1776 - 2nd attempt to understand the game

[TheGrayMouser]

Just thought I'd throw a couple thoughts out here.

Crickets: Yeah, often times that's all you hear. These games have been out maybe 2 decades and this site is primarily for PBEM organizing...  Not that people don't voice/have opinions but no doubt many of these thing have been discussed many many times before.

Gameplay Rules: So for the enfilading thing, the PDT files dictate how much a column is penalized for being enfiladed for a given scenario.  The default in 1812 at least appears to be 20%.  These can easily be changed to higher if you wish to mod them.  To be "enfiladed" a unit can not be facing a hex where the fire is coming from

As for columns being allowed to melee.  They shouldnt but there are two very separate issues at hand.

1 IF you made attacking in column highly penalized and or forbid it outright, then meleeing off / onto a bridge or thru a gate hexside becomes either almost impossible or literally impossible.  To fix that  would require  even further engine changes that might not even be possible... 

2) Gameplay Style
if you and your opponent do everything that the engine allows then don't expect it to be realistic.  This IMHO is probobly true of most turn-based wargames to some degree but even more so in the JTS black powder games due to their complexity.  (large amount of modifiers, multiple unit stacking, skirmishers, formations etc)

Doctrine of these eras doesnt lend towards easily created rules ( or programming an AI that can use them) that cover EVERY situational happenstance

So, some sort of house rules or a loose understanding of not to do cheesy things by like minded opponents is in order..

How about just agreeing to NEVER attack in column unless a bridge or gate is involved?  An easy addition to this house rule is a  battalions companies must form lime when within 10 hexes of an enemy ( or even more at this scale, after all the doctrine of Frederick the Great's Prussians to change from an approach column to battle line was minimum of 1 mile distance from the enemy!)


As for playing vs the AI, I haven't tested this extensively for this engine, but from my limited observations it appears that the AI like to maneuvuer in column but once it gets close to an enemy it likes to be in line, which is great!

Cheers!

I don't see units in column being enfiladed at all in 1812. I stuck my ass out in one test and the combat result was like I was in line formation with no enfiladed penalty or notification. Saw it in line formation though.
As for attacking in column, a sever penalty would be better. Good point on the bridge crossing. So we need the ability to attack in column but with a heavy penalty?

Hi, I just re-read the manual and fired up the the getting started scenario in 1812 (JTS version, latest patch) and based on what I see, the 20% modifier as per the PDF applies to enfiladed units.  ( I do stand corrected as columns always get the penalty whether they are enfiladed or not, which is good!)

  In order to see the modifiers you have to play with the option of ON Map Results Off, and then you can see the modifiers and the fire factors when you shoot in a POP up box.

Gary makes a great point about the Indian class of units being gutted if there is a column penalty, I suggest you tweak the enfilade # to 40% in a test scenario and see if that sufficiently deters you from getting anywhere near lines in column!