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Replay timeline and combat laboratory

Scrub through a finished match, and test armies against each other.

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Replay timeline#

When you watch a replay, a timeline runs along the bottom of the screen above the controls. While the replay opens, the game lists its events; the line under the timeline says how far it has got. Then each event appears as a small marker at its moment in the match:

Marker Meaning
Crossed swords A fight in which at least three soldiers fell in one area
Crown A ruler reached a new age
Document An agreement began, received notice or ended
Shield A coalition formed, was ratified, received notice or ended
Castle A town changed hands
Fallen banner A ruler was defeated
Laurel The result

Point at a marker to read what happened and when. Click it to jump to that moment, or use Previous event and Next event to step from where you are. Clicking the bare timeline jumps to that point.

Fights are hidden information during a match, so they appear only in a replay of a finished match. A replay saved during a match shows its public events only. Jumping uses snapshots the game makes while it lists the events, so even a long replay seeks quickly.

Combat laboratory#

The combat laboratory is a local practice mode. Choose culture groups, doctrines, units, formations and a patch of terrain. Place two armies and watch them fight under the ordinary rules. The same setup and seed always produce the same result, so you can change one thing and compare.

The laboratory reports what happened: casualties, routs and how long the fight took. It is available only in local play.