wowgetoffyourcellphone

Perhaps we can reuse the models but come up with a new cloth player color pattern.

"Barbarians" also used formations and army groups (bands, squads, regiments, battalions, myriads, etc.).

So, it reuses the Ptolemy props?

Probably one of the more egregious examples I've seen. Some thought and code should be put into this at some point. It's been an issue since territory was first introduced, but it's never been a priority item. I think the code should decide when to "vacuum" closed these holes and choose how to assign it to someone. Might be more complicated than we think, but worth looking into.

AZTECS ANNOUNCED

Are you missing a terrain? This causes a very hard crash.

Dude, who do you think you're talking to? lol You know nothing of code, let alone the code of any of these games. You mentioned TW, so I riffed off of that. I've always said that it would be closer to BfME2. I've been talking about and debating the subject for like 15 years now. You assumed the motivation to include battalions was for "cosmetics." I gave examples of how it would not be merely cosmetic. Battalions are a holistic approach. What you are talking about is a half-assed approach. Yes. I've met this challenge before in very in-depth and well-debated discussions dating back years. The pathfinding already needs significant work, and if battalions were taken as a new feature, then that work would go towards making battalions (formation fighting) work, instead of making mosh pit fighting and formation fighting work (your suggestion). ^This guy says I underestimate ramifications... ... I've been a part of the development of this game for 21 years. I understand perfectly what's feasible.

Okay, so what is the Total War vibe, then? Why does Total War use battalions? Why not just have hundreds or thousands of little dudes running around individually? It's because battalions give the opportunity for greater control for the player, including directional attacks, flanking, charging bonuses, fatigue*, morale*, formation bonuses (and weaknesses)... all of the things that make ancient warfare interesting. You can have the benefit of 1000 soldiers vs. 1000 soldiers battles, but with easier player control and combat dynamics. You'd have a couple dozen entities (battalions) to manage in that example instead of 1000. For all those people who desperately want an 'ammo' feature*, battalions make it easier to do. And it would be less like Total War and more like Battle for Middle Earth 2: *Fatigue, Morale, Ammo aren't 100% necessary, just easier to implement and manage if desired.

Okay, but that was H:C, not 0 a.d. 0 a.d doesn't have cannon fodder units. H:C did. And your criticism sounds nonsensical. A battalion of Champions would look "overwhelmed" by armies of battalions? What does this even mean? How is this a coherent criticism? I mean, yeah...

I don't quite understand what you mean here. Restate? Oh, I have a complete vision for how the game would look with hard battalions. The problem is, there are about a dozen contributors to the codebase of the game all with their own vision so that the current meta of the game just moves forward with its own limp inertia.

Mmm. We debated this stuff years ago. I'd rather battalions be permanent. Why? Because of the APM loss from the management required to band and disband the battalions. Battalions are supposed to free up APM to allow for deeper, yet higher level, tactical things like formation bonuses, flanking attacks, charging, etc.

Maybe because that was 4 years ago and my views and understanding have evolved. The way you approach things is very off-putting. What an idiot I was 4 years ago to not realize the two versions of the pantheon looked different!

Yes. I'm talking about battalions between. 15 and 30 units (max). @Radiotraining: And then you get that personal "immersion" or "attachment" in how you can upgrade each battalion individually and make them unique. Add an officer, a noise maker, upgrade their armor and weapons, etc. Maybe even have a meta where there's a screen outside the match where you can customize battalions and they show up in-game available to train in the UI.

What do you think 0 A.D. lacks? Battalions

I think the best thing to do is to make a custom decal for it.