Flanking Forces in Open Battles?

[76mm]

I've been playing a lot of custom battles with pot luck forces. All of the battles have been "Open Battle," which I understand to mean that all of the enemy forces should be on the battlefield at the start of the battle. And yet in about half the battles I've played, an enemy flanking force arrives. This is kind of annoying, because at least on XL battlefields these flanking forces NEVER arrive in time to affect the outcome of the battle (by the time they maneuver from the map edge), so the enemy is weaker than they should be, resulting in pretty easy victories.

Why are these flanking forces arriving in Open Battles? How to turn them off?

[Athos1660]

I for one like the eventuality of flanking forces during the battle but I would also like it if the points of the flanking forces weren't deduced from the initial AI force points, so that the AI would start the battle stronger.

[76mm]

Maybe on smaller battlefields the flanking forces are relevant, but in my experience in XL battles, on XL battlefields (which is all that I play), they have NEVER been relevant, because the battle is over by the time they get close to the fighting. So all they do is weaken the main force...

[Paul59]

All of the battles have been "Open Battle," which I understand to mean that all of the enemy forces should be on the battlefield at the start of the battle.

This is from the manual:

5.3.1. Open Battle
Both sides are eager for battle on an open battlefield.

So, as I understand it, an Open battle is one where both sides are on the offensive. The player does not get the option for a flank march, but the AI can have one.

I don't play many XL battles, but I can see that the AI's flank march might get lost on such a big battlefield. One solution would be to choose an VLarge Force size, but then override the map width using the Advanced Options.

[76mm]

I don't play many XL battles, but I can see that the AI's flank march might get lost on such a big battlefield. One solution would be to choose an VLarge Force size, but then override the map width using the Advanced Options.

Yes, I guess, although generally I like the XL maps--lots of space with no artificial cramping. The only issue is that they render the flanking forces irrelevant. I'd much prefer to be able to turn the flanking forces off, or at least have them with much less frequency--currently I've been getting them in about half my battles.