Butch

Fifes and drums anyone?

Fantastic insight. Thank you!

The only thing that kind of ruins the immersion for me is the lack of promotions for brigadier commanders. I love that divisional and corps commanders get more XP now but I'm already at Antietam and have yet to see a single colonel leading a brigade get promoted to a 1 star general. Is this intended?

Sound. The drums and fifes and rebel yells from those two games are some of my greatest early gaming memories from when I was a kid. While the sound in UG:CW is by no means bad, it's just not a strong point in the game and I can completely understand why. Having said that, I really hope Nick and the devs invest more into it because good sound really helps turn a good game into a great game.

We're getting closer and closer to the end of the war; so excited for the final release!

This happens to me ALL the time and it's super annoying. It'll get ironed out don't worry.

Good post Koro. I think this is probably the most feasible solution to implement 'dynamic' battles without having to write too much code.

I completely agree with fallendown. I understand that there's a fine line between immersion/realism and gameplay but this game is actually marketed as a 'simulator'. Positioning artillery is way too easy right now.

I agree, it's highly unlikely that we'll see something like this in this game as it would take a lot of resources and time. This is just a personal wish list sort of thread and something I hope he and the devs consider for future games.

This is very, very interesting. Especially if you're playing as the Confederates and money is harder to come by.

What you've just described is exactly the kind of strategy and tough decision making that I really want to see in this game. Many officers will have upsides and downsides to them and appointing them to leadership positions that complement their traits becomes part of the strategy. The ability to personally choose from a pool of traits would allow you to 'groom' an officer. Let's say you choose the 'Aggressive' trait for a brigadier general leading a brigade; the effect is + 5 Melee. You're thinking to yourself I want this general to lead the vanguard division of this corps and I want his entire division to excel in hand to hand combat. You promote him to divisional commander and select the 'Attack Oriented' trait which gives another +5 melee and + 10 stamina. The traits stack and they affect every single brigade under his command so all of a sudden his entire division is insanely strong in melee and takes longer to tire. This sort of RPG element to building your army makes the current system a lot funner and more interesting. With a system like this you can specialize your corps and divisions depending on who is leading and this in turn affects how to you use them in battle or when/where you deploy them. The numbers I've suggested would obviously have to be balanced but you get the idea.

I'm so addicted to this game right now. The army management, the battles, the career point system; the game has so much potential. One thing I really wish we had was an RPG element to the officer progression in the game. At the moment, officers rank up and provide better command which helps maximize the efficiency of their units and subordinates. While this is nice, I feel like it could be a lot deeper and more meaningful. As it stands, the only officers that really give special abilities to their units are the ones commanding a corps. A brigadier general (1 star) leading a corps can choose one perk, a major general (2 stars) can choose two perks and a lieutenant general (3 stars) has access to three perks. These perks apply to the entire corps. But what about divisional commanders? What about the officers leading the individual brigades? They don't really provide any meaningful bonuses other than higher command and I feel like the game should give you more things to consider when deciding which officer to place in the different areas of the chain of command. My proposed solution is an officer trait system. Each time you fight a battle, your officers gain access to different traits depending on how well or poorly their unit performs. If an officer's unit has a high kill death ratio (KDR) you get to choose a positive trait for them from a pool of options. On the flip side if their unit gets decimated and they lose more men than they kill (low KDR) you're forced to choose a negative trait. This system allows you to groom officers and select the best man for the job depending on where you put him in the chain of command. Officers leading a division or corps would have access to different traits than officers leading a brigade. Officers gain one trait each time they rise in the chain of command; so an officer leading a brigade can only have one trait until you promote them to a divisional commander. Once they become a divisional commander you select another trait and so on. Demoting a general would cost money and or reputation to simulate the red tape associated with the move. It would also be a way to prevent you from gaming the trait system and only placing the best generals in charge; historically speaking a lot of sub par generals were in command purely because they were senior and it was their 'right' to lead and not because they were the better generals. Below is a list of some ideas I have for different traits and what they do to the unit that the officer is leading. Positive Traits available to officers leading a brigade: Forager: This officer knows exactly where to look when supplies are in need. Effect: + 10 % ammo. Master of drill: This officer has developed a reputation for drilling his men to perfection. Effect: +25 % experience gained. Inspirational: This officer leads from the front and leads by example. Effect: + 5 morale. Aggressive: This commander relishes the opportunity to plunge his men into ruthless melee preferring to give his enemies the bayonet. Effect: + 5 Melee Dashing Cavalryman: This officer excels at leading mounted troops into battle. Effect: + 10 efficiency to cavalry. (Only available to officers leading a cavalry brigade) Eye For Ground: This officer has a keen eye for good ground and positioning of guns. Effect: + 10 efficiency to artillery. (Only available to officers leading artillery) Frontiersman: Leading irregular troops comes very naturally to this officer. Effect: + 10 efficiency to skirimishers. (Only available to officers leading skirmishers) Negative Traits available to officers leading a brigade: Reckless: This officer shows little regard for the well being of his men. Effect: - 10 morale and + 5 % speed. Poor Subordinates: This officer consistently surrounds himself with incompetent subordinates that can't seem to follow orders. Effect: - 15 command. Arrogant: Condescending, pompous and sitting firmly on his high horse, this officer is despised by his men. Effect: - 5 efficiency and - 5 morale Cowardly: While he expects his men to show courage under fire, this officer is often the first to run when things go south. Effect: - 10 morale and + 5 % cover. Unorganized: This officer has the bad habit of allowing his men to move in a disorderly manner. Effect: - 5 % speed. 25 % slower rotation speed and 25% slower deployment into line formation. Once a general is promoted to a divisional commander, a second trait become available to them from a unique pool of traits specific to divisional commanders. They retain the trait they gained while leading a brigade and both traits will now affect every brigade in the division they command. Who you choose to lead your divisions suddenly becomes a very important decision. A good divisional commander can help negate the effects of poor traits that any of his subordinates may have. Divisional commander traits are selected from a pool in the same way as brigade commander traits are. They can also be positive or negative and are gained depending on the combined performance of their brigades (KDR). Positive Traits available to officers leading a division: Patient: This commander has demonstrated his ability to time his maneuvers and orders masterfully and it has served him and his subordinates well. Effect: + 5 command, + 5 efficiency, + 5 morale (This trait cannot be gained if the officer already has the 'reckless' trait) Efficient Delegator: Leading a larger formation has taught this commander the importance of delegating; his division operates like clockwork. Effect: + 10 % speed (this trait cannot be selected if the officer already has the 'poor subordinates' trait) Defense Oriented: This commander emphasizes the importance of digging entrenchments in this age of war and his entire command benefits from this philosophy. Effect: + 10 % cover + 5 Firearms Attack Oriented: This commander is a firm believer in the notion that the best form of defense is attack. Effect: + 10 Stamina, + 5 Melee Scouting Expert: This commander consistently makes good use of vedettes and pickets giving him a tactical edge when maneuvering. Effect: +200 spotting, + 150 stealth, +5 % speed. (This trait could be very useful for a support oriented division made up of skirmishers and cavalry. The extra spotting range is nice but the added stealth allows you to sneak up and snipe artillery batteries way before the enemy can react. It would pair very well with "Dashing Cavalryman" or "Frontiersman") Negative Traits available to officers leading a division: Poor Delegator: This commander's reluctance to delegate leaves his subordinates with very little flexibility and the division suffers as a result. Effect: - 10 % speed. Quickly Angered: This commander is easily angered and argues with his subordinates very often. Effect: - 5 command, - 5 efficiency, - 5 morale Overly Ambitious: This commander's hunger for promotions, fame and glory has come at the cost of many lives. Effect: - 10 morale Last but not least, we have the traits for the generals leading a corps. Only divisional commanders can be promoted to corps commanders. Unlike brigade and division traits which you can personally choose, the traits that your corps commanders gain are completely random. Historically speaking, some generals who were excellent divisional commanders displayed very poor leadership when it came to leading a corps. To simulate this, once you promote a divisional commander to a corps commander, they are given a trait randomly - you never know if a good divisional general will actually be a good corps commander! You cannot select the traits for your corps commanders. A member on this forum named Lincolns Mullet posted a very interesting video with ideas on how to implement a dynamic campaign into the game. He proposed a system where your corps could arrive early or late into battle depending on various factors. Some of the traits that I'm suggesting here will play into that system and make battles more unpredictable. Once a general is promoted to a corps commander, he will have a total of 3 traits which will affect every single brigade in the entire corps. This makes corps commanders extremely important and powerful. Positive Traits for Corps Commanders: Reliable: Always on time and always has your back. Effect: Increased likelihood of divisions from this corps arriving early into a battle when the corps is designated as a reinforcement. Master Logistician: This general's works tirelessly to ensure his corps is always well connected to supply lines. Effect: + 30 % ammo. (If this general also has the 'Forager' trait his entire corps would benefit from a bonus of 40 % ammo because the traits stack) Tactically Astute: This general has a firm understanding of military strategy making him a valuable asset to this army. Effect: + 20 command to all officers under the general's command. Negative Traits for Corps Commanders: Overly Cautious: This general prefers to play things safe and rarely takes the initiative. Effect: Increased likelihood of one or more of this corps' divisions not showing up entirely to a battle when this corps is designated as a reinforcement. (This simulates the commander not committing his entire force and preferring to have a large reserve) Vague: This general rarely gives clear orders which often leads to confusion on and off the battlefield. Effect: Increased likelihood of divisions from this corps arriving later than expected to a battle when this corps is designated as a reinforcement. - 5 % speed to all units in the corps (simulating a poor understanding of orders and confusion among his subordinates). Poor Strategist: This commander has failed to demonstrate the tactical knowledge necessary to lead an army corps. Effect: - 20 Command to all officers under this general's command. With a trait system in place for officers, choosing where you employ each officer becomes extremely important and very, very interesting. You become attached and love your good officers and start giving them higher commands while you weed out the poor ones. The fact that traits stack allows you to specialize your divisions and corps which adds more strategy to the game. Feel free to add any ideas or suggestions of your own.

Outstanding ideas man I can tell you put a lot of time and thought into making this video. I loved every single proposal particularly the random deployment zones in each battle and the unpredictability of when your reinforcements arrive. This was the essence of UG Gettysburg in the sense that reinforcements could come early or late and it changed the way you played the battle every single time. I loved the idea of having different 'variables' affecting when a corps arrived into battle; I'm gonna make a new thread with some ideas for an officer trait system that could actually go hand in hand with this proposal. I really hope some of this stuff makes it into the final version!

The rank of each officer determines the amount of 'command' that they possess. Each brigade, depending on its size, requires a certain amount of command to operate at its maximum efficiency. Efficiency determines how well the brigade performs in terms of shooting and melee. The larger the brigade, the more command it requires. Each brigade in a division is also influenced by the command score of the general leading it's division. The game doesn't explain the numbers very well and at the moment there really isn't a way to know exactly how much command you need per brigade. As a general rule, you want your highest ranked officers leading your corps and divisions. Brigades can manage with lieutenant colonels or colonels but ideally you want a brigadier general leading them to ensure maximum efficiency. To answer your question, the jump in rank makes the biggest difference at the corps level. A brigadier general leading your corps will only have access to one perk. A major general will have access to two perks and a lieutenant general will have access to three perks which will affect every unit in his corps. So as you can see it's extremely important to have your highest ranked generals leading your corps. Division leaders don't provide perks but they do influence the command level of all the units in their division so it's useful to have a higher ranked officer leading a division to help maximize efficiency in all it's brigades. The other benefit of having a high ranking officer leading a division is that if the commander of a brigade becomes wounded or killed in action, the command penalty suffered during the battle by his unit is less severe as the unit still derives some command from the divisional commander. Artillery units and skirmishers are typically much smaller than infantry brigades and can usually get away with lower ranked officers leading them without a penalty to efficiency.