Doctrine Pursuit Options

[Mr. Doran]

When I select it so cavalry only pursues only when detached they insist on pursuing until the end of the Earth when attached. Can someone tell me what is going on here?

[zu Pferd]

Hi
me again. Cavalry appears to be completely out of control in the hands of the AI, and because
the AI is not completely developed its basically pursuit on all the time, which triggers fatigue
which makes cavalry an easy target.

Corps with light cavalry attachments use them for scouting and support for your guns
Heavies old them way back use them as a big charge once you've determined where a
weak sector is...you won't get a dispatch from Murat asking you to release the horse.
Keep a generous reserve.

JMM is supposed to develop a more reactive AI. I'm not sure where is at with that item.
Not sure if he will go to beta testing once the patch comes out, and or release it ( patch
for both versions ). Perhaps with the patch we'll see some improvement with cavalry, and
artillery behavior, light infantry skirmishing ?? You asked about this, as I have and others,
probably not this time.

Cheers

[Mr. Doran]

Is it certain that there is no bug with this operation? When the doctrine is set so cavalry is never allowed to pursue they very rarely do attempt to pursuit.



But, once permission in the doctrine is set so cavalry can pursue when detached they will attempt to pursue given almost any opportunity REGARDLESS if they are detached or attached. Which of course can lead to some very suicidal behavior that ends in their total annihilation.



Is there some support function where a corp commander or other entity can request a pursuit that could be overriding the only pursue when detached doctrine setting?

[zu Pferd]

Suicidal behavior is par for the course with cavalry engagements: as with 10,000 of them in a big
charge at Eylau and Aspern Essling...although not destroyed (led well) not as at Waterloo where they
were used in desperation.

The more I read the more I'm of the opinion that there is a design to the 'bug'.
The corps commander function was not to tell his subordinate how to do it, that was left up to the
subordinate, if he was there leading the troop, and Napoleone assigned him to be in your troop...

so it follows that in the game that function is not there for you to micromanage with some reason.

The topic brings about another point:
why Scouting by regiment.
Number of units limit constraint vs create smaller units (min 250) to scout.
Had the cavalry the function of discovery built in , we could get good, intermediate, and bad reports. to act upon without the suicidal charge, unless it was deployed at a crucial point.

I've seen the victors of these 'scouting' encounters making their main job to arras the loser until same lost all
morale leaving the field, which is not so terrible.

[Mr. Doran]

    I have to disagree, there is a difference between randomness and incoherence. Randomness is one of the primary essences that characterizes this period of warfare. A regiment of hussars charging headlong into a routed line regiment in an effort to take them prisoner despite the fact that they are retreating right on-top of or through an entire division of friendlies is incoherence. The fact that this type of incoherent behavior is a consistency then demonstrates it is not random. As I stated prior, we basically have two doctrine options that boil down to all or nothing; either they will pursue without much regards to their self preservation or they will very rarely do so at all. It may not be the job of a corp commander to issue the exact specific orders of when or not to pursue but surely a good corp commander would have had in writing something more specific in mind than what I have formerly described.

   The basis of modeling Command-And-Control well with AI is that you have to have subordinates that act reasonably realistically. In this regard, we do not have that.

[JMM]

For each unit, you can choose the initiative level...
At the highest level, you get the type of behavior you describe...
At the lowest level, the unit doesn't any initiative...

Jus an example... During Haslach (1805) , the Austrian cavalry charges the french troop on the North, finding the chariots of Division Dupont... Several Austrian  regiments were out of control during a long period... Too initiative for this troops in the simulation.

JMM