Units refusing to carry out orders

[Cpl Steiner]

If I order a unit to do something really dumb I am wondering if the AI will, or should, override the order? I think this happened to a certain extent in CMx1 but I'm not exactly sure of the details.

A simple example would be a unit ordered to directly assault a spotted, unsuppressed enemy position. They have their orders (tending to make them charge the position) but they also have their own self-preservation instincts (tending to make them stay put). Which wins out will probably have a lot to do with their own combat experience. For instance, a veteran unit would probably stay put whilst a green unit with high morale might say "no problem sir" and get themselves slaughtered. If a unit was repeatedly ordered to do something stupid, this might also be a factor. E.g., "Do it now or you will be facing a Court Martial!".

[Battlefront.com]

We aren't planning on removing player control any more than we did in CMx1. So yeah, if you want to assault that fully alert, just waiting to kill you enemy Squad... knock yourself out The reason is simple... it's too difficult for us to judge situations like this with any degree of certainty. Say for example, that said enemy unit has its back to your assaulting unit. Shouldn't you be allowed to go for it? Sure, we can code things so that sort of an exception would be allowed in violation of a general "you can't assault an unsuppressed enemy unit", but then we'd have to spend a huge amount of time writing the rules and then more time writing exceptions to them based on people saying "hey, in this oddball situation I should be able to do X" and us thinking that the person is right. It's enough to drive us insane®

Steve

[Moronic Max]

If a unit was repeatedly ordered to do something stupid, this might also be a factor. E.g., "Do it now or you will be facing a Court Martial!".

I prefer the line the commisar gives while executing units in Dawn of War: "If you will not serve in combat, then you will serve on the firing line!"