I came up with this idea whilst brainstorming for multiplayer modes in the most recent dev-journal based thread. (Usual disclaimer about possible previous threads with the same concept).

It is understandable that many players might not want to fight all their battles manually, especially in the later stages of the game where it can become tedious to command the smaller skirmishes, or in multiplayer modes where people have to wait for you to finish.

The idea here is to allow for some strategising and battle tactics without having to dictate every combat action personally. So, I propose that a number of factors should be taken into account when selecting to have a battle resolve itself.

Such as:

• Which group initiated the attack.
• The type of terrain of the tile adjacent to the defenders that the attacking group had to pass through last to initiate the attack, relative to the type of terrain of the tile that the defending group is stationed in.
• The type of terrain of the tile that the defending group is stationed in.
• The number of previous battles a group has fought in the same turn (or possibly last X turns).
• Any mode of stealth or invisibility that might be current for a group at the time of attack, negated by any special ability or enchantment.
• A group's proximity to it's sovereign or closest hero.
• Whether a group can be considered to be in friendly or enemy territory, otherwise an advantage may go to the group with the closest city.
• Whether the attack broke any current pacts, agreements or alliances.
• Whether the sovereigns of the two parties are tied by a marriage.
• Whether the groups contain siblings or relatives on opposite sides of the battle.

That's all I've come up with so far, but please feel free to add to the list.

Using these factors, here are a couple of examples of how tactical advantages can be gained through picking the place and time of a battle.

• Attacking from a hill tile to a plains tile will give a "Higher Ground" advantage. Possibly a bonus to hit for each unit.
• Being in friendly territory will give a "Home Ground" advantage. Something like an additional move per combat turn.
• Breaking an agreement by attacking will give a "Just Cause" advantage to the defenders. Maybe an increase in resistance.
• Undetected stealthy units gain a "Surprise Attack" advantage. Possibly First-Strike or Flanking.

These are fairly simple scenarios, but I'm sure that this mechanic can be exploited in a more technical or significant way, given some more brainstorming time.

EDIT - A tool that informs you of the advantages/disadvantages of a particular attack strategy would be very useful, so as not to keep players guessing.

So any thoughts, improvements or ridicule are all welcome.