Mode, Stances amd Formations

[Wolfstack]

Hi all,

INTRO
Units have different buttons based on their unit type/skills, for example: a Rodelero (melee infantry) has a “Cover” mode that raises shields gains protection and loses movement, a Musketeer (ranged infantry) has a “split apart” mode that units spread to have less cannon damage, a Cuirassier has “trample” button that deals area of damage in exchange of speed and continuos damage to self as the image bellow.

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PROBLEM
There are some problems under this system, for starts we lack “Formation” (line, square, wedge) as default we have line and we can “form” a square with line of units.

Ranged units when we change for melee and then change to spread them they return to ranged mode, artillery (canons) cant hold their ground.

Melee and Cavalry dont have a spreed formation vs artillery (cavs dont need it much, but melee infantry do).

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SOLUTION (Suggestion)

Mode: Range and Melee, “togable” as with artillery. Determines what weapon will the unit will use to attack.

Note: Icons are for explanatory purposes.

Stance: Agressive(default), Defensive, Passive, Stealth, Trample. Determines how the unit will engage and its ai.

It could be futher tweaked to:

• Aggresive: (Charge) increase movement speed by x%
• Deffensive: Holds ground and only engage when in range, for melee units to increase melee resistance by x% if using a shield to increase ranged resistance too (as it does now in game), for ranged to increase melee resistance
• Passive: could be tweaked to (guard mode) unit dont get any bonus, doesnt chase but attacks back

Formations: Line, Spread, Wedge
Some times artillery could be tearing our armies down, so no mather the unit type spread could be usefull, or sometimes we are getting our cannons rushed, square could be usefull.

Note: Yep they are icons from aoe 2

Each Mode, Stance and formation to be independant from another allowing us players to change them to what we want. Examples:

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Aoe 3 along Aoe Online, are the ones that dont have proper formations, of course I dont know how troublesome would be to change it but I think it should be a must in the future.

Links to posts that speak about something related:

Request for better unit controls: please separate unit stances (aggression settings) from formations & special modes

I am writing this for my brother who is a longtime Age of Empires fan but who is partially paralyzed and finds it hard to play Age of Empires 3 because of the lackluster unit controls. Back in the day when Age of Empires 3 came out we were both very excited. However once it released I was able to play it (mildly well) but he was not because of the poor unit controls. For some very strange reason the developers of Age 3 combined unit stances/aggression settings and formations into the same functi…

STANCES FOR ARTILLERY AND OTHER UNITS

Hi all, Most units have stances, normal, defensive, stand ground, etc. But cannons only have “modes” fire or moving. And they tend to follow enemies when in firing mode. Would be nice if they had stances too so we could use cannons to defend positions. Although I know this is mostly unused in pvp due the speed of matches.

Comment, share your opinions down bellow

[vitorcxb20]

adoraria algo assim

[H3LLGHA5T]

They should just split stances and formations, let us put units in defensive mode without having the form a square unless I want a square, also add stances to cannons and ships, especially cannons that don’t have to unpack sometimes just distance themselves from your army to follow some random scout or villager passing by while your army is temporarily parked. There are legacy mods that implemented this so it should be possible for them to do.

[Wolfstack]

Yes it should be possible. I again make notice the modes, ranged/melee because units that have both tend to break from melee when assigned a new formation/stance

[H3LLGHA5T]

You’re right, melee and ranged modes should also be independent of stances and formations, maybe trample mode could also be independent as it’s a different attack mode. I don’t like units getting bonuses for their stance though apart from cover mode, the game is complicated enough and stance bonuses are a part of special unis like Nizam Fusiliers and Line Infantry and I’d rather see them stick to that.

[SirBarnzy1]

@H3LLGHA5T

They should just split stances and formations, let us put units in defensive mode without having the form a square unless I want a square, also add stances to cannons and ships, especially cannons that don’t have to unpack sometimes just distance themselves from your army to follow some random scout or villager passing by while your army is temporarily parked. There are legacy mods that implemented this so it should be possible for them to do.

This. A million times.

I’d love a proper split. It’s more intuitive and makes more sense.

Thing’s like Trample Mode shouldn’t be a Stance nor Formation - it should either be a third unit behavior mode (after Stance and Formation) which is just for ‘special’ orders/directives (maybe called Tactics? I don’t know) for a specific unit (in this case ‘Trample Order’ for Hand Cav) or a unit ability as a toggleable button.

Basically a way to enable your cav to go in Trample Mode but in whatever formation they are in.