Today I tried a new multiplayer mode in Mount & Blade: Napoleonic Wars called Commander Battle, and this mode was AWESOME! In Commander Battle you have a battlefield with dozen of players per side. Each player is an officer and controls a platoon of soldiers. Before battle starts you can choose what type of unit you wish to command. You can command different types of line infantry, grenadiers, jagers, cavalry and artillery. Your officer is armed with sword and pistol and have a spyglass. You can control your unit using special commands. You can control movement, formation and firing mode of the unit. If you officer is killed, you will be automatically respawned in one of your soldiers. If all members of you platoon are dead, you will become a spectator and need to wait for end of the round. In spectator mode you can fly over the battlefield like a ghost.
My first game was a battle between Austria and England. I decided to join Austria and command a jager platoon. On the photo above you can see the back of my officer, two lines of my jagers at the right and two platoons of line infantry (white) and genzers (brown coat, blue trousers) moving towards the brick building.
Here you can see Austrian cuirassiers on our right flank near the unmanned gun battery.
I saw British dragoons and commanded my platoon to...
... OPEN FIRE!
Jagers have killed some of dragoons, but they were to far for an accurate volley.
My unit moved towards the brick building where one of our officer have placed his line infantry.
So I placed my jagers in skirmish formation at front of our line infantry.
We saw some redcoats and fired at them.
But they were to far.
So my jagers moved closer.
Redcoats opened fire...
... and killed some of my men.
Cavalry to the rescue! Our cuirassiers and uhlans have killed the British unit, but then my platoon was killed by British rifles.
So in spectator mode I started to fly like a ghost above the battlefield. I took some screenshots for you to show you the aftermath. On the photo above you can see the British line decimating other jager unit.
Our line infantry fires at British rifles behind the tree line.
Rifles have captured our gun battery.
And killed of our artillery crew.
Then fired at our infantry.
And killed them with help of British line unit nearby. So the British Empire have won the round.
