BTS: how about a neutral exit off the map?

[Nabla]

Currently it seems that if you exit a map during the battle it is either a good thing or a bad thing.

1. It is a good thing if you exit to an exit zone. You gain points.

2. It is a bad thing in every other case. Not only will it lower your morale if your units run out of the map in panic, but the morale also suffers if you order them to move off the map.

This causes some problems for me, especially in designing some unbalanced scenarios. Now wouldn't it sometimes be wise to order your units out of the area? The classic example would be the FO with no rounds left. Also, if some of your units are trapped, wouldn't it in reality lower the morale more if you left them there to be killed.

So I'm suggesting that there would be a battle parameter indicating that morale should be lowered only if troops exit the map by themselves - or perhaps even not lowered in any case (this should be really easy to implement). If you order them to exit, no harm done.

This feature is very important for unbalanced battles and tournaments, and should be very easy to implement. What do you say?

[ 11-08-2001: Message edited by: Nabla ]</p>

[Nabla]

Had to bump myself since noone has even noticed this.

[TankDawg]

Very good point. would like to see this as well. There are some units that I do wish could leave once ammo or usefulness is expended.

BTS?

[Redwolf]

Note that the morale hit is less than for knockout, I think (not measured) about half.

I don't think it will be easy to make this a switchable option, but myself I would prefer no morale hit at all over the current behaviour.

I could also imagine that this is a coding error related to the split-squads issues I mailed Madmatt about (thread 022164, Victory and morale levels at game start).

[ 11-08-2001: Message edited by: redwolf ]</p>

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>but the morale also suffers if you order them to move off the map<hr></blockquote>

It does??? :eek:

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>a coding error related to the split-squads issues <hr></blockquote>

An error??? :eek: :eek: :eek:

[MikeyD]

I wonder how historically accurate it is that a crew without a vehicle or some other pointless participant would actually be able to get himself 100% out of harm's way during the course of a 45 minute firefight. As it is you can get your men hiding behind distant buildings or deep in a nearby forest. Marching someoone 20 yards off the map to complete safety seem a tad gamey.

My 2¢

[Redwolf]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by MikeyD:

I wonder how historically accurate it is that a crew without a vehicle or some other pointless participant would actually be able to get himself 100% out of harm's way during the course of a 45 minute firefight. As it is you can get your men hiding behind distant buildings or deep in a nearby forest. Marching someoone 20 yards off the map to complete safety seem a tad gamey.

<hr></blockquote>

If they are not covered by enemy LOS or artillery fire, I would indeed expect them to run off as fast as they could. The 1-2 km of a CM map can be crossed quickly by a man running without gear.

Also, the original point was about defense-and-retreat scenarios. You won't hang out a quarter of an hour after your last buddy left.

There is a technical problem, though, that of autosurrender. If you exited all but one platoon, the opponent could shoot that platoon to pieces and there would never be an autosurrender anymore.

[Nabla]

Bump.

[Herr Oberst]

Auto-surrender could be handled by basing it on the status of units on map plus effective losses due to fleeing troops.

Units exiting due to out of ammo and not under duress, could be excluded from the computation.

Units routing off the map are considered lost as currently implemented, affecting global morale.

The rules for this "free" exit could be made fairly stringent, like "The unit must be within command radius of a higher level unit, in good order, and receive a single order to exit the map via friendly lines."

Or somefink like that.