out way to much on my side compared to the AI side.   

Though I did find out the other day that if one gets captured you can captured them back. I had a good skirm unit surrender to a much larger group.  Well when my own inf got to that group they where right there.  I flipped them back to my side and both he skirms and new inf unit rout the whole unit.   SO that was a win over on my side.  

[GeneralPITA]

5 minutes ago, Sir Texas Sir said:

Which I don't get cause some times I had full new units shattered with little to no damage on them cause of one volly into them.   I think some times they freak out way to much on my side compared to the AI side.   

Though I did find out the other day that if one gets captured you can captured them back. I had a good skirm unit surrender to a much larger group.  Well when my own inf got to that group they where right there.  I flipped them back to my side and both he skirms and new inf unit rout the whole unit.   SO that was a win over on my side.  

If it shattered after one volley you were likely enfiladed in the open by a full infantry brigade. Was it a skirmisher unit? AI units recover morale much more quickly.

Cavalry are glass cannons. Use them in large groups, approach from forest and/or time it with a bayonet charge so you don't lose your expensive horses.

 

[Hobo]

So shattered is the same as captured for the purposes of campaign mechanics.  Are these troops the ones listed as missing in the battle results screen?  I guess the logic here is that they run home to mama never to be seen again.

[Andre Bolkonsky]

If the player captures an AI unit, you get up to 1,000 extra manpower, and half its weapons. 

If the unit is shattered, you get half the weapons. 

Collecting the weapons, surely, would involve winning the battle; that is my assumption, I could be wrong. But if you don't control the battlefield, how do you collect the weapons? However, I don't like to lose, and have been known to play a battle more than once before moving along; and saving periodically allows you save the good parts and go back when you screw it up royally after that. Can I get a ruling on this one? 

Edited February 1, 2017 by Andre Bolkonsky

[Wandering1]

Shattered is not the same thing as captures.

If the shattered unit had 200 men left, you do not get 100 extra weapons. The weapons shown in the post-battle statistics are only granted for actual kills, not theoreticals.

Missing is a different beast altogether (the in-game term for 'captures'), but shattered units do not fall into the Missing category.

[Hobo]

So I am still confused as to how Shattered units are managed.  It is almost like they are abducted by UFOs.

[GeneralPITA]

1 hour ago, Hobo said:

So I am still confused as to how Shattered units are managed.  It is almost like they are abducted by UFOs.

Desertion was a major problem for the rebs, as much as 25% attrition in many cases. When you can't arm, clothe, and properly feed your men...they disperse. 

PTSD probably doesn't help. It sucks that brigades can straight up disappear, but I think it's a necessary element.

[Wandering1]

Just think of them as... part of that 3* army that inevitably comes up as the next army that you have to grind through, again.

[Squadron HQ]

Sorry General, we love our country so much we're running back to it!

[Jake4228]

On 2/2/2017 at 3:04 AM, Squadron HQ said:

Sorry General, we love our country so much we're running back to it!

This unit is so beat up, they wouldn't attack a chicken coop!

[ross42899]

haha love those old Civil War Generals quotes     

 

Regarding the shattered units: I too wish you would at least get  a few men back after the battle and not lose the complete brigade. Let's look at hobo's example (this once happened to me too. I used a cavalry unit to scout and ran directly into the fire of an infanty brigade I didn't spot. The whole 500 man unit was shattered immediately [but only lost around 50 men or so]). While I understand that it's a major blow and the morale must be very low at this point, I still think at least a few men should rally after battle and should still be available, regardles what happened. Maybe keep the unit after the battle but with just 10% of it's initial menpower. So, instead of the initial 500 men only 50 are available after the battle. Would still be costly to replenish this unit but you will not lose the unit completely.

Edited February 6, 2017 by ross42899