I'm not saying it is too difficult, but it definitely complicates a game system: 1. How many attacks of opportunity do you get? If limitted, how do you decide which ones get triggered? 2. Can you use special abilities during the AoO? 3. Can those abilities trigger other people's AoO? 4. When do they occur? Does it count against action points for your turn? Is it a special out of turn phase? 5. What order are the
[quote] That reminds me.. how come archers are so well coordinated? They also seem really, really good at it. Or otherwise they just really don't care about friendly fire. Firing at melee :>[/quote] I would definitely like to see penalties for firing through/over troops. Perhaps a minor to-Hit reduction. This would give you incentive to put your archers off to the side, or to create firing lanes in your front line troops. 
Also, on a side note. I am glad I am not the only one who is tired of the focused fire being the top strategy in all games. :)
Regarding reducing damage output based on HP: I think this could be an interesting mechanic. The downside that I see is that combat will go on for longer. Another way to look at it, is that the first 1/2 of HP would be lost much quicker than the second half. For example, two fighters are slugging it out: As they hit each other, the amount of damage they output will drop. So, it will take longer to reduce an equivilent amount of HP. &
Regarding being able to run by enemy units: When the run-by is is allowed, I definitely think it is something that reduces overall enjoyment and negates the potential for interesting tactical situations. I love forming lines of defense, and also attempting to outflank the enemy. It's enjoyable as the combat goes on to see these lines warp and reform, and then when they are finally broken you can mop the enemy up. Attacks of opportunity is one way to mitigate this.&
I definitely agree that outnumbering someone and dogpiling should be extremely effective. I would even suggest adding attack bonus for flanking or coming from behind. My point is that these bonuses should not outweigh the bonus from spreading out your attacks. For example, suppose you have a 3 on 3 swordsman fight. Now assume they are lined up so that they are toe to toe. I'm picturing a small section of two lines of Roman phalanx when the come into contact head on
Sorry if I missed a post along this topic (I looked!) In most games, the strategy of having all/most units attack a single unit is usually rewarded by the game mechanics. This is because the unit usually deals out max damage until it is destroyed, so it make sense to eliminate the opposing forces as quickly as possible, which is usually one by one. Personally, I think this is somewhat silly and is not as much fun as it could be. I would much prefer to see 2 u
Tactical turn length: I really like the ideas where combat goes for x turns, and then suspended until the next game turn. This gives a lot of room for strategic reinforcement. I'm excited by the idea of two players rushing reinforcements to a battle, and having a small pointless skirmish slowly turn into an epic battle that determines the game. Also, on the tactical level, it gives you scenarios where you just need to hold out for the day until reinforcements arriv
Full Disclosure: I'm not in the Beta, so I am basing my comments on GalCiv2 and reading other posts. My 2 cents: Allow retreats, but only if there is an available spot on the strategic map. A surrounded/besieged army has to fight it out. This will be fun on the strategic level as you try to box in armies, and attempt to surround the other player with weaker forces while you hit them with you main force. Retreated units are scattered on the strategic map
It seems like one the major problems is keeping the flexibility and fun, but reducing the micro management. To mitigate this, in the unit designer, it would be great if you could specify a backup for each item. If the primary equipment is not available, then the backup item automatically replaces it. It is not necessary to specify the backup item during initial unit creation. Typically, you would wait for the situation to occur, and then select the backup ite