Slitherine

I don't like how FOG2 deploys my troops for me. Playing Rome it always tries at a maniple formation which is fine, except . . . I want to configure my deployment from "scratch" pretty much each time. My preference would be along the lines of:

1. A "Clear Field" toggle button with a "Are you Sure" confirmation button that takes ALL the units off the battle map and puts them either into (a) a small resizeable/sortable/filterable/draggable box, or (b) lines them up at the bottom left of the deployment area. Then I get to place them how I want.

That probably involves new functionality. I understand some of the games source files are pretty much accessible as text files? I have some C++ experience and if someone can point me in the right general direction I'd be willing to take a crack at making a mod to do this functionality for FOG2.

2. Short of the above, maybe there is a config file that specifies deployment templates (I notice the tribal peoples I always fight as Rome are never in maniple formation, so I assume their setup is being regulated by an alternate format) and I could write up a template that at least achieves 1(a)?

The autodeploy is scripted rather than using a configuration file, the algorithm is too complex for that. However, you can move every unit at deployment time to reorganise your deployment, and you can also transfer units from one command to another, and move generals about, so you don’t have to use the automatically deployed layout at all.

I am not sure how your proposal would speed up this redeployment, but of course you could mod the scripts to do it that way if you wanted. The AutoDeploy() function is in /Data/scripts/MoreScenarioTools.Bsf

There is a section on Modding in the ARCHON wiki.

http://archonwiki.slitherine.com/index.php/Main_Page

Thanks rbodleyscott.

Re: the question of "speeding up deployment," I've realized there are two cases.

1. the nature of the battle (and especially the terrain) is such that, I don't feel the need to re-deploy the whole army from scratch and the algorithms outcome is nice and does save time. (a) Move a few units here and there, (b) add the generals and add units under the subs (I generally have all my light cav in one force and then add either one cav or one light cav as an SG so that that group can have a CC area move with it to flank, (c) make sure no strays have been left anywhere, done!

But then there are also cases where . . .

2. Either because of the disparity in forces (generally meaning I'm fighting outnumbered) or difficulties presented by the terrain (marshy is particularly pesky in this regard), trying to get by with light 'edits' to the pre-generated deployment is seemingly much less efficient. In this case, I've concluded that the best resort is to simply move EVERY unit out of the way, i.e., to the bottom left of the deployment area, and then start from scratch.

In the 40 or 50 hours I've played, I'd say the distribution of (1) and (2) is probably 60/40. I went through a phase where it was seeming to trend toward (2) becoming more common, but more recently not so much.

So this functionality I'm interested in would really only be to address the ~40% of the time that case (2) occurs. Not something that is likely worth the developers expense to try to implement, but if I can get something worked up I'll be happy if it is useful.