How do I force the enemy to attack?

[Memtndude]

If I attack another army, even if the other army is larger than mine, they will not attack. They only attack if they're the attacking army. Which makes sense, I'm not bothered by this mechanic, but how can I force them out? I've tried running around them in their circle formation and shooting them with arrows. This will sometimes make them break their formation but then once I run back towards my army they go right back to a defensive position.

In the most recent case they were laying siege to one of our castles, so I attacked them right outside the gates to protect the castle and they still act like I'm the bad guy here.

What do you all do to further a battle like that?

[GIJoe597]

When I need to get the enemy to attack me (mostly to get them out of trees or a good defensive location), I pepper them with arrows/bolts. Once they start dying they tend to move to engage.

[Comrade Pickles]

F1 F3

[Memtndude]

Originally posted by GIJoe597:

When I need to get the enemy to attack me (mostly to get them out of trees or a good defensive location), I pepper them with arrows/bolts. Once they start dying they tend to move to engage.

Yeah I've had them run at me after doing that but then they'll stop WAY before they get anywhere near my archers.

[Jack Niggleson]

Originally posted by Memtndude:

If I attack another army, even if the other army is larger than mine, they will not attack. They only attack if they're the attacking army. Which makes sense, I'm not bothered by this mechanic, but how can I force them out? I've tried running around them in their circle formation and shooting them with arrows. This will sometimes make them break their formation but then once I run back towards my army they go right back to a defensive position.

In the most recent case they were laying siege to one of our castles, so I attacked them right outside the gates to protect the castle and they still act like I'm the bad guy here.

What do you all do to further a battle like that?

When the enemy turtles like that, I usually march my infantry up to about javelin range and have them form a shield wall. Then I take my archers (or better yet, horse archers) and have them loop around behind the enemy position and start shooting. Ideally the enemy will stay facing the closer infantry and keep their unshielded backs exposed your archers. When enough of their guys die, they'll break and charge at your infantry.

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by Memtndude:

...
What do you all do to further a battle like that?

To cheese it, go with a group of your Horse Archers to within range and do enough damage to force them to attack. Try to kill high-value units or the commander. You can sometimes lure out Cavalry units or attack their HA/Cavalry directly, without forcing an immediate countercharge by infantry. IF you can clear a whole Group, the army will break and move to the attack. (IIRC, they'll do that regardless of what percentage of total troop strength that Group represented. Needs testing.)

You can lure out cavalry units by presenting your unsupported HA and making them vulnerable. (Generally.)

Advancing with unsupported missile foot units and firing for a bit will generally stir things up a bit or provoke an attack. Countercharge, briefly, with cavalry as you move your archers to safety while advancing your infantry.

Otherwise? Why worry?

If they're not maneuvering, that means you can do so however you wish. A static position does not survive being outmaneuvered...

Threaten from a flank, give them the opportunity to redeploy (should they choose to do so) then attack from the other flank while they're redeploying.

Or, just empty all your quivers on them and then "Advance Towards Enemy." (Don't "Charge" enemies in defensive formations that have a terrain advantage. "Meet" them first, in good order and appropriate formation, then "Charge.")

[NotofTroy]

Originally posted by Memtndude:

Originally posted by GIJoe597:

When I need to get the enemy to attack me (mostly to get them out of trees or a good defensive location), I pepper them with arrows/bolts. Once they start dying they tend to move to engage.

Yeah I've had them run at me after doing that but then they'll stop WAY before they get anywhere near my archers.

Maybe horse archers like someone already has suggested before (I never actually used them - Never liked them too much since warband even though I am kind of a heavy horse archer sometimes. Biggest problem with them is AI, I think. Might try Bannerlord's sometime tho).

So far, getting my archers closer in higher ground work because some of their soldiers start dying from being shot, so they advance.
However I do not have my archers fall back after they start advancing, instead I usually have my infantry make a shield wall and stand in front of the ranged troops so they will cover my archers from getting arrows in their face or run over by horsemen or infantry.
So when they decide to advance, my infantry will engage them and I will use my knights to flank and attack from behind, or pursue enemy cavalry to stop them from harassing my archers.
I will then reposition my troops if needed, but usually after the enemy actually engages my infantry, they do not stop charging even if it's a big battle with many "waves" of enemies.

Also I think bowmen have a higher range than crossbowmen, so they might be able to snipe the enemy from a bigger distance, but I have been using mostly crossbowmen though and it works just fine.

[Ruffio]

Once you remove their cav/cav archers from the field, they will start engage on foot. Move your archers closer to their line. Then just use yourself as bait and lure their cav with you towards your archers... once they gone the rest should start moving.

[Memtndude]

Originally posted by Jack Niggleson:

Originally posted by Memtndude:

If I attack another army, even if the other army is larger than mine, they will not attack. They only attack if they're the attacking army. Which makes sense, I'm not bothered by this mechanic, but how can I force them out? I've tried running around them in their circle formation and shooting them with arrows. This will sometimes make them break their formation but then once I run back towards my army they go right back to a defensive position.

In the most recent case they were laying siege to one of our castles, so I attacked them right outside the gates to protect the castle and they still act like I'm the bad guy here.

What do you all do to further a battle like that?

When the enemy turtles like that, I usually march my infantry up to about javelin range and have them form a shield wall. Then I take my archers (or better yet, horse archers) and have them loop around behind the enemy position and start shooting. Ideally the enemy will stay facing the closer infantry and keep their unshielded backs exposed your archers. When enough of their guys die, they'll break and charge at your infantry.

So what do you do if they charge your archers instead of your infantry?

Or do they bother infantry first since they're closer?

[Evil Overlord]

When the enemy AI sets up in a defensive position and refuses to move I usually move to 100-150 (I rarely get hit at this range) from their force and take pot shots with my bow until they either charge or I run out of ammo. If I run out of ammo I move my infantry and archers (holding fire) up just outside their range, I then order a shield wall and crawl the infantry closer to eat fire then order my archers close enough to rain hell on them. After a few seconds of my archers mowing down their troops they usually break and charge the shield wall at which point I use what ever cavalry I have to swing around and disrupt their archers and hit their infantry from the rear.
This usually works, the few times it has failed I accidentally wandered past their spawn and my back lines got overrun with new spawns. To deal with this I no longer attack straight from my spawn to their location, I try to come in from a side if I suspect they retreated behind their spawn.

[Morkonan]

One thing I failed to note, but it's very likely still worth trying:

In Warband, if you maneuvered behind the enemy, you'd really freak them out... :) I haven't tried it in Bannerlord because there really hasn't been much of a need. BUT, if one finds a recalcitrant enemy that just won't budge, it's very likely worth a shot. ;)

[𝔗𝔢𝔞 ❀]

As said, shoot some of them. I also go and kill off their cav and general. Draws them out.

[GIJoe597]

Originally posted by Morkonan:

One thing I failed to note, but it's very likely still worth trying:

In Warband, if you maneuvered behind the enemy, you'd really freak them out... :) I haven't tried it in Bannerlord because there really hasn't been much of a need. BUT, if one finds a recalcitrant enemy that just won't budge, it's very likely worth a shot. ;)

They just reposition and/or turn as you move to keep facing you.

[Cozy Toasty]

Originally posted by Memtndude:

If I attack another army, even if the other army is larger than mine, they will not attack. They only attack if they're the attacking army. Which makes sense, I'm not bothered by this mechanic, but how can I force them out? I've tried running around them in their circle formation and shooting them with arrows. This will sometimes make them break their formation but then once I run back towards my army they go right back to a defensive position.

In the most recent case they were laying siege to one of our castles, so I attacked them right outside the gates to protect the castle and they still act like I'm the bad guy here.

What do you all do to further a battle like that?

I usually just run over there solo on my horse and shoot the commander, once he dies his troops just charge in without organization.

[Darlandra]

"They only attack if they're the attacking army"
...I'm still trying to wrap my head around this.

[Ardariel]

Originally posted by Darlandra:

"They only attack if they're the attacking army"
...I'm still trying to wrap my head around this.

he means on battlemap units either go to tattack your positions if army they are in attacked you on campaign map.
Its not entirely true, but there is a big chunk of true to it. Units not gonna attack if you have significant advantage over them. Same goes to army. So my asusmption would be, tat OP had too lopsided matches. IN this case variety of behaviour, that is in game (for example, based on lords perks andpersonality he is more or less defensive of a commander) wont have an impact.

You also should not, that this thread is from time before game release.