Welcome to the Lords of the Realm 2 Autocalc Guide. The main purpose of this guide is to explain the hidden formula used in calculating field battles and castle sieges when the player chooses not to take the field. This formula is used to decide which side will win the battle, and how many troops are lost after the battle is decided. In this guide, you will learn about Unit Strength Values, Army Strength Value, Army Strength Ratios, Loss Percentages, and Castle Defense Multipliers. It may be a good idea to have a calculator at the ready, Sire.
Contents
Guide to Autocalc
All credit goes to Gancoff!
Step One: Finding the Army Strength Value with Unit Strength Values
Autocalc takes the Unit Strength Value and totals it to find the Army Strength Value. The unit strength value is equal to the number of resources required to produce each unit at the blacksmith. For example, the Pike takes 6 wood and 3 iron to build, which means 9 is its Unit Strength. The Peasant (2) and the Maceman are the weakest units in Autocalc (8), and the Knight is the strongest unit (22). You can also find these values listed in Skirmish Mode, on the custom army creation screen. Here is a chart of all Unit Strength Values.
To calculate field battles, first you need to find the total strength value for each army. For example, an army of 81 Macemen and 28 Archers would have a strength of 1,012 because (81 x 8) + (28 x 13) = 1,012. A second army of 133 Peasants and 60 Archers would have a strength of 1,046 because (133 x 2) + (60 x 13) = 1,046.
Step Two: Finding the Army Strength Ratio
Next, there is an Army Strength Ratio that is equal to the value of the smaller army divided by the value of the larger army. Using the examples from above, the army strength ratio would be 96.7% because 1,012 / 1,046 = 0.967. In other words, the smaller army is exactly 96.7% as strong as the larger army. This ratio is used to calculate losses for the stronger army. Anything between 90.8% and 99.9% strength will result in 90% losses for the winning army after the battle is decided. Another example would be anything between 27.0% and 36.4% would result in 20% losses. You can use the chart below to find the Loss Percentage according to the Army Strength Ratio:
Army Strength Ratio and Losses
Step Three: Finding Total Unit Losses
The final step is to calculate the winning army’s losses by taking the number of each unit type and multiplying that number by the loss percentage. Values are always rounded up to the nearest whole number, and this amount is then subtracted from the original number. The Unit Loss Percentage is applied equally to every type of unit in the army.
The chart below shows an example of Autocalcing a battle between two armies.
Castle Defense Multipliers
The same formula is used in castle sieges, except that there is a multiplier value that is applied to the Army Strength Value of the defenders before finding the strength ratio between the two armies. Note that siege engines have no effect on Autocalc outcomes, but the game requires you to build at least one siege engine of any type in order to attack a Stone or Royal Castle. The castle multipliers are listed in the chart below:
For example, if the second army from above were defending a Stone Castle, it would have an Army Strength of 3,363 because (1,046 x 3.215) = 3,362.89. The resulting Army Strength Ratio would be 30.1% because (1,012 / 3,363) = .301, and the losses would be as shown below:
Conclusion
For many players, the most practical part of this guide is in understanding the strength values of different types of units. This information can be used to make better decisions about which type of units to focus on when building your armies. Macemen may be king in fielded battles, but they get wiped out in Autocalc. Swordsmen and Bowmen are stronger and equal in value. Knights and Crossbowmen provide the strongest unit values in the game. I used this information to figure out that Bows are the most cost effective weapon to buy from the merchant when you play with Autocalc on.
This autocalc guide could be a useful tool for players who like the idea of comparing autocalc losses to fielded battles without having to save before every battle. Players can use this guide to help them win “Autocalc Only” challenges. It could also be used to find an average number of units needed to defeat castles on different levels of the campaign for speedrunning purposes. The mysterious, hidden formula that the computer has used to autocalc battles since 1996 has finally been revealed!
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