Fall back - Evade

[divi8]

What is the difference between fall back and evade. Sometimes you see a unit in melee suddenly fall back, but I can't understand why. As I understand evade is a random event when certain troops charge certain troops and have too much casualties?

[rbodleyscott]

What is the difference between fall back and evade. Sometimes you see a unit in melee suddenly fall back, but I can't understand why. As I understand evade is a random event when certain troops charge certain troops and have too much casualties?

Evade (manual section 9.4.4) is an attempt by skirmishers (light foot, commanded shot, light horse and dragoons) to avoid being contacted by an enemy charge. When skirmishers are charged, the AI decides, based on the chances of escaping and the unit's chances if it stayed to fight, plus a small random element, whether to evade or stand and receive the charge.

Fall Backs (Break Offs - manual section 11.4) are also decided by the AI.
1) Cavalry will break off from infantry if the AI does not fancy their chances in continuing close combat.
2) Cavalry may break off from cavalry and infantry from infantry if they lose a round of combat badly. However, they cannot do so if the enemy are shock troops, unless they themselves were the ones who charged. Shock troops (manual section 24.3.3) include keils, any non-light unit with impact foot, salvo, heavy lancers, light lancers or impact mounted capability, and all gendarmes, cavaliers and determined horse. These are assumed to have a "press on" doctrine that makes them difficult to break off from.

This translates into various tactical considerations. For example Determined Horse are better against Ottoman Cavalry than Horse are, because the Ottomans can fall back from combat with Horse that charged them, thus giving themselves another chance to shoot at them, whereas they cannot break off from Determined Horse. From a historical point of view, this and other developments in European military tactics mean that although the Ottoman army does not change much throughout the period, it becomes progressively disadvantaged against European armies as the era progresses.