Suggestions for Cossacks

[ian77]

I hope this is not too presumptuous of me but I should like to make a series of Game Play suggestions. These are not necessarily my own original ideas;

Cossacks

Love them or hate them they are in the game, and are a pretty unique feature, which I think should be retained, but which IMHO needs to be amended.

Cossacks as part of a corps or Army should be left as is, a normal unit. It is the wandering individual Cossacks which I should like to see amended.

Cossack Infantry – I am not sure of this unit’s historical accuracy, but I should like to see them behave like Landwehr, albeit with their present movement allowances etc. I do not think they should be marching through France and Spain. Landwehr don’t so why do Cossack infantry? I hope this is an AI routine which can be easily tweaked.

Cossack Cavalry – the real problem! When not part of a larger unit how should/can we restrict their wanderlust? My suggestion is that independent Cossack units perform the games existing “can I build a depot here” check. If the game finds the Cossack is no longer in or adjacent to allied supplied territory then it is disbanded, removed from play just like a cut off depot can be. It will no doubt reappear during the next levy phase, but if they wander too far from supply they will evaporate. This rule should ensure Cossacks can roam at will within owned and allied provinces, and those provinces adjacent to Russian and, depending on diplomacy, allied supply depots, but it should stop the completely unrealistic appearance of Cossack cavalry divisions several thousand miles behind the front lines.

I hope that using the existing depot location routine means that this is quite easily implemented as well. My worry is that the checking routine may have to be applied to Cossacks who are part of a corps or army. But that is what programmers are for isn’t it?

Ian

[Latour_Maubourg]

Ian, they are my number 1 annoyance. But from what I heard they are working on it. And will be fixed in a future patch, patch number 2?

Concerning depots. I think its strange that a country can make a string of depots to a capital while not occupying the route. Would be the same as Hitler having a string of depots up to Moscow in 1941 before invading Russia (imagine. Comrad wot is this? No vorries my friend ziss is only for show). Very unrealistic. But again from what I understood this will be amended.


L-M [:)]

[Grand_Armee]

With the patch cossacks can be dealt with. I've completed two successful campaigns against Moscow in my current 1792 game...and not had my army waste away through attrition.

They key is having your depots guarded by corps...yeah, it is a waste of firepower and a hassle. The beginning of your chain of depots has to rest in an area you control. That can mean a conquered Russian Province. So, depending on the speed at which you can take provincial capital cities, you can leap-frog your corps through to Moscow.

I've been playing the 1792 scenario, so Moscow was only 4 regions away from a "couped" Poland. Peace settlements have shortened that distance to 2 regions. I plundered Smolensk pretty heavily and didn't want it to be a burden on my economy...so instead I took a nicely barracked Karelia[:D]

Occassionally, despite your corps-guard, the depot will get destroyed by cossacks. (I read somewhere that they were considering giving light cavalry an edge in catching these villains) You'll lose some guys to attrition for a turn, but you can rebuild a depot straight-away.

So, "In Russia" I like the way you have to commit some corps to guard your line. But cossack "infantry" are way off base, and cossacks roaming all the way to Paris wreaking mayhem is a stinker.