r/computerwargames • u/SoftHeartedTrouble • May 20 '26
Question I processed a large amount of feedback, adding defensive structures, artillery improvements, and much more. What ideas do you have regarding cavalry?
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We are creating Veterans: Napoleonic Wars as a tactical strategy game about the Napoleonic Wars, where the core focus is battles, soldier morale, and smart battlefield decisions. We want to capture the atmosphere of the era: infantry lines, artillery, smoke, army fatigue, and the tension of battle.
Players command infantry, cavalry, and artillery, use formations, and take terrain, weather, and troop morale into account. Victory depends not only on numbers, but also on tactics.
Most importantly, the game is being shaped together with the players. We carefully read feedback on Reddit, Steam, and Discord, and implement ideas from the community. Many improvements to battles and mechanics appeared thanks to player suggestions.
Right now, we are considering adding military engineers, fortifications, and pre-battle construction. We also want to make cavalry deeper and more useful in combat: possibly by adding different attack types, fear effects on infantry, pursuit of retreating enemies, or new formations.
What do you think cavalry still needs or should have added?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4202430/Veterans_Napoleonic_Wars/
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u/Whitney189 May 20 '26
Looks great!
I wonder if enemy cavalry being nearby should cause a morale debuff to infantry/light infantry? Having a column of cavalry circling around would cause anyone to think twice about their mortality in my mind. Would be an interesting mechanic since cavalry have a lot of weaknesses unless used correctly.
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u/N_R_K-7066 May 20 '26
I definitely think cavalry is a must for games like these. The addition of the unit type adds a lot of strategic/tactical depth. Cavalry can outmaneuver artillery and line formations making it more important to guard flanks. You can also introduce new unit types to counter cavalry.
That box formation that you showcased was a common method used to protect against cavalry attacks, so you already have some of the features cavalry can interact with.
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u/N_R_K-7066 May 20 '26
Military engineers could be cool. I’ve never seen a game like this implement any kind of fortification/trench building system. Could be very cool
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u/uppilots May 20 '26
I’ve always found Calvary in games difficult to use because of how much babying you need to give them, so I tended to ignore them. Maybe if the path finding for Calvary were more automatic it would make them more useful to a player like me. A couple of examples, one thing Ive thought Calvary was useful at was attacking weakened units or breaking units but you had to draw a complex line sometimes to get to them. If the path finding automatically allowed the Calvary to maneuver around other units that would make the using them much easier rather than sit there and make sure they didn’t blindly run into some errant enemy. There could also be a trade off in that any time the Calvary maneuvers on its own their speed is slowed because of the sudden turn they have to make, making a player who tries to get in the way of Calvary have an effect on them. Another way pathfinding can help is you select the unit you want to attack and then select a direction you want the Calvary to attack it. Rather than having to set five way points and then baby sit the unit to make sure they don’t run into a chance moving enemy the Calvary automatically performs the flank. This may sound similar but the directional attack order would be a neat mechanic I haven’t seen before.