On manual, I even managed to win some marked as 'probable defeat' (which I took because I was the one being attacked).

And even on those, if I replayed it, I got much better kill ratio than the AI. Every time I just loaded and did it myself because I lost pretty much every battle except the 'very likely victory' ones.

I only did this on battles with 'Closely Matched' or better odds (always offensive sieges, though). Since I wanted to see the battle unfold cause it looks cool I selected manual combat, but then I let the AI take over using the 'auto' option inside the tactical map.

I wasn't sure about the outcome so I always saved right before attacking. So, I eagerly played my first few battles in manual, but then after a while I decided why not automate the process. I noticed something interesting though, and I wonder if others have noticed, especially older players. Honestly I'm very pleased with this acquisition. Ok, just finished my first random map (yes, I got it during the giveaway).

Age of wonders 3 manual or auto combat