Calculation of the combat value

The combat value of an army (or a group of armies) decides above victory or defeat in a combat. The calculation of the combat value encompasses a vast number of factors. The most important ones are described here.

1. Calculation of the unit quality.

The first step is the determination of the qualitiy of the employed units. This value is completely independent on the number of units and includes the following factors:

• The kind of units: Swordsmen have a higher value than archers; horsemen are stronger than swordsmen. These value can further be increased by the respective research.
  The unit with the highest combat value of its own is the ballista. Ballistas are siege weapons and must be researched before they can be build.
• Level of the Leader: The level of the leader is added on.
• Rank of the generals: The ranks of all generals are added on.
• Moral: Victories are added as a bonus, defeats are subtracted.
• Experience: The army's experience is added on.
• Weapon quality: The quality of the weapons (can be increased by research) is calculated in.

All these values result in the troup quality (TQ) of an army. The TW of militia is 45, for example. Newly recruited armies at the beginning of the game usually have a value between 50 to 60. An elite army with lots of experience, completed research and good leaders can reach values of up to 200.

2. Composition of an army

• Support by cavalry: Depending on the amount of cavalry, the army can receive a bonus of up to 30% of the TQ. The maximum bonus is achieved with a army made purely of horsemen.
• Support by archers: The army can get a bonus of up to 20% (on regular fields) or 30% (in castles) of the TQ depending on the proportion of archers. The maximum bonus is reached with 20% archers on normale fields, or 40% in castles. More archers do not bring a higher bonus. This bonus is further increased by 20% in castles. The castle bonus can be increased by additional 20 per cent (i.e. from 30 up to 36 per cent) by researching „Arrow Slits“.
• Heavy suppressive fire: Depending on the percentage of ballistas, the army can receive a bonus of up to 10% of the TQ. The maximal bonus is achieved, if your army consists of 10% ballistas ore more.

3. Calculation of the combat value

The combat value is calculated as follows for all parties in a combat. The basic value of the TQ plus respective bonuses for the composition of the army. Further bonmuses or maluses are added towards that value: For both fighting parties the combat value is calculated as following: The basic value of each army is the TQ plus correlating bonuses for the composition of troops. Each single army influences the average combat value relative to its percentage of the whole fighting force. To this average combat value the following bonuses are added / subtractions are made:

• Homeland: Defense of the homeland +5
• Higher troop quality: If the TQ is higher than the TQ of the enemy: up to +10
• Mountains: Defense of a mountain +10
• Unsuitable area: Horsemen during defense or attack of a mountain, town or castle: up to -50; in woods up to -30
• Castle: Defense of a castle, depending on the castle's level, from +20 to +110; additional bonuses may be achieved through fortifications after researching them in the path of Siege (fortified towers 5/10%, Mangonel)
• Bonus for castle attackers: Infiltration bonus is depending on the spy’s experience level with a maximum of 80 per cent of the castle bonus. Trebuchet bonus is also at a maximum of 80 per cent of the castle bonus. However the combined trebuchet and infiltration bonus cannot exceed 90 per cent of the castle bonus.
• Exhaustion: For each point of exhaustion, -1
• Numeric superiority: Depending on the superiority up to +295. The maximum bonus is reached with a superiority of 36 to 1 or higher.
  Special rules for castle attacks: The number of defending troops in the castle is multiplied by 1.5. Through research of "scaling ladders" the assailant can increase his number of troops by the factor 1.1. If the assailant use siege towers, he can get the factor 1.5 (for the number of troops supplied with siege towers ).

Then, a random number between 1 to 20 is added to the calculated combat values. The player with the higher final combat value wins. The difference in combat value determines the losses. With a difference of 70 points or higher, the losing army is shattered; with 116 points difference the army is destroyed.