Trying to understand how the orders system works?

[TikijoeTots]

For example, I'm commanding a Divison. When I send out a courier to a brigade commander to advance his men, retreat, attack or any other order nothing happens. I wan't to play as realistic as possible so I don't really want to micro manage and do the take charge thing and move all the brigades manually. How do I get my subordinates to follow my orders through courier commands? If this was real life i'd have them all shot. :)

[mitra-ITA]

If you play with couriers activated at brigade level (the max possible level) in the options (set custom level and "order by couriers at this level and above" to brigade), is not necessary you write a courier, you give the order to move in a place exactly like for a not courier case.

After the setting above in battle select the brigade officer you want give the order, press with the right mouse button the point you want the officer reach and add the final brigade formation when the contextual menu appear.

The couriers will be generated, 1 for order in direction of brigadier carrying the exact textual representation of your click\formation order. The same happen giving the orders with the command Map.

Of course you can use also some pre-written orders from the courier list, but are particular you can experiment with them later

[TikijoeTots]

I have all the settings set to what they need to be. I guess my big problem is that i'm playing with hits and the camera restricted to my horse. I'm finding really hard to maneuver my units by using the mouse to positon method because i cannot see the positioning arrow very well. For example, say that I have a line formed up and i'm positioned in the center of four brigades. I wan't my left flank to advance on the enemy so I send a courier over to that brigade with the orders to attack the enemy in front of them. When I do this, I see the horse arrive and nothing happens. Do I have to move up and down my line and order the men manually from a better vantage point? Or is it just better to give myself more leeway with the camera settings so I can see more of the field. Thanks for the quick responses by the way. :)

[mitra-ITA]

If you're the division commander, you have not to micromanage like this: depeding from the distance and strenght of enemy from your brigade you have to set a stance for the brigade commander: this will tell to the brigade AI the distance of engagement of enemy and if the enemy is good to be attacked: with aggressive stances the distance is higher and the enemy is attacked also if stronger.

So in short the trick is playing hits: give a destination on the map to the brigade using the command map, defining a fighting formation (line or column) later on the toolbar; it can be beyond the enemy line or before the enemy line. At the same time decide what stance you want set: first experiment with All out attack and see what happen (it should stop, think a little and after restart to move against a enemy in range). After try the same action with hold and see the difference

[TikijoeTots]

Ooo, okay. I get it. So is the manual courier messages more of a multiplayer asset or is there any particular way to use it in single player?

[con20or]

yes - it is really fun a playing style. You use the same syntax recipient, destination, formation, stance.

general a
move here
form attack column
attack stance

just like you would if using the UI.