Denser, seasonal battle maps

[Michael Gladius]

In the original game the battle maps were very pretty, and I'd like to propose two upgrades: denser terrain and seasonal terrain.

 

The first one is necessary because most battles were not fought in a featureless field. They were fought in dense agricultural terrain: pastures, orchards, crop fields, etc. Most of the flat land in the middle ages was cultivated, so the empty battlefields seen in movies were few and far between. Agricultural terrain (both fields and villages) offers a lot of terrain masking benefits, and can provide cover for ambushes.

 

Seasonal terrain is also desirable, both for aesthetics and functionality. Springtime crop fields will be open and not offer masking, autumn will denude tree cover, and snow will slow everybody down, while also making frozen marshes and rivers passable on foot. Even in the desert, the dry season will increase the risk of wildfires, and the hottest months will tire soldiers faster.Medieval armies needed to plan for the weather just as much as modern armies.