combat result and terrain factors

[jnpoint]

I’m just curious to hear what to expect.
What terrain factors do have an effect on combat? and in what way does it affect the calculation of the result?
In the video, we saw narrow and wide front, but I guess that there must be a lot more than that?

[Pocus]

In combat, terrain can provides a defensive bonus, and each has a different width (depending of weather), we call that combat frontage. Also one biggy is that many units efficiency are altered by the terrain they are in, for example heavy units suffer penalties in difficult terrains like forests or mountains. Some specific units on the contrary will get a bonus in forests. When doing an assault, there is a corresponding terrain and the units with the city defender ability get a major boost.

Outside combat, terrain alters movement cost, foraging, supply, productivity.

[jnpoint]

- Is it then possible in any way to know if the province you attack has a wide combat frontage so you can choose your best unit composition for the combat, or can you just see that when you enter the battlefield and it is too late to change anything?
- Are you able to arrange/place the units before combat so they end up in a certain terrain tile, or is it random in which tile the units end up?

[Pocus]

(1) This is deterministic, to one terrain at the strategic level corresponds one terrain at the tactical one.

(2) You can't arrange your units, but this is not random either Each unit has a 'distance to center' value, with the heavies at the center and the light ones at the flanks (to be precise, there is one value for open battle field, and one for city assault). Also, skirmishers support units will initially be deployed before the front line to harass the enemy, then retreat through the first line and position themselves behind.

The tactical combat is then automated, Empires is a game that is feature complete, including battles. Battles are not just about who has the costliest unit either, you'll see that in a diary. Then, you have the option, and this remains an option, to play some battles with FOG2 if you own the game. But personally, I'm quite happy of the way the battles are solved in Empires, there is definitively room for some number crunching and 'theory crafting' before the battle.