Unit Stacking

[LoneRunner]

Perhaps the most significant weakness of the Strategic Command series is the lack of unit stacking. Allowing some units to stack would reduce management of the traffic jam of units in a crowded battlefield and would bring artillery into the game making Civil War battles more exciting.

I've brought up stacking in beta and in another Strategic Command game (WaW) but I think it is an important issue that needs to be discussed again.

I'm not suggesting the uber stacks of units provided in the old Civilization game but only allow stacking of specific units like HQs, balloons, and artillery.

HQs only have a three hex command radius (without research). And the command radius only extends three hexes on roads and clear terrain. As a result I'm forced to "waste" a valuable hex near the front when I need every fighting unit available to break the enemy line. HQs shouldn't occupy a full hex. We're not talking about the huge command structure found in HQs in WWII.

Balloons float over friendly units. They shouldn't occupy a full hex.

If artillery could stack we could purchase artillery units. Artillery could be researched. Fortified front lines could be pounded with massive artillery barrages that were the heart of Civil War battles. Can you imagine the battle of Gettysburg without artillery? I know artillery is buried in corps and division level units but it's just not the same as using an artillery barrage to soften the front line before an infantry assault.

If stacking were allowed, admirals could be included in the game. Wouldn't it be cool to have Farragut or Foote commanding a Civil War fleet.

Anyway, I hope the developers take another look at stacking. And let me know if it's just not feasible in Strategic Command.

[Bo Rearguard]

And let me know if it's just not feasible in Strategic Command.

Given how deep we are getting into the SC series I think that may be the crux of the issue. It could be the game engine simply doesn't allow it.

[PvtBenjamin]

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[BiteNibbleChomp]

Stacking is something we thought about long and hard when we decided to do a game on the ACW. Reason we didn't end up going through with it is simply that after doing a few tests, it didn't really feel like something that was necessary to add.

For better and for worse, SC has never had stacking (and things like balloons filling a whole hex isn't exactly something new either). Adding stacking would be a very significant departure from the previous formula of the series, so even more than other changes, it's something we want to be 100% sure is the right way to go. After testing revealed the game worked fine without stacking, I wasn't 100% sure. Based on the very positive reception the game has had both here and on Steam, I definitely don't feel like I made the wrong choice.

If it makes any difference, I was practically raised by the gigantic stacks of Civ 4 and still absolutely love that game (while finding 5 to be quite a letdown). So I'm definitely not anti-stacking. This just wasn't the right place to add it IMO.

Could stacking be added in the future? Maybe. AFAIK there's no technical limitation preventing its inclusion (wonderful thing about making a game is, if the engine doesn't let you do something, you can always just change the engine). But I won't be rewriting SC:ACW to include it now.

- BNC

[Duedman]

Stacking would probably be a fun mechanic.
It would require to rebalance the unit costs (right now it is more like 2 Brigades equal 1 Corps MPP wise)
I think the game works well without tho

CiV4 is still the best. CiV5 was a total let down initially. I wondered what the compensation would be for those fantastic sliders Money/Research/Happiness. But there was none. Also no more growing tiles (villages).
It seemed like a console version.

I can't remember why I even got me the addons but they transformed CiV5 into really good game actually

[LoneRunner]

Stacking is something we thought about long and hard when we decided to do a game on the ACW. Reason we didn't end up going through with it is simply that after doing a few tests, it didn't really feel like something that was necessary to add.

For better and for worse, SC has never had stacking (and things like balloons filling a whole hex isn't exactly something new either). Adding stacking would be a very significant departure from the previous formula of the series, so even more than other changes, it's something we want to be 100% sure is the right way to go. After testing revealed the game worked fine without stacking, I wasn't 100% sure. Based on the very positive reception the game has had both here and on Steam, I definitely don't feel like I made the wrong choice.

If it makes any difference, I was practically raised by the gigantic stacks of Civ 4 and still absolutely love that game (while finding 5 to be quite a letdown). So I'm definitely not anti-stacking. This just wasn't the right place to add it IMO.

Could stacking be added in the future? Maybe. AFAIK there's no technical limitation preventing its inclusion (wonderful thing about making a game is, if the engine doesn't let you do something, you can always just change the engine). But I won't be rewriting SC:ACW to include it now.

- BNC

Thanks BNC. I appreciate you providing your thoughts on the subject. You are right, ACW is a great game and the wise old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

I do have a request. Could you provide the ability to stack in a mod? We got some brilliant modders involved with the Strategic Command series. And it would be interesting to see what they come up with.

[BiteNibbleChomp]

I do have a request. Could you provide the ability to stack in a mod? We got some brilliant modders involved with the Strategic Command series. And it would be interesting to see what they come up with.

Unfortunately not. We'd need to completely re-write a good part of the engine to make it work, and I'm sure you can understand why we're not going to do all that just for a potential mod or two.

- BNC

[Beriand]

Unfortunately not. We'd need to completely re-write a good part of the engine to make it work, and I'm sure you can understand why we're not going to do all that just for a potential mod or two.

Well, not only for this, if march backward continues, through WW1 and ACW... at least some stacking should be essential for Napoleonics and ~1700 World Wars I think particular someone might have done some Napoleon mods, hmm.

[BiteNibbleChomp]

My Napoleonic mod didn't have stacking either

- BNC

[Beriand]

I have no old SC, so did not check it. Must hurt, though. Sometimes you can 'zoom in', like all these France 1940/1914/1869 scenarios, which somewhat work on SC engine without stacking - but still, with armies that were much larger than <1850. But to have a map of whole Europe for older wars, I believe you really, really need either stacking or 1000x1000 hexes (which is no-no).
But yeah, I'm not sure if this is not offtopic