Manual - Steam

A Sea Battle occurs when two ships meet at sea. This battle cannot be lead or played
as a battle in Battle view.
Terrain
The terrain plays a very important role in Knights of Honor. There are five basic types of
terrain: plains, forests, hills, mountains and water. The plains are the basic terrain type
with penalties and bonuses for all units, depending on formations, marshal skills and
unit types. The forests are a serious hurdle for all mounted units. If you have cavalry
in your army, you should avoid battles in forested areas at all costs. Ranged units are
also at a disadvantage in forests. The hills are heaven for archers as they receive a
bonus on their range when placed on higher ground. The mountains are impassable in
Knights of Honor, which makes the passes an important strategic asset. The big rivers
spawn River Cross battles, while the seas can only be crossed with ships.
Morale
The units in Knights of Honor don’t have hit points. They only have one life and if hit,
they die instantly. As a result, in order to win, you have to either kill the entire enemy
army or scare it away. The units’ morale is the measure of how eager they are to fight,
which might allow you to win the battle with fewer troops than your enemy, provided
you use a carefully planned strike.
Definition
Morale is the amount of combat confidence possessed by a given unit. It is calculated
per unit and shown per squad and army. Morale is dynamic and changes all the time
to accommodate the changing conditions in this Medieval empire conquering simulation.
Factors
Morale is affected by many factors such as heavy losses, fighting on enemy territory,
night marches, army leaders fighting side by side with the army, and so on. Many
global economic, diplomatic and religious factors can also affect the army’s morale.
The best way to rebuild morale is to camp the army often.
Formations
Since you command squads and not single archers or swordsmen, they can be ordered
to assume three different formations to improve their tactical advantage. Once
your squad assumes formation, you can order it to change formation, or to wheel left
or right. You can also decide whether you want a narrow or a loose formation.
Line Formation
The line formation places the squads in two or three lines (based on the squad size).
This formation is best for polearm units, such as those wielding spears and halberds,
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