Cavalry Disengagement Mechanics

[Kabill]

I'm wondering whether there are any factors that are taken into account when the game decides whether cavalry units will hold or disengage from a melee.

The rulebook highlights that this is based on combat odds, with units withdrawing in situations where they are likely to do badly, with some restrictions depending on if the opposing unit is foot or horse and of what kind.

On the one hand, there are some circumstances that I seldom (perhaps ever?) see horse withdrawing:
- Multiple engagements, i.e. horse fighting more than one opposing unit
- Crowding, i.e. in situations where there's a lot of opposing units, which might be explained by: 1) zones of control; or 2) threats from other opposing units (like when light units evade)

In a game I've just finished, there were also several instances of light horse choosing to stick in melee against opposing units which were themselves in a position for a flank charge on another one of my units (thereby denying my opponent those flank charges). That could just be coincidence - I had a lot of light horse making flank attacks so it's not implausible it could happen from sheer random chance - but has made me wonder whether the game also factors in the the potential threat of the opposing unit to other friendly units as well.

Does anyone have any information about this, or know whether the code governing this behaviour is exposed?

[rbodleyscott]

I'm wondering whether there are any factors that are taken into account when the game decides whether cavalry units will hold or disengage from a melee.

The rulebook highlights that this is based on combat odds, with units withdrawing in situations where they are likely to do badly, with some restrictions depending on if the opposing unit is foot or horse and of what kind.

Cavalry break off from foot if the foot will have the advantage in the next round of melee.

Cavalry only break off from cavalry if they lose a round of combat badly, and can only do so then if the enemy cavalry are not shock troops who originally charged.

On the one hand, there are some circumstances that I seldom (perhaps ever?) see horse withdrawing:
- Multiple engagements, i.e. horse fighting more than one opposing unit.

A unit is not allowed to break off if fighting enemies it is not facing within 45 degrees.

- Crowding, i.e. in situations where there's a lot of opposing units, which might be explained by: 1) zones of control; or 2) threats from other opposing units (like when light units evade)

Break-offs are prevented by enemy ZOCs.

In a game I've just finished, there were also several instances of light horse choosing to stick in melee against opposing units which were themselves in a position for a flank charge on another one of my units (thereby denying my opponent those flank charges). That could just be coincidence - I had a lot of light horse making flank attacks so it's not implausible it could happen from sheer random chance - but has made me wonder whether the game also factors in the the potential threat of the opposing unit to other friendly units as well.

It doesn't.

Does anyone have any information about this, or know whether the code governing this behaviour is exposed?

All of the code governing all troop behaviour is exposed. It is all in the scripts, not in the engine. See the CheckBreakOff() function in /Data/Battle/Scripts/CloseCombatLogic.BSF, and the CheckFallBackPossible() function in /Data/scripts/Tools.BSF.

[Kabill]

Cavalry break off from foot if the foot will have the advantage in the next round of melee.

Cavalry only break off from cavalry if they lose a round of combat badly, and can only do so then if the enemy cavalry are not shock troops who originally charged.

You know, I even read that over in the manual before I posted, but it didn't quite register with me - I (falsely) had recollections of light horse disengaging from enemy horse after impact but must have been conflating with disengagements vs. foot. So, light horse can reliably entangle enemy horse but not foot. Got it now.

A unit is not allowed to break off if fighting enemies it is not facing within 45 degrees.

[...]

Break-offs are prevented by enemy ZOCs.

Yup, these would explain the instances I've seen.

Thanks for your answers

[MikeC_81]

So they will not back off into a ZoC or if they are in a ZoC while fighting?

[TheSkirmishLord]

@rbodleyscott

Thanks for the informat - it cleared up a lot of questions.

I attacked some cavalry and it evaded, I then attacked it on the same turn and it fell back !! Yeah, the guy I was playing against and myself had a good laugh at that; his a little louder than mine, I'm sure.

I don't remember which units I used to attack it, I know one was cavalry.

My questions are:
-If the second attack was cavalry, should the attacked cavalry have been able to disengage? According to your answer, it can only disengage from an attack if the attacking unit is infantry.
-should cavalry be allowed to evade and fall back on the same turn ?

My guess is the second unit to attack must have been infantry.

[Kabill]

My questions are:
-If the second attack was cavalry, should the attacked cavalry have been able to disengage? According to your answer, it can only disengage from an attack if the attacking unit is infantry.

If the second attacking unit was not shock cavalry (which appears to mean only lancer cavalry or chariots according to the manual), then your unit could have disengaged if it was defeated badly (i.e. drew a lose result in combat, I assume).

[rbodleyscott]

-If the second attack was cavalry, should the attacked cavalry have been able to disengage? According to your answer, it can only disengage from an attack if the attacking unit is infantry.

Or if they lose badly against non-shock cavalry (or shock cavalry they charged).

-should cavalry be allowed to evade and fall back on the same turn ?

This is WAD. Opinions can obviously differ on whether it should be this way, but we don't currently plan on changing it. In the grand scheme of things it isn't a big deal because "losing badly" mean losing the combat badly (not just losing it at all) and mean they will have suffered significant casualties and had to take a CT with at least 2 negative modifiers.

[rbodleyscott]

So they will not back off into a ZoC

correct

or if they are in a ZoC while fighting?

As far as I can determine from the code, they won't do so unless the square fallen back to is within 45 degrees of the ZOCers front.

[nyczar]

Thanks for posting the question Kabill.