Matrix Games Forums

Hey All -
Quick question: Is there an exact size the hexes are supposed to represent in detailed battles? For instance, 300 yards to a side or 700 yards across the widest part or some similar measure? Having just been to Bull Run battlefield this past weekend and walking off some of the distances, I'm having trouble figuring what the hex size is supposed to be. If a brigade standing in line fills up one hex side-to-side, that would suggest to me something like a half-mile wide hex. But if that's the case, then no rifles should be able to inflict damage from 5 hexes away. If the hexes are more like 300 yards wide, then the default rifle ranges make sense, but the playable unit sizes should be regiments.

I'm no expert on the actual dimensions and spacings of Civil War-era unit formations, so there may be some historical basis for the hex size, whatever it is. If the devs considered this issue and decided it's not supposed to be consistent, for sake of a more enjoyable game, I certainly understand the need to balance gameplay. I'm just curious as to whether they had a fixed size in mind.

Thanks!

(Incidentally, has anyone taken a crack at converting the scale of the game to regiments instead of brigades? I know aspects of it could be pulled off with the modding ability the designers gave us, but there might be some locked code that makes it impossible to scale everything.)

There are long discussions of the scale in other threads.  It's basically about 150 yards per hex.  For full strength brigades to get in the range of average historical troop densities you have to consider the brigades having been split using the "split unit" command and that some of their strength is in-reserve.  For range purposes, we treat the first two hexes a little differently; the first hex is considered to be fairly close (I forget exactly, like 50 yards or something) and the second hex is around 200 yards or so... the notion being that when enemy units are in hexes nearby that they are kind-of closing in on each other.

Thanks very much for the response, eric. I figured there were already threads about this somewhere on the forum, but couldn't come up with any through the Search.

With the split brigade function, those sizes make more sense to me.

Also note the related frontage reduction introduced in the latest patch; infantry above 1500 only count at half effect for combat damage.